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German Potato Soup (Kartoffelsuppe)

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This German potato soup recipe is loaded with healthy veggies, savory bacon, and is absolutely JAM-PACKED with FLAVOR! And that flavor is ever better the next day so be sure to double the recipe so you can enjoy those leftovers. As a young German tween in the Stuttgart area, this is the first dish I ever made to serve for company (my Oma and Opa). It was a smash hit then and it has remained a family favorite decades later! It’s a wonderfully nutritious comfort soup with that very traditional German flavor.

german potato soup recipe authentic traditional bacon leek celeriac best swabian brothy

One of my all-time favorite brothy soups is a classic German potato soup.  I grew up in Stuttgart, Germany cooking with my Bavarian Mutti.  She would give me age-appropriate tasks from the time I was three or four years old and as I got older I started exploring recipes on my own and preparing meals without supervision.  I remember two of the very first dishes I made by myself was a Winter vegetable cobbler and this brothy German potato soup.

I can still remember the wonderful smell that filled our family kitchen from the bacon, caramelized onions and leek as the soup simmered, announcing the promise of a delicious meal ahead.  I was excited to serve this soup to my family and was thrilled when they all said how much they loved it. My Mutti suggested I make this soup again when my Oma and Opa came over for a visit, which I did. My soup received glowing reviews from them which further bolstered my confidence as a young budding cook. This German potato soup has remained part of my cooking repertoire ever since.

german potato soup recipe authentic traditional bacon leek celeriac best swabian brothy

Key Ingredients in German Potato Soup

This soup features a few key ingredients that combine to give this soup that characteristic German flavor:

  • Celeriac (aka, celery root) is an essential component of many German soups, including this one, and tastes very different than celery stalk.  It’s part of the standard medley of soup vegetables known as “Suppengrรผn” (translated as “soup greens”) that consists of carrots, celeriac, leek and parsley, the ingredients that, along with bacon, really give soups that “German” flavor.
  • Leek is another must for that characteristic German flavor.

You’ll find Suppengrรผn called for in many German soup recipes and to omit any of them does the flavor of the soup a major injustice.  If you haven’t cooked much with leek or celeriac, once you taste them in this soup you’ll understand – they’re delicious!

  • Bacon also plays a major role here.  Enjoying a bowl of this classic German potato soup without bacon is almost unthinkable!  (We Germans love our bacon, called Rรคucherspeck, almost as much as we love our potatoes.)  In combination with the vegetables it is the perfect marriage of flavors.
  • Potatoes: you’ll want to choose a firm, waxy variety (like Yukon Gold) instead of a starchy variety (like Russets) because the former will hold its shape while retaining a nice buttery texture and flavor instead of completely disentigrating.
  • Quality chicken broth: of course Homemade Chicken Broth is always best for flavor and nutrition, but if you don’t have the time to make it, use the best store-bought chicken broth you can find.
celeriac and leek

Regional Variations

There are many regional versions of potato soup in Germany, each region adding their own unique touch.  But the two general types are either brothy or creamy, and either type can be found throughout every region of Germany.  This version is a classic brothy potato soup (Bunte Kartoffelsuppe, or “colorful potato soup”) that’s packed with healthy, colorful, and flavorful veggies, very much like I made it that first time as a young tween in Germany, and I’m confident you’re going to LOVE it!

german potato soup recipe authentic traditional bacon leek celeriac best swabian brothy

German Potato Soup Recipe

Let’s get started!

Fry the bacon, then add the onions and cook until golden, 6-8 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.  Add the vegetables.

frying bacon and onions

Add the chicken broth and the herbs.

cooking veggies adding broth

Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 30-40 minutes.

Add the parsley and simmer for another minute.

german potato soup recipe authentic traditional bacon leek celeriac best swabian brothy

Add salt and pepper to taste.

german potato soup recipe authentic traditional bacon leek celeriac best swabian brothy

Serve and enjoy!

This is a terrific make-ahead soup because the flavor is even better the next day!

german potato soup recipe authentic traditional bacon leek celeriac best swabian brothy

For more delicious German soups and stews be sure to try our:

german potato soup recipe traditional authentic kartoffelsuppe bacon leek celeriac

German Potato Soup (Kartoffelsuppe)

This delicious, traditional German Potato Soup is packed full of veggies and TONS of flavor – It will satisfy both body and soul!
4.96 from 121 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine German
Servings 6
Calories 327 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 8 ounces bacon ,diced
  • 1 large onion ,chopped
  • 1 clove garlic ,minced
  • 2 pounds waxy potatoes ,chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
  • 1 large leek ,sliced and thoroughly washed
  • 3 carrots ,diced
  • 1 1/2 cups diced celeriac (aka, celery root)
  • 2 tomatoes ,diced
  • 6 cups quality chicken broth
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
  • 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Instructions
 

  • Fry the bacon then add the onion and cook until golden, 6-8 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.  Add all remaining ingredients except for the parsley.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 30-40 minutes.
  • Add the parsley and simmer for another minute.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Note: This is a great make-ahead soup as the flavor is even better the next day!

Nutrition

Calories: 327kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 10gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 5g
Keyword German Potato Soup
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Originally published on The Daring Gourmet October 12, 2017

   

kimberly killebrew the daring gourmet

Hi, Iโ€™m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!

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Recipe Rating




4.96 from 121 votes (95 ratings without comment)

115 Comments

  1. I made this soup for the first time ever and it was delicious! I had no expectations as to how it should taste because I havenโ€™t had it before. It has now become a family favourite and I will make it again. I followed the recipe exactly as presented. I did use bacon from a local butcher shop instead of the prepackaged stuff and I think that added another flavour dimension. Even the โ€œpicky eaterโ€ in the family liked the soup and said they would like to have it again.
    I havenโ€™t used Celeriac before and I am wondering if this vegetable should be firm like a potato, or should it be a bit more โ€œgivingโ€ like a grape or plum? The only choice I had at the store was a piece that had some give to it. I am glad to have inadvertently found your website as I will be trying more of your recipes.๐Ÿ˜Š

    1. Thank you so much, Susan, I’m absolutely thrilled that you enjoyed it and that it’s become a family favorite! <3 Fresh celeriac is very firm and when it's diced it's fairly akin to potato in texture, though a little less dense. The celeriac in grocery stores unfortunately tends to not be the freshest because it's not a top seller (most people don't know what it is!) and so it tends to sit around a while. Fortunately even less than fresh will do that job though. Thank you again and I hope you'll be back often and enjoy everything else you try! <3

  2. This looks amazing. I want to make this just as it was written. Celeriac here is expensive and huge. Any ideas for the leftover celeriac? TIA

    1. Hi Laurel, it is expensive here and that’s so unfortunate. And you’re right, they’re often ginormous and they don’t sell them cut in half. A good option for leftover celeriac is to dice and freeze it for a future batch of soup. It doesn’t have to be blanched and it will freeze for at least 3 months. Another option is to shred it and make celeriac salad, which is really delicious. Look up “celeriac salad” or “celery root salad” online and you’ll find a lot of options.

  3. I am German from Mannheim now living in Florida. This is my second time making this wonderful soup and I enjoyed it as much this time as the first. The flavors all come together so beautifully and it is a true taste of home.

  4. Hi there! Or Hallo! Wie gehts.
    Although this soup looks delicious I have to disagree that this is traditional Kartoffelsuppe.
    I’m very well aware that each region has its own way of making things, but the soup of Germany is Kartoffelsuppe. Which by the way is creamy by using an immersion blender and heavy cream. This is a broth based soup which is a plain ole vegetable soup.
    Thank you!

    1. Sabrina, to say that all German potato soups are blended and creamy is just plain nonsense. “I”m very well aware that each region has its own way of making things but the soup of Germany is….” You started off correctly but then ended up making no sense. You acknowledged that each region has its own ways of making things and in that you are correct. As in the case of Kartoffelsuppe. There are COUNTLESS Kartoffelsuppe variations – some creamy and some broth-based.

    1. Hi Dawn, it wasn’t a “German” winter cobbler but yes, I still remember that dish after all these years! :) I think it was either out of a Fannie Farmer or Better Homes & Gardens cookbook my mom had given me, but essentially it was a mixture of winter vegetables baked into a thick saucy stew in a deep casserole dish and it was baked with biscuits/dumplings on top of it.

  5. Kimberly, I just came across your Kartoffelsuppe recipe which is outstanding and it reminded me of the time when I was 4 and 5 years old in the mid-1940’s in Munich and my mother made the soup (frequently) for us (me and my sister) and I loved it.The only difference was that it did not contain any bacon or tomato and instead of chicken stock it was water. Yours is off course so much better and refined, but I loved my mother’s version then, thinking it was the best in the world.
    Thank you for the memory.

    1. Thank you, Kyle! There are a few ways you could approach it but basically you would omit the bacon and at the end of Step 1 (after the soup is done cooking) you would transfer it to a blender and puree it, then return it to the pot and add the parsley. At that point you could stir in some heavy cream if you want it even creamier and if you like you can serve it sprinkled with some cooked crumbled bacon.

  6. Hi Kimberley;

    This German Potatoe Soup is the very best. We love it.
    Thank you for this recipe.

    TR-Toronto/On./Canada

    1. Thank you so much, Judy! :) I am extremely picky when it comes to German cookbooks and have not been overly impressed with the selection out there made available to the English speaking market. All of the German cookbooks that I love are written by Germans in German and only available in German. There is one exception and that is a cookbook written by former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl’s wife, Hannelore Kohl. It was originally published in German but has been translated into English. I have both versions and there are some differences but the English version is still very good and one that I can recommend for solid recipes of traditional German dishes from various regions around Germany. Here’s is the link to the book on Amazon and I’ve also seen it available at Thriftbooks: https://www.amazon.com/Culinary-Voyage-Through-Germany/dp/0789203219?&linkCode=ll1&tag=thedargou09-20&linkId=37fac97fd2d09f841c72cd2d8101795f&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl