Cream Cheese Potato Soup with Ham

One of our all-time favorite soups, this Cream Cheese Potato Soup with Ham is deliciously creamy and the garlic and dill give it a wonderful flavor. It’s simple and easy enough for weeknight dinners but special enough to serve to guests!  

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Ingredients for this Cream Cheese Potato Soup:

• Potatoes. You can use any variety of potatoes in this soup. However, I’ve discovered that thinner-skinned varieties work best as they will hold their shape and don’t get mushy as quickly.
• Ham. Ham steaks work great for this, but a cheaper alternative is to just use any leftover ham that you have.
• Onion. If you are short on time or don’t have onions on hand, you can easily just use onion powder instead of chopped onion.
• Cream Cheese. This is what makes the soup so amazingly creamy and delicious. I’ve used both full-fat and reduced-fat cream cheese, as well as Philadelphia Neufchatel.  They all work equally well!
• Water and Bouillon. A good quality bouillon will really up the flavor of this soup!
• Garlic Powder. I love the hint of garlicky flavor this gives the soup.  It’s not overpowering but just adds a little extra flavor.
• Dill Weed.  In my opinion, the dill is partly what makes this soup amazing and unique. It complements the ham and cream cheese flavors so well and just takes the soup to the next level!

How to Make Cream Cheese Potato Soup with Ham

STEP ONE: In a large pot, combine the water and the bouillon.  Add the cubed cream cheese, cook on medium-low heat until the cream cheese is melted, stirring frequently to mix the cream cheese into the liquid.  I find a whisk works really well for this.

STEP TWO: Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

STEP THREE: Simmer, uncovered, for 18-20 minutes or until the potatoes and onions are tender.

FAQ and Expert Tips

• Do I need to cube the cream cheese? Yes. Cubing the cream cheese before adding it to the soup helps it melt more quickly. If you don’t do this, it’s going to be really hard to get the cream cheese to melt and mix into the soup.
• Can you freeze potato soup? I wouldn’t recommend it as potatoes tend to get mushy when frozen.
• How do you add cream cheese to the soup without curdling? You want to make sure that the soup doesn’t start boiling. It also helps if you use full-fat cream cheese as well.
• What pairs well with potato soup? I love to serve it with a salad. But these White Pizza Grilled Cheese Sandwiches or this Homemade French Bread are also great options.

Other easy soup recipes you’ll enjoy:

• Easy Tomato Basil Soup
• Curry Chicken and Rice Soup
• Creamy Italian Sausage and Pasta Soup
• Easy Vegetable Beef Soup

Print Recipe

4.96 from 21 votes

Creamy Ham and Potato Soup Recipe

An easy creamy potato soup with cream cheese and dill that is special enough for guests but simple enough to serve any time!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8

Author: Lydia @ ThriftyFrugalMom.com

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Ingredients

• 6 c. water
• 7 tsp. chicken bouillon
• 2 packages 8 oz. cream cheese, cubed
• 4 c. diced potatoes, peeled or unpeeled (diced into ¾ in. pieces)
• 1 ½ c. fully cooked ham, cubed
• ½ c. chopped onion (see Notes below)
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. dill weed

Instructions

• In a large pot, combine the water and bouillon.
• Add the cream cheese; cook on medium-low heat until the cream cheese is melted, stirring frequently. (I like to use a whisk for this.)
• Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
• Simmer, uncovered, for 18-20 minutes or until the potatoes and onions are tender.

Notes

• Vidalia Chop Wizzard – I love using this handy tool to dice potatoes and onions quickly! It’s one of my favorites.
• Onion– If preferred, you can substitute 1 ½ tsp. onion powder for the chopped onion.