Dive into a bowl of thick and creamy comfort with this easy recipe for gluten-free potato soup! Dollop with loaded baked potato toppings or enjoy with a simple sprinkling of bacon and watch your family devour!

a bowl of potato soup on a wood background in a blue bowl.
What’s the trick to thick GF potato soup? Using Russet potatoes break down naturally to thicken the soup, all without flour!

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Gluten-Free Baked Potato Soup – Loaded With Goodness!

You may be wondering, aren’t all potato soup recipes gluten-free? Unfortunately, no.

Typically potato soup recipes use a roux, which is a mixture of butter and flour to achieve a thick and creamy consistency. However, this gluten-free potato soup recipe uses no flour – instead just some simple tricks for a nice thick and creamy texture.

To thicken potato soup without flour, the right type of potatoes must be used. While some baked potato soups use Yukon gold or red potatoes, these do not break down as much as russets or Idaho, naturally thickening the soup.

Also, a cornstarch slurry gives an extra boost of thickening, which is similarly used in 20 minute gluten-free broccoli cheddar soup and my family’s famously creamy gluten-free corn chowder. Stir in the cornstarch / water mixture after the veggies and potatoes have cooked in the broth.

What’s my other ingredient tip for making a spot-on homemade potato soup recipe? Using evaporated milk instead of heavy cream, whole milk, or half and half gets the job done so much better! Since water content has been removed, evaporated milk really adds a velvety taste.

If you cook for a mixed-diet family like I do, it’s important to have from-scratch gluten-free soup recipes like this in the ol’ recipe toolbox. One hearty bowl of comfort pleases all. These suggestions makes, hands-down, the best GF potato soup ever!

I made this for family today and they LOVED it! It makes a nice, creamy, comfort food style meal! I think next go round, I’m going to sneak some cauliflower in!

—Cynthia

Ingredient Tid Bits

  • Bacon – Used to sprinkle on for serving and the drippings flavor the soup. For vegetarian potato soup, omit the bacon and use 1 tablespoon additional butter.
  • Potatoes – While many baked potato soup recipes use a variety of potatoes, I strongly recommend only using russet potatoes. They soak up the liquid, breaking down slightly to thicken the soup.
  • Vegetables – Combination of yellow onion, carrots, celery, and garlic give an extra flavor dimension.
  • Broth – Use either GF vegetable broth or chicken broth, depending on preference.
  • Evaporated Milk – My secret ingredient for making creamy soups! Since water content has been removed, evaporated milk really adds a velvety taste. If you need a dairy-free modification, those subs are added in the recipe card below.
  • Optional toppings – Can’t have loaded baked potato vibes without cheddar cheese, green onions, chives, and sour cream. Am I right?!

Let’s Make This Together!

(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)

Start with a tasty soup base

Before cooking the veggies, fry the bacon pieces in a large pot. Once the bacon is crisp, use a slotted spoon to remove it to a paper towel lined plate. Leave all that flavor (also known as bacon drippings) right in the pot! Add the veggies and sauté until soft.

veggies being cooked in a large soup pot.

Stir in potatoes, seasonings, broth

At this point the hard part in done. Stir in the gluten-free broth, potatoes, onion powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then partially remove the lid, to a simmer until the potatoes are very tender, about 10-15 minutes. I like to leave a little vent so some of the steam escapes and doesn’t dilute the flavor of the soup.

potato soup being cooked and stirred.

Bring on the creaminess

Use an immersion blender to blend about half the soup right in the pot. Alternatively, transfer about 2 cups to a blender to process or smash down the potatoes with a potato masher.

Add the cornstarch slurry to thicken a little more and then stir in the evaporated milk. It’s time to serve, and if you are looking for gluten-free loaded baked potato soup vibes, serve with reserved bacon, cheddar cheese, sour cream, or chives.

immersion blender pureeing soup.
a spoon lifting out a bite of soup.
The best part of homemade potato soup is the toppings! We like to offer ours up like a baked potato bar so everyone can choose their own.

Loaded On Toppings

Have the hankering for gluten-free baked potato soup or want to serve this as part of a loaded soup bar? Our family loves this recipe because it provides the perfect canvas for tasty toppings, which take this velvety creamy soup to next-level soup for dinner status.

Some of our go-tos are bacon, chives, and sour cream at a minimum. If we like to step it up, there’s steamed broccoli florets, more cheese (never a bad idea), or even nutritional yeast, if you are making the dairy-free option. Of course, a crunchy finish of crushed gluten-free crackers is nice. I love Simple Mill Almond Four Crackers and Trader Joe’s Savory Squares Vegan Cheese crackers.

overhead of potato soup with fixings around to garnish on top.
Hearty, cozy, and delicious! This stick-to-your-ribs bowl of soup makes the perfect soul-warming dinner.

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a bowl of potato soup on a wood background in a blue bowl.
5 stars (11 ratings)

Thick, Creamy Gluten-Free Potato Soup (Russet Potatoes)

Melissa Erdelac of MamaGourmand headshot in patterned dress.Melissa Erdelac
Yield: 6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Dive into a bowl of thick and creamy comfort with this easy recipe for gluten-free potato soup! Dollop with loaded baked potato toppings or enjoy with a simple sprinkling of bacon and watch your family devour!
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Ingredients
 

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • Add the chopped bacon to a large saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the bacon is crisp, about 7-10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon to a paper-towel lined plate. Carefully tilt the pot, and you should have about 2 tablespoons grease left. Discard any extra.
    6 slices bacon
  • To the bacon grease add the butter to melt. Add the onions, celery, and carrots. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer.
    2 tablespoons butter, 1 small yellow onion, 2 celery, 2 carrots, 3 cloves garlic
  • Stir in the broth, potatoes, salt, onion powder, and pepper. Cover and increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
    2½ pounds russet potatoes, 4 cups gluten-free chicken or vegetable broth, 1¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • Partially remove cover, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are very tender.
  • Use an immersion blender to blend about half the soup. Alternatively, transfer about 2-3 cups to a blender and process until smooth. Add back to the pot.
  • Mix together the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water. Stir into the soup, heat over medium heat, cooking and stirring for about 1-2 minutes, or until the soup has thickened. Stir in evaporated milk.
    2 tablespoons cornstarch, 12 ounce can evaporated milk
  • Serve with reserved cooked bacon and optional toppings, such as cheese, chives, or sour cream.

Notes

Dairy-Free Option
To make dairy-free potato soup, the butter and milk will have to be replaced with non-dairy substitutes. Use a vegan, plant based butter or olive oil in place of the butter. For the evaporated, replace with a dairy-free milk of choice, such as almond milk.
 
Vegan / Vegetarian Option
Omit the bacon and replace the drippings with 2 tablespoons plant-based butter or olive oil. Replace the milk with any preferred dairy-free options.
Instead of chicken broth use vegetable broth. Read the labels carefully to make sure it is still safe for a gluten-free diet.
 
Freezing / Storing
Store leftover soup, refrigerated, in an airtight container up to 5 days. To reheat, transfer to a saucepan and rewarm over gentle heat. If the soup is too thick upon reheating, add a splash of milk.
Freezing potato soup isn’t recommended because the potatoes will break down, become grainy, and lose its creamy consistency. 
If you do wish to freeze the soup, the taste will be fine after thawing, but the texture will be off. To “save” the soup from an unappealing texture, use an immersion blender to puree back to smooth creaminess.
Calories: 405kcal, Carbohydrates: 49g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 46mg, Sodium: 1388mg, Potassium: 1109mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 4058IU, Vitamin C: 15mg, Calcium: 191mg, Iron: 2mg
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