Easy Hash Brown Potato Soup (With Frozen Hash Browns)

This easy delicious potato soup recipe with frozen potatoes is a simple shortcut for a flavorful meal.

Quick & creamy hash brown potato soup is a cozy and comforting easy recipe that’s perfect for chilly nights.

a spoon lifts out a bite of hash brown potato soup, with melted cheese and bacon bits on top.

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If you love the comforting flavors of a steaming bowl of creamy potato soup, you’re going to love this easy recipe!

For years, my Instant Pot potato soup has been a big hit because it’s so simple to make.

Instead of chopping fresh potatoes, you use a bag of frozen diced hash browns, which is a fantastic shortcut.

But not everyone has an Instant Pot, yet everyone should be able to enjoy easy potato soup.

That’s where this stovetop recipe comes in!

Making creamy potato soup with frozen potatoes is so simple you’ll be shocked that it’s so rich and flavorful.

There’s just something about slow-simmered goodness that wafts through the house and beckons us to the kitchen.

This soup is creamy, cozy, and the perfect remedy for those chilly evenings when you just want to wrap yourself in a warm blanket and enjoy a bowl of pure comfort.

If you’ve ever tried Panera Bread’s potato soup and wished you could recreate it at home (it’s one of my favorite soups!), you’re in for a treat.

This hash brown potato soup recipe comes incredibly close to capturing that same irresistible flavor.

All you need is a cooking pot, your stove top, and a handful of simple ingredients.

overhead view of a white bowl serving creamy potato soup made with frozen hash browns.

Making this Easy Potato Soup Recipe with Frozen Hash Browns

Using frozen hash brown potatoes to make cheesy potato soup is a fantastic shortcut that simplifies the cooking process.

But you still end up with a deliciously creamy and hearty bowl of comfort–perfect for soup season!

Whether you’re in a hurry or just looking for an easy way to add texture and flavor to your potato soup, frozen hash browns are a convenient choice.

Keeping potatoes in the freezer means you can have a delicious meal at the ready anytime a craving strikes (I also use them in my slow cooker sausage and potato casserole!).

Skip the peeling and chopping and your flavorful soup will be ready in no time.

This is such an easy soup recipe. You don’t even need to thaw the potatoes ahead of time!

More Tasty Soup Recipes You’ll Love:

close-up view of creamy hashbrown potato soup topped with crumbled bacon and shredded cheese

How to Make Hash Brown Potato Soup

It’s really simple to make this hearty meal!

Ingredients You’ll Need:

  • Frozen Hash Browns (the diced kind)
  • Chicken Broth
  • Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
  • Milk
  • Cream Cheese
  • Shredded Cheese
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Optional Toppings: Make it loaded potato soup by adding crumbled crispy bacon bits, additional shredded cheese, sour cream, sliced green onions, etc.
a bag of frozen southern hash browns, which are diced frozen potatoes

How to Make It:

(Full printable recipe is available below)

Prepare the soup broth. First, you’ll combine frozen hash browns and chicken broth (or chicken stock) in a Dutch oven or stockpot.

Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for a cooking time of about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cook until the potatoes are quite soft and break apart easily when pressed with a spoon.

two photos; one shows frozen potatoes and broth in a pot, the other show the potatoes cooked until tender.

Add the soup mix. Next, you’ll reduce heat to low. Stir in cream of chicken soup.

two photos; one shows homemade cream of chicken soup added to the potato mixture; the other shows the ingredients stirred together.

Make it creamy. Then, you’ll blend together milk and cream cheese until smooth with an immersion blender (or regular blender) until smooth.

Two photos; one shows cream cheese and milk in a measuring cup, the other shows them blended together until smooth.

Alternatively, you can add the milk and cubed cream cheese to the pot and stir until the cream cheese melts, breaking apart large lumps with the back of a spoon.

I just find blending makes it easier to mix in.

Then stir it into the soup mixture. Add shredded cheese and stir until melted.

two photos; one shows cream cheese mixture added to soup; the other shows shredded cheese added to soup.

Taste and add salt and pepper according to your preference, if needed.

Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy a heavenly meal!

a spoon lifts a bite of homemade potato soup out of a white bowl. It's garnished with bacon and cheese, and is made from frozen hashbrowns.

Notes and Adaptations:

  • I prefer to use homemade cream of chicken soup for this recipe, because it’s easy to make and is full of flavor. However, you can use a 10-oz can of cream of chicken soup mixed with 1 can of water if you prefer. You can also make gluten free cream of chicken soup if needed.
  • Feel free to choose a cheese option that suits you–mild, medium, or sharp cheddar, Colby Jack, or Gruyere would all be delicious choices for this creamy soup. I highly recommend shredding your own, because it melts much better.
  • Feel free to serve in a bread bowl, if you’d like, or alongside some crusty bread.
  • Leftover soup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for about 3 days.

Recommended Equipment:

Yield: 6 Servings

Potato Soup with Frozen Hash Browns

hash brown potato soup with melted shredded cheese and crumbled bacon on top.

This easy, creamy potato soup is a cinch to make, thanks to frozen hash browns! It's a hearty meal that's perfect for a cold day.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 32-oz frozen hash browns (the cubed variety)
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups homemade cream of chicken soup (see notes below)
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 8-oz cream cheese, softened and cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 cup shredded cheese, such as cheddar or Coilby Jack
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Optional toppings as desired: Crumbled bacon, additional shredded cheese, sliced green onions, etc.

Instructions

  1. In a Dutch oven or stockpot, combine frozen hash browns and chicken broth. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook until the potatoes are quite soft and break apart easily when pressed with a spoon.
  2. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cream of chicken soup.
  3. Using a blender, blend together milk and cream cheese until smooth, then pour into the soup mixture (alternatively, you can add the milk and cubed cream cheese to the pot and stir until the cream cheese melts, breaking apart large lumps with the back of a spoon).
  4. Add shredded cheese and stir until melted.
  5. Taste and add salt and pepper according to your preference, if needed.
  6. Serve with desired toppings.

Notes

  • I prefer to use homemade cream of chicken soup for this recipe, because it's easy to make and is full of flavor. However, you can use a 10-oz can of cream of chicken soup mixed with 1 can of water if you prefer. You may want to add some additional seasonings if using canned soup (a bit of garlic powder, onion powder, etc.)--just taste and adjust as needed.
  • You can also make gluten free cream of chicken soup if you need this recipe to be gluten free.
  • Feel free to choose a cheese option that suits you--mild, medium, or sharp cheddar, Colby Jack, or Gruyere would all be delicious choices.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 694Total Fat: 47gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 26gCholesterol: 83mgSodium: 1629mgCarbohydrates: 54gFiber: 5gSugar: 4gProtein: 18g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is not guaranteed for accuracy.

Want more delicious recipe ideas?

Check out even more mealtime inspiration on my Pinterest boards!

Be sure to save this recipe to your soup board on Pinterest!

two photos; one shows cheesy potato soup with a spoon in it; the other shows an overhead view of hash brown potato soup in a white bowl atop a blue and white napkin.

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10 Comments

  1. Carolyn mills says:

    I didn’t use cream cheese, instead used 1 can of milk with cream. Of chicken soup, cubed ham, diced bacon,and onion. Sweated the onion in the bacon grease with ham, added salt and pepper with alittle garlic, added it to Potatoes with a pinch of celery salt and parsley. WOW! IT WAS SOOOO GOOD.

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Hi Carolyn! Thanks so much for sharing your tweaks–it sounds like it would be simply delicious that way! 🙂

  2. Kristin Clark says:

    If I use 3 – 28 oz packages of frozen diced potatoes, how many cups of broth would I need?

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Hi Kristin! I would probably use 10-11 cups of broth, and I’d likely just triple the other ingredients to keep it simple. I hope that helps! 🙂

  3. I made it exactly as listed and it was delicious! Added bacon, of course. Yum!

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Thank you, Kolene! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂

  4. Theresa Keller says:

    I may not ever make potato soup in other way!!!
    I used O’Brien frozen hash browns , Coby Jack cheese, evaporated milk and sour cream instead of the cream of chicken turned out great! Thank you

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      It’s so easy, isn’t it? I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it, Theresa–thank you for sharing your tweaks with us! 🙂

  5. Can you use the shredded hash browns?

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Hi Liz! I think that should work fine–enjoy! 🙂

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