Creamy Bacon Soup

Bacon lovers rejoice! My Creamy Bacon Soup recipe is about to become your new go-to comfort food. Perfect for an easy dinner, a crowd-pleasing addition to tailgates, or a warming meal on a cold night, this hearty soup combines crispy bacon, tender vegetables, and a velvety blend of cream and cheddar cheese. This rich and flavorful soup is bound to become a year-round favorite that your friends and family will request time and time again.

Three cheers for bacon! I mean, it just makes everything better. Don’t you agree? I will admit I am usually the first one to get busted for snatching pieces of it off the plate while I’m cooking, which means I typically just make two packages! On the off chance there are leftovers of it, I will delight in that BLT come tomorrow at lunch!

It’s hard to believe that winter weather is just around the corner when it’s August, but we all know it’s coming, and that means that soup season will be here to nestle in and get cozy. There is nothing that I love more than a delicious soup recipe, and this cream of bacon soup will be one you’ll want to keep in your back pocket.  

This post is sponsored by Iowa Pork but my opinions and my lifelong love of pork recipes and Iowa Pork is all my own.

Creamy Bacon Soup

If you are looking for delicious weeknight recipes, bookmark this post! Freshly cooked, salty bacon along with rich heavy cream, sour cream, and cheddar cheese, make this soup pure comfort food. Paired with some crusty bread and a green salad it will make a great addition to your soup repertoire. 

Bacon Cream Soup

It doesn’t get much easier or tastier than this. Perfect to enjoy year-round with everyday ingredients, this soup is hearty and super satisfying. Feel free to add more veggies, change up the cheese, and make it your own. 

If you love this cream of bacon soup you are sure to love these delicious hearty soups too: Creamy Potato Soup, Ham & Bean Soup, Cream of Mushroom Soup, Cream of Celery Soup, or this Creamy Cabbage and Bleu Cheese Soup. 

Bacon cream soup

Fresh, crisp, salty bacon just makes everything taste that much better. Don’t you agree? So yummy, super savory, and creamy, this soup is perfect for a quick weeknight meal, weekend brunch, or even a hearty weekday lunch. Perfect to prepare during meal prep, this soup will keep for a few days. Go ahead and make a double batch so you’ve got a go-to meal on hand in the freezer. 

Ingredients for this cream of bacon soup recipe

For complete ingredients and instructions scroll to the bottom of this post for the full printable recipe card. 

• Bacon: The hero ingredient in this soup. You’ll need to use cooked real bacon and bacon drippings to add the fabulous bacon flavor. I always reach for a package of thick-cut bacon. 
• Butter: You can use salted or unsalted butter, if you use salted, adjust the amount of salt you add accordingly. Note the bacon also adds saltiness. 
• Celery: Diced celery adds flavor and texture to the soup. 
• Onion: Any type of onion will enhance the overall flavor so feel free to use a white onion, yellow onion, or even a red onion. My first choice is always a sweet onion.
• Garlic: Fresh minced garlic adds the best garlic flavor but jarred will work if you don’t have fresh on hand. 
• Flour: I added all-purpose flour to thicken the soup, you can use wheat flour or gluten-free if you want to have a gluten-free soup. 
• Chicken stock:  The stock helps create the broth. You can use low-sodium or regular chicken stock. Vegetable stock, pork stock, or beef stock will also work well. Use what you have on hand. 
• Sour cream: Full-fat sour cream adds a deeply rich savory flavor to this creamy soup. You can use low-fat if you wish. 
• Heavy cream: Heavy cream adds a creamy flavor and helps create a silky smooth texture in this soup. 
• Cheddar: I added mild cheddar cheese, shredded, to melt in the soup for a cheesy texture. 
• Salt and Pepper: Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Green onions: Sliced green onions for garnish add more flavor and a pop of color. 

Be sure to keep reading to find tips and tricks, substitutions, and answers to questions you may have about this creamy bacon soup. 

How to make cheesy cream of bacon soup

This creamy soup comes together quickly and easily. 

Place bacon in a Dutch oven and cook until crispy. Remove bacon and place on a plate lined with a paper towel. When the bacon cools off, crumble it and set aside. 

Reserve 2-3 tablespoons of bacon grease then drain the rest, and wipe the bottom of the pan clean. 

Return the bacon grease to the Dutch oven over medium heat and add in the butter. When it melts add in the onion, celery, and garlic. Saute until the onion is translucent. 

Sprinkle the flour over the top of the veggies and stir to coat. Pour in the stock, and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the celery is your desired tenderness. Reduce the stove to low heat and whisk in the cream and sour cream. 

Stir in a little more than half of the shredded cheddar cheese, reserving the rest for serving. 

Fold in the crumbled chopped bacon. 

Serve hot, topped with shredded cheddar, green onions, and crusty bread for dipping!

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat over the stove or in the microwave in a covered microwave-safe bowl to reduce the risk of splattering. 

Love it? Pin it!

If you love this creamy bacon soup make sure that you don’t lose it! Pin it to your favorite Pinterest recipe board before you go!

Substitutions

Remember that when it comes to making substitutions in recipes, you don’t need to be afraid to get creative and use ingredients that suit your personal taste and dietary preferences. Make it your own!

• If you are out of fresh garlic, use garlic powder. Add between ½ teaspoon and a teaspoon of powder, depending on how garlicky you like your soup. 
• Use a drizzle of olive oil or vegetable oil instead of butter to cook the veggies. 
• Any flavor of broth can be used in place of the chicken broth. 
• Use your favorite cheese or whatever you have on hand in place of the mild cheddar. 
• Substitute the onion with leeks. 
• Make a creamy bacon potato soup by adding diced russet potatoes in with the onion and celery. 
• Spice things up and add some cayenne pepper.

FAQs about creamy bacon soup

• Is cream of bacon soup a real thing? Absolutely! This recipe is the epitome of creamy, silky-smooth soup with a distinctive bacon flavor. 
• What makes soup creamier? To make a creamy soup use real cream. Pureeing also helps create a thick and creamy soup. 
• Does Campbell’s make a cream of bacon soup? Yes, they do make a condensed cream of bacon soup. I love skipping the artificial flavors though and prefer to make real “cream of” soups with real ingredients. 
• What is bacon soup made of? Bacon soup can be made with a range of ingredients but most will be made with bacon and soup stock or broth as the base ingredients. There may be vegetables added and if it is a creamy soup there will likely be cream, yogurt, or sour cream. 

Tips & Tricks

• To make the soup smoother, puree the vegetables into the soup using an immersion blender or food processor before adding the bacon and cheese into it.
• If you’ve got fresh herbs on hand, feel free to sprinkle them on as garnish for a pretty presentation and more flavor. 
• A dusting of bacon bits can be used as garnish if you don’t have enough cooked bacon. 

Iowa Pork

Did you know that about one-third of the pork eaten in the United States comes from Iowa?

Whether you purchase meat from a supermarket chain or your local butcher, know that you are supporting farm families. As the wife of a man who grew up on a farm in Earling, Iowa, (photo above) where his family raised hogs and farmed, I thank you for that.  To know these dedicated, hard working people is to love them.

Growing Up with Pork

Even though I didn’t grow up on a farm in Iowa like my husband did, growing up we ate pork a lot.  My Mom’s Pork Chops and Mushroom Gravy were one of my most favorite comfort foods as a kid and I still make them all of the time for our family. Little do they know, while they are enjoying my pork recipes, I am enjoying Pork’s nutritional value.

You should see the smile creep across my son’s face when I tell him we are having breaded pork cutlets for dinner!  I love them because they are delicious, but also because they are super economical to make.  

More Bacon Recipes to Love

If you are looking for soups with bacon you’ll love these: Instant Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup, Zuppa Toscana, Green Bean, and Bacon Soup (pictured above.) If you are looking for other appetizers with bacon these BBQ Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts are a good option as is this Sauerkraut Bacon and Swiss Cheese Ball, this Savory Pumpkin Cheese Dip With Bacon, or this Bacon and Cheese Phyllo Wrapped Asparagus. 

Be sure to follow along with Iowa Pork on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter for delicious pork recipes year round!

Find all of my pork recipes here.

So the next time you are looking for a comfort soup, forgo the chicken noodle soup and make a batch of this Creamy Bacon Soup. I guarantee the farm-fresh cream, smoky bacon flavor, and luscious texture will make this one of your favorite new recipes!