This Is the Secret to the Best Potato Soup

Take a shortcut to dinner courtesy of the frozen breakfast aisle.

By
Stephanie A Ganz
Stephanie A Ganz
Stephanie A Ganz
Stephanie Ganz has been writing professionally for 10 years and is a regular contributor to Richmond Magazine and Virginia Living. She has also written for Bon Appetit, Eater, The Kitchn, and The Local Palate.
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Published November 29, 2025
Stephanie A Ganz
Overhead view of two bowls of potato soup topped with bacon, shredded cheese and green onions next to a bowls of bacon, green onions and shredded cheese

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek
  • Skip peeling and chopping by using frozen hashbrowns for fast, easy prep.
  • You can blend the soup smooth or keep it chunky to suit your preference.
  • It turns into a fun, customizable meal by letting everyone add their favorite toppings.

Potatoes are one of my favorite comfort foods. No matter what I’m feeling, there’s a potato for my mood, from French fries to au gratin. Baked potatoes and potato soup are in a heated race for first place in my heart, so I came up with an easy soup that combines the best of both worlds—warm, creamy potato soup with all the fun, crunchy, delicious toppings of a baked potato.

While the classic potato soup my grandma used to make from scratch is pretty easy, I wanted to eliminate one pesky step—peeling potatoes. By using a bag of frozen hashbrowns (shredded or cubed work here), I eliminated the need for peeling and chopping, a nice bonus. You can blend the soup for a super creamy result or leave it for a heartier texture.

With the no-prep base set, you can really focus on the toppings, which we all know are the best part. Set up an assortment of toppings and then let your family members each build their own bowl—my kids especially love choosing their own adventure.

If it’s good on a baked potato, it’ll be great on this soup! Some of my favorites are cooked and crumbled bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, sliced green onions or chives, and a dollop of sour cream.

Tips for Making My Potato Soup

  • Stir the soup every few minutes so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
  • If you prefer fresh potatoes, peel and finely dice them so they will still cook quickly.
  • Swap the cream of celery soup for any other kind of cream soup (chicken, mushroom, etc).
  • If you don’t have an immersion blender, a countertop blender is fine, but avoid blending for too long. Just a few pulses will do the trick!
  • You can make this recipe vegetarian by using vegetable stock instead of chicken.

Quick and Easy Potato Soup

Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Servings 4 servings
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Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1 (30-ounce) bag frozen hash browns (shredded or cubed)

  • 3 cups chicken broth, plus more as needed

  • 1 (10.5-ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup (or cream of fill-in-the-blank soup of your choice)

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • Optional toppings: crispy bacon, shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions

Method

  1. Combine the ingredients:

    In a heavy-bottomed pot like a Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the hash browns, stock, and cream of celery soup and stir to combine.

  2. Simmer:

    Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring often, until the soup has thickened. Stir in the salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary.

  3. Blend and serve:

    Use an immersion blender to purée the soup (or leave it as-is for a chunkier version), adding more chicken broth if the soup is too thick. Serve with toppings of your choice.

    Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat over medium-low heat on the stovetop, adding a little broth or water if it is too thick.

    Love the recipe? Leave us stars and a comment below!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
569 Calories
33g Fat
65g Carbs
9g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 569
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 33g 42%
Saturated Fat 6g 32%
Cholesterol 22mg 7%
Sodium 1184mg 51%
Total Carbohydrate 65g 24%
Dietary Fiber 7g 26%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 9g
Vitamin C 15mg 76%
Calcium 89mg 7%
Iron 1mg 8%
Potassium 1210mg 26%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.