This ham and potato soup recipe is made with diced ham, Russet potatoes, carrots, celery and white cheddar cheese, all in a thick and creamy broth. An easy dinner option that’s hearty, comforting and quick to make! It’s the perfect way to use up leftover ham.
If you love soup recipes, you’ll adore this creamy and flavorful ham and potato soup. Serve it with a side of honey cornbread or garlic knots, and watch the rave reviews come in!
There’s nothing better than a hot bowl of soup on a cold day. When I’m looking to warm up, I make recipes such as Cincinnati chili, albondigas soup, chicken gnocchi soup, matzo ball soup, white bean soup and creamy ham and potato soup. This soup is so simple to make, and it also happens to be a great way to use up leftover ham!
Table of Contents
Ham And Potato Soup Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need butter, onion, carrots, celery, ham, garlic, potatoes, chicken broth, flour, milk, white cheddar cheese, salt, black pepper and parsley.
How Do You Make Ham And Potato Soup?
Melt some of the butter in a large pot, then add the onions and cook until they start to get soft. Stir in the carrots, celery, ham, potatoes and garlic. Add the chicken broth and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Make the creamy soup base in a separate pan by whisking together melted butter and flour for a roux. Pour the milk into the butter and flour mixture, then simmer until thick. Add the creamy mixture to the pot with the ham and veggies. Stir in the cheese, then add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley, and serve.
Tips For The Perfect Soup
- You can use leftover ham, or any diced cooked ham such as a ham steak. I like to keep the pieces on the larger side so that the soup has plenty of texture.
- Between the ham, chicken broth and cheese, this soup has plenty of salty ingredients, so hold off on adding any salt until the very end after you’ve tasted the final dish.
- This soup makes great leftovers! It will stay fresh in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Simply reheat on the stove top or in the microwave.
- Ham and potato soup is not a great candidate for the freezer because of the dairy in the recipe.
- Skip the bags of pre-shredded cheese at the grocery store and grate your own instead. Bagged shredded cheese typically contains preservatives and anti caking agents which means it won’t melt as well.
Quick Tip
I typically use 1% milk for this soup, although 2%, whole milk or half and half will give you a creamier end result.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you should peel your potatoes for potato soup. Removing the skins allows the potatoes to break down in the soup as they cook, which helps to thicken the soup and add a creamy texture.
Potato soup is thickened both by the starch from the potatoes, as well as the creamy roux mixture that gets added to the broth. If you feel like your soup still isn’t thick enough, let it simmer longer to let some of the liquid evaporate.
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Slow Cooker Ham And Potato Soup
This soup can easily be adapted for the slow cooker. Simply add your ham, potatoes, vegetables and chicken broth to a slow cooker and cook until the veggies are tender, about 4 hours on low. Make the milk sauce as directed in the recipe, then stir in the sauce along with the cheese right before serving.
Flavor Variations
This recipe is delicious as-is, but you can customize some of the ingredients to suit your preferences.
- Protein: This recipe also works well with cooked chicken or turkey.
- Vegetables: Feel free to add more veggies to the soup. Some great options include corn, mushrooms, green chilies or spinach. You can also use Yukon Gold potatoes instead of Russet.
- Cheese: Instead of white cheddar, try stirring in some mozzarella, Monterey Jack or fontina cheese.
- Toppings: Finish your soup with a sprinkle of crispy bacon, chives, french fried onions or croutons.
Leftover Ham Recipes
Ham and potato soup is a fabulous way to use up leftover ham. If you’re looking for more ideas on how to use up that ham, be sure to check out my comprehensive list of Leftover Ham Recipes. There are tons of great options from pasta, to salads, to casseroles.
Whether you’re looking to use up ham, or simply craving a creamy and hearty soup, this recipe is sure to satisfy!
More Soup Recipes
Ham Bone Soup (Slow Cooker)
4 hrs 10 mins
Chicken Tortellini Soup (Slow Cooker)
4 hrs 10 mins
Hamburger Soup
50 mins
Stuffed Pepper Soup
40 mins
Cabbage Roll Soup
45 mins
Ham and Potato Soup Video
Love This Recipe?
Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
Ham and Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter divided use
- 1/2 cup onion diced
- 2 carrots peeled, halved and sliced
- 2 stalks celery sliced
- 2 cups cubed ham
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 1/2 cups Russet potatoes peeled and diced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 5 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup white cheddar cheese shredded
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened.
- Add the carrots, celery, ham, potatoes and garlic to the pot, cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- In a separate pan, melt the remaining 5 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, stirring constantly. Cook for 1 minute.
- Slowly pour in the milk, whisking continuously. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until thickened.
- Pour the milk mixture into the ham soup and stir to combine. Stir in the cheddar cheese.
- Cook for 5-6 minutes longer. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired. Sprinkle with parsley, then serve.
Notes
- You can use leftover ham, or any diced cooked ham such as a ham steak. I like to keep the pieces on the larger side so that the soup has plenty of texture.
- Between the ham, chicken broth and cheese, this soup has plenty of salty ingredients, so hold off on adding any salt until the very end after you’ve tasted the final dish.
- I typically use 1% milk for this soup, although 2%, whole milk or half and half will give you a creamier end result.
Such a warm and comforting soup. The flavors were perfect and this is a go-to soup recipe for me during the Fall and Winter months.
Today was dreary and rainy outside and I knew this would be the perfect antidote to a chilly morning. LOVED this comfort food!
I love using up leftovers, and this is a great way to use up leftover ham!
I bumped the nutrition by adding a bunch of kale ripped into bite-sized pieces with the carrots, etc. Really a delicious and a nice one pot meal to use up leftover ham.
Made this tonight with leftover ham, instead of cheddar cheese I put Velveeta cheese. I will be making this again.
This soup is absolutely amazing!! This is the second time I am making it. It is a total winner!! Thank you so much for sharing!!
I used my left over Easter ham for this soup and we loved it! perfect time for left over recipes. thanks
I made this soup tonight and it was delicious! I did have a leftover hambone and simmered that in some water and used part of that in place of some of the chicken broth. I also used two onions since my fiancé and I both love onions 🧅. Thanks for another great tasting meal. 🥣 Happy New Year!
I used Vermont Extra sharp cheese. Yum!!!! It is a lot easier to add the flour while sauteing the veggies. I just added all the butter cooked the veggies about 5 minutes and added the flour. Then followed the rest of the recipe. So delicious
I saw this recipe and switched out ham for chicken as my daughter and I do not like ham. Used Unsalted butter, 2% milk and low fat Mexican cheese. It came out really good.
Now you are really talking my kinda food, I love the sound of this recipe and now must head out and score me some ham 🙂
Looks so comforting and delicious! Perfect for winter! Pinning for later 🙂
This looks like the ultimate comfort dinner! Yum!
This just got put onto my ‘must try’ list! Fast & flavorful so just what my busy Summer needs!
My family loves this Soup! I’ve made it a few times now and we just can’t get enough. I love how hearty and filling it is and how inexpensive the ingredients are. I also love how easy it is to throw together. Thanks for the yummy recipe 🙂
I love to warm up to a big bowl of this soup! Looks tasty!
It was so good, thank you. I simmered on low (before adding the milk mixture) for 2 bourse with the leftover Christmas ham bone, then pulled the remaining ham bits off. I followed the recipe on my phone but the family loved it so much we later printed and added it to our recipe collection!
So glad you enjoyed it, thanks for reporting back!
Love being able to use up our holiday ham for a new dinner! Perfect soup for a chilly day!
Thank you for the recipe!!! This was absolutely delicious. Followed the recipe. It was rich, extremely flavorful and my family of 3 loved it!!!
How good this soup looks! With a lot of veggies and so hearty! My type of winter soup!