Gluten-free Cheesy Baked Potato Soup
Nothing beats a bowl of creamy gluten-free soup on a cold winter day! This gluten-free Cheesy Baked Potato Soup brings all the flavors of a twice baked potato in a creamy soup that the whole family loves!
My family loves gluten-free soups with potatoes. It’s one of the few meals that everyone in my family will devour, with seconds, without a single person complaining. My boys especially love the gluten-free Cheeseburger Soup recipe and the gluten-free ham cheddar chowder recipe that we make often. I wanted to make another gluten-free potato soup recipe that would be a hit with the kids.
Thinking about how much my family loves my gluten-free twice baked potatoes, I decided to make a gluten-free potato soup that was similar. I wanted it to have lots of potatoes, lots of cheese, sour cream, and bacon for sure, for a hearty, filling meal.
Pinterest is full of loaded baked potato soup recipes, but instead of following a different recipe, I decided to adapt my cheeseburger soup recipe. I’ve been making that one for years and the whole family loves it. I figured with a few changes, I could mimic the flavors of twice baked potatoes.
It was a total success! This one was a definite hit with the family and one that I’ve now made many times for my family.
We enjoy this gluten-free baked potato soup with my gluten-free pull-apart dinner rolls or gluten-free sweet cornbread.
Are potatoes gluten-free?
Many people wonder if there is gluten in potatoes and the answer is NO! Gluten is in the grains wheat, barley, and rye. Potatoes are a starchy vegetable. Potatoes do not have gluten!
Notes on ingredients for Baked Potato Soup:
- Potatoes: my first choice for potatoes for soups is always butter gold or yellow gold potatoes. If you can’t find those, go ahead and use Russets.
- Chicken broth: I always stick to broth that is clearly labeled gluten-free. Pacific organic chicken broth is my go-to brand. I can find it at my local Winco and Kroger stores, but it can also be bought in bulk on Amazon. Note that if you use a low sodium chicken broth then you’ll likely need to add more salt to taste at the end.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch is gluten-free and is a great to use to thicken soups, instead of flour. I usually buy this one.
- Bacon: Use your favorite bacon. The bacon is used only for adding as a topping. I found one pound was only enough for 6-7 people using as a topping, so I’ve adjusted the recipe to call for 2 pounds of bacon to be cooked and crumbled for topping for this entire batch of soup. You can also stir in all of the cooked bacon right into the soup.
- Seasonings: I give measurements for garlic salt and pepper but if you’d like to add more or less, feel free to adjust.
If you love onions, you could also mix in chopped sweet onions into the soup when you add the potatoes.
You can also add some broccoli florets to this soup if you’d like to sneak another vegetable in there!
The color and flavor of your soup will be influenced a bit by the cheese you use. Some of the pics here show it made with a shredded mixture of white/yellow cheeses, while the pic of it in the big pot shows it with all sharp cheddar cheese so it’s more yellow in that one. All taste great!
My kids thought it was fun that I included bowls of cheese, bacon, and green onions, so they could customize their toppings on this potato soup – adding as much bacon or cheese as they’d like.
Should you peel the potatoes for this gluten-free potato soup:
You can peel your potatoes or leave them unpeeled. I usually keep peels on since it saves time. Just scrub and remove any bad parts.
Cut your potatoes to roughly 1/2″ cubes. This way they cook evenly, don’t completely fall apart from being too small, and aren’t too big for eating spoonfuls of soup. If you cut yours larger, your cooking time will be longer as well.
I use this Cutco Santoku knife for cutting the potatoes. (I love all Cutco knives and only use them now!)
Looking for more soup recipes? I highly recommend the soups I mentioned above as well as my 30 minute gluten-free chicken tortilla soup recipe.
If you like broccoli, you’ve got to try this Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe too!
And if you have turkey, try this gluten-free creamy turkey chowder from my friend Jeanine. Or my gluten-free turkey and rice soup recipe.
Next time your family is needing something warm and comforting, I hope you’ll make this gluten-free soup for them!
If you make this soup and enjoy it, please come back and give this recipe a 5 star rating in the recipe card! Feel free to comment with tips or to share any successful substitutions you made.
Gluten-free Potato Soup Recipe:
Gluten-free Loaded Baked Potato Soup
This gluten-free Cheesy Baked Potato Soup brings all the flavors of a twice baked potato in a creamy gluten-free soup that the whole family loves!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), divided
- 2 tsp. minced garlic (about 5-6 cloves)
- 9 cups cubed potatoes (~1/2" cubes), preferably butter gold or Yukon gold (peeled or unpeeled) = approx. 3 lbs 4 oz.
- 6 cups gluten-free chicken broth (recommend Pacific)
- 2 tsp. dried parsley
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 3 cups milk
- 5 cups cubed or shredded cheddar cheese (sharp cheddar is preferred)
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 2 Tbsp. garlic salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 2 lbs. bacon for topping
- Additional shredded cheese for topping, if desired
- Sliced green onions for topping, if desired
Instructions
- Mince the garlic.
- In a large stockpot, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute or until garlic is fragrant.
- Add the broth, potatoes, and parsley and stir.
- Bring to a boil, stir, then turn to low heat, cover pot with lid, and let simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10-12 minutes.
- In a smaller pot, melt the remaining butter, then whisk in the cornstarch. Add the milk, whisking until smooth. Continue whisking as you bring to a boil and continue boiling until starts to thicken, about 5-6 minutes, then remove from heat. (It will really increase in volume as it thickens - you'll definitely be able to tell!)
- Gradually add the milk mixture into the stockpot once the potatoes are tender. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil and let boil for about 5 minutes to thicken the soup a bit. Reduce heat to simmer and stir in shredded cheese or cheese cubes.
- When the cheese is melted, add sour cream, garlic salt, and pepper. Stir until all is warmed through to desired temperature. Taste to see if you would prefer additional garlic salt or pepper.
- While soup is warming through or left on lowest setting to keep warm, cook bacon in batches in a skillet. Pat dry and crumble. Serve in a bowl so everyone can add their desired amount to their soup.
- Serve with additional shredded cheese and green onions for everyone to add as desired.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated or frozen. To enjoy leftovers, you'll want to add a bit of milk when reheating. You can reheat in the microwave or on stove top.
Notes
I found one pound was only enough for 6-7 people using as a topping, so I've adjusted the recipe to call for 2 pounds of bacon to be cooked and crumbled for topping for this entire batch of soup.
I haven't paid attention to exactly how many servings this makes (I keep forgetting) but I know at least 12 because my family of 4 easily has this 3 times every time I make it.
Find even more gluten-free soup recipes on my Soups & Stews Pinterest board.
old photo below, aren’t the new ones so much better?!
I hope you and your family enjoy this gluten-free potato soup as much as my family does!
I made this soup last night and it was excellent. Thank you for sharing this recipe. 💜
My niece sent me the link to this, to make for a Bills game this season. She’s GF, I’m not, but omg this was so good. And it’s not “oh it’s good for a gluten-free recipe”, it’s “Oh, this is delicious!”.
Is the sevring size like a cup or 2 cups per serving?
If I wanted to make this in a crock pot how do you think it would change the times? Once its made can I let it sit on low in a crock pot until my boyfriend gets home from work? Has anyone made this in a crockpot yet? ha 🙂 Thank you! Making this tonight and I cant wait!!!
Thanks for a wonderful gluten-free potato soup recipe! Yummy!!!! Everyone liked it not just the gluten free family members. 5 Star
Absolutely awesome! I made my own chicken stock, added a little dried onion and 2 large cloves of garlic to half the recipe of soup! I have celiac so I am thrilled with this recipe! Of course I had to have all the fixings! Thanks for sharing ?
Made this for my wife after surgery for comfort food. Potato soup one of her favorites. Mine came out very salty. Not sure if it was my bacon or that I used sea salt, and I cut back to 1 1/2 tbsp. Adding extra potatoes and milk to help. Otherwise it is very good.
Has anyone made this with Vegetable broth for a vegetarian version and of course have the bacon as a topper for those who eat meat :-)_
You can absolutely use vegetarian broth! I recommend using the same brand, Pacific.
Hi, I would like to substitute the milk for heavy cream. Would it be the same amount or less for heavy cream? Thanks! 🙂
You can definitely sub cream in as a straight substitute for the milk if you want – it’ll make your soup rich and flavorful – though not healthier! 🙂
I was looking for a gluten-free recipe to make as a gift for a friend who has terminal cancer, when I found this soup. She and her husband returned the empty container the next week and raved about the soup! She asked for the recipe… I was so happy they enjoyed it. Her sister was visiting from Scotland and she asked for recipe as well. I am not gluten-free so it is tough for me to find easy recipes for gifts for them.
I have made this soup 3 times in the past month and it’s been a hit every time! I am celiac but my gluten eating family loves it and cannot tell any difference. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Hi,
I’m looking for a GF soup to make & take in a crock-pot for a get together. Do you think this soup would be okay if I make it in a stock pot & transfer it to a crock-pot when it’s done? Does the soup do okay on low heat for a long time on the stove?
Thanks!
This soup was awesome! Will make again and again! I added ham to the recipe and used shredded velveeta for the cheese. Picky kids loved it too!!
I just made your soup and it was delish to say the least!!! We added mini broccoli florets because my daughter was craving it. It has made it into our favorite soups category of recipes. Thank you for sharing this great and easy recipe!!!
My family loves this soup! It makes so much that it’s great for sharing with a neighbor too. It is the #1 requested soup in our house. Thank you:)
How many servings is this?
I made it last night and three of us had seconds, plus lunch today (at least 3 more servings). So 9-10? It was fantastic.
Tonight I was looking for a flavorful, satisfying potato soup that was both vegetarian (for my husband) and gluten-free (for me). Since the bacon was served on the side, this soup was perfect! It was sooo yummy…we are both looking forward to eating the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
This soup looks like a homemade comfort food dream!!
LOVE THIS SOUP!
There is no way this couldn’t be served to everyone – one doesn’t even have to say GF.
My husband went crazy for this soup. it was even better the next day!
Best of all, it was something we both could enjoy. Not what we call in our home a celiac meal and his meal. He had 3 bowls. He told me I could make this one again.
It was thick and delicious and best of all it really does taste like a cheesy baked potato.
While it is very good without the bacon – go for it – it’s worth it. the fresh bacon on top was the kicker!!
This will be in my repertoire from now on, trust me!
Margaret,
Thanks so much for your comment/review! I’m so glad that you and your husband loved this! So glad to help you add a new recipe to your repertoire!
The only thing better than baked potato soup is cheesy baked potato soup! One of my favorites, Michelle, and your version looks great. 🙂
Shirley
Calorie Count, please……