This hearty mushroom and bacon potato chowder is a creamy, comforting soup made with bone broth, potatoes, mushrooms, and bacon. It's gluten free, chunky, and perfect for cozy weeknight dinners.
Looking for more soup & stew recipes?
Check out vegetable soup, chicken stew, and ground beef vegetable soup.
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💡Recipe Overview
- Prep and Cook Time: 10 minutes to prep and 30 minutes to cook
- Cooking Method: Instant Pot, Stove-top
- Dietary Info: Primal, GAPS with good yogurt, Ancestral diet, Gluten-free and Grain-free options with swaps
- Skill Level: Easy-ish
What is an ancestral diet? Read my post on what nourishing foods are based on the traditional dietary principles of the Weston A. Price Foundation.
Reasons to Love this Mushroom and Potato Soup
This potato chowder isn’t just soup - it’s a cozy, smoky hug in a bowl. Creamy, comforting, and packed with veggies, bacon, and bone broth, it’s ready in under 40 minutes.
Weeknight? Weekend? This soup doesn’t judge - it just delivers.
Here's 5 more reasons why you need to make this chowder:
- Family-approved – even picky eaters can’t resist the bacon.
- One pot wonder – zero hassle, all the flavor.
- Naturally creamy – thanks to Greek yogurt and a little potato action.
- Simple ingredients, big taste – no weird stuff required.
- Flexible & forgiving – swap in your favorite veggies, but keep the taters and mushrooms!
Ingredients for Potato Mushroom Soup
Here's what you'll need to make this mushroom and bacon potato chowder:
- Bacon - If you have access to Berkshire bacon, it's the best. Smoky and chunky - just the flavor this chowder needs.
- Onion and celery - The flavor base for most soups, this one including.
- Mushrooms - I love using the baby bella mushrooms. Inexpensive and readily available in most grocery stores.
- Arrowroot starch - This helps thicken the chowder naturally without flour but you can use fresh-milled flour or all-purpose flour in a pinch.
- Bone broth - I prefer to use a mild chicken bone broth in this recipe to let the other flavors pop.
- Russet potatoes - Russets work best here because their higher starch content helps naturally thicken the soup and create a creamy texture.
- Greek yogurt - Adds creaminess without the heaviness of cream.
- Seasonings - garlic, basil, and red pepper flakes plus sea salt and black pepper.
How to Make Potato Mushroom Chowder
The complete printable recipe is below in the recipe card for your convenience. Follow these simple step-by-step instructions for the best results.
Step 1. Cook
On medium-high heat in a large, thick-bottomed stock pot, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Step 2. Sauté
Keeping the heat on medium, sauté the onion, celery, and mushrooms in the bacon grease, stirring occasionally until tender.
Step 3. Combine
Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and dried basil. Stir in the arrowroot starch and quickly mix to coat the vegetables. The starch should slightly cook. Use all-purpose flour if not gluten free and can use flour.
Step 4. Simmer
Add some broth and stir well to create a thick consistency, making sure to lift anything stuck to the bottom of the pot. Pour in the remaining broth. Add the diced potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are fully cooked.
Step 5. Blend
In a small bowl, temper the Greek yogurt with some of the hot broth. Whisk to combine. Use an immersion blender to pulse a portion of the soup to create a smoother texture.
Step 6. Combine
Transfer the tempered Greek yogurt and bacon back to the pot and stir to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer, but do not boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with parsley for garnish and serve immediately.
Helpful Tips
- Cut everything proportionally. I like to finely dice the mirepoix (onions, carrots, and celery) and keep mushrooms, potatoes, and bacon larger to get a nice bite.
- Too much bacon grease? If your bacon renders more fat than you'd like, feel free to drain off a bit before adding the veggies. You want just enough left in the pot to saute everything and soak up that smoky flavor without making the soup overly greasy.
- Saute mushrooms until golden. Let the mushrooms really cook down and caramelize a bit in the bacon fat. This builds flavor and prevents a soggy texture. I like to saute until I see some brown on them.
- Blend just a bit for creaminess. A quick pulse with an immersion blender gives the soup a velvety texture - but don't go wild. You still want to keep those chunky bites of potato and mushroom for that cozy, rustic feel.
Troubleshooting
- Soup too thick or too thin? If the chowder thickens more than you like as it sits, just add a splash of warm broth to loosen it up. On the flip side, if it feels a little runny, let it simmer uncovered for a few more minutes or mash a few potato cubes to thicken naturally.
Serving Suggestions
We love serving this potato chowder with a slice of crusty sourdough bread or a simple green salad to balance the rich, hearty flavors.
Enjoy any of these salads with this potato chowder:
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover chowder in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stove top over medium-low heat, stirring often. Add a splash of broth to loosen if needed. Avoid bringing it to a rapid boil, especially with dairy. Low and slow is the key to keeping it smooth and creamy.
No, I don't recommend freezing this soup because the dairy does not thaw well. Enjoy this soup fresh.
To prevent curdling, keep the heat low and temper the Greek yogurt first. Stir a ladle of hot broth into the yogurt to gradually warm it, then mix it back into the soup. This helps it blend smoothly without separating.
Looking for more hearty soup recipes? Here are some ideas:
Did you make this potato chowder? Please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ recipe rating in the recipe card below and leave a review in the comments. Thank you!💚
Printable Recipe
Mushroom and Bacon Potato Chowder
Ingredients
- 16 ounces bacon cut into ½" pieces
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 16 ounces mushrooms sliced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch
- 2 quarts bone broth
- 4 large russet potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- salt and pepper to taste
- parsley for garnish
Instructions
- On medium high heat in a large thick-bottom stock pot, cook 16 ounces bacon until crispy. Remove from pot with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Keeping the heat on medium, saute 1 yellow onion, 2 celery stalks and 16 ounces mushrooms in the bacon grease, stirring occasionally until tender.
- Add 3 garlic cloves, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes and ½ teaspoon dried basil. Add 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch and quickly stir to coat vegetables with the flour. The flour should slightly cook.
- Add about 1 cup of broth and stir well to create a thick consistency, making sure to lift up anything stuck to the bottom of the pot. Pour in the remaining of 2 quarts bone broth. Add diced 4 large russet potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the potatoes are fully cooked.
- In a small bowl, temper the 1 cup Greek yogurt with 1 cup of the hot broth. Whisk to combine. Use an immersion blender to pulse just a portion of the soup to help create a smoother texture.
- Transfer the tempered Greek yogurt and the bacon back to the pot and stir to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer but do not boil. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Top with parsley for garnish and serve immediately.
Notes
- Cut everything proportionally. I like to finely dice the mirepoix (onions, carrots, and celery) and keep mushrooms, potatoes, and bacon larger to get a nice bite.
- Too much bacon grease? If your bacon renders more fat than you'd like, feel free to drain off a bit before adding the veggies. You want just enough left in the pot to saute everything and soak up that smoky flavor without making the soup overly greasy.
- Saute mushrooms until golden. Let the mushrooms really cook down and caramelize a bit in the bacon fat. This builds flavor and prevents a soggy texture. I like to saute until I see some brown on them.
- Blend just a bit for creaminess. A quick pulse with an immersion blender gives the soup a velvety texture - but don't go wild. You still want to keep those chunky bites of potato and mushroom for that cozy, rustic feel.
Julia says
This soup sounds absolutely yummy. I'm definitely interested in soups that can fill up my kids!
Renee Kohley says
Oh YUM 🙂 My kids would devour this!
Anya says
Thank you Renee. 🙂
Mindy says
Hi! When is the cooked bacon to be added or is it just meant for garnish?
Anya says
Hi Mindy, the bacon is to be added at the end along with the sour cream. 🙂