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Potato soup, for decades, has been considered to be the perfect dish for a cold night. People across the world make potato soup during cold days to provide themselves with comfort and a nutritious meal.
Potato soup takes about 30 to 40 minutes to cook and years to master the process perfectly. Many people trying to cook potato soup end up having a watery soup rather than a rich and creamy consistency. We’re here to show you how to thicken potato soup so that you don’t have to consume a cloudy watery soup. Step up your soup game with our three different methods.
Potato soup is not only delicious but also has health benefits too. Before we get into how to thicken potato soup, let’s go over some of the health benefits associated with consuming potatoes that you should be aware of.
Health benefits of consuming potato
Potato is a root vegetable and like all root vegetables expect tons of minerals and vitamins. A medium sized potato is able to provide around 37% of the daily required amount of vitamin C. It is a rich source of B-Complex vitamins that includes niacin, thiamin, folate and more. All these are vital for a human body to function properly.
Potatoes are also said to be great antioxidants containing flavonoids, phenolic acids and more. Test tube studies suggest that the antioxidants present in potatoes might suppress liver and colon cancer cells. What’s even better is that colored potatoes like purple ones are shown to have around three to four times more antioxidants than normal ones.
The resistant starch present in potatoes helps remove excess blood sugar after a meal. Studies show that the resistant starch is great for the digestive system and may aid patients with inflammatory bowel disorders.
Potatoes are a great replacement of rice and bread for those looking to embark on a gluten free bread. People can bake potato bread or replace rice with mashed potatoes as a side dish to go along with the main course. It is extremely filled and will curb hunger pains.
How to thicken potato soup
You’ve been wondering for a while now how to thicken potato soup, well, here it is. We have put together 3 simple ways for you to enjoy a rich and creamy potato soup.
Thicken using starch
This method is for one litre of potato soup. If you have more, you can adjust the ingredients in similar proportions.
Simply melt 2 tablespoons of butter and whisk it in a hot pan while adding 2 tablespoons or roughly 30g of flour to it. As the mixture clumps up and starts to take a blonde or light brown color, remove from heat and add it to your potato soup. You can cook the mixture more (peanut butter color) to add a nutty flavour to the soup, however, we recommend a lighter colored mixture as it works the best.
Splash a bit of cream
Who doesn’t like a bit of cream in their dish. That yummy silky consistency is just what you need to wrap up your day.
Put some cream in a bowl and add a bit of soup to it to bring the cream to a suitable warm temperature. As the cream gets warm with the help of the soup, transfer the entire mixture to the soup dish and mix it in. This will not only thicken the soup but also give it a rich silky texture.
You can also replace cream with yogurt or coconut cream if you’re looking for a dairy-free option. Remember not to boil the soup after you add any dairy products in it as the soup will start to curdle. Nobody wants a curdled soup!
Add puree to your soup
Adding any sort of puree would result in thickening of your potato soup. You can even puree the soup.
Start by separating some soup in a bowl. Use an automatic hand blender to blend the soup and some pieces of potato creating a creamy puree. Add the puree back into the soup pan and mix well. It should thicken your potato soup. You can also puree different nuts and add it to your soup to thicken it.
There are a lot of ways on how to thicken potato soup. Some methods would suggest using bread pieces soaking them in the broth or mixing in some cheese in the soup or making a beurre and so on. Try to see which method works best for you and enjoy a bowl of hearty comforting and nutritious potato soup this winter.
