Instant Pot Cheeseburger Soup is a quick soup, packed with ground beef, potatoes, onions and cheese, that can be whipped up in just 15 minutes for a flavorful and satisfying lunch or dinner.
This is definitely one of my favorite go-to soups, along with this white chicken chili and kale white bean soup, because of how easy it is to make. If you’re looking for something that’s done quickly with very little prep, this is it.
Why You’ll Love It
- Super flavorful: All your favorite flavors in a cheeseburger are found in this soup, including the pickles!
- Dump & Go: After a quick sauté of the meat, all you have to do is dump in the other ingredients and pressure cook. The soup’s intense flavors build quickly under pressure.
- Leftovers: This soup is great as leftovers. Just reheat and eat.
Colleen says: 
We love this soup. Easy to make and so hearty and delicious.
Ingredients You Need
- Ground beef – You can increase or decrease the amount of beef, depending on how meaty you want it to be. You could also use ground chicken or turkey.
- Bacon – I add a few slices to the soup and save a slice for garnish.
- Potatoes – cut into small bite-sized pieces.
- Onion – chopped in small pieces.
- Beef broth – Use low-sodium beef broth or 3 cups of water and beef bouillon cubes.
- Shredded cheese – I use a mixture of white and yellow cheddar. Whatever you have on hand is fine.
- Cream cheese – it will stir into the soup best when it’s at room temperature, so take it out the fridge when you start making the soup.
- Garlic
- Salt and pepper
- Corn starch and water – to make a slurry. This will help thicken the soup.
Helpful Tips
- Don’t skip the sauté step. This enhances the flavor of the soup, adding a depth that mirrors the savory taste of a cheeseburger.
- Use a wooden spoon to scrape up these bits. This technique, known as deglazing, not only prevents the “Burn” warning on your Instant Pot.
- Dairy products can curdle under high heat and pressure, so add those in after cooking.
How to Make Instant Pot Cheeseburger Soup
Step 1: Sauté the meat
Turn on saute mode on the Instant Pot. Add the cooking oil and let it get hot. When hot, add the ground beef, 2 slices of bacon (if you’re saving the 3rd for garnish), and onions. Break up the beef into smaller pieces as it cooks.
Saute the beef until it’s browned, then turn off saute mode. If you’ve reserved a piece of bacon for garnish, you’ll want to crisp it up, either on the stovetop or in the air fryer, if you have one.
Add the garlic, potatoes, broth, salt and pepper to the pot. Give it a quick stir and scrap any browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
Step 2: Pressure Cook
Close the lid and cook on high pressure for 2 minutes. It will take about 5 to 10 minutes for it to come up to pressure. After the 2 minute cook time is up, allow for a 5 minute pressure release, then release the remaining pressure.
Step 3: Add cheese and thicken
Turn on saute mode again, on the low setting, if possible. Add the cream cheese and cheddar cheese and stir well, until dissolved. Be sure to keep stirring, so the cheese doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pot.
The soup is pretty thin at this point, so you will probably want to thicken it. Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Add it to the soup and stir. It will thickened as it bubbles and it takes about 3-5 minutes.
Serve the soup with additional shredded cheese, pickles, and crumbled bacon as garnish.
How to Use a Traditional Pressure Cooker
Converting this Instant Pot cheeseburger soup recipe for use in a stovetop pressure cooker is straightforward. The main adjustments involve cooking time and heat management since stovetop pressure cookers can reach higher pressures (and therefore temperatures) than Instant Pots.
Follow all the steps in the recipe (adding everything to your stovetop pressure cooker). Secure the pressure cooker’s lid and ensure the pressure valve is set to the “Sealing” position. Increase the heat to high and bring the pressure cooker up to pressure. Once the pressure indicator signals that full pressure has been reached, reduce the heat to the lowest setting that maintains pressure.
You’ll want to cook it for about 10% less time than you would in the Instant Pot.
What Toppings to Add
Just like with an actual cheeseburger, the toppings are the fun part! You can add whatever toppings make you happy. Here are a few options that we like:
- Bacon: If you reserved a piece of bacon, crisp it up and crumble it onto the top of your soup.
- Sour cream: a dollop of sour cream on top adds a little flavor.
- Onion: If you like raw onions, you can chop them and add to the top for a more crunchy texture. Also try these air fryer onions for a sweeter taste.
- Pickles: I love some dill pickle chunks on the top of my soup.
- Crispy onions: Have some of those crispy onions you use to top a green bean casserole? Those are perfect for this soup.
Can Leftover Soup Be Frozen?
Absolutely, you can freeze this soup. When you heat it back up, you want to do it gradually and while stirring, so the cream doesn’t break. Again, don’t bring it to a boil when reheating.
Can Cheeseburger Soup Be Made on the Stove?
Yes, you can make this soup on the stovetop if you want. Follow all the instructions for browning the meat in the pot, then add the other ingredients to the pot. Cook the soup on medium low for 30 minutes. Turn to low and add the cream cheese and cheese. Thicken with cornstarch slurry, if necessary.
You can also cook this soup in the slow cooker. Add all of the ingredients, except for the cream cheese and cheese. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours. Just before you’re ready to serve it, add the softened cream cheese and cheese and stir.
Questions About the Recipe
Can I Replace the Beef?
Yes you can replace the ground beef with a ground turkey or chicken, if you want. It’s a 1:1 swap. You could also use bacon or ground pork. Of course, the beef is what makes it cheeseburger soup, so replacing the beef will give it a different flavor.
Can I make this low carb or keto?
One way to do that would be to use cauliflower in place of potato. That will make the soup keto friendly and the carb count will be very much reduced.
How to Make it Even Creamier
If you want your soup to be even creamier, I would suggest replacing the cheddar cheese with Velvetta cheese. This will add a smooth, velvety, creaminess to the cheeseburger soup.
Other Instant Pot Soup Recipes to Try
- Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
- Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Instant Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Simple Instant Pot Lasagna Soup
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Instant Pot Cheeseburger Soup
Note: Made in a 6-qt Instant Pot
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) cooking oil
- 1/2 pound (227 g) ground beef
- 3 strips bacon
- 1/4 cup (40 g) onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 medium potatoes cut into small pieces
- 3 cups (710 ml) beef broth
- 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
- 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup (114 g) cream cheese
- 1/2 cup (118 ml) heavy cream
- 1 cup (113 g) shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon (8 g) cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) water
- Additional cheese pickles, and crumbled bacon for garnish
Instructions
- Turn on saute mode on the Instant Pot. Add cooking oil. When hot, add the ground beef, bacon, and onions. Break up the beef into smaller pieces as it cooks. Saute until the beef is browned. Turn off saute mode.
- Add the garlic, potatoes, broth, salt and pepper. Close the lid and cook on high pressure for 2 minutes. Allow for a 5 minute pressure release, then release the remaining pressure.
- Turn on saute mode, on the low setting, if possible. Add the cream cheese, heavy cream, and cheddar cheese and stir well, until dissolved. Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Add it to the soup and stir until thickened, 3-5 minutes.
- Serve with additional shredded cheese, pickles, and crumbled bacon as garnish.
Notes
- Don’t skip the sauté step. This enhances the flavor of the soup, adding a depth that mirrors the savory taste of a cheeseburger.
- Use a wooden spoon to scrape up these bits. This technique, known as deglazing, not only prevents the “Burn” warning on your Instant Pot.
- Dairy products can curdle under high heat and pressure, so add those in after cooking.
Nutrition
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Laura is a passionate home cook and the owner of A Pressure Cooker Kitchen. She is dedicated to helping people create delicious Instant Pot meals with ease. Laura is an expert at developing recipes that can be prepared quickly and easily using a pressure cooker.
We love this soup. Easy to make and so hearty and delicious.
This soup turned out great! So easy in the instant poat!
I liked it, but I think next time I’ll use heavy cream instead of cream cheese. It didn’t get super smooth because there were pieces of cream cheese that wouldn’t melt.