Simple Scottish Tattie Soup Recipe - Scottish Scran (2024)

Scottish Potato Soup, otherwise known as Tattie Soup, is a heart-warmingly delicious but simple recipe that is perfect for a winter’s day lunch.

In fact, one of our Scottish suppliers we interviewed even used to have it before school to warm up!

There are so many different potato soup recipes around the world. Potato and leek is popular, as is creamy potato soup, but of course, we think Scottish Potato Soup is the best, and we’re excited to share our own Tattie Soup recipe!

Simple Scottish Tattie Soup Recipe - Scottish Scran (1)

Surprisingly, the humble potato was only introduced to Scotland in the early 1700s, with potato gardens springing up around Edinburgh in the 1720s and near Stirling in 1739.

It wasn’t until 1743 that it was first introduced to the Highlands and Islands, but by the 1800s, they were 80% of the diet of Highlanders.

And that’s why we have so many Scottish recipes with potatoes, like Stovies, Tattie Scones, Cullen Skink, and Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties of course!

Then there are the delicious sweet, chocolate-covered Scottish Macaroons – yes, they include potato, too!

Pin for later!

Simple Scottish Tattie Soup Recipe - Scottish Scran (2)

It’s not surprising that there are so many Tattie Soup recipes out there, passed down through generations and using whatever ingredients were to hand.

That also means there’s no “definitive” Scottish Potato Soup Recipe, but lots of variations.

We’ve compiled a simple recipe mostly made of potato but with a few extra pantry staples like carrots, onion, and leek too.

This is a really budget-friendly soup recipe, too!

Some recipes will also add a little swede/turnip/neep. (Confused? Read more about what a neep is here).

Our Tattie Soup recipe calls for store-bought stock, but you can easily substitute your own homemade stock, which we do if we have made one from bones from a chicken roast dinner or we’ve made a vegetable one.

It’s super simple to make and perfect or a large group, including for a Burns Supper.

Simple Scottish Tattie Soup Recipe - Scottish Scran (4)

Things you’ll need to make Tattie Soup

  • Large Pot – We use this one
  • Wooden Spoon
  • Potato Masher

Ingredients for Tattie Soup Recipe

Serves 4-6

  • 1kg (2lb) potatoes
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 large leek
  • 2 medium carrots
  • 25g (2tbsp) butter/oil
  • 1.5 litres of vegetable or chicken stock
  • Salt and white pepper
  • 1 celery stick (optional)
Simple Scottish Tattie Soup Recipe - Scottish Scran (5)

How to make Scottish Potato Soup – Step by step method

Peel and chop potatoes into large cubes.

Finely chop onion and celery if using.

Chop off the green top of the leek (this can be kept for making stock; pop it in a bag in the freezer!), then halve the leek and thinly slice.

Dice the carrots into about 1cm cubes.

Simple Scottish Tattie Soup Recipe - Scottish Scran (6)
Simple Scottish Tattie Soup Recipe - Scottish Scran (7)

Add the butter/oil to a large pot and allow to melt.

Add in the onion, leek, and celery if using and cook for 5 minutes, allowing them to “sweat” but not brown.

Put the carrots and potato in the pot and cover with the stock.

Simple Scottish Tattie Soup Recipe - Scottish Scran (8)
Simple Scottish Tattie Soup Recipe - Scottish Scran (9)

At this point you can add some salt and white pepper if you like, and season a bit more to taste later.

Bring to the boil, skimming off any sort of foam/scum with a wooden spoon to get rid of as it does so. This is just the protein releasing from the vegetables, but it’s nicer if you remove it rather than stir it in later.

Turn down to a simmer for 1 hour.

Use a masher or wooden spoon to break up some of the potatoes, but leave some large chunks. We like our soup a bit chunkier, so just break up a small amount of it.

Season more to taste and serve!

Simple Scottish Tattie Soup Recipe - Scottish Scran (10)

Variations for your Tattie Soup

Making your own stock

Making your own stock is actually really easy, and it gives you a delicious base for this soup as well as many others.

We most commonly use the remains of a roast chicken, putting the whole carcass in a pot, but you can use bones from a roast lamb, too.

Put in a large pot with a carrot, a couple of celery sticks, the green parts of at least one leek (see the recipe about storing in the freezer for just this purpose!) and onion, plus plenty of salt and pepper.

Cover all with cold water, bring to a boil and then cover and turn down to simmer for at least 2 hours. You can taste and then leave the lid off to reduce for a stronger flavour, and add more salt and pepper if needed.

For vegetable stock, you can use onions, celery, carrots, and whatever other offcuts you might keep from vegetables.

A good way to do this is to keep a container in the freezer and add all your offcuts to it, and when it’s full, use it to make stock as above.

The stock will last for 3-4 days in the fridge (allow to cool fully first) and up to 3 months in a fully sealed container in the freezer.

Simple Scottish Tattie Soup Recipe - Scottish Scran (11)

Add bacon or ham

This is far from traditional, of course, but you could add a bit of chopped-up bacon or some ham hock to your pot when you’re frying the onion, leek, and celery.

How long does Tattie Soup last?

3-4 days. You may need to add a little water when reheating because the soup will thicken.

Can it be frozen?

Generally, potato doesn’t freeze too well, but since this soup doesn’t have any dairy in it, it will freeze much better than many other potato soups.

You may find the potato breaks down further, and it’s a bit mushier but still tasty!

Can Tattie Soup be made in a slow cooker?

To be honest, we wouldn’t recommend this since it’s so easy to do in a normal pot on the stove and only takes one hour.

However, if you want to be a bit more hands-off, you can definitely add all the same ingredients to a slow cooker, minus a third of the stock since it won’t evaporate like in a pot, and cook on low for about 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low, until the vegetables are tender.

More Scottish Soup Recipes

  • Scottish Lentil Soup – a delicious red lentil and ham hough soup (can be made vegetarian!)
  • Cock-a-leekie Soup – Chicken, leek, and rice soup, the Scottish version of a chicken noodle soup!
  • Cullen Skink – creamy smoked haddock and potato soup, a bit like a chowder
  • Traditional Scotch Broth – How to make Scotch Broth with homemade meat stock
  • Vegetarian Scotch Broth – A delicious vegetarian take on this classic soup
Simple Scottish Tattie Soup Recipe - Scottish Scran (12)

Yield: 4-6

Simple Scottish Tattie Soup Recipe

Simple Scottish Tattie Soup Recipe - Scottish Scran (13)

Scottish Potato Soup, otherwise known as Tattie Soup, is a heart-warmingly delicious but simple recipe that is perfect for a winters day!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1kg (2lb) potatoes
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 large leek
  • 2 medium carrots
  • 25g (2tbsp) butter/oil
  • 1.5 litres vegetable or chicken stock
  • Salt and white pepper
  • 1 celery stick (optional)

Instructions

  1. Peel and chop potatoes into large cubes
  2. Finely chop onion and celery if using
  3. Discard the green part of the leek (or save for making stock another time) and finely dice the white part
  4. Dice the carrots into small pieces about 1cm each
  5. Add the butter/oil to a large pot and allow to melt
  6. Add in the onion, leek, and celery if using and cook for 5 minutes, allowing them to “sweat” but not brown.
  7. Put the carrots and potato in the pot and cover with the stock
  8. Add a dash of salt and white pepper
  9. Bring to the boil, skimming off any sort of foam/scum with a wooden spoon to get rid of as it does so. This is just the protein releasing from the vegetables but it’s nicer if you remove it rather than stir in later.
  10. Turn down to a simmer for 1 hour
  11. Use a masher or wooden spoon to break up some of the potatoes, but leave some large chunks as well
  12. Season more to taste and serve!

Notes

  • The soup will last for 3-4 days in the fridge, but you may need to add a little water when reheating as it will thicken.
  • It will last for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 271Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 357mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 14gSugar: 13gProtein: 11g

The nutritional data in this recipe is provided by a third party and these values are automatically calculated and offered for guidance only. Their accuracy is not guaranteed.

Phil and Sonja x

Simple Scottish Tattie Soup Recipe - Scottish Scran (2024)

FAQs

How do you thicken Tattie soup? ›

Cornstarch is a very effective thickener, and a little bit can go a long way. Add cornstarch to a small amount of cold water or other liquid (wine or stock) and whisk into a thick slurry. Then the slurry can be stirred into a simmering soup, a bit at a time to set the final consistency.

Why does my potato soup have no flavor? ›

Not Adding Acid

If a soup is tasting bland in the bowl, consider adding acid rather than salt. A squeeze of lemon or lime, or a dash of yogurt or sour cream can add brightness to the bowl.

What makes potato soup gritty? ›

Russet potatoes, as a member of the starchy/floury potato family, are inherently grainy. Using them in soup will result in an unpleasant gritty texture. When making potato soup, be sure to reach for a waxy variety such as fingerling potatoes, red potatoes, or baby potatoesto get a smoother texture.

What is the best type of potato for soup? ›

Russets or all-purpose baking potatoes are high in starch and low in moisture. In soups, they will soak up the liquid and lose their shape. This makes them the ideal choice for making creamy soups or thickening a runny soup. Try using Russet potatoes to create the perfect Loaded Potato Soup.

Do you use flour or cornstarch to thicken potato soup? ›

Whisk 2 tbsp (25 g) of cornstarch or 2 tbsp (30 g) of flour with 14 cup (59 mL) of cool water. Once the starch is completely dissolved, pour the slurry into the main pot. Heat the soup to boiling for 1 minute, then reduce the heat and simmer until the soup is as thick as you'd like it.

Will cream cheese thicken potato soup? ›

Why You Should Be Careful When Using Cream Cheese To Thicken Potato Soup. Cream cheese can be a delicious and tangy thickener for mashed potatoes so it stands to reason that it can also be used to add body to your favorite silky potato soup recipes — right? The answer is yes.

What not to put in soup? ›

The Worst Things to Put in Your Soup
  1. By Sara Butler. If there's one good thing about fall and winter, it's soup. ...
  2. Heavy Cream. Heavy cream creates an inviting texture for soups but that's where its positive contributions end. ...
  3. Juice. ...
  4. Turkey Bacon. ...
  5. Cheese. ...
  6. Croutons.

What gives soup the best flavor? ›

Herbs and spices add aroma, flavor, and intensity to soup broth. "Use fresh or dried basil in tomato-based recipes or fresh parsley to add freshness to clear broth soups," says Sofia Norton, RD. You can also go with more heat and spices.

How to make can potato soup taste better? ›

A pinch of seasoning can make all the difference to freshen up the flavors in a ho-hum soup. Most canned soups have plenty of sodium, so skip the salt and stick with spices like cumin or curry powder or try dried herbs like basil or rosemary.

Why is my potato soup foaming? ›

The purple foam that you're seeing while making potato soup with Russet potatoes, barley, onions, and water is likely due to a chemical reaction between the potatoes and the water.

Can I use potato flakes to thicken potato soup? ›

This soup-thickening hack couldn't be easier. Unlike using flour, which requires either making a little roux before you start cooking or a beurre manié afterwards, or using a cornstarch slurry that can create a gloppy texture, the instant mashed potato flakes can simply be sprinkled into the finished dish.

How do you make potato soup not gluey? ›

The recommended method here is to press the potatoes through a ricer (instead of using a blender), which gives the soup a light and clean texture and eliminates the gluey consistency common in other recipes.

Why aren't my potatoes getting soft in my potato soup? ›

If your potato soup is still crunchy after cooking for 6 to 7 hours on high in the crockpot, it's likely that the potatoes were not cooked long enough or the crockpot may not have reached a high enough temperature.

What potatoes don't get mushy in soup? ›

ANSWER: Waxy potatoes or those called boiling potatoes stand up well in soups and stews. These have thin skin and are high in moisture and low in starch. Potatoes that are low-starch and high-moisture hold together better.

What to do if my potato soup is too watery? ›

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute. For the best results, never add flour or cornstarch directly to your soup. If you do, it will clump up on top. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool.

What is a good thickener for potato soup? ›

Cornstarch is not the only thickening agent you can use. Other alternatives include flour, arrowroot powder, instant mashed potatoes, or even pureed vegetables like cauliflower or cooked oats. Each of these options will add thickness to your soup while imparting its own unique taste and texture.

How do you thicken potato soup without cornstarch? ›

The method that I usually use is to use a roux, which is also useful in making gravy. You basically add equal parts by weight of butter (or another fat) and flour in a pan, and cook until the flour is toasted and loses its raw flavor. You can then whisk it into your soup (which should be at a moderate boil).

How do you thicken pomme puree? ›

You can use what you have on hand: Flour, cornstarch, or powdered milk are all solid options that are probably already in your pantry. Potato flour and potato starch would work as well. Stir in the thickening agent gradually, about a tablespoon at a time, until the potatoes have reached your desired consistency.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Van Hayes

Last Updated:

Views: 5422

Rating: 4.6 / 5 (66 voted)

Reviews: 89% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Van Hayes

Birthday: 1994-06-07

Address: 2004 Kling Rapid, New Destiny, MT 64658-2367

Phone: +512425013758

Job: National Farming Director

Hobby: Reading, Polo, Genealogy, amateur radio, Scouting, Stand-up comedy, Cryptography

Introduction: My name is Van Hayes, I am a thankful, friendly, smiling, calm, powerful, fine, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.