Soups · Old-Fashioned Classics

Old-Fashioned Potato Soup

Name: Old-Fashioned Potato Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6 bowls
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 ¼ lb (1 kg) floury potatoes (Maris Piper, King Edward or russet), peeled and cut into 2 cm chunks; 1 medium onion, finely chopped; 2 sticks celery, finely chopped; 3 ⅛ cups (750 ml) chicken or vegetable stock; 3 tablespoons (45 g) butter; 25 g (3 tbsp) all-purpose flour; 2 ⅛ cups (500 ml) whole milk, warmed; ½ tsp salt, plus more to taste; ¼ tsp white or black pepper; 4 slices smoked streaky bacon, fried crisp and crumbled (optional); ⅔ cup (60 g) mature cheddar, grated (optional); 2 tbsp chopped chives or green onion tops, to serve (optional)

G By Our Grannies' Kitchen Updated Jul 2026 4.8 (213 ratings)

4.8 / 5

6 servings

Tap + or − to scale every ingredient

Ingredients

Tick each one off as you go.

2 ¼ lb (1 kg) floury potatoes (Maris Piper or russet), peeled, in 2 cm chunks
1 onion and 2 sticks celery, finely chopped
3 ⅛ cups (750 ml) chicken or vegetable stock
45 g butter and 25 g (3 tbsp) all-purpose flour
2 ⅛ cups (500 ml) whole milk, warmed
salt and white pepper
to finish, optional: 4 slices crisp bacon, 60 g mature cheddar, chives

Method

Simmer. Potatoes, onion and celery into a large pot with the stock and ½ tsp salt. Boil, then simmer 12–15 minutes until the potatoes are quite tender.
Roux. Meanwhile melt the butter in a small saucepan, stir in the flour and cook 1–2 minutes without coloring. Whisk in the warm milk a splash at a time until smooth.
Marry. Stir the milk sauce into the pot. Gentle heat from here — never let it boil once the milk is in, or it can catch and curdle.
Part-mash. Three or four presses of a masher straight into the pot — about a third of the potatoes. Creamy, still chunky. Simmer very gently 5 minutes to thicken.
Season and serve. Salt and white pepper — more than you think. Ladle up and finish with crisp bacon, cheddar and chives, if you like.

Granny's tip

It thickens as it stands — loosen tomorrow's bowl with a splash of milk, never water, and reheat it gently. Plenty in this house swear it's better on day two.

Tips for the creamiest pot

Floury potatoes only

Maris Piper, King Edward or russets collapse at the edges and thicken the soup themselves. Waxy salad potatoes stay glassy and it never turns creamy.

Mash, don't blend

Three or four presses of a masher gives body and keeps the chunks. A blender ruptures the starch and turns the pot gluey.

Gentle once milk is in

Keep it below a boil after the milk goes in — hard boiling makes it catch on the bottom and can curdle it.

Questions, answered

What are the best potatoes for old fashioned potato soup?

Floury (starchy) potatoes — Maris Piper, King Edward or russets. Their edges break down as they simmer and thicken the soup naturally, which is exactly what makes it creamy. Waxy salad potatoes such as Charlotte hold their shape too well and leave the soup thin, with firm, glassy chunks.

Why is my potato soup gluey?

Overworked starch, almost always from a blender or food processor — blitzing ruptures the potato starch cells and turns the soup to wallpaper paste. Use a hand masher instead and crush only about a third of the potatoes, stopping as soon as the soup looks creamy. Choosing floury potatoes and mashing gently gives body without the glue.

Why has my potato soup curdled?

It boiled after the milk went in. Milk-based soups split when they boil hard, especially with salty stock or bacon in the pot. Keep the soup at a bare simmer once the milk is added and stir now and then so it does not catch on the bottom. Whole milk is far more stable than 2%, and the flour in the roux helps protect it too — do not skip it.

Can I freeze potato soup or make it ahead?

It keeps in the fridge for 3 days and reheats gently with a splash of milk. Freezing the finished soup is not ideal — the milk can split and the potatoes turn grainy once thawed. If you want to freeze, stop before the milk stage: freeze the potato and stock base for up to 3 months, then thaw and finish with a fresh roux and milk.

From Granny's Pantry

The know-how behind this recipe: