Irish Potato Soup
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This Irish potato soup transforms simple ingredients into something truly comforting – perfect for St Patrick’s Day or any time of the year! Tender potatoes simmer in a rich, bacon-infused broth until perfectly soft, then finished with a touch of cream and fresh chives.
Easy to prepare and endlessly adaptable, this Irish potato soup is the kind of hearty, satisfying dish you’ll find yourself making again and again. It’s great as a starter to an impressive holiday meal when hosting friends and family or to enjoy as an effortless family dinner alongside crusty bread or flaky buttery biscuits.
We’re an Irish family (we’ve been to Dublin several times, as my husband’s parents are from Dublin and Kimmage!), and we love to cook Irish dishes – especially around St. Patrick’s Day!
What is Irish potato soup?
Irish potato soup is a classic, comforting blend of humble ingredients transformed into something rich and satisfying. It starts with crispy bacon pieces, with the rendered fat used to sauté aromatic vegetables before simmering with potatoes and broth.
What you get is a thick, velvety soup with a deep, savory flavor, completed with a touch of heavy cream and fresh chives. This mouth-watering and nutritious soup is the perfect choice for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day as a starter or main meal, although I love it for warming up on any cold evening.
Why you’ll love this Irish soup
- It’s wonderfully hearty, with a deep, savory richness from the bacon that makes every spoonful incredibly satisfying.
- Not only is this Irish soup easy to prepare, but it also pairs beautifully with a wide variety of dishes, making it a versatile choice for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations or cozy meals all year long.
- With just a quick pulse of your immersion blender, you can effortlessly customize the soup’s texture, from rustic and chunky to luxuriously smooth.
Ingredients needed to make Irish potato soup
- Bacon: Adds irresistible smoky, salty, and savory depth to this Irish potato soup.
- Onion: Adds sweetness and depth when sautéed. Yellow or white onion works best.
- Celery ribs: Sautéing the celery with the onion, carrots, and bacon pieces creates a flavorful foundation for this Irish potato soup.
- Carrot: Cooked with the celery and onion at the start of the recipe to ensure the perfect soft texture.
- Garlic: Freshly minced garlic enhances the savory aroma. Garlic powder can be used in a pinch.
- Potatoes: The key ingredient for this comforting Irish soup. Peel and cube the potatoes into small pieces for quick and even cooking.
- Flour: Mixed into the softened veggies and fragrant garlic for a roux that helps to thicken the soup.
- Broth: Use low-sodium broth for better control of the salt content in this soup. Vegetable broth, chicken broth, or bone broth are great options.
- Heavy cream: For a rich and creamy flavor. Mix it into the soup just before blending and serving.
- Lemon: I’ve always added a bit of acid to my soup recipes to freshen things up. Just a squeeze from half lemon is all you need.
- Chives: Stirred into the soup together with some of the reserved bacon for an additional boost of flavor.
- Salt and black pepper: Essential for balancing flavors. Adjust to taste.
- Toppings: Add extra flavor, color, and texture to this Irish potato soup by topping it with shredded cheddar cheese, more chopped chives, sliced green onions, chopped red onions, crumbled bacon, and a dollop of sour cream.
How do you make Irish potato soup?
Cook the bacon:
- Place the bacon pieces in a 4-to-5-quart soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Cook until the pieces are browned and crispy.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove half of the bacon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Set this portion aside for garnishing later.
Sauté the vegetables:
- Add the onion, celery, and carrot to the pot with the remaining bacon drippings.
- Sauté the vegetables until they begin to soften, approximately 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle in the flour and add the minced garlic, stirring continuously for 1-2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.
Cook the potatoes:
- Add the cubed potatoes to the pot and pour in the broth.
- Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring the mixture to a rolling boil.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer and let it cook for 15 minutes.
- To test for doneness, press a potato cube against the side of the pot with a spoon. It should break apart easily without being mushy. If they are still firm, continue simmering for another 5 minutes and test again.
Adjust the consistency:
- Once the potatoes are tender, lower the heat to its minimum setting and pour in the heavy cream.
- For a rustic, semi-chunky soup: Use an immersion blender to briefly pulse a few times, breaking up only some of the potatoes.
- For a silky, smooth soup: Blend the entire pot until velvety.
- For a brothy soup: Simply leave the soup as-is without blending.
Season and garnish:
- Stir in the chopped chives and a portion of the reserved crispy bacon (remember to keep some back for the toppings).
- Season with salt and pepper to your taste. Since broth saltiness varies, begin with ½ teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of pepper, then adjust after stirring and tasting.
Serve:
- Ladle the soup into individual bowls.
- Offer an array of toppings so everyone can customize their bowl: shredded cheddar, extra chives, sliced green onions, chopped red onions, the remaining crumbled bacon, and a dollop of sour cream.
- Enjoy!
Serving
For a complete meal, top this comforting Irish potato soup with shredded cheddar, extra chives, sliced green onions, chopped red onions, any remaining crumbled bacon, and a dollop of sour cream. Serve it with Irish Biscuits or a Traditional Irish Bread, and a side of Irish Salad.
Whether you’re hosting dinner for St Patrick’s Day or having a quiet Irish-inspired night in with the family, don’t forget to round off the meal with a slice of Bailey’s Irish Cream Cake or a bowl of ice cream that’s drizzled with Chocolate Syrupand topped with crumbled Bailey’s Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Sandy’s tips and substitutions:
- Storage: Store leftover Irish potato soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat individual servings in the microwave or larger portions on the stovetop until heated through.
- Freezer: Once completely cool, store this Irish soup in the freezer for up to 3 months, either in an airtight container or individual portions in freezer-safe bags. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat to serve with fresh garnish, if desired.
- Adjust the liquid: Add more broth to the soup mixture to achieve your desired consistency, especially if the soup has boiled down too much. Then taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
- Large pot: A Dutch oven works the best when making this Irish potato soup, but you can use a regular large pot too. Just make sure that the pot you use is big enough to hold all of the ingredients comfortably for even cooking and no spilling over.
- Prepare your sides: Prep optional sides like this Irish Pub Salad or homemade Potato Cheese Bread in advance.
- Add a splash of acidity: To freshen the soup up, add just a squeeze from half of a lemon into the blended soup, just before serving. I do this for all of my soup recipes and it makes such a difference!
- Best types of potatoes: Any kind of potatoes work in this recipe, but floury potatoes tend to make the creamiest soup. Yukon Gold potatoes are widely regarded as the best choice for potato soup because their medium-starch content and buttery flesh create a naturally velvety, smooth texture that holds up well without becoming gummy or disintegrating completely.
- Blending hot liquids: Be careful when blending hot soup. Never fill the blender all the way, but rather work in batches if needed, and leave the hole in the lid unplugged. Cover the top of the blender lid with a clean kitchen towel, and start the blender on low, working your way to high until smooth and pureed. Very hot liquids have a tendency to explode out of the blender, but this tip will reduce any accidents.
Variations:
- Vegetarian potato soup: Simply omit the bacon and use olive oil or butter to sauté the veggies and garlic.
- Texture of soup: For a rustic, semi-chunky soup, pulse the soup briefly a few times in an immersion blender, breaking up only some of the potatoes. For a silky-smooth soup, blend the entire pot until velvety. For a brothy soup, leave the soup as-is without blending.
- Dairy-free Irish potato soup: Substitute the heavy cream with full-fat coconut milk or a generous splash of unsweetened oat milk.
- Gluten-free Irish potato soup: Replace the 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour with a gluten-free alternative like cornstarch (mixed into a slurry with cold water) or a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend, adding it at the same step in the recipe directions to thicken the soup.
Follow this soup up with a serving of Irish Mac and Cheese, Holiday Crock Pot Ham, or Guinness Pot Roast for an impressive St Patrick’s Day feast!
More delicious potato soups you may want to try:
- Easy Pear Potato Soup
- Roasted Sweet Potato Soup
- Leek and Potato Soup with Ham
- Chicken & Sweet Potato Soup with Turmeric
- Chicken Bacon Soup With Sweet Potatoes
Get the Recipe:
Irish Potato Soup
Creamy, bacon-infused Irish Potato Soup is pure comfort in a bowl. Made with simple ingredients and ready in under an hour, it’s the perfect hearty meal for St. Patrick’s Day or any chilly night.
Ingredients
- 6 strips of bacon cut into small pieces
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 ribs celery, diced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed into small pieces
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 3-4 cups broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ of a lemon, optional
- 1 Tbsp chopped chives
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Toppings:
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- More chopped chives
- Sliced green onions
- Chopped red onions
- Crumbled bacon
- A dollop of sour cream
Equipment
Instructions
- Place the bacon pieces in a 4-to-5-quart soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Cook until the pieces are browned and crispy.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove half of the bacon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Set this portion aside for garnishing later.
- Add the onion, celery, and carrot to the pot with the remaining bacon drippings.
- Sauté the vegetables until they begin to soften, approximately 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle in the flour and add the minced garlic, stirring continuously for 1–2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.
- Add the cubed potatoes to the pot and pour in the broth.
- Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring the mixture to a rolling boil.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer and let it cook for 15 minutes.
- To test for doneness, press a potato cube against the side of the pot with a spoon. It should break apart easily without being mushy. If they are still firm, continue simmering for another 5 minutes and test again.
- Once the potatoes are tender, lower the heat to its minimum setting and pour in the heavy cream.
- For a rustic, semi-chunky soup: Use an immersion blender to briefly pulse a few times, breaking up only some of the potatoes.
- For a silky, smooth soup: Blend the entire pot until velvety.
- For a brothy soup: Simply leave the soup as-is without blending.
- Stir in the chopped chives and a portion of the reserved crispy bacon (remember to keep some back for the toppings).
- Season with salt and pepper to your taste. Since broth saltiness varies, begin with ½ teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of pepper, then adjust after stirring and tasting.
- Ladle the soup into individual bowls.
- Offer an array of toppings so everyone can customize their bowl: shredded cheddar, extra chives, sliced green onions, chopped red onions, the remaining crumbled bacon, and a dollop of sour cream.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Sandy’s tips:
- Storage: Store leftover Irish potato soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat individual servings in the microwave or larger portions on the stovetop until heated through.
- Freezer: Once completely cool, store this Irish soup in the freezer for up to 3 months, either in an airtight container or individual portions in freezer-safe bags. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat to serve with fresh garnish, if desired.
- Vegetarian potato soup: Simply omit the bacon and use olive oil or butter to sauté the veggies and garlic.
- Dairy-free Irish potato soup: Substitute the heavy cream with full-fat coconut milk or a generous splash of unsweetened oat milk.
- Gluten-free Irish potato soup: Replace the 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour with a gluten-free alternative like cornstarch (mixed into a slurry with cold water) or a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend, adding it at the same step in the recipe directions to thicken the soup.
Calories: 231kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.02g, Cholesterol: 28mg, Sodium: 480mg, Potassium: 590mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 1697IU, Vitamin C: 28mg, Calcium: 35mg, Iron: 1mg
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Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
