German potato soup is an absolute must-make during fall and winter! It is super simple to make, tastes incredibly delicious, and is packed with the most flavorful and nourishing vegetables.
If you are looking for an authentic recipe for classic German potato soup, you've found it! This is one of the dishes I always look forward to making when the weather gets cold and it's time to make cozy and warming soups.
Among my favorite soups that I make every year are chicken tortellini soup, lasagna soup, and vegetable lentil soup. And, of course, this German potato soup.
It is filled with super delicious vegetables, spices, and tasty wieners. So don't be deceived by the simple ingredient list, this soup packs tons of flavor and is incredibly delicious!
What is German potato soup?
German potato soup, called „Kartoffelsuppe" in German, is a traditional German dish that uses potatoes, a combination of a classic mirepoix and a German mirepoix (called „Suppengrün"), wieners, and often bacon (which I omitted in this recipe).
But you'll also find variations of German potato soup that are made with other types of sausages, celeriac instead of celery, or meatballs.
The version of Kartoffelsuppe in this recipe is the one that most people know and that I used to eat as a child every week. It is super flavorful, healthy, and delicious! So if you've never tried German potato soup before, this is your call to make it!
German Potato Soup Ingredients
To make this classic German potato soup, you'll need the following ingredients.
- Potatoes: I recommend using Yukon Gold potatoes to make this potato soup.
- Mirepoix: For this potato soup recipe, you'll need onions, celery, carrots, and leeks. Be sure to use all ingredients as they are necessary to make a delicious homemade potato soup.
- Vegetable broth: Use your favorite vegetable broth as a liquid for this soup recipe. Alternatively, use chicken broth as a substitute for vegetable broth. You could also combine both!
- Herbs and spices: For a classic German potato soup, you'll need dried marjoram and ground nutmeg. Please don't omit these two ingredients as they are very important for the flavor of the soup! If you can't find marjoram, use thyme as a substitute.
- Sausages: One of the key ingredients in German potato soup is sliced wieners. You can use either turkey or pork, I always use turkey wieners.
How to make German potato soup
Sauté the onion. First, preheat some olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Then sauté the onion until it turns translucent.
Add the vegetables, liquid, and herbs. Next, add the potatoes, carrots, leeks, celery, vegetable broth, and dried marjoram. Season with salt and pepper. Then cover the pot and let the soup simmer for 30 minutes.
Blend. When the vegetables are tender, blend the soup partially with an immersion blender.
Stir in the ground nutmeg and wieners. Now add some ground nutmeg and the sliced wieners. Let the soup simmer for 2-4 minutes.
Garnish and serve. Garnish with some chopped parsley and enjoy!
Tips & Notes
- Don't omit any of the ingredients. All ingredients are very important to create the flavor German potato soup is known for. So please don't skip any of the ingredients (especially the dried marjoram and ground nutmeg). I want you to enjoy the best potato soup ever!
- Adjust the amount of liquid you use. If you prefer very thick soup broths, you might have to use a little less vegetable broth than I did. The soup in this recipe isn't overly thick, but not thin either. If you prefer it a little thinner, just add more vegetable broth.
- Let the soup simmer without the lid to thicken the soup. If you have added too much liquid, let the soup simmer without the lid so it thickens.
- Leave vegetable chunks when you blend the soup. German potato soup always has vegetable chunks left, so only spot blend until you have the perfect ratio of pureed and chunky vegetables. Don't blend the soup for too long.
Variations
- Use dried rosemary and/or thyme. German potato soup is usually made with dried marjoram, but if you can't find it you can use dried rosemary or thyme. Or maybe you just want to use them in addition to dried marjoram. Feel free to adjust the soup to your taste!
- Use some cubed bacon for the soup. Usually, German potato soup uses bacon cut into cubes. I didn't use it as I rarely eat bacon, but you can definitely add it to your soup!
- Don't slice the wieners. Often, the soup is served with one wiener that is placed in your bowl of soup. I like to slice it first and then add it to the soup. I think it makes eating it a lot easier and fuss-free! But feel free to present your soup in a different way.
- Garnish with chives instead of parsley. Chives are a common ingredient used in German cooking. Feel free to garnish the soup with sliced chives instead of parsley. Or just use both! 😊
How to serve German Potato Soup
- Serve it with some rustic bread on the side. It makes the soup more filling and delicious! There aren't many things that can beat delicious and soft bread dipped into flavorful soup.
- Garnish with chopped parsley. It makes your soup look extra nice and adds some additional flavor!
Frequently Asked Questions
German potato soup is made of potatoes, mirepoix vegetables, wieners, and sometimes bacon. It is seasoned with dried marjoram and ground nutmeg. It's a flavorful, nutritious, and warming soup that is perfect on cold days!
Yes, it is! It's the soup I had all the time during my childhood when growing up in Germany (still living here 😄).
As this soup is already packed with vegetables and very satiating, you don't need any side dishes. But I highly recommend serving some bread with this soup. Nothing beats delicious bread dipped into the best potato soup!
Yes, you can very easily turn this into a vegan or vegetarian potato soup! Just omit the sausages or use plant-based sausages instead. The vegan version of this potato soup tastes just as amazing!
Yes, this soup is gluten-free! So feel free to enjoy it if you are on a gluten-free diet.
You can store leftovers in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can also freeze this soup. Just keep in mind that potatoes have a different texture once they are reheated after being frozen.
More healthy and warming soup recipes
If you are looking for more soups you can make this fall and winter, check out the following recipes. They taste amazing and are packed with nutritious ingredients!
More authentic and delicious German recipes
If you love German food, make sure to try the following recipes. They are super simple to make and taste really delicious!
- Chicken Fricassee
- Fried Potatoes and Onions
- Classic Stovetop Beef Stew
- German Potato Pancakes
- German Sausage Lentil Soup
German Potato Soup
Equipment
- Immersion blender
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 2 pounds potatoes peeled and diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 2 celery stalks finely diced
- ½ leek halved and sliced
- 3 ½ cups vegetable broth more to thin the soup if desired
- ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
- salt and pepper to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 4 turkey wieners cut into slices
- parsley chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Then sauté the onion until it turns translucent.1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 1 yellow onion
- Next, add the potatoes, carrots, celery, leeks, vegetable broth, and dried marjoram. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pot and let the soup simmer for 30 minutes.2 pounds potatoes, 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, ½ leek, 3 ½ cups vegetable broth, ½ teaspoon dried marjoram, salt and pepper
- After 30 minutes, blend the soup partially with an immersion blender until the broth has thickened a little.
- Now add the ground nutmeg and wieners. Let the soup simmer for 2-4 minutes.⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg, 4 turkey wieners
- Garnish with chopped parsley and enjoy!parsley
Recipe Video
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2021, but was updated with additional information and pictures. The recipe remains unchanged.
Bicycle Dude
What a wonderful and easy soup to make and eat. I followed the recipe exactly as written, with the exception of the wieners (not a big fan) and immersion blender. Instead, I used a potato masher to break up the soup mixture (I don't have an immersion blender), and bratwursts that I browned, then sliced and added to the mixture for the final simmer to finish cooking the bratwursts. Served it with rustic bread to sop up all the yummy broth.
Definitely, will make this soup again!
Beri
I'm so happy that you liked the soup! 😊 It's one of my favorites. 🥰
Ann
I made this today. It was so good! I didn't have majoram, so I used dried thyme. It was great for the two of us!
Beri
So happy that you liked it! 🥰 Dried thyme is a great replacement. 😊
Cathy Chapman
What are the best type of potatoes to use for this recipe?
Beri
Hi Cathy, I recommend using yellow potatoes like Yukon Gold. Hope you enjoy the soup! 😊
Lisa
This is the closest I have found to what my mother made. She did not use meat or blend at all but she added drop dumplings. She called it Depression Soup.
Beri
Thank you! 😊
Andy T.
Made the German potato soup last week. What a big hit. I did change it somewhat. I made a huge batch to fill 25 (16 oz. containers) for resale. I added 2 jars of Aldi's German sauerkraut because it's milder than the American kind and I love the taste
It really did add another dimension and level to the flavor. Great job Beri.
Beri
Hi Andy, I'm happy that the soup was a hit! It's one of our family favorites. 😊
Rick Thomson
Excellent soup, I added tomato paste to the sofritto and roasted it with it. I also used both marjoram and thyme to the broth and a dash of Worchestershire sauce. I went with bacon and veal weiners. Frying the bacon until golden, then setting it aside until the blending was finished. My wife who is German pronounced it one of the best she has had.
Beri
Hi Rick, that sounds delicious! I'm happy that you and your wife loved this recipe with your own tweaks. 😊
Angela
Found this soup today. Easy to make and quite delicious. I did add a little butter with the olive oil as I find that especially with leeks the taste is better. Will definitely make it again.
Beri
Hello Angela, adding butter sounds delicious! I'm happy that you loved this recipe with your own tweak. 😊