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Warm up with a smooth, delicious bowl of this Instant Pot loaded potato soup. No need to spend all day in the kitchen; this creamy soup can be made in minutes!
Featured with this recipe
- Ingredients in Instant Pot Potato Soup
- Directions for Homemade Loaded Potato Soup
- Which Potatoes Work Best?
- For Thicker Soup
- Tips for Making Instant Pot Loaded Potato Soup
- Additions and Substitutions
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Storing Leftover Potato Soup
- More Instant Pot Soup Recipes
- How to Make Instant Pot Loaded Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Loaded Potato Soup Recipe
This loaded potato soup is so creamy and cheesy and is just the thing for a comforting meal. The best thing about making potato soup in the Instant Pot is that you can do it all in one pot, which means less mess. The Instant Pot just makes soups easier! Chunks of potatoes, cooked bacon, and chopped onions combined create the best potato soup with a creamy base everyone loves. Garnish with your favorite potato toppings to make this just the perfect homemade soup this season.
Ingredients in Instant Pot Potato Soup
You are going to love this flavorful instant pot loaded baked potato soup! It has all the ingredients for a loaded potato ready to be made into a soup. These pantry staple ingredients are combined with chopped potatoes, shredded cheese, and delicious cooked bacon that will create the best-flavored soup. Combined this is the best instant pot soup!
- Potatoes – Yukon gold or Russet potatoes will work best. You can use red potatoes in a pinch.
- Cheese – Keep it classic by using sharp cheddar or a cheddar blend.
- Bacon – Regular or thick-cut bacon will work great. If you use center cut bacon you may not have enough bacon fat to cook the onions. In this case, you may need to add a little extra oil to cook the onions.
- Onions – Yellow or white onions will work best for the soup. Use green onions or chives as a garnish.
- Heavy Cream – Heavy cream gives the perfect texture to this soup but milk or half-and-half can also be used. Just be careful when using milk or half and half as they separate and become grainy more easily.
- Garnishes – Bacon, cheddar cheese, and green onion are the perfect garnishes for this soup. To give it more of a loaded baked potato flavor you can also add sour cream.
Directions for Homemade Loaded Potato Soup
This instant pot potato soup recipe is so simple to make and can all be done in one pot! Using the instant pot, you will have all your ingredients combined to make a savory-loaded potato soup. It really is the perfect combination!
- Sauté – Cook the bacon and the onions in the Instant Pot on the saute setting. Use a wooden spoon to break the vegetables and meat apart.
- Pressure cook – Add broth and potatoes and pressure cook for 2 minutes on high pressure. Use the pressure release when done cooking.
- Combine – Blend the potatoes until smooth and thicken if needed.
- Serve – Add cream and cheese. Serve with your favorite toppings.
Which Potatoes Work Best?
For potato soup, a good starchy potato works best. Yukon gold potatoes are my favorite to use because they are starchy but also have a nice, creamy texture that blends well. You can also use russet potatoes with similar results.
For Thicker Soup
If you like an extra thick soup, there are a couple of different ways to thicken it. First, you can start by adding more potatoes. This will make the soup thicker but can also lead to more of a grainy texture. I like to make a slurry of cornstarch and milk and add it to the soup to thicken it. This thickens the soup and also gives it a nice, smooth texture. Almost like a country gravy.
Tips for Making Instant Pot Loaded Potato Soup
Follow these helpful guidelines to make the best instant pot-loaded potato soup recipe. These tips can help make this loaded potato soup even better! Use a special spatula that can help with a few functions, thicken the soup just the way you like it, and store leftovers in the refrigerator. It is that simple!
- Metal spatula – Use a metal spatula to stir your soup. That way you are always scraping along the bottom to make sure the soup isn’t sticking or burning.
- Thicken the soup – If a thickening, stir in the cornstarch slurry slowly. It will thicken quickly and you may not need all the slurry.
- Do not freeze – Don’t freeze the leftovers. Cream soups do not freeze well. It is best to refrigerate in an airtight container and leave the freezer out of it this time.
Additions and Substitutions
- Use sharp cheddar cheese as a garnish for extra loaded baked potato flavor.
- Make this soup vegetarian by cutting out the bacon and using vegetable broth for added flavor.
- Add a teaspoon or so of minced garlic (or about two cloves garlic diced) for even more flavor.
- Top with extra black pepper and salt.
- Sprinkle with thyme or other fresh herbs.
- Serve with garlic bread, dinner rolls, a side salad or some fruit.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are using Yukon Gold potatoes you can leave the skin on, no problem. The skin on yellow potatoes is thin and it will soften when cooked so you won’t really notice a difference. If you are using a Russet potato, the skin is a little thicker so I recommend peeling them first before using in soup.
The thicker your soup is, the more likely it is to get a sticky texture. You can add more broth or cream to thin it out to make it more soupy and less chowder-y.
You can use a cornstarch slurry to thicken potato soup or simply add more potatoes and mash them into the soup after cooking.
READ NEXT: 60+ Best Potato Recipes
Storing Leftover Potato Soup
If you have loaded potato soup leftover consider yourself lucky! This soup usually doesn’t last long and can stay in an airtight container for three to five days. Unfortunately, loaded potato soup does not do well when frozen. It will become grainy and separated if frozen and reheated. It is best to just store leftovers in the fridge.
More Instant Pot Soup Recipes
Soups are the perfect meal that has all the delicious ingredients you need to have a savory and comforting dish. These soup recipes are even easier to make when using an instant pot. Tender and juicy soups with just the right amount of flavor all in one spoonful!
How to Make Instant Pot Loaded Potato Soup
Instant Pot Loaded Potato Soup
Equipment
- 1 Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (or russet potatoes)
- 6 slices bacon
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 32 ounces chicken broth
- 1/4 cup milk (optional for thickening)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (optional for thickening)
- 2 cups heavy cream
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup shredded cheese
- shredded cheese (for garnish)
- chopped green onion (for garnish)
Instructions
- Rinse and dice potatoes into 1" cubes. Set aside.
- Set Instant Pot to "Saute" mode and cook bacon until desired crispiness. Remove bacon to paper towels and allow to cool. Crumble bacon and set aside.
- Keep Instant Pot on "Saute" mode. Cook onions in bacon grease until transparent and cooked through. Add a little cooking oil if there isn't enough bacon grease to cook the onions.
- Add broth and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the Instant Pot. It is important to scrape up as much as you can off the bottom to avoid getting the burn notice. Press "cancel" on the Instant Pot to stop the "Saute" mode.
- Add potatoes and press the "manual" button. Set for high pressure for 2 minutes. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the valve to "sealing". Quick release when finished.
- If you want some potato dices in the soup, remove half of the potatoes and set aside. If you want a purely creamy soup with no chunks, leave all the potatoes in the Instant Pot.
- Use blender or an immersion blender (hand blender) and blend the potatoes in the Instant Pot until creamy.
- If you want a creamier soup, press "saute" on the Instant Pot. Combine milk and cornstarch to make a slurry and slowly stir into the soup. Only add a little at a time until thickened to desired consistency and be sure to constantly be scraping the bottom of the pot to avoid burning. You may not need all of the slurry mixture.
- Set the Instant Pot to "Warm" and stir in the cream until smooth and well combined. Season with salt and peppers. Add cheese (and potatoes if you have some set aside).
- Serve immediately and garnish with bacon crumbles, cheese, and chopped green onion.
Notes
- Use a metal spatula to stir your soup. That way you are always scraping along the bottom to make sure the soup isn’t sticking or burning.
- If thickening, stir in cornstarch slurry slowly. It will thicken quickly and you may not need all the slurry.
- Don’t freeze the leftovers. Cream soups do not freeze well. It is best to refrigerate in an airtight container.
This is delish and so easy! Definitely will be on the “rotation.” Thank you!
This soup is delicious and so comforting! We are having cool nights already here and this made my perfect dinner! Really, really good! Thank you!
This recipe makes one of our favorite soups so much easier to make! I look forward to eating this often!