Loaded Baked Potato Soup That Needs No Flour

Bowl of loaded baked potato soup with bacon, cheddar and green onions

Most loaded potato soups start with a roux: butter and wheat flour cooked together to thicken the pot. This one skips it. Russet potatoes are starchy enough to thicken soup on their own once you mash some of them, so the gluten-free version needs no flour swap at all. You only have to watch three labels.

Why russets

Russet potatoes break down as they simmer, and the starch they release turns the broth thick and creamy. The gfcooking.food recipe uses 3 pounds, peeled and cut into one-inch cubes. Yukon Golds hold their shape better, which sounds good but gives you a waxier, chunkier soup that never quite gets the same body. If you want a mix, use mostly russets with a few Yukon Golds for texture.

Bacon first, then everything in its fat

Cook 6 slices of chopped bacon in a large pot over medium heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Lift it out with a slotted spoon and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat. The onion cooks in that fat for 5 minutes, then the garlic for 30 seconds, and the soup picks up a smoky base before any broth goes in.

Plain bacon is pork, salt and cure, but some flavored or seasoned bacons add malt or flavorings with no source named. Read the package and choose one labeled gluten-free if you can find it.

Simmer until they fall apart

Add the potatoes, 5 cups of chicken broth, salt and pepper. Bring it to a boil and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until a potato cube collapses when you press it with a spoon. Broth is the biggest hidden-gluten risk in this pot. Many cartons and bouillon cubes use yeast extract or flavorings that can come from barley, so buy a broth labeled gluten-free.

Mash half, keep half

Right in the pot, mash about half the potatoes with a potato masher and leave the rest in chunks. That is where the thickness comes from. Mash more for a smoother soup, less for a chunkier one. Then stir in a cup of whole milk and let it warm through without boiling.

Cheese goes in off the heat

Take the pot off the burner before you add the sour cream and cheddar. Cheese stirred into boiling soup tends to seize up and turn grainy. Off the heat, it melts smoothly. Pre-shredded cheddar is convenient, but the bags sometimes include anti-caking agents, so read the label or grate a block of sharp cheddar yourself. Check the sour cream too, since some brands add starches.

Top it and store it

Serve each bowl with the crisp bacon, sliced green onions and a little more cheese. The pot serves 6 and takes about 50 minutes start to finish. Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 3 days and thicken as they sit, so loosen them with a splash of broth or milk when you reheat. Potato soup does not freeze well, because the potatoes turn grainy after thawing.

The full ingredient amounts and steps are on GF Cooking: get the loaded baked potato soup recipe here.

Always check ingredient labels yourself, especially on broth, bacon, cheese and sour cream. Formulas change, and the label on the package in your hand is the one to trust. In the US, products labeled gluten-free must contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten under FDA rules.

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