Make a batch of Instant Pot Cheeseburger Soup for the ultimate comfort food! This healthier version of soup is made with ground beef, potatoes, and loads of freshly shredded cheddar cheese!
I'm the kinda gal who will eat soup all year round. When there's sweet corn in the summer, I'm all about the Instant Pot chicken corn chowder. And as the days are growing shorter and the weather grows cooler, soup is on my mind all the time.
And if you’re a year round soup fan like I am, you can make this in your pressure cooker without even heating up your kitchen!
Instant Pot Cheeseburger Soup
When harvest at the farm rolls around, you better believe I'm reaching for this easy cheeseburger soup recipe. I've made this into a healthier version while keeping the soup creamy, rich and completely satisfying.
Tips to make Cheeseburger Soup
- You can also make this soup in your crockpot. Brown and drain your ground beef and add it to your slow cooker. Add everything except the cream and cheese. Cook for 6-7 hours until potatoes are tender, then add the cream and cheese as directed in the recipe.
- I like to use red potatoes for this recipe, but you can substitute whatever you have on hand.
- Use frozen, cooked Instant Pot ground beef to save about 5 minutes. You can also substitute ground pork, ground turkey, or other meat.
- I like the flavor of beef broth but you can use vegetable broth or even chicken broth in a pinch.
- My Instant Pot Cheeseburger Soup is made without Velveeta. If you want to hold this soup over for a while, you may want to hold off on adding the cheese right away.
- Top with your favorite burger toppings - do I hear bacon cheeseburger soup? How about pickles in your soup? Have fun with it!
- Want to sneak some veggies in? Try adding grated carrot for some extra nutrition and color, too!
Cheeseburger Soup Ingredients
I made this recipe a little lighter and a little healthier by using all pretty "clean" ingredients. I don't like that the word clean when it comes to food, but I don't know what else to call it!
Minimally processed? Real? I don't know.
What I do know is this soup is pretty good for you! It has:
- olive oil
- onion
- ground beef (which we always, always have in our freezer)
- Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper
- red potatoes
- beef broth
- heavy cream (it's our little splurge here to keep the soup rich and creamy)
- cheddar cheese
So I guess when I say it's "good" soup, I mean that you can pronounce all the ingredients within these ingredients.
How to Make Instant Pot Cheeseburger Soup
- I like to prep all my ingredients before I get started. As Fancy Nancy would call it, "mise en place". This just means chop your onion and potatoes, get your ingredients out, and be generally ready for cooking.
- Next up, add oil to your Instant Pot and select "Saute". Once oil is heated (it will get shiny), add the diced onion and ground beef. Add the Italian seasoning and a bit of salt and pepper. Use a spoon to break up the ground beef and stir, cooking occasionally until the ground beef and onion are cooked through.
Farm Girl Tip: the less you stir, the more browned your meat will get, which means maximum flavor. So don't go too crazy with the stirring, but don't let it burn, either. - When the meat is cooked, cancel the "saute" function. Drain grease from the meat mixture if needed and return the meat mixture to the pot.
- Add potatoes and broth to the pot. Add lid and lock into place. Set to seal and pressure cook for 3 minutes. Allow to naturally pressure release (NPR) for 10 minutes, then do a quick release for any remaining steam.
- Place heavy cream in a measuring cup and add 2-3 tablespoons of the hot liquid from the pot. Stir to combine, then add the cream mixture to your pot. (this is called tempering and will keep the cold cream from curdling when it joins the hot broth)
- Add your shredded cheddar cheese, one cup at a time, stirring after each addition to melt your cheese. Serve with a sprinkle of paprika, fresh chopped parsley, and extra cheese if you'd like. (yes please!!)
How long do I cook cheeseburger soup in the pressure cooker?
The actual pressure time the cheeseburger soup will cook under pressure is three minutes. With that said, keeep in mind that it takes time for the Instant Pot to come to pressure before the three minute clock starts tickin'.
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A good rule of thumb is 10 minutes.
Then, you'll allow the pressure to naturally release (NPR) for 10 minutes followed by venting, aka a quick release for any remaining steam.
Once you've done it once, it's a piece of cake, I promise!
Can I freeze cheeseburger soup?
While I love finding a way to freeze everything under the sun, this one is not freezer friendly.
Like, it's a hard no.
Because it has so much dairy, it will separate and not only will it not look good, it won't taste great either.
So do yourself a favor and make a batch of instant pot bacon cheeseburger potato soup. Enjoy it, and then make it again – soon!
Can I make cheeseburger soup in the crockpot?
You sure can! If you don't have an Instant Pot, chances are you have a slow cooker to make crockpot cheeseburger soup!
Other Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Chili Mac
- Instant Pot Butternut Squash Bisque
- Best Minestrone Soup
- Instant Pot Beef Barley Soup
More healthy soup recipes
Instant Pot Cheeseburger Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ onion diced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 pound red potatoes diced
- 3 cups beef broth
- ½ cups heavy cream
- 4 cups sharp cheddar cheese grated
- 2 Tablespoons parsley chopped
- ½ teaspoons paprika
- salt and pepper
Want To Save This Recipe For Later?
I'll email it to you, so you can come back to it later!
Instructions
- Add oil to your Instant Pot and select "Saute". Once 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil is heated (it will get shiny), add the ½ onion and 1 pound ground beef. Add the 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning and a bit of salt and pepper.
- Use a spoon to break up the ground beef and stir, cooking until the ground beef and onion are cooked through. Cancel the "saute" function. Drain the meat mixture if needed and return to the pot.
- Add 1 pound red potatoes and 3 cups beef broth to the pot. Add lid and lock into place. Set to seal and pressure cook for 3 minutes. Allow to naturally pressure release (NPR) for 10 minutes, then do a quick release for any remaining steam.
- Place ½ cups heavy cream in a measuring cup and add 2-3 tablespoons of the hot liquid from the pot. Stir to combine, then add the cream mixture to your pot. (this is called tempering and will keep the cold cream from curdling when it joins the hot broth)
- Add your 4 cups sharp cheddar cheese, one cup at a time, stirring after each addition to melt your cheese. Serve with a sprinkle of ½ teaspoons paprika, 2 Tablespoons parsley, and extra cheese if you'd like. (yes please!!)
Video
Nutrition
This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Sally Foglesong says
Hello! I do not have an instant pot. Do you think this recipe would work in my crockpot? Any suggestions? Sounds delicious!! Thank you!!
Deanne Frieders says
Yes, you could totally make it in the crockpot. Enjoy!
Pete says
This was insane and delicious. Reheats wonderfully.
Deanne Frieders says
Insane in the best possible way, right??!? So glad you liked it, Pete!
Karen Stanley says
I made the cheese burger soup for my family tonight and it was a big hit! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe!
Kelly says
Made this tonight for my fiancé. Took less than 30 minutes total. Soup was delicious! Will make again.