Creamy Parsnip and Potato Soup | Easy Homemade Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why isn't my potato soup creamy? ›

Why isn't my potato soup creamy? Most creamy soups require you to add dairy of some sort into it. If you're finding your soup is too thin adding milk, add in cream instead, or whole milk.

There's no need to boil potatoes before adding them to soup. Just be sure to add them with enough time to cook without overcooking the other soup ingredients. For diced potatoes, this is typically 10 to 15 minutes.

Cornstarch is not the only thickening agent you can use. Other alternatives include flour, arrowroot powder, instant mashed potatoes, or even pureed vegetables like cauliflower or cooked oats. Each of these options will add thickness to your soup while imparting its own unique taste and texture.

Milk or Half-and-Half: This is the other magical ingredient that turns your homemade chicken noodle soup into the creamiest soup ever. Use 1 cup of whole milk or 1 cup of half-and-half.

The best options for thickening soup are cream or half and half. Plain yogurt or even freshly grated cheese works well and adds an extra layer of tangy, salty flavor. Add the dairy at the end and avoid bringing the soup to a boil since this can cause yogurt, cheese, or cream to split.

Cheese: I recommend a good sharp cheddar cheese here for maximum flavor. Greek yogurt or sour cream: To make the soup extra-creamy. Salt and pepper: Add in as much as you need at the end to season your soup well.

ANSWER: Waxy potatoes or those called boiling potatoes stand up well in soups and stews. These have thin skin and are high in moisture and low in starch. Potatoes that are low-starch and high-moisture hold together better. Yukon Gold potatoes are on the medium-starch side and will hold their shape in soups.

Cream cheese can be a delicious and tangy thickener for mashed potatoes so it stands to reason that it can also be used to add body to your favorite silky potato soup recipes — right? The answer is yes. It only works well if you do it carefully, though.

Does evaporated milk help thicken soup? ›

Keep in mind that this evaporated milk will make your dish taste richer, but it won't actually thicken the soup. You can always use a bit of flour or cornstarch if you're missing that added texture. Otherwise, you'll find evaporated milk the best dairy addition for your classic slow cooker favorites.

Heavy cream and heavy whipping cream are essentially the same thing—they both have over 36% milk fat, and the name just depends on the brand. Whipping cream, however, is slightly different—it contains 30% to 35% milk fat, so it's slightly lighter (it's sometimes labeled light whipping cream).

Sour cream should be added only after you have cooked and served the soup, as a topping. Otherwise it will separate and it will not look appetizing. Once you have added sour cream, you cannot reheat the soup, so it's better to add spoonfuls to individual bowls and let people stir it in themselves.

Your potato soup is bland? Try adding a little more salt. That's usually the answer to any issue of blandness, no matter the recipe in question. A basic Appalachian style potato soup uses only a handful of simple ingredients, leaning on milk and water and often bouillon to create the brothy soup base.

It's best to use fresh, firm potatoes. Acidic Ingredients: If your soup contained highly acidic ingredients (e.g., tomatoes), it could have affected the texture of the potatoes. Acidic ingredients can slow down the softening process of potatoes.

Like many of us chefs and home cooks, potatoes break down when overworked in the kitchen. While it might seem like merciless mashing would lead to a smoother soup, it actually has the opposite effect, creating a base that's more like gluey gunk.

So what do you do if you've made the mistake of using starchy potatoes in your soup? One trick to make your potato soup a little less grainy is to add some form of dairy –- cream, milk, or even cheese. Because dairy is generally creamy in texture, that characteristic will carry over into your soup. Crisis averted.