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You don’t need heavy cream to make a thick potato soup.
This recipe combines soft potatoes, smoky ham, and carrots for a simple, filling dinner that comes together fast.
What Sets This Ham Potato Soup Apart?
A hot bowl of soup is hard to beat on a cold night, and this Ham Potato Soup makes for a simple, filling dinner. If you’ve tried our thick pumpkin soup, made a pot of our creamy mushroom soup, or warmed up with a bowl of cauliflower cream soup, you know how much we love a good homemade soup.
What makes this version different? It’s thick and smooth without using any heavy cream. By making a quick roux directly in the pot, you get a creamy base in minutes. It’s ready in under 45 minutes, making it a great option for busy weeknights when you want a hot, filling meal from scratch.
Ham Potato Soup: Key Ingredients
This Creamy Ham Potato Soup relies on basic kitchen staples. Smoky ham gives the broth its salty base, potatoes make it thick and filling, and fresh garlic adds plenty of flavor.
- Ham: Choose a good smoked ham that isn’t overly salty. Leftover holiday ham works great here and gives the broth that same salty, smoky flavor you get in a classic pot of slow-cooked ham and bean soup. Dice it into bite-sized pieces so you get some in every spoonful.
- Ham Broth: This is the base of the soup. If you have a leftover ham bone, simmer it with onions, carrots, celery, and bay leaves to make your own stock. Store-bought broth works fine when you are short on time, though homemade gives the soup a stronger ham flavor.
- Potatoes: Yukon Gold potatoes are the best choice because they have a naturally buttery taste and creamy texture. They soften up nicely to thicken the soup while still holding their shape. Cut them into even cubes so they cook at the same rate.
Note: Please see the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Additions And Substitutions
This Ham Potato Soup is easy to adjust based on what you have in the kitchen. If you are missing an ingredient or want to change things up, here are a few simple swaps and add-ins:
- Cheese: Stir in a handful of grated cheddar or parmesan right at the end of cooking. It melts into the hot broth and pairs really well with the salty ham.
- Spices: For a little heat, add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes or a dash of hot sauce. If you want to play up the smoky flavor of the ham, stir in a little smoked paprika.
Ham Potato Soup: Step-By-Step
Let’s jump in! With just a few easy steps, you’ll create a bowl of hearty, flavorful Ham Bean Soup that’s sure to impress. Time to make your kitchen the coziest spot in the house!
- Sauté the Veggies: Heat butter in a pot over medium heat. Sauté onion, carrots, and celery until they begin to soften.
- Add Ham and Potatoes: Add ham and potatoes, cook briefly, then add garlic and sauté until fragrant.
- Mix in Flour: Mix in the flour and cook for a short while.
- Add Stock and Boil: Stir in stock and bouillon. Increase heat and bring to a boil until potatoes are just fork-tender.
- Thicken with Milk: Reduce heat to medium-low, add milk, and stir until thickened.
- Season to Taste: Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
What To Serve With
A thick slice of bread is great for dipping into a hot bowl of ham potato soup. If you feel like baking your own, try making a loaf of crusty homemade bread
or a batch of soft baked dinner rolls. Both are great for soaking up the broth, especially with some homemade garlic herb butter spread on top right when they come out of the oven.
Looking for more soup ideas? Try a bowl of thick broccoli and cheddar soup, make a pot of sausage, kale, and potato soup, simmer some classic vegetable lentil soup, or ladle up a bowl of creamy chicken and noodle soup.
Want to turn this soup into a bigger dinner, or need more weeknight main dish ideas? Serve a small bowl alongside a plate of chicken and zucchini spaghetti, some garlic parmesan shrimp pasta, or a skillet of pasta with browned Italian sausage. If you prefer slow-cooked beef, you can also make a tender slow cooker chuck roast with pepperoncini.
Recipe FAQ’s
The key is to reduce the heat to medium-low before adding the milk. Stir gently and let it cook until it thickens. Lowering the heat is vital to prevent the flour from curdling, ensuring a smooth, creamy soup.
No problem! Homemade ham broth adds incredible depth of flavor, but if you don’t have it, a high-quality store-bought chicken or beef broth works well too. For extra richness, you can add a bit of bouillon powder.
Absolutely! While I recommend Yukon Gold potatoes for their creamy texture and buttery flavor, you can also use Russet or red potatoes. Just keep in mind that each type will slightly alter the texture, but they will all be delicious.
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Ham Potato Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 cup carrot large, peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 3 cups potatoes peeled and diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced or finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups cooked ham diced, add more if desired
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour plain flour
- 2 cups low sodium chicken stock or broth
- 2 teaspoons chicken Bouillon
- 3 cups milk whole milk or 2%
- 1/4 teaspoon salt if needed, adjust to you taste
- 1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion, carrots, celery until beginning to soften (about 4 minutes).
- Add the ham and potatoes, cook for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and sauté until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
- Mix the flour through and cook for 2 minutes.
- Stir in stock and bouillon, mixing all ingredients together. Increase heat and bring to a boil until potatoes are ‘just’ fork tender, about 10-12 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-low, add the milk and stir over the heat until thickened (about 5 minutes).
- Taste test and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
- Serve warm.
Notes
HAM BROTH
You can make your own ham broth for ham soup using leftover ham bone:- Simmer the ham bone in a stock pot filled with enough water to cover the bone halfway (about 2 quarts/litres, depending on size of bone).
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover with a lid and let simmer until very fragrant (about 1 hour).
- Discard hambone
- Replace the chicken stock with your ham broth.
TIPS
If your soup is too thick once it’s finished, simply add more milk in 1/4 cup increments until reaching your desired consistency. Alternatively, if your soup is not thick enough to your liking, mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch together with 2 tablespoons of extra milk. Pour the mixture into the soup and allow to boil for a few minutes to thicken, while stirring. Repeat for an even thicker soup!Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My first time trying a ham potato soup and this one was awesome!
Good stuff, substituted goat milk as many of family don’t tolerate dairy.
I made this with ham the first time, then with rotisserie chicken. Both times was told it was the best they had ever eaten.
Seriously, this has become my family’s go-to soup. Love it so much! Thank you!
This is my new go-to potato stew 🤩 I made a large pot of this to hand out to the local unhoused community, and one gentleman said and I quote “texture and flavor was like it was from a gourmet restaurant” 😁😁😁🥰🥰🥰 I am currently prepping for a larger amount to make and hand out tomorrow hot and fresh again, as well as a pot just for my husband and I to enjoy. My husband is also RAVING over how good it is.
I only added a few different seasonings, but otherwise I followed the recipe exactly.
Thank you for this PERFECT potato stew recipe!!!
I have made this many times over several years and it gets rave reviews from all. My husband prefers ham and bean but I think I have converted him to ham and potato. I always use ham broth. I think that is the key. I do not add chicken bouillon. I probably use more potatoes and definitely use more ham than stated in the recipe. I read that some used half milk and half cream (or 2 c to 1 c?) and I may try that next time. Thank you so much for this delicious recipe!
I made this with the leftover hambone from a holiday dinner, so I held off on adding any salt. It was OK that night, though I added some salt and a dash of Cajun seasoning. But the next day, after everything had a chance to get acquainted, it was outstanding. I will make this again, but won’t eat it until it’s had a chance to sit overnight.
I could see how Cajun seasoning could enhance this! Thank you for sharing!
Love the idea to add in Cajun seasoning
I’ve made this soup three times and so far today’s was the best yet, it must get better with practice. I have my own version of potato soup(without ham or vegetables only bacon) which is good also. But, this soup took 2 hours from start to finish each time I’ve made it, hence why I’ve only made it three times. Today I used 1/2 1% milk and 1/2 heavy cream. The cream makes a big difference, it was sooo goood. I will keep making this soup. Thank you for a great soup recipe.
Used the ham left over from Christmas. Made ham stock with the bone so used that instead of chicken stock. The carrots were already cooked as I had roasted some to go with the New Year’s Day prime rib and instead of onions I added 3 chopped leeks. Wonderful flavour. Alongside a home made French baguette and this was a perfect hearty soup after all the rich Christmas food. Will definitely make again.
I can’t seem to find a way to comment on this recipe, so am replying to yours.
I used leftover ham from Easter, more potato because two peeled/diced yielded a little over 4 cups, (and unsalted chicken stock rather than broth, plus a little more because of the extra potato amount), the last of the whole milk and some leftover half-n-half) and added a handful of Thyme that I dried last fall.
I stirred in a couple ounces of sharp cheddar, freshly-cracked black pepper and served with diced green onions, extra sharp cheddar, alongside warmed, leftover yeast rolls.
Good Lord, what a fantastic soup!
Hats off to CafeDelites!
My go to leftover soup recipe. After the holidays we always have too much mashed potatoes so I use that instead of fresh potatoes. Makes for a thick and creamy soup. Instead of the bullion cubes I also just use a chicken ramen packet since we usually don’t use them when making actual ramen. A staple holiday recipe in our home and easily adjustable to taste and whatever’s in the pantry