Step into any Houston’s Restaurant and you’ll immediately understand why their baked potato soup has achieved legendary status among comfort food enthusiasts. This isn’t your ordinary potato soup, it’s a masterclass in how simple ingredients can be transformed into something extraordinary. What started as a humble baked potato becomes a velvety, soul-warming soup that perfectly captures the essence of comfort dining.
Houston’s Restaurant, part of the esteemed Hillstone Restaurant Group, has built its reputation on elevating classic American dishes with unexpected touches. Their baked potato soup perfectly exemplifies this philosophy, featuring one secret ingredient that sets it apart from every other version you’ve tried. Adding fennel seeds creates a subtle complexity that transforms this familiar soup into something truly special.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
The genius of Houston’s baked potato soup lies in starting with properly baked russet potatoes rather than simply boiling them. This extra step develops deep, roasted flavors that can’t be achieved any other way. The fennel seeds, while unexpected, add a subtle licorice note that enhances rather than overwhelms the potato base.
Scalding milk with fennel seeds allows the aromatic oils to infuse the dairy base, creating layers of flavor that distinguish this soup from ordinary versions. A food processor ensures the perfect creamy texture while leaving just enough potato chunks for a satisfying substance.
Ingredients
- Russet potatoes – Provides the starchy, fluffy base that creates the soup’s signature texture
- Whole milk – Forms the creamy foundation and carries the fennel flavors
- Half and half – Adds richness and creates a luxurious mouthfeel
- Sour cream – Contributes tangy depth and helps achieve the perfect consistency
- Shredded Cheddar cheese – Adds sharp, savory notes and creamy richness
- Fresh chives – Provides mild onion flavor and bright color
- Salt and fresh ground pepper – Essential seasonings that enhance all other flavors
- Butter – Used for baking potatoes and enriching the final soup
- Celery salt – Adds aromatic complexity and subtle vegetable notes
- Fennel seeds – The secret ingredient that creates Houston’s signature flavor
- Green onion – Used as fresh garnish for color and mild bite
- Bacon – Provides smoky, salty contrast as garnish
How to Make Houston’s Baked Potato Soup
- Rub potatoes with butter and bake them at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until done.
- Leave the skin on one of the potatoes and peel the rest.
- Combine milk, half-and-half, and fennel seeds in a saucepan. Heat until just before it boils (scald it), then cool it to room temperature.
- Cut the peeled potatoes in half and place them in a food processor. Add sour cream, chives, salt, pepper, celery, and cheddar cheese.
- Strain the fennel seeds from the warm milk and discard seeds. Pour the milk mixture into food processor. Process until smooth.
- Dice the potato with skin and place it in a large pan or soup pot over low heat. Add butter and the potato mixture. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Ladle the soup into individual bowls and garnish with cheddar cheese, bacon, and diced green onion.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Store leftover soup in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in airtight containers. The soup will thicken as it cools, so add a little milk or broth when reheating to restore the proper consistency.
Reheat gently over low heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Avoid boiling, as this can cause the dairy to separate. The soup can be frozen for up to 3 months, though the texture may be slightly different after thawing.
Houston’s Baked Potato Soup – Creamy Copycat with Fennel
Ingredients
- 5 medium russet potatoes
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cups half and half
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chives
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 2 1/2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
- 1 green onion, sliced
- 2 ounces bacon diced and fried crispy
- 1 1/4 teaspoons fennel seeds
Instructions
- Wash and scrub potatoes, pat dry. Rub potatoes with butter and place in baking pan, bake at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the done.
- Remove from oven and cool slightly. When the potatoes have cooled enough to touch, peel 4 of the potatoes, we will need the skin on the 5th potato.
- While potatoes are cooling, add fennel seeds to milk and half and half, and scald the milk. Scalding is heating milk at a moderated temperature just until a boiling point but not boiling and quickly remove from heat.
- Scalding will keep the mixture from separating. Let milk cool slightly with fennel seeds in the mixture. When potatoes or cool enough to work with carefully cut 4 in half and place in a food processor.
- Potatoes should measure out to 1 1/2 – 2 cups cooked potato. Dice the 5th potato and set aside, leave the potato skins on this potato. To the cooked potato add sour cream, chives, salt, pepper, celery salt and 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon shredded cheddar cheese.
- Strain the fennel seeds from warm milk and discard seeds, pour milk mixture into food processor and processes 1 1/2 – 2 minutes until smooth.
- Place mixture into a saucepan add butter and diced potato stir frequently and simmer on very low setting for about 15 – 20 minutes. When ready to serve ladle into individual bowls and garnish with cheddar cheese, bacon, and green diced onion.
Notes
- shredded Cheddar or Colby Jack cheese
- top with green onion slices
- a small dollup of soup cream
Nutrition
More Houston’s Copycat Recipes
Favorite Baked Potato Recipes
Popular Soup Recipes
- Autumn Squash Soup
- Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli Soup
- Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup
- She Crab Soup
- Southwest Chicken Soup
Check out my easy soup recipes and the best copycat restaurant recipes here on CopyKat!
Not to burst your bubble but I have the actual Houston’s Baked Potato Soup recipe. It might surprise you that one of the main ingredients is, wait for it – mashed potato flakes.
My secretary was the wife of a Houston’s manager and gave me the ACTUAL recipe for their baked potato soap. Hate to burst your bubble but you left out the main ingredient. Better sit down – it’s instate mashed potato flakes.
They have a great way of thickening up soup.
Definitely a copykat of Houston’s Bake Potato Soup! Kudos to you for nailing it perfectly! I’ve loved their baked potato soup for 30 plus years. I’ve tried to making from other recipes but never was Houston’s. Thank you again for sharing your recipes & talent!
This was the creamiest potato soup ever. So good.
Is it fennel or tarragon?
They use tarragon! Not fennel
You forgot to mention how much you liked it!!
This recipe is fantastic. Thank you!!
this is my all time favorite potato soup/never served it to anyone who didn’t agree
AAHH! Houston’s! I haven’t been to one in over a dozen years. I used to LOVE their Asian (They called it Oriental then when they weren’t so PC) Chicken Salad. It had crispy tortilla chips (even though it was Asian) and a lot of cilantro and a delicious honey-lime dressing. I used to recreate it myself all the time, but haven’t done it in a while. Might have to make it tonight, but would love the real recipe. I wonder if they still make it.
California Pizza Kitchen used to have a great version, but they stopped using cilantro consistently, substituting basil and that just wasn’t the right sub.
And Big Bowl had a great one, but they stopped using mandarin oranges and subbed grapefruit. I spoke with the manager about it and she insisted (speaking to me like I was an idiot) that it wasn’t grapefruit — that it was, indeed mandarin orange. Uhhh… right. NOT! Anyway, I spoke with the bar tender about it a few weeks ago — I can get in and out in 30 minutes for my allotted lunch break if I sit in the bar — and she said that it’s a $$ thing. Exactly what I thought, but please … don’t speak to me like I’m too stupid to know the difference between grapefruit and a sweet, very orange looking mandarin orange that’s been in a can or jar for — ever. LOL