If you're looking for easy comfort food, this ham and potato soup is sure to please. Made with a ham steak, potatoes and veggies in a milk based broth, you'll warm right up with a bowl of this soup.

Update: This recipe was originally posted in January 2013. It has been revised and photos have been updated for reader enhancement and republished in February 2021.

Close up of creamy ham and potato soup in a white bowl. Pieces of ham, potato and carrot rest on top of the broth, seasoned with salt and pepper. A sprig of thyme sits on top of the bowl.

Have I mentioned 1,000 times yet that I am not a fan of winter? I'm definitely not and what makes it worse is that my house is very overdue for some updated insulation, making it cold ALL of the time. A fleece blanket, a portable space heater and a hearty bowl of this soup is a great way to warm up on those cold winter days.

A white bowl of creamy ham and potato soup covers nearly all of the image. In the bottom corner is a turquoise napkin. The bowl of soup is full of pieces of potato, ham, carrot and corn. Salt and pepper season the dish, with a sprig of fresh thyme on top.

what is creamy ham and potato soup?

This soup is made with ham steak, but can also be made with any leftover ham you may have. Potatoes, carrots, celery, onion and corn round out the vegetables in the soup and the creamy, white broth comes from an easy roux made with butter, flour, milk and cheese. Garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper add the flavor to this delicious bowl of comfort food.

Ingredients for creamy ham and potato soup. Ingredients are potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, corn, ham, cheese, milk, butter, flour, beefr broth, garlic, rosemary and thyme.

🥘 Ingredients for this recipe

Diced Ham - leftover ham or a ham steak works in this soup
Potatoes - red, yellow, russet, etc.
Carrots
Celery
Onion - sweet, yellow, white or red
Corn - fresh, canned or frozen
Beef stock - low sodium is best
Butter - unsalted is best
All purpose flour - can be substituted with 1-1 ½ tablespoons of cornstarch. See note in recipe for instructions
Milk - any percentage of milk is fine. Half and half or cream also works
Cheddar cheese - skip entirely or replace with mozzarella, fontina, or colby
Rosemary
Thyme
Garlic
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Image collage of instructions for making the soup. Top left: Whisking flour into the melted butter for the roux. Top right: Whisking the roux after milk and cheese has been added. Bottom left: carrots, onion and celery sauteing in olive oil in a stock pot. Bottom right: Nearly done soup, with cooked potatoes floating at a top, corn being added and herbs sitting on top of the broth.

🔪Instructions for this recipe

First, saute the vegetables and herbs. Add olive oil, carrots, onion, celery, thyme and rosemary to a large stock pot and saute over medium heat for 10 minutes. Next, add in the garlic and cook for another minute. Then add in the potatoes and beef stock and bring to a boil.
Then, make the roux. In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Then whisk in the flour until combined. Slowly add in the milk. whisking while you go until it is incorporated. Reduce the heat to low and once it begins to thicken, remove from the heat and stir in the cheese, salt and pepper until the cheese has melted.
Next, add in the roux. Once the vegetables have boiled for 15 minutes, or until they are fork tender, reduce the heat to medium low. Pour the roux into the stock pot and stir until combined. Add in the ham and corn and cook for 5 minutes, stirring until everything is combined.
Finally, serve the soup. Divide the soup into bowls and season to taste with additional salt and pepper.

A large bowl of creamy ham and white soup takes over the entire image. A wooden background is barely visible around the bowl. Pieces of potato, ham, carrots and corn sit atop the creamy broth. The soup is seasoned with salt and pepper and a sprig of fresh thyme lays on top of the ingredients.

FAQ's for this soup

Can you freeze ham and potato soup? You can, but the potatoes tend to take on a mealy texture when reheated after frozen. If the texture doesn't bother you, go for it. Otherwise, the soup will remain good in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Why is my potato soup gummy? You chopped your potatoes too small. Tiny diced potatoes will release starch that binds with stock and will create a gummy consistency. To avoid this, cut potatoes into 1 to 1 ½ inch cubes.
Do I need to peel my potatoes for soup? Nope! It's personal preference if you like the skin on or off your potatoes in soup.

Two bowls of creamy ham and potato soup sit on a wooden background. The bowl on the left sits under a turquoise napkin. In both bowls, pieces of ham, potato, carrots and veggies are prominent over the broth. Both bowls of soup are seasoned with salt and pepper and the left bowl has a sprig of fresh thyme.

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Recipe

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5 from 1 vote

Creamy Ham and Potato Soup

Creamy Ham and Potato soup is an easy to make comfort food recipe.

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Total Time50

Course: Ham, Main Course, Pork, Soup and Stew

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beef vegetable soup, comfort food, ham and potato soup, soup

Servings: people

Calories: 384kcal

Author: NicholeL

Ingredients

For the Soup

2 cups cooked ham chopped
2 cups potatoes peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes
1 cup carrots peeled and cut into rounds
1 cup celery diced
1 medium onion diced
1 tablespoon garlic minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups beef broth
1 sprig rosemary
1 sprig thyme
½ cup corn

For the Roux

4 tablespoon unsalted butter
¼ cup all purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a large stock pot, saute carrots, onion, celery, thyme and rosemary in olive oil over medium high heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Add the potatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Boil 15 minutes or until vegetables are fork tender.
While the vegetables boiling, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until combined, then slowly add in the milk, while whisking, until combined. Let mixture simmer for 5 minutes or until it begins to thicken, stirring frequently.
Once thickened, remove from the heat and stir in the cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Reduce the stock pot to medium and stir in the roux, followed by the ham and the corn. Cook for 5 minutes, mixing everything together and until ham and corn are heated through.
Divide soup into bowls and season to taste with additional salt and pepper.

Notes

If you need to substitute cornstarch for the flour, you'll need 1 ½ tablespoons. Mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of the milk. Melt the butter, slowly pour in the milk and bring it to a simmer. Once simmering, add in the cornstarch mixture and stir until thickened. Then follow recipe as stated above for adding in cheese and the remaining steps.

Ham and Potato Soup should not be frozen as the potatoes take on a mealy texture. Soup will keep in the refrigerator for -3-5 days.

Nutrition

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