This German potato soup, Kartoffelsuppe, is an easy, hearty vegetable-based soup with lots of tasty flavor. It's adaptable, hearty and wonderfully comforting. Perfect to warm up with on cooler days.
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For many years when I was a child we'd go hiking in Germany and Austria in the summer. For me, it was a major upgrade from hiking in Scotland - the weather was better, the paths were better made and I could collect stamps to get a pin for my collection. But best of all was the food at the mountain huts.
Some huts had only a few choices, others made more, but at pretty much all were at least one or two soup options. Some of the most common options were German pancake soup (Flädlesuppe), goulash soup or German potato soup. Each was tasty, easy to eat and gave you just the right amount of energy for the next stage of the hike.
Of course, you don't need to be on a hike to enjoy this classic German potato soup at home. It's packed with lots of tasty vegetables, as well as some bacon and aromatic herbs for extra flavor. And aside from a bit of chopping, it's really easy to make.
Origins of German potato soup
This is a very traditional German soup which is believed to date back to the Middle Ages. You'd make it at harvest time to use the various produce collected from the fields.
However more precise origins are unclear. Some say it's from the South of the country, but that's debated. These days you will find it across the country, and beyond, and you will find lots of variations, some of them regional. Some versions are all about the potato with very few additions, others have a broader range. Some are blended, others are not. You might add bacon or sausage or both.
Despite all these variations, the general ingredients are pretty consistent, it's more whether you use all of them or not. And this means you can easily adapt to taste and what you have.
Soup ingredients
Many German soups start with what is known as "Suppengrün" (soup greens) which is leek, celeriac, parsley and carrots. Those all feature here along with a few other additions. I have gone with a relatively typical and tasty combination of:
- Potatoes - the star of the soup, so go with one that has a good flavor. Here I have blended the soup, so a stachy/floury potato like Russets or King Edward works well. If you prefer to have a chunkier, unblended soup, I'd suggest a potato that holds it's form more like Fingerling or Yukon gold.
- Carrot - this adds color, flavor and a bit more bulk. Some prefer not to use carrot, feeling it distracts from the potato, but to me it works well.
- Onion - as in so many recipes, onion provides a lovely gently sweet base to the soup.
- Leek - this adds a lovely extra allium flavor that pairs well.
- Celeriac (celery root) - this is a very German ingredient and adds a lovely extra flavor. Celery root is, as the name suggests, the base of the celery plant and has a flavor somewhere between celery and potato. If you can't find any, you can add some chopped celery instead.
- Bacon - this is not in all versions but it adds a lovely extra bit of flavor to the soup, and bacon also pairs really well. If you prefer, you can skip so you get more of the vegetable flavor, but personally I really like it in there.
- Chicken broth - this is the main liquid in the soup. Try to use homemade, or a good quality store bought version. If you don't have chicken stock, vegetable stock is also good, and would make it vegetarian if you omit the bacon, too.
- Dried marjoram, parsley and bay leaf - these provide the aromatic seasoning and are all very typical flavors in German cooking.
- Sausage - this is optional, but some chopped up Wiener/Frankfurter sausage on top is a delicious addition that also makes it that little bit heartier.
In terms of preparation, it's as simple as lots of chopping, cooking the bacon and onion before adding the other vegetables, then adding stock, seasonings and letting it simmer until tender. Blend it up with an immersion blender, or by transferring to a blender, and enjoy.
The soup is relatively thick, so if you prefer it a little thinner, you may want to add a touch more stock. You can also make it slightly creamy by adding a splash of cream or milk at the end, too.
How to serve this soup
As mentioned above, a popular way to serve this soup, especially when blended like this, is with some chopped Wiener/Frankfurter sausage on top. Alternatively, you can crisp up some bacon and add that. Another option is to top the soup with some grated cheese, such as cheddar, and/or some parsley.
A common side is some German rye bread, or else a crusty roll. But it's relatively hearty so is also great just as it is, especially either for lunch or as an appetizer.
If you have leftovers, this soup will keep well in a contianer in the fridge for a good three days or more. Warm it up on the stove or in the microwave and it will be just as tasty as the first day (if not more so, as the flavors have had time to mingle).
This German potato soup, Kartoffelsuppe, is a wonderfully tasty classic. Packed with flavor, hearty yet not heavy, it's easy and just the thing for a cold day. So grab your Suppengrün and other ingredients and enjoy.
Try these other comforting soups:
- Chorba frik (Algerian lamb and freekeh soup, a delicious mix of meat, grains, herbs and warm spices in a tomato-based broth)
- Broccoli and stilton soup (easy to make, bright, rich and comforting)
- Tom kha gai (Thai coconut soup, a light yet comforting mix of chicken, aromatic spices and coconut-based broth)
- Plus get more German recipes and comforting fall recipes in the archives.
German potato soup (Kartoffelsuppe)
Ingredients
- 4 oz smoked bacon (or a little more/less to taste)
- 1 onion medium, 1 onion giving approx 1 ½ cups
- 1 cup carrot small dice volume, 1 cup is approx 6oz
- 1 lb Russet potatoes or other starchy/floury potato (see above)
- 1 small leek
- 1 cup celeriac relatively small dice, 1 cup is approx 4.5oz
- ½ tablespoon butter approximately
- 4 cups chicken stock low sodium/homemade if possible
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 pinch salt or more, to taste
- 1 pinch pepper or more, to taste
To serve (optional)
- 4 Wiener sausages Frankfurters
Instructions
- Start by getting everything prepared, ready to cook - slice the bacon, peel and dice the onion, carrot, potato and celeriac, and halve and slice the leek (or cut smaller, as needed). The celeriac may need well trimmed to remove all of the outside hairs and fibrous roots. Dice the carrot and celeriac pretty small, with the potato a little larger but still small. Note weights and volumes are after peeling (and dicing for volume).
- Warm the butter in a medium-large pot/pan over a medium heat then add the bacon. Cook it for a minute to start to cook and release fat then add the onion. Cook, stirring now and then, for a minute or two so that the onion starts to soften and go opaque then add the remaining vegetables (carrot, potato, celeriac and leek). Stir and cook a couple minutes.
- Add the stock, parsley, marjoram and bay leaf and season with a little salt and pepper. Cover the pot and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to continue simmering and cook for around 15 - 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender to a knifepoint.
- Remove the soup from the heat and blend, either by placing in a blender or using an immersion blender. The soup will be relatively thick, but if it's too thick for your taste, you can add a little extra stock, or else add a little cream to also add a slight creaminess.
- Warm the Wiener/Frankfurter sausages in warm water, slice then add a sausage-worth number of slices to each bowl (or less if you are making smaller servings).
Video
Nutrition
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