Copycat Outback Steakhouse Potato Soup Recipe

It's natural to want to eat your favorite restaurant's dishes on the regular, but going out multiple times a week isn't necessarily sustainable. Thankfully, you don't have always to be a master chef to enjoy a home-cooked rendition of your favorite meals. Take Outback Steakhouse's potato soup; it's a comforting and hearty dish that boasts a velvety smooth consistency with a crispy bacon garnish. It turns out it's pretty straightforward to prepare, and Mashed recipe developer Feta Topalu shares the easy steps. 

Her copycat Outback Steakhouse potato soup recipe will be familiar to anyone who's ordered it when dining out. Topalu notes, "I made sure to include key ingredients that are characteristic of the restaurant's version." Russet potatoes, bacon, and cheddar cheese bring all the main flavors to the table, but don't underestimate the chicken broth, cream, vegetables, and seasonings she uses to mimic the original, all of which combine to make this a soup anyone could love. Topalu tells us, "What I love most about this soup is how incredibly creamy and comforting it is, along with the rich and smoky flavor from the bacon bits."

Depending on your portion size, this soup works well as an appetizer or main course. Topalu recommends, "When serving soup, you can't go wrong with crusty bread or garlic breadsticks," and adds, "A crisp, green side salad with a tangy vinaigrette would also complement the soup." Pair it with a grilled steak or roasted chicken to round it out for a filling meal. 

For this copycat Outback Steakhouse potato soup, start by peeling and dicing russet potatoes. Next, you'll need bacon slices cut into 1-inch pieces, unsalted butter, yellow onion (diced), celery stalks (diced), carrot (diced), all-purpose flour, chicken broth, and heavy cream. To season, use garlic powder, dried thyme, kosher salt, and fresh cracked black pepper. Serve the soup with shredded cheddar cheese and thinly sliced green onions.

Place the potatoes into a large pot. Fill with enough water to cover the potatoes completely.

Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Cook the potatoes until a knife can pierce easily through.

Drain and set aside.

While the potatoes are cooking, cook the bacon in another large pot over medium heat until crispy.

Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set it aside on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Leave the bacon grease in the pot.

In the same pot with the bacon grease, melt the butter over medium heat.

Add the onion, celery, and carrot, and saute until the vegetables are soft and the onion is translucent.

Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Gradually pour in the chicken broth and then the cream, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming.

Season with garlic powder, thyme, salt, and pepper.

Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let the soup simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until it slightly thickens. Remove from the heat.

Carefully add the potatoes to the soup and use an immersion blender or standing blender to blend the soup until it is smooth and creamy.

Adjust the seasonings and add more salt and pepper according to your preference.

Ladle the potato soup into bowls. Garnish each bowl with cheddar cheese, bacon bits, and green onions, and serve.

Topalu's rendition of the Outback Steakhouse potato soup is pretty close to the real deal, but it's also a great jumping-off point to experiment with variations, while still keeping true to everything people love about the original. For starters, swapping the russet potatoes with other varieties can introduce subtle differences to the soup. Topalu suggests trying Yukon Gold or red potatoes and notes, "Keep in mind that different potatoes may result in slightly different textures and flavors." 

Meanwhile, chicken broth — especially if it's homemade — adds its own range of flavors, but it can be switched up in this recipe. "Experiment with different broths such as beef or vegetable," Topalu recommends. If you want to make the soup vegetarian, just use veggie broth and skip the bacon. Instead, you can sprinkle croutons or vegetarian bacon bits on top to still get a crunchy texture. If you're looking for a gluten-free alternative that's still rich and creamy, you'll need to replace the all-purpose flour. For this, Topalu says, "Consider using cornstarch or arrowroot powder."

There's nothing worse than expecting your first spoonful of soup to be velvety and then being disappointed by reality. Thankfully, Topalu has some recommendations that will help you to "avoid any clumpy texture and achieve perfectly creamy soup." Instead of dumping the cream and broth in with the veggies all at once, Topalu instructs to "add the liquids in gradually and very slowly while whisking constantly, this way the flour is broken down slowly and smoothly."

Blending the potatoes and liquids together is necessary to create a smooth soup. Here, Topalu says that "the two best ways to blend this soup are using an immersion blender or a common standing blend." The process is straightforward either way; just blend the soup on high until it's nice and creamy.

Everyone has their own specifications when it comes to the consistency of their potato soup. "If you prefer a thicker soup, you can reduce the amount of broth or add more potatoes," Topalu notes. On the flip side, add more broth or cream if you want a lighter consistency. If you're adding more than a splash, she recommends, "Adjust the seasoning accordingly to maintain the flavor balance."