Grandmother’s Potato Soup Recipe
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My Grandmother’s Potato Soup Recipe is an old-fashioned, easy, comforting soup recipe. Made with 5 ingredients and no heavy cream! Instant Pot instructions included.
Soup is one of my favorite meals. Like our favorite vegetable soup and chicken and dumplings, this is one of the soups that I grew up loving the most. Before there was such a thing as loading a potato soup with bacon, cheese, and onions, my Grandmother Verdie made her potato soup very simply – with potatoes, milk, butter, salt, and pepper. If my sister Wendy and I knew that Grandmother made this soup for supper, we’d beg to be able to eat supper with her. With one bite, it is so easy to understand why!
The Best Potato Soup Recipe
You could add all sorts of things to this soup if you’d like, but I recommend starting with this simple, basic recipe and go from there. Most of the time, we would rather stick with this version than add a lot of other ingredients, like leeks, onions, and whatnot.
Simple really is best most of the time, isn’t it?
Why You’ll Love This Potato Soup Recipe
- Pure, nostalgic comfort in every spoonful — This is the old-fashioned potato soup my Grandmother Verdie made, the one my sister and I begged to eat at her table. One bite takes you right back to cozy family suppers, warm kitchens, and simple joys — no fancy add-ins required, just honest, hearty flavor that feels like home.
- Made with just 5 everyday ingredients — Potatoes, milk, butter, salt, and pepper. That’s it! No heavy cream, no flour roux, no complicated steps — yet it delivers that rich, creamy texture naturally as the potatoes break down and the butter melts in.
- Incredibly easy and quick — Ready in about 35 minutes on the stovetop (or even faster in the Instant Pot). Perfect for busy weeknights when you want something soul-warming without spending hours in the kitchen.
- Naturally gluten-free and easily adaptable — Skip the dairy with plant-based milk and butter for a vegan version, keep it chunky or blend it smooth with an immersion blender, or turn it “loaded” with bacon, cheese, sour cream, and green onions if you’re craving that indulgent twist (see variations below!).
- Budget-friendly and crowd-pleasing — Uses inexpensive pantry staples, feeds a family generously, and gets rave reviews from folks saying it’s “just like my granny’s” or “the easiest and best potato soup ever.” Kids love it, adults crave it on chilly days — it’s true comfort food that brings everyone together.
This recipe proves that sometimes the simplest things are the most satisfying. Give it a try, and I bet it’ll become your go-to potato soup too!
How to Make The Best Potato Soup Recipe
To make Grandmother’s easy potato soup recipe, you’ll only need a few ingredients and to follow a few steps.
Ingredients
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.
- Potatoes – I prefer to use russets. You’ll need 2 pounds, about six medium. You can also use Yukon gold potatoes.
- Water – You will need enough fresh, clean water to cover the potatoes.
- Milk – I use whole milk in my potato soup. You can also use your favorite dairy-free milk substitute.
- Butter – the butter adds so much flavor to this soup.
- Salt and Pepper – add salt and pepper to taste for seasoning.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prep potatoes. Begin by scrubbing your potatoes clean, peeling, and then cutting them into about 2-inch chunks. Place the potatoes into a large soup pot (I use my Dutch oven), cover it with clean water, and stir.
- Cook. Cook over medium heat until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain away the water from the potatoes. Add the whole milk and butter to the potatoes, then return them to medium heat. Allow the milk to bubble slightly around the edges of the soup pot, about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Season. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Creamy Potato Soup Recipe Without Adding Flour
To customize the consistency and texture of this soup recipe, you can serve it as shown with tender chunks of potatoes or you can make a smooth and creamy soup by using an immersion blender in your soup pot until it reaches the consistency you prefer. No need to add flour or make a slurry with this simple trick! Naturally gluten-free! But really, the chunkiness is simply perfect and I definitely recommend that you give it a try!
If you like a smoother-textured soup with all the trimmings (think sour cream, cheddar cheese, bacon, and green onions), you may want to check out my creamy Loaded Potato Soup Recipe.
Dairy-Free Potato Soup
To make this soup dairy-free, replace the milk and butter called for in the recipe with dairy-free substitutes. A delicious option for dairy-free milk for this soup is coconut milk. I prefer to use the canned version for the added creamy texture. For the butter, there is plant-based butter readily available. Use your favorites!
Storage Tips
Leftover and Make Ahead: Allow your soup to cool completely and then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat and serve.
How to Make Potato Soup Recipe in the Instant Pot
This easy soup recipe is so easy to make in the Instant Pot.
- Rather than cooking in the Dutch oven, add the water, potatoes, butter, salt, and pepper to the Instant Pot. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and turn the vent to the sealing position. Cook on the manual setting at high pressure for 10 minutes, then use the quick-release feature.
- Remove the lid from the Instant Pot and set the cook setting to saute. Stir in the milk and cook, stirring often, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Turn off the Instant Pot and serve. If you prefer a smooth, loaded potato soup, use an immersion blender to blend it and serve it with your favorite toppings.
Other Favorite Soup Recipes:
Frequently Asked Questions
Russets for creaminess; Yukon Gold for buttery flavor.
Immersion blend, simmer longer, or add a roux if desired – but this recipe avoids flour.
Yes, naturally – no flour or thickeners.
Use plant-based milk/butter and veggie broth if added.
Here’s Grandmother’s Potato Soup Recipe. I hope you love it as much as we do!
Potato Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (about 6 medium) Russet potatoes, scrubbed, peeled, and chopped
- water
- 3 cups whole milk
- 4 tablespoons butter
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cover potatoes with water in a large soup pot.
- Cook over medium heat until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and drain.
- Add milk and butter to the potatoes. Place back on medium heat and allow milk to bubble slightly around the edges of the soup pot, about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and ladle into soup bowls.
- Serve with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
From the Add a Pinch recipe archives. Orignally published 2011.
Thank you so much for posting this recipe, it is exactly like my grandmother’s recipe. When she passed in 1996 her recipe book and index cards went with my uncle who never used them, and when he passed his wife got rid of them and some of those recipes are gone forever. She taught my mother how to cook, who was her daughter-in-law and had come from American Samoa and Hawai’i(her and my dad met while he was stationed in Hawai’i with the Marines), my mom is the only one that knows some of her recipes now. But like my grandmother, often never resorted back to the recipe, just made items out of sheer repeated practice. This recipe is one my mother never learned and it was one of my favorites that my grandmother made. I am so glad that you have shared this, as I will be able to enjoy the taste of the soup and bring back fond memories of my grandmother. Thank you so much!
Sherman, I’m glad this recipe is like your grandmother’s and you found it here. I am so thankful that we still have my grandmother’s recipes.
This recipe is the exact one my grandma made when I was like 7 yrs old and I’m 55 now so I’ll be making in tomorrow!!!!!!!!
I thought it was delicious. I was a little short on milk, so I added 1/2 cup of half and half instead. The potato chunks were a little large so I just used a manual potato masher a couple of times. Still plenty of chunky potato only creamier.
Can I just add leeks to make it potato-leek soup? I don’t cook much.
You can add leeks to this to make potato leek soup. I recommend cooking the leeks in some butter until tender before putting them in with the potatoes, Tina.
Recipe is similar to what my grandma taught me to make but we always add hard boiled eggs cut up in small to bite size pieces. A dash of onion flakes helps with the flavor too.
I am so excited to try this potato soup recipe – simple! Just what I like and then to add the toppings will make it perfect! Thank you!
This is the way my mama made her tater soup omg thank you for bringing back some sweet memories. I’m going to have to make this really soon.
I love these recipes from our mothers and grandmothers, don’t you, Karla!
Thank you for sharing this recipe, I used it as a starter and included squash, broccoli, ham (cooked with some brown sugar), diced carrots, chopped celery ribs, minced garlic cloves, couple of diced onion caramelized, minced leek, sliced mushrooms sautéed, minced cilantro, some frozen peas, frozen sweet corn, a bit of white cheddar cheese, some extra virgin olive oil. Debating about mozzarella cheese for next time and will have to share to let you know how it went. Thank you for sharing and hope you have a great day!
Im gonna make these soups
I hope you enjoy, Lisa!
My mom (who just turned 94) always made this but she added leftover roast beef…just little chunks. It was so good! We called it Soupy Hash.
i used lactose free milk and it curdled, is it ok to eat?
The soup is safe to eat, Freddie. It just may not look as appetizing.
I would like to have all recipe sent to my email please. Thank You!
Ninette, there is a blue box at the end of the recipe on my site that has a space for you to enter your email address and then click on the SUBSCRIBE button. You can sign up there to have emails sent from me with links to recipes.You can save recipes or print them from my the recipe section, too, if you wish.