No-Cream, Gluten-Free Baked Potato Soup

My family, especially my daughter, adores potato soup. What’s not to love– bacon, potatoes, cheese and chives. I decided to lighten-up this recipe a bit by removing the cream and using unsweetened plain almond milk. Hold up! Before you make a quick exit, hear me out. If you haven’t dabbled with plain almond milk as a replacement for milk or cream in soups, I encourage you to take a chance! This recipe isn’t dairy free. I add a bit of plain Greek yogurt at the end for a boost of creaminess. Although you can certainly make this dairy free and it will still be delicious. I also swapped out the all-purpose flour and used a gluten-free flour blend. It thickens just the same as flour and doesn’t change the flavor.

A few reasons why I like to replace cream/milk for almond milk in soups:

1. Heavy cream is high in saturated fat. I like the majority of my recipes to be healthy-ish, and almond milk still gives me that creamy element without all the fat and calories. That way we can splurge on the cheese and bacon. 😉
2. Soups that are loaded with milk, cream, and cheese, tend to not be as kind on our tummies. We are not lactose intolerant but too much dairy is no Bueno for us.
3. Almond milk is relatively mild in flavor so it’s a great replacement in recipes calling for milk or cream. Silk almond milk is my favorite. It’s very creamy.
4. Milk has roughly 14 grams of sugar compared to zero sugar in unsweetened almond milk. In view of that fact, I don’t feel it’s necessary to have the extra sugar when it really doesn’t change the flavor all that much.

Now that I’ve educated you on my reasons for almond milk, let me tell you a bit about this soup. It is thick and creamy. The end. Just kidding! While those are two very important components to a successful baked potato soup, equally; the crispy bacon, tender potatoes, and rich flavor from the broth and milk make this soup a complete winner in my book. It comes together so easy and can be ready on the table in about an hour. Top it with your favorite baked potato goodies and you’re all set!

I hope I’ve convinced you all to give almond milk a chance. If for no other reason than to make this yummy soup, then that’s ok!

Let’s eat!🤍

No-Cream Gluten-Free Baked Potato Soup

Super thick and creamy potato soup has all the flavor and coziness of this classic comfort food without the cream and gluten.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 4 people

Calories 403 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 5 medium size russet potatoes, washed and unpeeled
• 5 bacon slices
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped fine
• 1/4 cup celery, chopped fine
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp bacon grease, from cooked bacon
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme If using fresh, use 1 tsp
• 1 tsp dried parsley If using fresh, use 1 tbsp
• 3 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 2 cups unsweetened silk plain almond milk, warmed if you prefer cows milk, that's cool
• 1/4 cup full fat Greek yogurt light sour cream can be used as well
• 1/4 cup gluten-free flour blend all-purpose can be used as well
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Toppings

• shredded cheddar cheese
• crumbled bacon
• chopped chives
• sour cream
• tabasco

Instructions

 

Baked potatoes

• Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Wash and dry potatoes. Pierce both sides with fork. Bake in preheated oven for 30-45 minutes just until softened and tender. You don't want them too soft otherwise you'll end up with mashed potatoes. Once cooked, you'll want to let cool for a few minutes before you remove the skin and cut in small cubes. While potatoes cook start preparing your bacon.

Bacon

• Heat a medium size Dutch oven or stock pot to medium heat. With kitchen shears cut bacon directly over pot. Cook stirring often until bacon is crispy. Remove bacon onto a plate lined with paper towels and set aside to crumble when it's cooled. Pour out all but 2 tablespoons of grease from pot. Remove the pot from the heat and turn down to low while you peel and chop your cooked potatoes.

Soup

• Once your potatoes are peeled and cut in small cubes, place the pot back on the stove and turn heat up to medium. Add the butter onion and celery. Sauté until softened. Add garlic and thyme. Cook 1 minute. Add the flour and cook stirring constantly for 1 minute to cook out the raw flour taste. Slowly add chicken stock, using a whisk to make sure it smooths out. Add the warmed milk, cooked potatoes, parsley, and salt and pepper. It should start to thicken. If it becomes too thick, add a splash of chicken stock to thin it out. Bring back up to a simmer and cook 5-10 minutes on medium low. Once the soup is thick, and bubbly hot, remove from heat and add Greek yogurt or sour cream. Season with more salt and pepper if desired and enjoy!
• Serve up a generous helping and add the crispy crumbled bacon and your favorite toppings.

Notes

*You can cook the potatoes up to one day in advance if you’re a super planner. Just make sure they are completely cooled before you refrigerate. This will cut your time down by about 30 minutes when you prepare the soup.

*I love using kitchen shears to cut up bacon. It’s less messy than dragging out another cutting board and so easy to cut the bacon right over the pan. 

*Cream based soups can burn easily and stick to the bottom if you’re not careful. Make sure to stir often and watch the heat. 

*Make sure you remove your main dish off the heat when adding cream of any kind (yogurt, sour cream, heavy cream) to your recipes otherwise it could curdle.

*If you want to skip the potato-baking process all-together, peel and chop potatoes in small cubes and add them in after the onions have softened. You’ll want to cook the potatoes about 10 minutes until tender, then proceed with the rest of the cooking instructions.  

Note: Nutritional facts for this recipe my vary depending on products used, and does not include the cheese and additional sour cream.

Keyword Baked potato soup, gluten free, soup

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