Healthy Potato Soup is total comfort food! Paleo, Whole30 + vegan, this easy creamy potato soup can be made on the stove, in the slow cooker or instant pot.
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Healthy Potato Soup. I mean.. do we really need to say more?
This soup is a DREAM come true. All the flavor of regular loaded baked potato soup with WAY better ingredients, and about 1/4 the calories/fat you’d normally find in it!
This potato soup is also dairy free, gluten free, paleo, Whole30 friendly and vegan (even though it’s shown here with bacon!)
This creamy potato soup is easily customized for any diet – and I’ve listed ALL the substitutions below for you. If you love a giant bowl of potato soup – get ready for the healthier, easier version you’re going to love!
I know it’s hard to believe.. but this potato soup has NO dairy and is still ridiculously delicious.. I think you’ll love it!
Ingredients for Easy Creamy Potato Soup:
This creamy potato soup is made with very simple ingredients. You’ll need:
- olive oil
- onions, carrots, celery, potatoes
- vegetable broth
- garlic powder, fresh rosemary, salt + pepper
- milk of choice (canned coconut milk mimics heavy cream, otherwise, whole milk, almond milk, skim milk will all work)
For ingredient substitutions, see below in the green shaded box
How to make healthy potato soup from scratch?
You can make this delicious potato soup in your instant pot, slow cooker or on the stovetop. Here’s how to make potato soup in the instant pot:
- First, sauté your veggies until soft. Scrape all veggies off the bottom of the pressure cooker to avoid getting a burn error. Stir in potatoes.
- Add broth + stir. Set your instant pot to pressure cook for 10 minutes.
- When done cooking – blend with immersion blender or regular blender. (A food processor would also work but it might be a little tough to do/messy!)
How to make slow cooker potato soup:
You can also make this recipe in the slow cooker or on the stove top.
- Image 1 shows the soup in the crockpot before cooking.
- Image 2 shows the potato soup on the stovetop after it has cooked, but before it’s blended. Image 3 shows the potato soup in the blender.
P.S. – If you love crockpot recipes, check out these 45 Healthy Crockpot Recipes!
And if you love creamy soups, you have to try this Healthy Broccoli Soup – it’s so good!
Best Potatoes for Soup
You can use any potato for potato soup. Red, baby, russet, and yellow will all work. I like to make this soup with red potatoes or russet potatoes.
Russet potatoes have the highest starch content in potatoes, which makes them thicken up considerably. If you love a thick, hearty bowl of potato soup – russets are your best bet.
If you prefer a creamier, lighter texture potato soup – yukon gold or red potatoes are probably a better option
Tips for the best vegan potato soup:
Cut your potatoes small – Regardless of whether you make this in the instant pot, crockpot or stove top – you’ll want to make your potatoes small. The smaller they are, the quicker they will cook! You don’t want to have huge chunks of potatoes that take too long to cook.
Thicker soup – if you prefer thicker soup, you can leave some of the potatoes out rather than blending. Blend 3/4 of the mixture and stir in the remaining 1/4 of thicker chunks.
Get a food processor – This will make chopping your carrots, onion and celery SO simple.
Get a good vegetable peeler– If you are going to peel your potatoes – having a good peeler helps! This one is my favorite.
How to store potato soup:
How long does this healthy potato soup last? This soup will last for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Reheating: You can reheat this potato soup in a pot or in the microwave.
Can potato soup be frozen? Yes it can! Store your potato soup in an airtight containers. I love Souper Cubes for freezing soup. Code CLEANEATING10 works to save $$!
When you’re ready to eat, defrost the night before by leaving this in the fridge, or take out of the refrigerator and heat over the stove/in the microwave.
Separation is normal and ok! Just stir it up. We have a whole post on the best way to freeze soup!
Can potato soup be canned? I have not tried canning this soup. I’d check out this post and do your own research on whether canning this soup is safe.
Toppings for Skinny Potato Soup:
There really is no wrong way for how to serve this potato soup. We love it with a loaf of crusty bread, or with a side of some veggies and chicken for a more balanced meal.
Here are some of our favorite healthy potato soup toppings:
- Bacon – Regular or turkey bacon both work!
- Chives
- Cheddar Cheese (skip if paleo/Whole30)
- Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt (skip if paleo/Whole30)
- Cracked Black Pepper
- Crackers
Just a friendly reminder: if you are Whole30 – sour cream, cream cheese + crackers are not permitted.
SUBSTITUTIONS FOR DAIRY FREE POTATO SOUP
There are MANY substitutions for this recipe which is what we like about it. It’s easily adaptable to your own diet/needs.
Milk: You can use any milk you’d like in this recipe. Canned coconut milk is higher in fat, which mimics the taste/texture of heavy cream which is typically used in potato soup. The coconut milk does not taste like coconut, but if you’re worried about that or you don’t have it on hand you can use almond milk, light coconut milk, skim milk, whole milk, or even heavy cream will work in this recipe.
Weight Watchers: The points in this recipe were calculated with the substitution of skim milk, not canned coconut milk. If you’re doing WW, do not use canned coconut milk in this recipe. If you use canned coconut milk it will be an additional 6SP per serving. You can also sub in 1/2 cauliflower for potatoes to save 2 SP per serving.
Potatoes – You can use any potatoes in this recipe, red, baby, russet, and yellow will all work.
Peeling potatoes – You don’t have to peel the potatoes in this recipe. I prefer them without the skins, but if you prefer them with the skins on – keep them on!
Veggies– Feel free to add or omit more onions, celery or carrots to this recipe. Cauliflower would also be a great addition!
Blender – You can use an immersion blender, regular blender, or food processor to make this potato soup creamy.
To make soup chunkier – To make this soup chunkier, I recommend only pureeing some of it. You can mash some of the potatoes directly in the pot, and puree the rest. Stir the puree in with the chunks.
Herbs – If you don’t have fresh rosemary you can use 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary. If you don’t like rosemary, you can also use thyme or parsley.
Broth – You can make this with bone broth, vegetable broth, or chicken/beef broth – any broth will work. I would recommend looking for low sodium
Ham – Many people enjoy ham in their potato soup. We have a Ham & Potato Soup Recipe or you can add ham to this after pureeing it.
We hope you love this healthy baked potato soup as much as we do. It’s truly the ultimate comfort food, no matter how you enjoy it! Get creative and make sure to tag us and share the recipe if you try it!
Tips for blending hot soup:
You can blend this soup with an immersion blender, regular blender, or even a food processor.
Make sure to be very careful when blending soup in a regular blender. If you are blending hot soup, it can lead the blender to steam up or build pressure which can result in the top popping off. To avoid that, here are our tips for blending hot soup in a regular blender.
Allow the soup to cool for a few minutes if you can. It’s best not to take this right off the stove/instant pot/crockpot and put it in the blender. Give it a few minutes uncovered/off heat to release some steam.
Blend the soup in batches. It’s probably best to divide this in half and blend it 1/2 the batch at a time. By doing this you’re leaving room in the blender for the soup to move around.
Remove the center cover from the blender and cover with a towel instead. Most blender tops have a removable plastic piece in the center. Take this center piece out and put a clean dish towel over the opening while blending. (You don’t want soup on the ceiling!). Doing this allows the steam to vent out and prevents pressure from building up in the blender. Make sure to hold your hand over the dish towel to avoid it from moving/splattering.
Healthy Potato Soup FAQ
Fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, and sage add flavor to potato soup. You can also add Italian seasoning, more pepper, hot pepper flakes or cheese. This soup is flavorful on it’s own so you don’t need to worry about this!
No need to boil your potatoes before adding them to the soup. In this recipe the potatoes cook right in the broth and get blended. It’s all in one pot!
To thicken potato soup soup I add 1/4 cup of flour to a bowl and scoop out about 1 cup of liquid from the soup pot. Whisk the flour and broth mixture together until it’s a thick paste like consistency. Stir it into the soup and bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes, stirring continually.. You can add more flour directly to the pot and stir it in if necessary.
Other healthy soup recipes:
We love soup SO much that we actually have a free healthy soup ebook! We also have a post filled with these Healthy Soup Recipes!
- Sweet Potato Soup Recipe
- Potato Soup Instant Pot
- Daily Harvest Review
- Crockpot Shredded Chicken
- Crock Pot Chicken Pot Pie
- Healthy Banana Muffins
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
Healthy Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup onions diced
- 1 cup carrots diced
- ½ cup celery diced
- 4 cups potatoes peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces (about 1 lb or 5-6 medium sized potatoes)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary chopped finely
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups milk of choice
Instructions
Instant Pot Directions:
- Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode for 15 minutes. Heat olive oil. While oil is heating, chop veggies.
- Sauté onions, carrots, and celery until onions are translucent. Turn off sauté mode. Make sure to scrape off any pieces of food on the bottom of the Instant Pot or you will get a burn notice during cooking.
- Pour in remaining ingredients, except milk.
- Set the Instant Pot to sealing, pressure cook for 10 minutes on high pressure. It will take about 10 minutes for the pot to come to pressure before it starts to count down.
- Manually release pressure when timer goes off.
- Stir in milk. Use an immersion blender or regular blender to make the soup smooth. Serve with your favorite toppings like bacon, chives or cheese.
Crockpot Directions:
- In a sauté pan, heat olive oil. While oil is heating, chop veggies.
- Sauté onions, carrots, and celery until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. (This step is optional, but adds flavor)
- Add all ingredients into the crockpot, except milk.
- Set the crockpot to cook for 6 hours on high, or 8 hours on low.
- Once cooked, stir in milk. Use an immersion blender or regular blender to make the soup smooth. Serve with your favorite toppings like bacon, chives or cheese.
Stove Top Directions:
- In a large pot, heat olive oil. While oil is heating, chop veggies.
- Sauté onions, carrots, and celery until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes
- Add all remaining ingredients, except milk.
- Bring the soup to a boil. Allow it to boil for 30 minutes, or until your potatoes are fork tender.
- Once cooked, stir in milk. Use an immersion blender or regular blender to make the soup smooth. Serve with your favorite toppings like bacon, chives or cheese.
Video
Notes
- Milk: You can use any milk you’d like in this recipe. Canned coconut milk is higher in fat, which mimics the taste/texture of heavy cream which is typically used in potato soup. The coconut milk does not taste like coconut, but if you’re worried about that or you don’t have it on hand you can use almond milk, light coconut milk, skim milk, whole milk, or even heavy cream will work in this recipe.
- Weight Watchers: The points in this recipe were calculated with the substitution of skim milk.
- Potatoes – You can use any potatoes in this recipe, red, baby, russet, and yellow will all work.
- Peeling potatoes – You don’t have to peel the potatoes in this recipe. I prefer them without the skins, but if you prefer them with the skins on – keep them on!
- Veggies– Feel free to add or omit more onions, celery or carrots to this recipe. Cauliflower would also be a great addition!
- Blender – You can use an immersion blender, regular blender, or food processor to make this potato soup creamy.
- To make soup chunkier – To make this soup chunkier, I recommend only pureeing some of it. You can mash some of the potatoes directly in the pot, and puree the rest. Stir the puree in with the chunks.
- Herbs – If you don’t have fresh rosemary you can use 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary. If you don’t like rosemary, you can also use thyme or parsley.
Patty Tomerlin says
I made this in the crock pot and it was easy and very delicious!! I like that you can substitute different ingredients if you want. I do not normally make soups, so I was happy that I was able to make this and it will be a repeat for sure!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Patty! It’s a super versatile and easy soup!
Madison says
I can’t even tell you how many people have told me how much they love this soup!! I love that it is dairy free, but still super creamy! It’s SO easy to make. We’ll be having this basically once a week while it’s cold!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you like it 😉 Thanks for the help developing this awesome recipe!!
Tpltoni says
Made this recipe on the stove top. Two 👍👍thumbs up! The whole family loved it. Will definitely be making it again.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it! That makes me so happy to hear 🙂
Cory says
Some of the best potato soup I’ve ever had. Super simple and easy to make. Will absolutely be making this again!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Cory! Thank you so much!
Kristan Metz says
Loved this one. Super easy and so much flavor!!!!!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Kristan!
Maya says
This recipe was so simple and delicious. I made a large pot and added turkey kielbasa sausage so I can have it for lunch!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Love that addition, Maya! Sounds so good!
Annie says
Can i freeze this??
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hi Annie – There is a section on this in the post, pasting it here for you! Can potato soup be frozen? Yes it can! Store your potato soup in an airtight containers. When you’re ready to eat, defrost the night before by leaving this in the fridge, or take out of the refrigerator and heat over the stove/in the microwave. Separation is normal and ok! Just stir it up.
Jade says
Love this recipe! I love that it is both paleo and vegan, the very same odd combo that I am!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks, Jade! It is great for all diets!
Amanda says
Loved it! Easy recipe and ingredients. I used chicken bone broth and coconut milk for the liquids. A great healthy comfort food soup
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Amanda! Thanks for trying!
Dean Burrows says
Can this be made as thin as you want it, by adding something like broth or more water? I have a relative who is on a liquid only diet.
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hi Dean – Yes. I would add more broth so you don’t lose the flavor, but you can definitely add more broth once it’s cooked to make it thinner.
Caitlin says
I made this in the Quick Cooker and it is now a favorite winter dinner recipe!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you, Caitlin! Glad you like it!
Cheryl Caldwell says
My family and O
Love this soup and we make it year around!!!! It’s delicious!!!!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks, Cheryl! Love hearing that!
Lindsey says
Easy and delicious! Made this while on Whole30 and didn’t miss the cheese at all!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Lindsey! Thank you!
Patricia says
Great soup. Did not use coconut milk, just 2% regular milk. Kept skins on potatoes, carrots and used regular garlic cloves.
will definitely be making this again and freezing some too.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Patricia! Thank you so much!
Bridget says
I made this soup for my family this weekend and it was a hit. I did it on the stovetop and it was really fast and easy but so rich and flavorful. I literally bought a handheld blender for this soup and I’m excited to try more recipes with it. I used leftover chicken stock I had made as well from clean eating couple so it was nice to get use out of that! I seared some pancetta and added that to the soup which was delicious, with chives and some shredded cheddar. This would be so good in a bread bowl I bet but even without it really is plenty for a full meal!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you so much, Bridget! The pancetta on top sounds sooo good! And I love the bread bowl idea, yum!!
Kayla says
Love this soup! An easy go-to when I want something cozy and delicious.
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you so much! So happy you love it!
Kyle says
I LOVE potato soup. Whenever I see it on a menu, I have to order it. And this was hands down one of the best ones I’ve ever had!! Super easy to make and packed with flavor. I cannot wait to make it again
The Clean Eating Couple says
This makes me so happy to hear!! Thank you!!
Sydney B says
This is one of my favorite versions of potato soup I have made! I will 100% be making this again! Husband loved it too!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you & your family like it, Sydney! Thank you so much!
Logan says
Loved this simple recipe!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks, Logan! Glad you liked it!
Lauren says
LOVED THIS SOUP!! So tasty, easy to double and absolutely filling!! Will definitely be making again!!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks, Lauren! Happy you enjoyed it!
Jeanine says
This recipe is so good, and so quick and easy to make. It will be made frequently in this household. Thanks for posting it.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you like it, Jeanine!
Becca says
Made this soup last week on the stove and it was so easy and delicious!! Even tricked my husband, hate of all things healthy, into eating it and he loved it too! 10/10 would recommend!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you liked it, Becca! Thank you so much!
Alex says
Great lighter version of potato soup. I made it with 1% milk and added about 1/3 cup of fat free Greek yogurt to help thicken it up a bit (just puréed some of it because we wanted some chunks).
The Clean Eating Couple says
Great idea! Thanks for giving this a try, Alex!
Marcia says
Thank you both for this awesome recipe!!!
It’s so easy to prepare and so stinkin’ yummy.
I followed your recipe and (made it with 2% milk and chicken stock).
I also took your advice and did not purée all the potatoes. We loved the small chucks of potatoes. Topped with chives and cracked black pepper.
Question: I was surprised to see the nutritional facts on this soup high in fat. Can you help me? What milk product was used to calculate the facts?
Thanks so much!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hi Marcia – So glad you liked it! There was definitely an issue with the nutrition facts.. I’m not sure what was wrong there but I just updated it with almond milk as the milk!
Diane says
Absolutely delicious! So cozy and comforting! Will be making this year round but extra in the fall and winter! Even my picky boyfriend is a huge fan! Make this! You will not be disappointed!!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you liked it, Diane! Thank you!
Holly says
This is the best, easiest potato soup recipe! Perfect for when its cold out and we want something cozy to eat without feeling like you just ate a day’s worth of calories in one bowl.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Holly! Thank you so much!!
Katie says
Wow…so good! Had so much more flavor than I anticipated and it was just so yummy! I put about half of the soup on the blender to purée it and it was just perfect!! Thank you!!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Katie! Thank you so much!
Ben says
You forgot to put the potatoes in..
The Clean Eating Couple says
Not sure what this comment means. There are potatoes in the recipe.. 4 cups of them.
Emily says
I love potato soup, and this is my go-to recipe. My toddlers love it, my husband loves it, it’s a crowd pleaser for sure!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you so much, Emily!!
Kristina says
I love this recipe! I made it in the instant pot, it’s super simple! I have been gluten free and dairy free for a couple months now so this recipe has been perfect!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks, Kristina! So glad you like it!
Laura says
I really enjoy this soup and have made it several times. I subbed Greek yogurt for some/all of the milk. Also last time I stirred in chia seeds as a topping and couldn’t believe how well it worked out.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Laura! Chia seeds can get gummy as they absorb liquid so this isn’t something I would recommend but I’m glad it worked for you!
Ryley says
The soup was delicious! I did add a little more milk tho besides that it was a big hit for our dinner.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you you liked it!
Allyson Carlquist says
This is THE BEST potato soup! It is so easy to make while being healthy which is the best of both worlds to me. I love serving it with bacon crumbles on top and crusty bread on the side!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Allyson! Thank you so much!
Clarissa says
I’m on a low sodium diet and I have been on this train ride for a year so my taste buds have adjusted to my diet. I’m always looking for soups that I can have that won’t take my daily allowance of sodium so I gave this one a try. I’ve never made or had potato soup so I wasn’t to sure I would like it. But I really enjoyed this one. I kept everything the same but I used 1/4 ground rosemary and I also added a packet of Sodium free Herb Ox to it which just really brought so much flavor . I was pleasantly surprised . I used a no salt added vegetable broth which was a dark brown color so my soup came out looking like brown gravy after I used the blender but made me think I was eating gravy which is a plus in my book. But this is a great recipe for the collection
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Clarissa! Thank you!
FJBJR says
Soup not good for stage 3 ckd people, othewise greAT SOUP!!!
The Clean Eating Couple says
People with CKD should be avoiding potatoes, so no..it’s not good for them. Glad you liked it!
Tori Medlin says
Okay, so I’ve never made soup from scratch so when I tell you that this was the easiest recipe to follow, I mean it. I had a bunch of potatoes that I needed to use & I looked up a soup recipe and found this one! It turned out amazing. My husband and I loved it! You need to make this recipe especially with the cold weather coming!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you liked it, Tori! Thank you so much!
Janie says
Can this soup be reheated after the coconut milk has been added (the next day)? Thank you!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Definitely! Just microwave or heat on the stove! IT might separate a bit but just stir it up
Dianna says
I tried this recipe out today on a whim. Normally the crockpot is my favorite kitchen tool but due to the last minute decision I made the stovetop version and it did not disappoint! This soup was so creamy and flavorful – best of all so simple to make! This one will be made many times over the upcoming winter for sure!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you enjoyed it Dianna! If you have an instant pot it’s super quick to make there too!
Tpl says
Love this recipe! So tasty & so easy to make. It has two thumbs up from my picky eaters so it is definitely on my soup rotation during the winter seasons.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you liked it!
Keli Pieratt says
My God it’s good! I’ve never used vegetable broth in a potato soup recipe but this is the bomb.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you like it!
Ginny McParland says
Is this considered a low fiber recipe? I see that it’s 29% (not sure if that’s low).
The Clean Eating Couple says
Not sure. You’ll have to google it!
The Clean Eating Couple says
I don’t know, I’m not versed in fiber/fiber requirements so you’ll have to google that and figure it out yourself. Sorry!
Christy says
Made this soup by added a few things – roasted chicken and Herbs de Provence. Husband enjoyed & the kids liked it. We realized that we like chunky soup verse the creamy.
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hi Christy – you can just leave it chunky if you prefer that texture
Whit says
Currently doing the Daniel fast and came upon this recipe. I wasn’t really expecting much, but this soup was delicious! I would replace my regular potato soup with this recipe, it is that good! The coconut milk was such a fantastic idea and you cannot taste coconut at all.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you liked it, Whit! Thanks!
Allison Bormann says
I made this in the crock pot two days ago knowing it was going to be really cold yesterday. It was so good! I tasted it the day I made it but I think it was even better the second day. I cooked the bacon for the topping first and then sautéed the veggies in the rendered bacon fat for a little extra flavor. It was so creamy, comforting and filling. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Perfect cold weather food! Glad you liked it!
Amy Woods says
Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I made it in the instant pot and it was so easy and fast. Husband and I agreed to keep this recipe on the rotation and we have plenty for leftovers. Thank you for another great soup recipe!