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Cream of Bacon Soup Recipe

This easy cream of bacon soup recipe is the ultimate soul-soothing comfort food! Creamy and so delicious, it comes together in less than an hour and you might already have the ingredients on hand in your fridge and pantry.

A full pound of tasty bacon stars in this richly flavored soup, and the soup base gets even more flavor with the addition of creamy bacon fat. You can customize this recipe to your tastebuds’ preferences by adding additional ingredients; see the recipe variations below.

If you’ve ever wondered, “Is there such a thing as cream of bacon soup?” the answer is now YES!

A red handled pot filled with cream of bacon soup garnished with cheese and green onions.

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Like our old fashioned navy bean soup with bacon, this creamy soup is perfect for warming up on a chilly day.

If you love the flavor of bacon and could use some new ways to cook with it, be sure to check out our collection of 60 of the best bacon dinner recipes!

Contents

Click any of these headings to jump ahead:

  1. Why This Recipe is Worth Making
  2. Ingredients and Substitutions
  3. Equipment Needed
  4. Step by Step Instructions
  5. Pro Recipe Tips
  6. Recipe Variations
  7. How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
  8. Frequently Asked Questions
  9. More Comfort Food Recipes with Bacon
  10. Cream of Bacon Soup recipe

Why This Recipe is Worth Making

This creamy soup is loaded with the incomparably good, savory flavor of bacon!

You can make this easy recipe in less than an hour.

It’s perfect for lunch or dinner. Accompany with warm French bread, sandwiches or a green salad and you have an easy meal.

People of all ages love this family-friendly recipe!

Ingredients and Substitutions

An onion, half and half, chicken broth, bacon, milk, olive oil, celery, garlic, butter, flour and green onions.

These are the ingredients you’ll need to make this rich bacon cream soup (shown clockwise from top left):

Onion – I like a sweet onion like Vidalia in this recipe, but you can use yellow or white onions, too.

Milk – 2% or whole milk works best in this recipe.

Chicken stock or brothHomemade chicken stock will add the best flavor, but you can also use canned chicken broth. Some brands have added salt and you may need to reduce the salt in the recipe accordingly.

Bacon – regular or thick sliced is fine.

Unsalted butter – If you only have salted butter on hand, just cut the salt in half in the recipe.

Green onions – Chop just the green parts to garnish the soup. You can also use chopped parsley if you prefer.

All-purpose flour – This helps thicken the soup.

Garlic – The recipe calls for 2 cloves, but feel free to reduce or add more depending on how much garlic you like.

Celery – Choose the tender, pale green inner stalks if you can.

Olive oil – Extra virgin olive oil will add the best flavor.

Half and half – Adds the perfect amount of creamy flavor without being too heavy.

Salt and ground white pepper – White pepper is preferable because it doesn’t create black specks in the creamy soup like ground black pepper, but either will work flavor-wise.

Shredded cheddar cheese – Use sharp cheddar, Colby, or your favorite blend to melt in the warm soup as a garnish.

Equipment Needed

You won’t need any fancy kitchen tools to make this simple bacon soup recipe, just the basics:

  • Cutting board
  • Sharp knife
  • Garlic press
  • Skillet
  • Measuring cups
  • Measuring spoons
  • Soup pot
  • Cooking spoon
  • Slotted spoon
  • Whisk
  • Paper towels for draining

Step by Step Instructions

Be sure to check out the printable recipe card below for full ingredients and directions!

Melt the butter and olive oil together and saute the onion and celery over low heat.

Chopped onions and celery cooking in a cast iron skillet.

Cook until translucent and tender, without browning. Add the garlic during the last 2 minutes of cooking and cook until fragrant. Remove from heat, cover and reserve.

Cook the chopped bacon in the soup pot over medium heat until browned.

Chopped bacon cooking in a pot with a silver slotted spoon stirring.
Use a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels. Pour out the bacon grease, reserving 2 tablespoons. (Save the rest to use for future cooking. Here’s a guide for what to do with bacon grease.)

Clean the pot, add the reserved bacon grease and 2 tablespoons butter. Melt over medium heat and sprinkle with 1/3 cup flour. Whisk until blended to make a roux.

A blue whisk and the flour, butter and bacon grease mixture cooking in a pot.

Slowly add the warmed chicken stock, milk, and half and half, whisking constantly until mixture is smooth and creamy.

Whisking the cream soup mixture with a blue silicone whisk.

Add the reserved onion-celery-garlic mixture and the drained, cooked bacon (reserving 2 tablespoons for garnish).

Adding cooked chopped bacon to the cream soup mixture.

Cook for 5 more minutes, stirring constantly. Serve garnished with shredded cheddar cheese and chopped green onions or parsley.

A black bowl containing cream of bacon soup with a silver soup spoon.

Pro Recipe Tips

If you want your soup base to be completely smooth, puree the onion-celery-garlic mixture in a blender or food processor until smooth before adding it to the pot.

Gently simmer the soup over medium heat without boiling, so it doesn’t separate or curdle.

The soup should be about the consistency of heavy cream. If it’s too thick, add a little more milk or chicken stock to the mixture. If it’s too thin, whisk in a little more flour.

Recipe Variations

Cheese soup with bacon – for a cheesy cream of bacon soup, sprinkle with 2/3 cup of grated sharp or medium cheddar cheese just before serving and stir until it melts. Garnish and serve.

Potato soup with bacon – Peel two medium Yukon Gold potatoes and cut in 1/2 inch cubes. Cook in salted boiling water until tender and drain. Add to the soup mixture along with the onion-celery-garlic mixture and proceed with the recipe.

Loaded potato soup with bacon – Make the variation above and top the soup with a dollop of sour cream, crumbled cooked bacon, shredded cheddar cheese and chopped scallions.

Additional toppings: Try some different garnishes for the soup, such as garlic croutons, crispy fried onions, or crushed oyster crackers.

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

Cool the soup to room temperature. Refrigerate in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days. To reheat the soup, pour it in a soup pot and heat over medium heat just until it starts to bubble around the edges. Remove from the stove and serve.

FAQs

What does FAQ stand for?

FAQ is the acronym for Frequently Asked Questions.

What makes soup creamy?

Even though it only contains 1 cup of half and half, this recipe makes soup that is rich and creamy. This is because the soup is created making a roux, a mixture of bacon fat, butter and flour that is often used to create cream sauces and soups.

Does Campbell’s make cream of bacon soup?

Yes, Campbell’s offers a condensed Cream of Bacon soup in 10.5 ounce cans. If you try it, please leave a comment and let us know what you think!

More Comfort Food Recipes with Bacon

Bacon makes everything better, and you’ll love these popular recipes:

Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon

Meatloaf Wrapped in a Bacon Weave

Best Deviled Eggs with Bacon

Here’s the full, printable recipe:

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A red pot filled with cream of bacon soup

Cream of Bacon Soup

Eliza Cross
Cream of bacon soup is the ultimate soul-soothing comfort food! Bacon is the star of this easy, family-friendly recipe, and it comes together in less than an hour with ingredients you probably already have on hand.
4.89 from 18 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 6
Calories 303 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • 1 large sweet yellow onion
  • 2 stalks tender pale green celery
  • 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
  • 1 pound regular or thick sliced bacon
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 4 cups chicken stock or broth warmed
  • 2 cups milk, whole or 2%, warmed
  • 1 cup half and half warmed
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • shredded cheddar cheese, for sprinkling
  • chopped green onions or parsley, for garnish

Instructions
 

  • In a large skillet over low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and olive oil together. Saute the onion and celery, stirring occasionally, until translucent and tender, without browning. Add the garlic during the last 2 minutes of cooking and cook until fragrant. Remove from heat, cover and reserve.
  • Cook the chopped bacon in the soup pot over medium heat until browned and crispy. Drain on paper towels and reserve.
  • Pour out the bacon grease, reserving 2 tablespoons. Clean the pot, add the reserved bacon grease and the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Melt over medium heat and sprinkle with 1/3 cup flour. Whisk until blended to make a roux.
  • Slowly add the warmed chicken stock, milk, half and half, salt and white pepper, whisking constantly until mixture is smooth and creamy.
  • Add the reserved onion-celery-garlic mixture and the drained, cooked bacon (reserving 2 tablespoons for garnish).
  • Cook for 5 more minutes to blend flavors, stirring constantly.
  • Serve garnished with shredded cheddar cheese and chopped green onions or parsley.

Notes

To store leftover soup, cool to room temperature and refrigerate in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days.
Reheat in a soup pot over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until soup just starts to bubble around the edges. Remove from heat and serve.

ADD YOUR OWN PRIVATE NOTES

Whenever you come back to this recipe, you’ll be able to see your notes!

Nutrition

Calories: 303kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 13.5gFat: 22.6gSaturated Fat: 10.1gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 1455mgPotassium: 394mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1.8gCalcium: 67mgIron: 1mg
Nutritional Information Disclosure
Keyword bacon, cream of bacon, soup
Did you make this recipe? We love seeing what you made! Be sure to leave a review, and show us your bacon creations on Instagram! Tag us at @BensaBaconLovers!

Got questions? Just ask! I’m happy to help. You might also enjoy viewing the creamy bacon soup web story.

If you enjoy this creamy bacon soup recipe, I’d be thrilled if you clicked the little stars above and gave the recipe a 5-star rating.

If you post your creations on social media, tag #BENSABaconLovers so I can share! Thank you for your support. – Eliza

Nutrition Disclaimer: All nutritional information shared on this site is an approximation. I am not a certified nutritionist, and any nutritional information should be used as a general guideline.

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A pot of Cream of Bacon Soup on a mottled concrete background
eliza cross

About Eliza & BENSA

BENSA was founded by bacon expert Eliza Cross, author of more than a dozen cookbooks. She has written three bacon cookbooks including the award-winning Bacon Beans and Beer, the bestselling 101 Things to Do With Bacon, and the popular sequel 101 More Things to Do With Bacon. Learn more about BENSA...

18 thoughts on “Cream of Bacon Soup Recipe”

    • Irmie, great question! We don’t have great luck freezing cream soups because the texture changes after freezing.

      Reply
      • Hi Eliza,
        Thanks for the great recipe! I do freeze cream soups, but to later use them as an ingredient in another recipe, not as a stand alone. I agree with what you said, but it’s not noticeable when it’s used in something else. It’s my way to avoid wasting unused heavy cream. Just a thought…

        Reply
        • James, I think your idea of freezing cream soups to use as an ingredient in other dishes is brilliant! Thank you so much for sharing this tip. ~Eliza

          Reply

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