Irish potato soup is a simple, classic recipe made with a handful of easy to find ingredients. You can't go wrong with a bowl of creamy potato soup on a cold day.
Heather's recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Creamy and smooth, lightly seasoned, and comforting.
Add your favorite toppings: Irish potato soup is the perfect base for your favorite soup toppings like garlic croutons, shredded cheese, bacon, or chives.
Serves: 6 side dishes or 4 large lunch portions
Similar to: Hash Brown Potato Broccoli Soup
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Potatoes - Russet potatoes are best for a blended soup, but yukon gold potatoes can also work if you already have them on hand.
- Broth - Vegetable or chicken broth work best in this recipe.
- Seasoning - Regular broth adds a significant amount of flavor to the soup. If you're using a low sodium broth, add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of thyme, oregano, or basil to your soup before blending to make up for the lost flavor.
- Milk - I used whole milk, but half & half or heavy cream can be used for a richer, thicker soup.
How to make Irish potato soup
- Cook onions and celery in melted butter until translucent.
- Add potatoes, broth, and seasoning and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool 2-3 minutes. Use an immersion blender or transfer soup to a standard blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour soup back into pot, stir in milk, and heat to desired temperature before serving.
Tips and tricks
Using an immersion blender - Transfer your stock pot from the stove to the countertop, then use your immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth. It can be blended right in the same pot it was cooked in.
Using a standard blender - Remove the center cap from the blender. Fill your blender no more than halfway full, then loosely cover the lid with a towel to allow steam to escape and prevent splattering. Blend starting on low speed, then slowly increase until soup is blended to your desired texture.
Frequently asked questions
Irish potato soup is a mild, lightly seasoned soup, making it the perfect base for your favorite potato soup toppings.
Garlic butter croutons (pictured above)
Shredded cheese
Chopped parsley
Chives
Crumbled cooked bacon
Parmesan crisps
Chopped green onion
A dollop of sour cream
Leftover Irish potato soup can be stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to five days. Reheat leftovers in the microwave, lightly covered, or on the stove top over medium heat, stirring frequently.
As written, this soup has a mild, savory flavor. I don't recommend using a low sodium broth because much of the soup's flavor comes from the broth. If using a low sodium broth, you'll want to increase the salt and pepper listed in the recipe. Red pepper flakes or a dash of hot sauce can add a little heat, or ½ teaspoon of thyme or rosemary can add some savory flavor.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Irish Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 1.5 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 24 ounces vegetable broth
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 8 ounces whole milk
Instructions
- In a stock pot over medium heat, add butter. Once melted, add diced onions and celery and cook until edges begin to lightly brown and onions begin to turn translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add cubed potatoes, vegetable broth, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until potatoes can easily be pierced through with a fork (cooking time will depend entirely on the size of your potato cubes).
- Remove from heat and allow to cool for 2 to 3 minutes. Use an immersion blender and blend until smooth, or transfer soup in batches to a standard blender to process until smooth (remove the center cap from the lid and lightly cover with a kitchen towel to allow steam to escape. Never fill a blender more than halfway full with hot soup).
- Pour soup back into stock pot (if using a standard blender) and transfer back to the stove. Over medium-low heat, add whole milk and stir until incorporated and soup is heated to your liking.
- Serve warm with your favorite soup toppings, like chopped parsley, croutons, cheese, or crumbled bacon.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Servings: Recipe makes four large servings, or six side dish servings. Serve soup with your favorite toppings, crusty bread, or a side salad for a complete meal.
- Storage: Leftover potato soup can be stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to five days and reheats well.
- Reheating: Warm soup in the microwave (lightly covered) or on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring frequently.
- For a thicker, richer soup: Substitute whole milk with heavy cream or half & half.
- Seasoning: This soup is lightly seasoned and mild as written, and depends on the vegetable/chicken broth for flavor. If using a low sodium broth, I highly suggest adding ½ teaspoon of your favorite dried herbs, like thyme, oregano, or basil, for extra flavor.
Best potato soup I've ever have, not heavy and very simple to make it.