Easy Homemade Potato Soup for a Crowd (Feeds 20–25!)
A hearty, homemade potato soup made with simple ingredients, nourishing broth, and enough food to feed a whole lot of hungry people!
Got a crowd coming over? A big family to feed? Or maybe you just want to cook once and have leftovers for another day?
Well, my friends, let’s make some potato soup!
This is one of those wonderful, old-fashioned meals that doesn’t require fancy ingredients or a trip to the grocery store.
Potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, celery, homemade broth, and a few seasonings. Simple ingredients that come together to make a big pot of delicious, filling soup.
Here on our northern Michigan homestead, we grow a whole lot of potatoes. And when you’ve got potatoes stored away and homemade broth on the pantry shelf, you’ve already got the beginnings of dinner.
That’s why I love having food in the bank!
This recipe also appears in my book, Seed to Plate: A Homesteading Gardening Guide & Cookbook.
How Many People Does This Potato Soup Feed?
This is a BIG batch!
The recipe is intended to feed approximately 20–25 people, depending on portion sizes and what else you’re serving.
It’s a wonderful option for family gatherings, church suppers, potlucks, graduation parties, or feeding a large family with leftovers.
Need to feed closer to 50 people? You can double the ingredients, provided you have pots large enough to cook everything safely.
And if you’re only feeding a few people, you can cut the recipe in half or even into quarters.
There’s no rule saying you have to make 20 pounds of potatoes at once!
This Is How a Homesteader Cooks!
You know what I love about soup?
It’s one of the easiest meals to make with what you’ve already got.
Don’t have seven carrots? Use five.
Only have a couple of onions? That’s fine.
Want to add a little extra garlic? Go for it!
We learn to use what we have instead of running to the grocery store for what we don’t.
The measurements below are the starting point for my big-batch recipe, but I want you to become comfortable adjusting ingredients, tasting as you go, and making meals that work for your family.
That’s where freedom in food begins.
Ingredients for Potato Soup for a Crowd
- 20 pounds potatoes
- 7 carrots
- 6 onions
- 5 garlic cloves
- 5 celery ribs
- Lard, butter, or olive oil for sautéing
- 6 quarts broth
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- Cheese of your choice, optional
A note about the broth: I love using homemade bone broth because it brings so much flavor to the soup. If you haven’t started making your own broth yet, I’ll show you how!
And remember, the final thickness will depend on your potatoes and how much you blend. Adjust with additional broth if needed.
Equipment You’ll Need
- A very large, heavy-bottomed stockpot, or multiple large pots
- Sharp knife and cutting board
- Large stirring spoon
- Ladle
- Immersion blender, if you prefer creamy soup
- Containers for storing leftovers
Twenty pounds of potatoes plus six quarts of broth makes a substantial amount of soup. Make sure your pot has enough room for everything without boiling over!
Potato Soup for a Crowd
Ingredients
Method
- Instructions
- Wash and chop the potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, and celery. Peel the potatoes if desired.
- In a very large stockpot, heat a little lard, butter, or cooking oil over medium heat.
- Add the onions and garlic and sauté until fragrant and beginning to soften.
- Stir in the paprika and chili powder, allowing the seasonings to warm briefly.
- Add the potatoes, carrots, celery, and approximately 6 quarts of broth. Add additional broth as needed to accommodate the vegetables and reach your preferred consistency.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for approximately 1 hour, or until the vegetables are tender. Stir occasionally.
- Use an immersion blender to blend some or all of the soup, depending on how creamy or chunky you like it.
- Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Add more broth if the soup is too thick.
- Stir in shredded cheese if desired, or serve it as a topping.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
All ingredient quantities are approximate. Adjust the vegetables, broth, and seasonings to suit your taste and the size of your pot.
This is a very large batch intended to feed a crowd, approximately 20–25 servings depending on portion size.
For a smaller batch, reduce the ingredients proportionally and adjust the broth as needed.
Leftovers should be cooled promptly in shallow containers and refrigerated or frozen. Potato texture may change after freezing.
This is not a tested shelf-stable canning recipe.
Full recipe and homesteading tips: https://foodprood.com/recipes/potato-soup-for-a-crowd/
Old Fashioned Ways in a Modern World – Food Prood – Laura Lawrence
How to Make Homemade Potato Soup
Step 1: Prepare the Vegetables
Wash and dice your potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, and celery.
The smaller you cut the potatoes, the faster they’ll cook.
Step 2: Sauté the Onions and Garlic
In your large stockpot, heat some lard, butter, or olive oil.
Add the onions and sauté until fragrant and softened.
Add the garlic and cook for another 1–2 minutes, stirring so it doesn’t burn.
Step 3: Add the Seasonings
Sprinkle in the paprika and chili powder.
Stir for approximately one minute to bring out their flavor.
Step 4: Add the Broth and Vegetables
Pour in your broth and add the potatoes, carrots, and celery.
Give everything a good stir.
Step 5: Simmer Until Tender
Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for approximately one hour, or until the potatoes and other vegetables are tender.
Stir occasionally, especially with such a large batch.
If your soup becomes too thick, add a little more broth.
Step 6: Chunky or Creamy? You Decide!
This is another reason I love this recipe.
If you like chunky potato soup, leave the vegetables as they are.
If you prefer creamy potato soup, carefully use an immersion blender to blend some or all of the soup.
You can even blend part of the soup and leave the rest chunky.
Let the soup cool slightly and keep the blender head submerged to reduce hot splashes.
Step 7: Taste and Serve
Add salt and pepper to taste.
If you’d like, stir in some cheese or sprinkle it over individual servings.
And there you have it!
A big, beautiful pot of homemade potato soup.
Why I Love Using Homemade Bone Broth
One of the things that makes this soup so satisfying is the broth.
Instead of relying on plain water, I use homemade bone broth whenever possible.
It’s a wonderful way to make use of bones from meals we’ve already enjoyed, and it adds rich flavor to soups, stews, and other dishes.
I like having broth ready in the pantry so it’s there when I need it.
Want to learn how I make broth and use it in everyday cooking?
Explore my soup and broth resources:
Can You Freeze Potato Soup?
You can, although potato soup can change texture after freezing. Potatoes sometimes become grainy or watery, and cheese can separate.
For the best results, consider freezing a portion before adding cheese. Blended soup may also reheat more smoothly than chunky soup.
Cool the soup promptly in shallow containers, refrigerate until chilled, and transfer to freezer-safe containers.
If using glass jars, choose jars specifically suitable for freezing and follow their headspace recommendations. Not every reused glass jar is freezer-safe.
Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat thoroughly, stirring as needed.
And remember, this is not a tested shelf-stable canning recipe. Don’t attempt to pressure-can this finished soup without following an appropriate research-tested canning procedure.
What to Serve with Homemade Potato Soup
You know what goes beautifully with a big bowl of potato soup?
Homemade bread!
A few of our favorites include:
- Fresh sourdough bread
- Homemade biscuits
- Crusty bread with butter
- A little homemade cheese on top
And if you’ve got a big crowd, you can set out a few toppings and let everyone fix their bowl just the way they like it.
This Is More Than a Pot of Potato Soup!
You might have come here looking for a recipe to feed 20 people, but I hope you leave with something more.
Because this soup is a wonderful example of how we feed our family from the food we’ve grown, preserved, and stored.
It starts in the garden, continues into the pantry, and eventually becomes dinner.
And that’s exactly what Food Prood is all about.
Grow Your Own Potatoes
Here in northern Michigan, potatoes are one of our important storage crops.
I love knowing that we can head into the colder months with potatoes we’ve grown ourselves, ready for soups, roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, and all kinds of homemade meals.
Want to learn how to grow your own?
Read my potato-growing guide:
And if you’re just getting started gardening, I’ve got plenty of other resources to help you learn.
A Well-Stocked Pantry Makes Dinner Easier
This soup is exactly why I teach people to build a pantry with purpose.
Potatoes in storage. Homemade broth on the shelf. Onions and garlic ready to use. Seasonings in the cupboard.
Suddenly, feeding a crowd doesn’t seem quite so overwhelming!
You don’t need hundreds of specialty ingredients.
You need useful foods that your family enjoys and the skills to turn them into meals.
Learn how to stock your pantry with purpose:
This Recipe Is in My Seed to Plate Book!
Yep! You’ll find this Potato Soup for a Crowd recipe inside my book, Seed to Plate: A Homesteading Gardening Guide & Cookbook.
But the book is about so much more than recipes.
It’s about growing food, understanding your harvest, preserving what God provides, and learning how to put that food on your family’s table.
Because growing potatoes is wonderful.
Knowing how to turn those potatoes into a meal that feeds 20 people? That’s a skill worth having!
Explore Seed to Plate:
Want to Learn How to Cook From Your Pantry?
Inside Food Prood Academy, I teach practical lessons on building a pantry, cooking from the garden, and making meals with the ingredients you already have.
I want you to feel confident opening your pantry and saying, “Yep, I can make dinner with that!”
Because you can.
Explore my Building the Pantry lesson:
https://academy.foodprood.com/posts/building-pantry-163366344
Learn more about Food Prood Academy:
More From-Scratch Cooking Inspiration
If you enjoyed this potato soup recipe, keep learning with these resources:
Soup and Homemade Broth
Kitchen Revival
Preserving the Harvest
You don’t have to grow up knowing how to cook this way.
You can learn it, one pot of soup at a time!
When God Provides, You Preserve.
Old fashioned ways in a modern world.
— Laura
Love feeding your family from scratch?
If you enjoy practical recipes like this one, you’ll find dozens more inside Seed to Plate: A Homesteading Gardening Guide & Cookbook, along with Midwest gardening advice, preserving tips, and from-scratch meals designed for real family life.
