Creamy Potato Soup with Herby Compound Butter

This Creamy Potato Soup with Herby Compound Butter gets everything right. It’s silky smooth, rich but not heavy, and lightly buttery with incredible flavor. Even better, it’s ready in under an hour!

The Best Potato Soup Recipe

I adore a comforting bowl of Creamy Potato Soup. And this recipe that includes a gorgeous herb compound butter definitely hits all the marks!

This easy potato soup is smooth and creamy throughout – unlike other recipes that feature diced potatoes, such as New England clam chowder, beef barley stew, and turkey pot pie soup.

It is full of rich flavor, without being heavy or overly filling. Thanks to a simple compound herb butter, the soup is lightly buttery and kissed with fresh rosemary and thyme. Plus there’s Parmesan and a notable amount of rich sautéed garlic. All of these are perfect flavor matches with potatoes!

And, hey! This easy potato soup comes together in under an hour. What are you waiting for?!

What You’ll Need

One of the reasons I love this easy potato soup recipe is that it’s made with just a handful of ingredients and seasonings. The compound butter is also made with just 4 ingredients – a simple but definitely worthwhile addition. Scroll down to the recipe box for the measurements.

For the Creamy Potato Soup:

• Unsalted butter
• Olive oil
• Garlic & onion – Yes, I call for 12 cloves of garlic in this soup, that’s not a typo! The garlic gets sautéed with the onion until softened and mellowed, absolutely lovely.
• Chicken stock – Use low sodium chicken stock to control the saltiness of the soup.
• Potatoes – Peel and cut into 1″ pieces.
• Half & half – This adds richness and body to this creamy potato soup.
• Parmesan cheese – Not only is this soup creamy, it’s also cheesy! Freshly grated Parmesan adds incredible flavor too.
• Spices – This homemade potato soup is seasoned with cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. It all comes together for a wonderfully flavored bowl of soup.
• Sour cream – This adds more creamy body to the soup, plus a delicious bit of tang. We always add sour cream to our favorite baked potatoes, so this just feels 100% right!

For the Compound Butter:

• Unsalted butter – Have the butter at room temperature so the herbs mix in easily. This will also help the herby butter melt quickly into the hot bowls of soup.
• Herbs – Fresh rosemary and thyme give this butter the incredibly herby flavor.
• Salt – If you use salted butter, omit the added salt, or taste test and add a bit more salt if desired.

What Are The Best Potatoes for Potato Soup?

I use either red potatoes or gold potatoes for this soup. They are both moist and flavorful. Whatever’s your favorite, use that!

You could also use Russet potatoes, although they are a drier potato. These will give the soup a slightly different texture, not quite as richly creamy as red or gold potatoes.

How to Make Creamy Potato Soup with Herby Compound Butter

This homemade potato soup is easy to make and takes less than an hour from start to finish.

• Sauté the onion and garlic. Sauté the onion and garlic in the butter and olive oil over medium heat, for about 12 to 15 minutes, until fragrant and very soft.
• Cook the potatoes. Add the chicken broth and potatoes to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are completely tender.
• Blend the potatoes. Use an immersion blender to blend the mixture until your desired consistency is reached.
• Add the remaining ingredients. Stir in the half & half, Parmesan, and spices. Continue heating the soup for 10 to 15 minutes until thoroughly hot, then whisk in the sour cream.

• Make the compound butter. While the soup is cooking, combine the compound butter ingredients. Set aside.

• Enjoy. Ladle the soup into bowls. Add a bit more sour cream, if desired. And top with a dollop of the herby compound butter, swirling it into the soup as it melts.

Tips & Variations

Here are a few tips for making this easy potato soup recipe, plus a few easy variations.

• Do not let the onion and garlic brown. The goal is to sauté them slowly and completely, for the softest texture and richest flavor. This also ensures the lightest coloring, so there aren’t dark “browned” flecks in the soup.
• Fully cook the potatoes. This is probably the most important tip. Make sure the potatoes are absolutely fork-tender. If they are not, the soup will simply not blend into smooth bliss!
• What if I don’t have an immersion blender? An immersion blender is ideal for blending this soup right in the pot. But if you don’t have one, you can very carefully transfer the soup to a regular blender and blend. You’ll probably need to do it in batches, depending on the size of your blender.
• Can I lighten up this soup? There are a few changes you can make to the soup, though it will affect the smooth, creamy texture. To start, the sour cream can be swapped out for Greek yogurt. You can also replace some of the half and half with whole milk. Just know that the flavor and texture will not be of the quality intended for this recipe.
• Do not boil the soup. After the soup has been blended and the remaining ingredients added, reheat it slowly but do not bring it to a full boil.
• Add some bacon. The flavors in this soup totally welcome bacon. Sometimes I crumble up a few (pre-cooked) slices for sprinkling over the top right before serving.

Serving Suggestions

Any holiday gathering would welcome this soup. It easily graces the table as an elegant main dish, so lovely served alongside a fresh green salad and warm baked bread or popovers (which would also be AWESOME with this herby compound butter!).

The soup can also go the casual route, perfect for a weeknight meal on a chilly winter day. I like to serve it in big mugs, which our daughters think is fun. And when I add some crumbled bacon, well, everyone’s asking for seconds!

The only non-negotiable, whether you’re serving this fancy or casual, is the herby compound butter. That is a must, my whole family agrees. It transforms the soup, adding a swirl of sweet buttery magic, flavorful with herbs.

How to Store Leftover Homemade Potato Soup

Store any leftovers of this creamy potato soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop, stirring frequently. Do not bring to a boil.

The compound butter can also be stored in an airtight container and will keep well for up to a week in the fridge. Set it out on the counter about 30 minutes prior to eating.

Can I Freeze This?

This creamy potato soup does freeze well. Just be sure to thaw it overnight in the refrigerator. Then reheat very gently on the stovetop, stirring it frequently. You may need to add a bit more broth if the soup’s texture has thickened.

More Easy Soup Recipes:

• Creamy Turkey {or Chicken} Wild Rice Soup
• Lasagna Soup
• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Sweet and Creamy Tomato Bisque
• Coconut Curry Chicken Soup
• 6-Hour Slow Cooker Chili

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This post was originally published in 2013, then updated in 2022.