This easy Instant Pot Potato Soup is ready in minutes thanks to the pressure cooker! Silky, creamy and nourishing, you’re going to love a bowlful of this hearty soup recipe that’s loaded with melty cheese and veggies.
This cheesy and nutritious potato soup is perfect for colder weather. Potatoes are little powerhouses with all their vitamins and minerals like iron, magnesium, calcium and zinc. Paired with protein and veggies, potatoes create the ultimate cozy bowlful. I see you, flu season, and I raise you this hearty, nourishing potato soup.
I make my potato soup recipe in the Instant Pot, in the same style that I like my potatoes in most recipes: fully loaded! This means copious amounts of melty cheese, smoky bacon bits, and sautéed onion for flavor. All wrapped up in a deliciously creamy and chunky potato soup that’s ready in minutes.
What You’ll Need
You can make this cheesy potato soup with easy-to-find ingredients. I’ve rounded these up below, and be sure to check out the recipe card for the full ingredient amounts.
Olive Oil: It’s always worth investing in a nice, good quality extra virgin olive oil.
Onion: You’ll need about half of a medium sized onion, diced.
Garlic: Minced. Either fresh cloves or the store bought, pre-minced garlic will work.
Potatoes: I recommend using Russet potatoes, cut into inch-sized cubes.
Chicken Broth: Alternatively, vegetable broth.
Celery Seed: I love the aromatic quality that celery seed brings to this potato soup.
Cheese: Cubed Velveeta cheese works great in this recipe. Otherwise, use another shredded cheese.
Half and Half: I use half and half to give this loaded potato soup extra creaminess. Feel free to use whole milk if you prefer.
Sour Cream: It wouldn’t be a fully loaded potato without it!
Salt & Pepper
What Kind of Potatoes Are Best for Soup?
For this style of creamy potato soup, I like using russet potatoes, or another starchy potato that will break down and thicken the soup nicely. You could also use what they call a waxy potato, like Yukon Gold. Just keep in mind that these won’t soften as much when cooked, so the texture of the soup will be chunkier (still delicious, mind you).
How to Make Instant Pot Potato Soup
Here are the easy steps to make this hearty, creamy potato soup in the Instant Pot:
Sauté: First, with the Instant Pot set to sauté, cook the onion in a bit of olive oil. After a few minutes, add in the garlic and cook about a minute more, until fragrant.
Add Ingredients and Cook: Add your potatoes to the Pot along with the broth. Season with salt, pepper, and celery seed. Seal the lid and set the Instant Pot to cook on high. Once the cooking time is up, quick release the pressure.
Puree to Thicken: Remove about half the potatoes from the pot. Be careful as they’ll be piping hot! Once the potatoes are in a bowl, puree them using an immersion blender and then add the pureed potatoes back into the pot.
Finish and Serve: Stir in the cubed cheese until it’s fully melted, followed by the sour cream and half and half. Once everything is combined, garnish your soup with shredded cheese, a sprinkle of chives, and bacon for the fully-loaded effect. Then serve right away! See the section later on for more serving suggestions.
Tips for Success
Here’s some extra guidance for making the most of this Instant Pot soup recipe:
Do I Need to Peel the Potatoes?: I recommend peeling the potatoes for this recipe, as this is what gives the soup its ultra-silky texture. However, you can opt to leave the skins on if you prefer.
What If I Don’t Have an Immersion Blender?: A regular blender or food processor will also work when pureeing the potatoes. Even a potato masher with a bit of elbow grease! If you’re using a blender, remember to leave the lid cracked a little to let the steam escape.
When Pressure Cooking: Keep in mind that this soup recipe takes about 25 minutes to cook in total, between the cooking time and the time it takes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure. This can sometimes vary depending on your model of pressure cooker.
No Chunks: If you prefer a soup that’s completely free of potato chunks, puree all of the potatoes until you reach a smooth consistency.
If You’re Using Shredded Cheese: Be sure to use cheese that’s grated fresh from the block. Pre-shredded cheese won’t melt as smoothly into the soup.
Variation Ideas
Vegetarian Potato Soup: Use vegetable broth in place of chicken broth for a vegetarian-friendly soup.
Chunky Potato Soup: If you prefer a chunkier soup, I suggest using red potatoes instead of russets.
Gluten-Free Potato Soup: Use gluten-free chicken broth and gluten-free cheese to make this soup allergy-friendly.
Add Herbs and Spices: You can add your favorite herbs to the soup along with the celery seed. Rosemary, thyme, parsley, and oregano are all good options. Or sprinkle in some crushed red pepper flakes (or hot sauce) for a spicy kick.
Serving Suggestions
I love serving this soup with extra shredded cheese, chopped crispy bacon and chives, just like a fully loaded potato. This potato soup is filling all on its own, but when it comes to making it into a meal, here are some ways to serve it:
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Store your leftover Instant Pot soup airtight in the fridge, and enjoy it within 4 days. Potato soup can be reheated in the microwave, or in a saucepan on the stovetop for a few minutes until warmed through.
Can I Freeze This?
Unfortunately not. As this is a cream and potato-based soup, it isn’t suitable for freezing. For a freezer-friendly soup recipe that’s just as cozy, try my Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup!
This Instant Pot Potato Soup is ready in minutes thanks to the pressure cooker! Silky, creamy and nourishing, you’re going to love a bowlful of this hearty soup recipe that’s loaded with melty cheese and veggies.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup onion, diced (about 1/2 a medium sized onion)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
5 cups (2 1/2 pounds) russet potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
4 oz Velveeta cheese (cut into cubes) OR 1 cup shredded cheese
1 cup half and half
1/2 cup sour cream
Serve with:
Additional shredded cheese
Chives
Bacon
Turn instant pot to saute.
Add the olive oil and onion. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic and cook one minute more taking care not to burn.
Add the potatoes, broth, salt, pepper and celery seed.
Place the lid on the instant pot and turn to the sealed position. Cook on high pressure for 9 minutes. Quick release the pressure.
Scoop half of the potatoes into a separate bowl. Take care as they will be very hot.
Use an immersion blender to puree the potatoes in the bowl.
Add the pureed potatoes back into the instant pot.
Add the cheese and stir until melted.
Finally, add the sour cream and half and half. Stir until incorporated.
Garnish with shredded cheese, chives and bacon. Serve immediately.
Notes
Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It is best served within 3-4 days.
Potato/cream based soups are not suitable for freezing.
Substitutions:
To make this soup vegetarian, use vegetable broth in place of chicken broth.
If you prefer no chunks in your soup, puree all of the potatoes until smooth.
If you prefer more chunks in your potato soup, use red potatoes in place of the russet potatoes.
If you use shredded cheese instead of Velveeta, shred it yourself from a large block as the pre-shredded kind does not melt into the soup as well.
If you do not have an immersion blender, use a regular blender to puree the potatoes.
Keep the lid of the blender cracked to prevent the steam from building up inside.
This soup is easily made gluten free by using gluten free chicken broth and gluten free cheese.
