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Yield: 6
Ready In: 40 minutes
I have very fond memories of potato soup and hot dogs at church lunches way back when I was a kid. I loved going to those lunches, and it sparked a deep love of potato soup in me, even though the soup I had there was a quick fix to feed a crowd.Now I make my own from scratch – my Loaded Instant Pot Potato Soup is quick, easy and so hearty! I love making my potato soup in a pressure cooker, because it cooks SO fast, and the potatoes just get so miraculously creamy. It’s also super hands-off. And you’ll end up with a pot of pure golden bliss – the perfect comfort food meal.
Recommended Equipment:
Ingredients
To cook:
- 4 ounces bacon
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 large onion (chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 4 stalks celery (diced)
- 2.5 lbs potatoes (about 5 cups, peeled and diced (into about ½ inch cubes))
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 14.5oz cans chicken broth
- Salt & pepper (to taste)
Add after cooking:
- 1 cup milk
- 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ cup sour cream
To serve:
- shredded cheddar, cooked bacon and chopped chives (optional)
Instructions
- Sauté: Set the instant pot to sauté. Sauté the bacon, then remove a few tablespoons for garnish (leave the rest in the pot). Add butter, onion, celery and garlic and sauté until starting to soften, about 3-4 minutes. Turn off the instant pot and add potatoes, thyme, rosemary, nutmeg, broth, salt and pepper.
- Pressure cook: Close the lid on your instant pot and set the valve to “sealing”. Choose “pressure cook” on high for 5 minutes. Once the cooking time is up, do a natural pressure release for 5 minutes (just unplug your instant pot and leave it alone), then manually release any remaining pressure.
- Finish the soup: Open the instant pot lid. Set the instant pot to sauté. Whisk the cornstarch into the milk, carefully stir into the soup (try not to break up the potatoes) and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. If you want a thicker soup, remove 2-3 cups, blend and stir back into the soup. Stir in sour cream and serve with your favorite toppings.
Step by Step Recipe Video
Nora’s Tips
The best potatoes for this soup:
For soup, I prefer potatoes that get creamy but don’t fall apart. My favorites are Yukon Gold or red potatoes. The Yukon Gold make the soup a little thicker/creamier and red potatoes hold their shape a little better, but the difference isn’t huge.How to add more flavor:
The trickiest thing about potato soup is that it can get a little bland, heavy and lack in flavor. Here are a few ways I like to add flavor to my potato soup, so it ends up tasty:- sauté bacon, garlic, onions and celery before adding the liquid and potatoes – it adds SO much extra flavor with only a little bit of extra work.
- use dried herbs and nutmeg to add more flavor to the soup.
- finish the soup with sour cream (instead of cream or cream cheese) for a little bit of an uplifting tang
- serve with yummy toppings! we love cheese, bacon and chives
Make a thicker soup:
I way prefer chunky potato soup over cream of potato soup, but I still like the base to be thick and creamy. I do two things to make a thick potato soup:- thicken the liquid with a cornstarch slurry
- blend a few cups of the soup, then stir it back into the pot
Storage and Freezer Instructions:
While this isn’t a recipe where you can prep the ingredients ahead all too well, you can definitely make it ahead in other ways!Storage in the fridge:
The soup lasts for about 2 days in the fridge. Reheat VERY gently and thin with a little bit of milk.Freezer Instructions:
Yes, with a few caveats you can freeze the cooled potato soup.- don’t reheat from frozen – make sure the soup is fully defrosted in the fridge
- reheat VERY gently
- slowly thin with milk until it reaches the desired consistency
Nutrition
Calories: 284kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 717mg | Potassium: 1109mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 375IU | Vitamin C: 33.8mg | Calcium: 152mg | Iron: 6.6mg
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Look at that golden color! Watch out for the Leprechauns on St Patrick’s Day! ?
Adrianne Nickerson says
Nora, I add a tablespoon of sodium citrate to all my cheese sauces so they never separate. This was the first step that the Kraft people learned how to create macaroni and cheese to sell to consumers. I can keep any cheese sauce in the freezer in a seal-a-meal bag for all kinds of applications: add leftovers to it and make a quick dip for a crowd, pasta for a casserole, and obviously by version of baked potato soup. Since this soup is one of my husband’s favs from Olive Garden, I plan to make it for him for his birthday! Thanks!
Nora says
That’s such a great point, Adrianne! I do remember my husband doing this, but then we had kids and our molecular ventures took a backseat. But yes, absolutely agree! I used to make Modernist Cuisine at Home’s Mac and Cheese, it’s wonderful.
Bill says
Made it last night, very hesitant because in Texas it was 100 yesterday. Even terrific in warm weather and easy. You are so right, no left overs. I’ll have to double it next time.
Nora says
I’m so glad, Bill!
Lisa says
Easy and very good.
Thank you
Nora says
Thank you for your feedback, Lisa! I’m glad you enjoyed the soup.
Laura says
Can you sub Greek yogurt for sour cream?
Nora says
Laura, I would be very cautious with this substitution – Greek yogurt splits easily in hot food.
Tracy says
I substitute full fat Greek yogurt in almost all recipes with no problems, especially in potato soup.
Nora says
Thanks for sharing, Tracy!
DianaG says
First time here and first time making potato soup. Super easy to make and uses veggies to make it hearty. My husband who is not into potato loved it. Makes a huge batch. I used a seasoning mix and added some nutmeg. Otherwise followed exactly as stated. Great filling dinner.
Beccah says
I might be crazy but i do not see where it says to add in chicken broth in the recipe?
Nora Rusev says
Beccah, if you check the instructions in step 1, it’s almost at the end. I had to look for a minute to find it though, so I’ll think of a way to make it stand out more. Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it!
Beccah says
Thank you So much! i did totally miss it.
Nicole says
This turned out excellent, I chopped up some of the leftover honey baked ham that I prepared for Easter dinner and added it with the bacon and my elderly (I cook for 4 orderly in my home) loved every bite of it. Can’t wait to taste the leftovers!
JC says
This potato soup recipe is the closest to what my mother made when I was a child.
This is an excellent Soup and easy to make!
Thanks for sharing!!!! ?
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad to hear this!
Dimo (Deemo) says
Hi Nora,
I LOVE potato soup! Your recipe sounds yummy! One question; I want to be able to freeze a good portion of it. How long will it last in the freezer?
Nora Rusev says
Dimo, I would freeze it for up to 3 months. Please keep in mind, potato recipes can change their texture a little after freezing. You may need to thin it out a little after defrosting and reheating. Hope that helps!
Deb says
This soup is delicious. I added chicken to mine also
Courtney C says
Made this for lunch today!! It was so yummy on a -3° day!!
Jennie says
This was absolutely awesome recipe
Tara Gunter says
So easy and perfect for a cold winter evening! I had some heavy cream I needed to use up, so I used that in place of the milk… Was absolutely delicious! I wanted to try freezing the leftovers, but there were none. ?
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad to hear this, Tara! And we barely ever have any leftovers either ?
Debbie Phillips says
Hi! This recipe looks yummy! Just inquiring…there is no “print” recipe button to click? It’s been a long day. Maybe I’m missing it. Just was hoping to not have to cut and paste the recipe. Look forward to prep it tonight.
Debbie Phillips says
WHOOPS! Just found it! Thnx!
Nora Rusev says
Glad you found it, Debbie! You’re not the first to ask today, sorry about that. Mental note to self: Make print button more visible!
Lisa says
Awesome recipe!
Peggy says
Are you supposed to cut the bacon up first? Recipe doesn’t say, but then it says to “remove a few tablespoons for garnish (leave the rest in the pot)”
Nora says
Peggy, sorry for the confusion! I usually buy my bacon chopped for this soup. If you have slices, definitely chop them up first. I’ll add that note to the recipe card, thanks for asking!
Shelley says
Fabulous!
Nora says
I’m so glad you liked the soup, Shelley! Thank you for coming back to leave a review, I appreciate it.
Chelle says
Just got my Instantpot so I am super excited to try this recipe! Looks amazing!
Nora says
I hope you’ll like the recipe, Chelle!