Easy 4-Ingredient Potato Soup

This easy 4-Ingredient Potato Soup is one of those simple, cozy soup recipes you’ll want to file away for quick recall when comfort food cravings hit. 

Situation: You want a cozy bowl of soup but your eyes glaze over after reading the 5th entry on any given recipe ingredient list. You want fast, easy, delicious soup. Clearly, you’re looking for this 4-Ingredient Potato Soup recipe. It delivers on all of the above, because the ingredients are easy to source and each ingredient was selected to maximize flavor. 

When you’re working with only 4 ingredients, they need to count. I’ve seen many 4-Ingredient Potato Soup recipes that use water - why!? Water is a fantastic beverage but brings nothing to the flavor party. The best liquid for the job is anything other than water; I recommend using a flavorful broth.

Love homemade potato soups? Try this Roasted Sweet Potato Soup or my Zesty Baked Potato Soup next! If you prefer something lower carb but still creamy and delicious, this Cauliflower Soup is a winner!

• Potatoes - I like to use Russet potatoes, but you can also use Yukon Gold. Russet potatoes have a drier, less waxy consistency than other varieties, perfect for soaking up flavor and dissolving into soup. If you love potato soups, you also have to try this cheddar-spiked cheesy Baked Potato Soup.
• Chicken or beef broth - Either store-purchased or homemade broth work; please note that I’m calling for the use of broth, which is seasoned, whereas stock is not (see below for the differences between broth and stock). I prefer to use homemade chicken or beef bone broth if I have time to make it.  
• Cream cheese - That's right, this 4-ingredient soup is made without milk. Instead, I like to reach for cream cheese because it adds body and has a mellow sweetness and tang that makes it perfect for this creamy potato soup. I recommend using full-fat cream cheese, but you can use lower-fat versions to lighten things up. If you'd prefer not to use creamy cheese, you can use heavy cream instead. Just add it at the end of cooking time; I'd start with adding ½ cup of heavy cream, then keep slowly adding until you are satisfied with the flavor and consistency.
• Worcestershire sauce - Worcestershire sauce has so much complexity going on that it’s a perfect way to inject flavor without upping the ingredient list. Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce contains Distilled White Vinegar, Molasses, Sugar, Water Salt, Onions, Anchovies, Garlic, Cloves, Tamarind Extract, Natural Flavorings, Chili Pepper Extract. Umami central in a bottle, all those awesome flavors in one convenient ingredient.

Substitutions

With only four ingredients there aren’t a whole lot of substitutions I’d recommend making to this soup, but you can certainly switch up the umami component.

Instead of Worcestershire, the closest substitutes in flavor are :

• Balsamic vinegar
• Soy sauce or coconut aminos
• Fish sauce

*Use amounts equivalent to the Worcestershire sauce called for in this recipe.

If you’re looking for a different sort of umami, try:

• Trader Joe’s Umami seasoning
• Miso Paste
• Rinds from aged cheeses, like parmesan

Check out Serious Eats’ 15 Umami-Packed Ingredients to Upgrade Your Pantry for more umami inspiration.

Of course, you can always season with salt and pepper :). But opt for white pepper to avoid black pepper flecks in the soup.

Variations

This recipe can be made to accommodate those with dietary restrictions or preferences. You can make this easy potato soup recipe vegetarian-friendly or vegan-friendly with a few simple substitutions.

• Vegetarian: Replace the chicken or beef broth with vegetable broth. You’ll also want to use a Worcestershire sauce that doesn’t contain anchovies (the brand I use, Lea & Perrins, contains anchovies). Here is a list of anchovy-free Worchestershire sauces.
• Vegan: Building off of the aforementioned variations for vegetarians, to make a vegan 4-Ingredient Potato Soup you’ll also want to swap the cream cheese out for a plant-based one. Note: I have not tested this recipe with plant-based cream cheese. 

What is the difference between broth and stock?

Broth is created by simmering meat, vegetables, and/or aromatics. The result is a thin, flavorful liquid that doesn’t gel when chilled, as a stock can. But it’s seasoned (unlike stock), which makes it a good choice for 4-Ingredient Potato Soup. 

Stock, on the other hand, is primarily made with animal bones and may contain vegetables and/or aromatics. When cooked long enough, it gels when cooled due to the breakdown of collagen from the bones. Stock is not seasoned, so it’s not as flavorful as broth.

If you want to learn more about the differences between the two, check out The Kitchn’s What’s the Difference Between Stock and Broth?

How to Make Easy Potato Soup

Grab your largest soup pot or Dutch oven, all your ingredients, and allow the cream cheese come to room temperature. 

1. Add the chicken or beef broth to a large pot. Peel and cube potatoes, then add them to the pot. 

2. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 15 minutes.

3. Take two ladles of broth from the pot and add to a heat-safe bowl or smaller pot. Let cool a minute, then add the room temperature cream cheese. Whisk to melt into broth. 

4. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher. I don’t mind the small chunks of potato that result from only using a potato masher, but if you want a smoother soup, hit it with an immersion blender or blend in batches. Just be careful you don’t overdo it or you’ll wind up with paste-like soup. 

Note: While this was technically designed to be a 4-ingredient soup, you can always season with salt and pepper :). That doesn't count, right? Season liberally to suit your tastes! Opt for white pepper to avoid black pepper flecks in the soup. Also, if you think the soup tastes a little flat, try hitting it with a little vinegar or fresh lemon juice to give it a hit of acidity.

5. Add the melted cream cheese mixture and Worcestershire sauce to the pot. Continue cooking for another 10 minutes. I like to keep whisking and mashing as it finishes cooking. Taste, and add more Worchestershire sauce or broth, to taste. 

More Soup Recipes to Try

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