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Potatoes, apples, and cheddar might not be the first soup combination that comes to mind, but trust me on this one. Roasting the Yukon Gold potatoes and Cosmic Crisp apples brings out their natural flavors, while sharp old white cheddar adds richness. Fresh dill and a good drizzle of olive oil at the end keep the whole bowl fresh and balanced instead of overly heavy. Dare I say that this soup screams “fall” and is going to be added to your rotation for soup season?
Why You’ll Love This Cheesy Potato Soup
- The toppings actually matter: Fresh dill and olive oil aren’t here just to make your bowl look pretty. The dill brings freshness while the olive oil adds richness and rounds everything out.
- Smooth and cheesy: Potatoes give the soup its creamy body when blended, while old white cheddar adds that sharp, salty, cheesy goodness we all want in a potato soup!
- Sweet meets savory: Roasted apples are the unexpected star here. Their sweet-tart flavor works alongside the potatoes, garlic, onion, and cheddar without turning the soup into something sweet.
- Roasting = flavor: Roasting the potatoes, apples, garlic, and onion at 425°F in olive oil helps develop those delicious browned flavors before they hit the blender.
What Makes This Cheesy Potato Soup Different?
There are a lot of potato soups out there, but this one has a little something extra. Instead of treating the apple as a garnish or novelty ingredient, it gets roasted alongside the potatoes, garlic, and onion and becomes part of the actual base of the soup.
Maria Koutsogiannia
Maria is the creator of FoodByMaria and your go-to Greek food expert for cozy, flavor-packed recipes. Inspired by her Mediterranean roots, she brings traditional Greek flavors, feel-good ingredients, and a whole lot of joy to everyday cooking.
Once everything is blended with the milk and cheddar, you get a cheesy roasted potato soup that’s rich and smooth with a subtle sweet-tart contrast from the apples.
I know fruit in a savory soup might make you raise an eyebrow, but don’t knock it until you try it! Apples and cheddar are already a dream team, and adding roasted potatoes makes the whole combination feel cozy and hearty.
Why Roasted Apple and Cheddar Work So Well
The magic of this soup starts on the sheet pan. Roasting everything at 425°F helps develop browned edges and concentrates their flavors before they’re blended. The apple cuts through the richness and saltiness of the old white cheddar.
Yukon Golds are especially good here because their naturally creamy texture and starch help give the soup body once blended. If you want to learn more about choosing potatoes for recipes like this, check out my Best Potatoes for Soups guide.
The cheddar is blended directly into the roasted vegetables with the milk, water, and vegetable stock paste. From there, gentle heat is your friend! Do not go too hot. Warming this soup over medium-low heat instead of letting it aggressively boil helps reduce the risk of the cheese becoming grainy.
Ingredients and Smart Substitutions
Yukon Gold Potatoes: These are ideal for a blended soup because they have a naturally creamy texture that gives the finished soup body without needing a ton of dairy. You’ll need two large Yukon Gold potatoes cut into 1-inch pieces.
Cosmic Crisp Apples: You’ll also need two apples cut into 1-inch pieces. Their sweet-tart flavor creates the contrast that makes this recipe so interesting.
Old White Cheddar: This is where the big cheesy flavor comes from. The recipe uses two cups total: 1 1/2 cups are blended into the soup, and the remaining 1/2 cup is saved for topping. If you’re craving a potato cheddar soup, you definitely don’t want to skimp on this part.
Whole Milk: Whole milk helps create that smooth consistency. For an even richer soup, you can use cream instead. If you’d prefer something a little lighter, 2% milk can also be used.
Olive Oil: Olive oil is used for roasting and can be drizzled over the finished soup. That last drizzle isn’t just decoration; it adds another layer of richness and flavor.
Fresh Dill + Chili Flakes: Fresh dill helps brighten up the rich potato and cheddar base, while chili flakes bring a little heat.
Roasting and Blending Notes
The roasted sheet pan is really where you can see the flavor of this soup being built. You want the ingredients to develop those beautiful roasted characteristics before they’re blended into a smooth soup.
Once blended, the consistency should be smooth and creamy rather than chunky. More water can be added as needed to loosen the consistency, but you don’t want to lose that hearty potato base.
Because the mixture going into your blender is hot, always follow the safety instructions for your specific blender when processing hot ingredients.
Finishes and Optional Cheese Brûlée
Please don’t sleep on the toppings here. They take this soup from “yum” to “WHERE HAS THIS BEEN ALL MY LIFE?”
Save some of that old white cheddar for the top, then bring in fresh dill, chili flakes, diced apple, and a drizzle of good olive oil. The cheddar adds more salty richness, dill adds freshness, chili flakes bring heat, and diced apple gives you little pops of sweet-tart crunch against the smooth soup.
The olive oil is especially important to me because a good drizzle becomes part of the flavor of every spoonful.
Serve the finished soup on its own or add warm pita bread on the side for scooping up every last bit.
Troubleshooting
If your soup isn’t perfectly smooth, keep blending until you reach that creamy consistency. If it’s thicker than you’d like, the existing recipe allows you to add additional water as needed for a smoother consistency.
Once the cheddar has been incorporated, keep the heat gentle. Medium-low heat is enough to bring the soup back to serving temperature without unnecessarily exposing the cheese to high heat, which can cause cheese-based soups to separate or become grainy.
Want it richer? Swap the whole milk for cream. Want it a little lighter? Use 2% milk instead. Just remember that changing the dairy will also change the richness and consistency of the finished soup.
Storage, Reheating, and Serving
Store leftover soup in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you’re ready for another bowl, add the soup to a pot and reheat it gently over medium-low heat. Add your toppings after reheating so the toppings stay fresh and vibrant.
This potato and apple soup makes 3–4 servings and is delicious on its own or served with something for dipping. And if soup season is basically your favourite season, check out my 30 Must-Make Soup Recipes for even more cozy bowls.
Frequently Asked Questions
The apples roast with the potatoes, garlic, and onion before everything is blended. They add a gentle sweet-tart contrast to the old white cheddar and help distinguish this recipe from a standard potato-and-cheese soup.
This recipe uses two large Yukon Gold potatoes cut into 1-inch pieces. Their naturally creamy texture helps give the blended soup body while keeping the roasted potato flavor at the centre of the bowl.
Use shredded old white cheddar for the sharp, salty cheese flavor in this recipe. Blend 1 1/2 cups into the soup and reserve the remaining 1/2 cup for topping the bowls.
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Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 large Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 Cosmic Crisp apples, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- 1 tbsp vegetable stock paste
- 3 cups water
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 cups shredded old white cheddar cheese, (save 1/2 cup to top the soup)
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- garnish with fresh dill, chili flakes, cheddar cheese, apple and/or drizzle of olive oil
Instructions
Start Cooking- Preheat oven to 425F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Arrange chopped potatoes, apples, full garlic cloves and onion on the sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp ground pepper.
- Once everything is roasted, add to a blender along with vegetable stock paste, water, milk, 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper to a blender. Blend until smooth and add more water if needed to make the soup smoother.
- Add blended soup to a large soup pot and warm over medium-low heat until a desired temperature. Serve the soup garnished with fresh dill, chili flakes, cheddar cheese, apple and/or drizzle of olive oil. Optional: brulee the top of the soup once the shredded cheese is added.
3 people are discussing this recipe. Join in
I really enjoyed this soup. the prep was quick and easy. and it’s easy to make a big batch. will make again!
Thank you so much, Nettie!
Worked great!