Have you ever wanted to go to Outback Steakhouse just for their baked potato soup? I will admit, I’ve done that!
Then I started thinking about trying to reproduce it at home. The cool part is that, because it’s baked potato soup, a lot of the toppings you like on your baked potatoes also go well either in the soup or as a garnish.
Table of Contents
This recipe recreates that ultra-creamy, cheese-loaded, comfort-bomb soup using simple pantry ingredients, without sacrificing the thick, indulgent texture that makes Outback’s version famous.
Why This Copycat Recipe Works
Recreating a restaurant favorite at home comes down to using the right techniques and ingredient balance, not overcomplicating the process.
What Makes This Recipe Reliable:
- A proper roux base: Butter and flour are cooked together to create a smooth, stable foundation that thickens the soup evenly and prevents dairy from separating.
- Baked russet potatoes: Baking concentrates flavor and removes excess moisture, while partial mashing releases starch that naturally thickens the soup.
- Balanced creaminess: Heavy cream, sharp cheddar, and starchy potatoes work together to create a thick, velvety texture similar to what you expect from Outback Steakhouse.
- Layered seasoning: Seasoning salt, black pepper, and a small amount of celery salt add depth without overpowering the soup. For more Outback flavor, check out our Outback Steakhouse steak seasoning recipe.
- Flexible structure: The method allows for adjustments in thickness, toppings, and cooking style while still producing consistent results.
With this foundation in place, the next section breaks down the ingredients, starting with a quick list for easy planning, followed by a more detailed explanation of how each component contributes to the final soup.
Ingredients You Will Need
If you prefer to see everything at a glance before diving into the details, here is a quick list of the ingredients you will need. This is useful for grocery planning or for experienced cooks who want to jump straight to the recipe.
Before you start cooking, it helps to understand why each ingredient matters. This soup relies on a careful balance of starch, fat, and dairy to recreate the thick, creamy texture and savory flavor that make Outback’s baked potato soup so popular.
Ingredient Quick List
If you prefer to see everything at a glance before diving into the details, here is a quick list of the ingredients you will need. This is useful for grocery planning or for experienced cooks who want to jump straight to the recipe.
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups diced onions
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 large baked potatoes, cut into cubes
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Seasoning salt, celery salt, kosher salt, and pepper to taste
- Additional toppings such as crispy bacon, green onion tops, and sour cream
Equipment Needed
- Large soup pot
- Potato masher or immersion blender
- Wire whisk
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Knife and cutting board
- Cheese grater
Prep Time
Gathering your equipment and ingredients, you can expect to spend approximately 10 minutes prepping before you begin cooking your Outback-inspired creamy potato soup.
Ingredients Breakdown for Outback-Inspired Baked Potato Soup
The breakdown below explains what each ingredient contributes and how small choices can affect the final result.
Potatoes
4 large russet potatoes, baked and cubed
Russet potatoes are ideal for a thick, creamy soup because they are high in starch. Baking the potatoes first helps concentrate flavor and reduces excess moisture, which makes the soup taste more like a true baked potato soup.
Substitutions: Yukon Gold potatoes work, but the soup may be slightly less thick and more buttery in flavor.
Butter
1/2 cup butter
Butter adds richness and forms the base of the roux. A proper roux helps thicken the soup and keeps it smooth once dairy is added.
Optional flavor boost: Replace 2 to 3 tablespoons of the butter with reserved bacon grease.
Flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Flour combines with butter to create a roux that thickens and stabilizes the soup. This helps you get a creamy texture without needing to add extra thickeners later.
Onions and Garlic
2 cups diced yellow onion
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
Onions provide sweetness and depth, while garlic enhances the savory base. Yellow onions are a good choice for balanced flavor.
Optional: Roast the onions and garlic briefly before sauteing for a deeper flavor.
Chicken Stock
6 cups chicken stock
Chicken stock builds a savory foundation and adds more depth than water or milk alone. If possible, choose low-sodium stock so you can control the salt level.
Vegetarian option: Substitute an equal amount of vegetable stock.
Heavy Cream
1 cup heavy cream
Heavy cream gives the soup its rich, restaurant-style mouthfeel. Using lower-fat dairy can make the soup thinner and less creamy.
Lighter option: Half-and-half can work, but expect a thinner soup unless you mash more potatoes.
Cheddar Cheese
1 cup freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Sharp cheddar adds the signature flavor. For the smoothest melt, shred cheese from a block since pre-shredded cheese often contains anti-caking agents that can affect texture.
Variations: Extra-sharp cheddar adds more bite. White cheddar gives a similar flavor with a lighter color.
Seasonings
Seasoning salt, kosher salt, black pepper, and a small pinch of celery salt, to taste
Seasoning salt and black pepper round out the flavor. A small pinch of celery salt can help recreate a classic restaurant-style taste. Add salt gradually, especially if your stock is salted.
Optional Toppings
- Crispy bacon
- Green onion tops or chives
- Extra shredded cheddar
- Sour cream
These toppings turn the soup into a loaded baked potato experience. Set them out family-style so everyone can customize their bowl.
Why This Ingredient Balance Works
This soup gets its creamy thickness from three places: the roux, starchy russet potatoes, and melted cheddar. Together, they create a soup that is rich, thick, and smooth without being heavy or pasty.
Printable Copycat Outback Steakhouse Baked Potato Soup Recipe Card
Equipment
- Large soup pot
- Potato masher or immersion blender
- Wire whisk
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Knife and cutting board
- Cheese grater
Ingredients
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups diced onions
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 4 large baked potatoes, cut into chunks of potato
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Additional toppings such as crispy bacon, green onion tops, and a dollop of sour cream
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, melt butter over medium-high heat and sauté the diced onions and minced garlic until translucent, about 2 minutes.
- Sprinkle the flour over the butter and onion mixture, stirring constantly to create a roux. Cook for an additional 2 minutes to rid the flour mixture of its raw taste.
- Gradually whisk in the chicken stock, ensuring that the mixture remains smooth and free of lumps. Add the milk, and bring to a gentle boil.
- Add the diced potatoes to the soup, and let it simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
- Using a potato masher or immersion blender, slightly thicken the soup by crushing some of the potato pieces. For a thicker soup, you can mash more potatoes.
- Stir in the cheddar cheese until melted and smoothly combined into the soup. Add the seasoning salt, kosher salt, and black pepper to taste.
- Once the soup has reached the desired consistency, remove from heat and ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with green onion tops, bits of bacon, and a dollop of sour cream. Serve hot.
Notes
- For an Outback Steakhouse twist, add a pinch of celery salt to the seasoning. Remember, this soup is especially comforting during the colder months, so it’s perfect for fall and winter menus.
- This recipe is luckily pretty easy to double if you want to freeze some for an easy lunch later. This makes it ideal for those winters when you get especially busy with seasonal work.
- Serving this to your family or houseguests? Have the toppings available in small serving bowls so they can mix or match as they like.
Nutrition
How to Make Copycat Outback Baked Potato Soup
Before you begin, it helps to read through the steps once, from start to finish. This recipe follows a straightforward process, but timing and technique matter, especially when making the roux and adjusting the final thickness.
The steps below walk through the method in order so you can build flavor gradually and achieve a smooth, creamy soup.
Step One: Sauté Onions and Garlic
In a large soup pot, melt butter over medium-high heat and sauté the diced onions and minced garlic until onions are translucent, about 2 minutes
Step Two: Make Roux
This can be a tricky part if you’ve never made a roux before. What matters is getting the flour evenly mixed with the butter with no dry lumps and cooking it long enough to get rid of the floury smell and taste.
Sprinkle the flour over the butter and onion mixture, whisking constantly to create a roux. Cook for an additional 2 minutes to rid the flour mixture of its raw taste.
If you’re stumped, the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts has a good guide to making roux. Many chefs prefer using ghee, or clarified butter, for making roux, but you can get away with an alternative fat like bacon grease, lard, or regular butter. You can try olive oil, but the flour and oil will begin to separate as soon as it cools.
Step Three: Add Chicken Stock
Gradually whisk in the chicken stock, ensuring that the mixture remains smooth and free of lumps. Add the milk and bring to a gentle boil.
Step Four: Add Diced Potatoes
Add the diced potatoes to the soup, and let it simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
Step Five: Partially Mash the Potatoes
Using a potato masher or immersion blender, slightly thicken the soup by crushing some of the potato pieces. The exact amount of potatoes you want to mash depends on how thick you like your soup.
Doing this releases some of the starches in the potatoes, which provides a good thickener without having to add more of other thickeners like flour.
Step Six: Add Cheese, Salt, and Pepper
Stir in the cheddar cheese until melted and smoothly combined into the soup. Add a pinch of celery salt and the seasoning salt, kosher salt, and black pepper to taste.
Step Seven: Serve With Garnishes
Once the soup has reached the desired consistency, remove it from the heat and ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with green onion tops, additional cheddar cheese, bits of bacon, and a dollop of sour cream. Serve hot.
If Your Potato Soup Turns Out Too Thick
If the soup becomes overly thick or gluey, it is usually due to over-mashing the potatoes or cooking the soup at too high a heat after the dairy is added. Stir in small amounts of warm broth or milk until the soup loosens to your preferred consistency, and reheat gently over medium-low heat.
Nutritional Information for Copycat Outback Steakhouse Baked Potato Soup
This soup works as an entire meal, though of course, a serving size can be adjusted to your preferences. This approximate nutrition information assumes that you made the recipe as shown and dished up 8 servings. We used VeryWell Fit to get this information.
*Disclaimer: Nutritional value is approximate and varies based on ingredients. You can explore accurate, science-backed data using the USDA FoodData Central database.
- 654 Calories
- Total Fat: 45.6 Grams
- Saturated Fat: 19.1 Grams
- Cholesterol: 126 Milligrams
- Sodium: 4.5 Grams
- Total Carbohydrates: 25.5 Grams
- Dietary Fiber: 2.6 Grams
- Vitamin D: 12 mcg (58% RDA)
- Calcium: 175 Milligrams (13% RDA)
- Iron: 2 Milligrams (13% RDA)
- Potassium: 816 Milligrams (17% RDA)
Tips and Tricks for a Superb Outback Steakhouse Soup
Once you have mastered the basic method, a few small adjustments can make a noticeable difference in flavor and texture. The tips below highlight simple ways to refine the soup, prevent common issues, and customize it to your preferences without changing the core recipe.
- To achieve a richer flavor in the soup, use homemade chicken stock and add seasoning salt to taste.
- For a thicker soup, allow the soup to simmer for an additional 10-20 minutes or until it reaches your preferred consistency. You can also use a cornstarch slurry or more potato chunks.
- Always cool leftovers in an airtight container to maintain freshness and flavor for your next indulgent meal. Reheat gently to enjoy the soup the next day.
- Season with kosher salt and black pepper for a simple yet effective flavor enhancement.
- Consider roasting the diced onions and garlic before adding them to the soup for a deeper flavor profile.
- Consider baking the potatoes in the oven instead of simmering them for a more authentic “baked” potato soup. Bonus points if you sprinkle a little olive oil and sea salt on the outsides of the potatoes before putting them in the oven. (Naturally, adjust the amount of salt you put in the soup to compensate for the “extra” salt.)
Variations and Substitutions for Outback Steakhouse Baked Potato Soup
This recipe is easy to adapt based on dietary needs, ingredient availability, or personal preference. The variations below let you customize the soup while keeping the creamy texture and savory flavor that make it a reliable copycat option.
- Of course, you’ll want to crisp up the bacon before serving it as a garnish. I like to do this in advance, and then reserve some of the bacon grease to sauté the onions and garlic in instead of butter for extra flavor. If you do this, be sure to make the butter-flour mixture (the roux) in a separate, easy-to-clean skillet.
- You can “mix and match” the garnishes however you like. Sometimes I like to use chives if I don’t have green onions.
- Substituting beef broth for chicken broth can add a deeper, more robust flavor to soups like this one. However, the final dish will have a different flavor profile due to the distinct tastes of chicken and beef broth. It’s important to consider the recipe’s desired outcome when substituting broths.
- For a more flavorful broth, I like to make my own. The cool part is that it’s often easier to make a lot of broth all at once, and then freeze some in freezer-friendly containers for when I want to make my favorite soup.
- A cornstarch slurry (mix equal parts cornstarch and water) can provide an additional thickener without having to add more flour or mash more of the potatoes.
- Grilled chicken slices make a great garnish if you’d like an additional protein boost.
Do you have a favorite variation? Be sure to let us know in the comments!
Vegan Baked Potato Soup Variation
This recipe can be made vegetarian or vegan with a few adjustments.
- For a vegetarian version of the copycat Outback potato soup recipe, use vegetable broth instead of chicken. Begin by sautéing diced potatoes and yellow onion in olive oil for about 10 minutes.
- After the potatoes are tender, bring the soup to a gentle boil and let it simmer for 20 minutes. For vegans, skip the cheese, and when it’s time to serve, ladle the soup into bowls without any dairy toppings. A complete vegan adaptation can be ready in just 30 minutes.
- Vegans can still enjoy the creamy texture of this beloved soup by using plant-based cream cheese. Blend the cream cheese with almond or soy milk to mimic the richness of dairy. (Keep in mind that using plant-based milk instead of dairy can affect the flavor to some degree. Personally, I think soy milk does a better job of mimicking the texture and flavor of dairy for a more savory recipe like baked potato soup.)
- For bacon, opt for a vegan bacon substitute that can provide a similar smoky flavor without the meat.
These substitutions keep the essence of the Outback Steakhouse flavor while adhering to plant-based dietary preferences.
Utilizing an Instant Pot for Outback Steakhouse Baked Potato Soup
The Instant Pot is a game-changer for those looking to enjoy baked potatoes in a smooth and creamy soup without spending hours in the kitchen. The pressure cooker infuses the essence of sharp cheddar cheese throughout the soup.
How to Adapt the Recipe for an Instant Pot
If you are looking for a faster, hands-off approach, this recipe adapts well to an Instant Pot. Pressure cooking shortens the cooking time while still allowing the potatoes to become tender and the flavors to develop fully.
- To make a creamy potato soup in an Instant Pot, start by sautéing onions and garlic, then add diced potatoes and stock.
- Cook on high pressure for 5-10 minutes for a quick and even cooking process. Allow a ten-minute natural pressure release before venting.
- Once done, blend the ingredients to achieve a rich and creamy consistency. Serve the bowl of soup with your favorite garnishes.
Bonus tip: The Instant Pot can also be used to crisp the bacon. Set it to Sauté and cook diced bacon until crispy. Remove bacon, leaving a little bacon grease in the bottom to sauté the onions and garlic in.
5 Complementary Sides for a Complete Outback Experience
This soup is rich and satisfying on its own, but pairing it with the right sides can turn it into a full, well-balanced meal. The options below complement the creamy texture and savory flavors without overpowering the soup.
- Consider an Australian-themed side like ‘damper,’ a traditional soda bread, to mop up the delicious soup. If soda bread isn’t readily available, any crusty bread, like a good sourdough bread, should work.
- I like to pair this with a good warm winter salad with maple dijon dressing for a balanced meal. Think salad is boring? You might try this salad with roasted beets, candied pecans, and quinoa to liven things up.
- For beverage pairings, a cold beer or a glass of full-bodied Chardonnay complements the hearty flavors. Personally, I like a really good craft beer from one of the breweries near me. If you’re going non-alcoholic, hot apple cider with a mulling cider spice mix makes a good pairing on a cold day.
- This baked potato soup makes a good first course for an Outback Steakhouse-themed meal with main dishes like Outback Steakhouse Mac and Cheese, Alice Springs Chicken, or a steak made with Outback Steakhouse Steak Seasoning.
- Finish the meal with a dessert featuring cups of heavy cream, like a rich chocolate mousse or a creamy cheesecake, to round out the Outback-inspired feast.
How to Store, Reheat, and Freeze Potato Soup
To store leftover baked potato soup, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate it. When ready to reheat, you can warm the soup in a large pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally until hot. Alternatively, for smaller portions, reheating in a microwave-safe bowl is convenient.
Ensure the soup is heated thoroughly before serving. Adding a little water or broth can help maintain a smooth consistency if the soup has thickened in the fridge.
Sometimes I like to double the recipe and freeze some in individually portioned soup containers. (If they look like those containers that the wonton soup or egg drop soup from your favorite Chinese takeout place came in, you’re probably on the right track.) Then I can just thaw a portion out in the fridge overnight whenever I want some.
Frequently Asked Questions About Outback Steakhouse Baked Potato Soup
These are some of the questions that come up most often when making this soup. If you are wondering about something that is not listed here, leave a comment below, and I will be happy to answer it.
How to thicken potato soup?
<To thicken potato soup, you can use an immersion blender to partially blend the soup, incorporating the potato pieces to create a thicker base. Another method is to mix a small amount of flour or cornstarch with water to make a slurry and stir it into the soup.
You can also get away with adding an extra potato or two while simmering the potatoes if you keep an eye on it while it simmers, then do a little extra mashing.
Let the soup simmer until it reaches the desired thickness. The starch from additional potato masher-crushed potatoes can also help thicken the soup effectively.
Is Outback Potato Soup vegetarian?
The vegetarian status of Outback Potato Soup depends on the specific ingredients used in the recipe. Traditional recipes might include meat-based ingredients like bacon or chicken broth, making them non-vegetarian. The above “vegan variation” section offers tips on making it vegetarian.
Can you use raw potatoes instead of baked?
Yes, you can use raw potatoes instead of baked, but the final soup will be slightly different. Raw potatoes release more moisture as they cook, which can thin the soup and mute the potato flavor. Baked potatoes are drier and more concentrated, helping create a thicker, more “baked potato” taste.
If you use raw potatoes, dice them evenly and simmer until fully tender. You may need to mash more of the potatoes or simmer a bit longer to achieve the same thickness.
More Popular Outback Steakhouse Copycat Recipes
If you enjoy recreating restaurant favorites at home, there are plenty of other classic dishes inspired by Outback Steakhouse that pair well with this soup or work as standalone meals. These copycat recipes focus on bold flavors and familiar comfort food made with everyday ingredients.
- Outback Steakhouse Mac and Cheese Recipe
- Outback Steakhouse Alice Springs Chicken Recipe
- Outback Steakhouse Steak Seasoning Recipe
These recipes make it easy to build a full Outback-inspired meal at home, whether you are planning a themed dinner or just want another reliable copycat favorite to add to your rotation.
Your turn! Did you make this recipe? Like it? Love it? Notice something we missed? Be sure to let us know in the comments!
