Cheesy Potato Soup Recipe - Instant Pot or Stovetop

Weather denial comes to a screeching halt in February: winter is definitely here! And some days all I want to do is curl up in a chair with a nice warm bowl of soup. This cheesy potato soup is perfect for that!

Thick and creamy, this soup is vegetarian if made with vegetable broth. But you could also use chicken broth and garnish with a little bacon for those family members who just can't relate to the meatless concept. 🤣

Why You'll Love This Cheesy Potato Soup

This soup is everything you want on a chilly day: creamy, hearty, and full of flavor. It's easy to make, budget friendly, and you probably already have all the ingredients on hand. Plus it comes together quickly, either on the stove top or Instant Pot. Either way, it only uses one pot so clean up is a breeze!

Cheesy Potato Soup Recipe Ingredients

I developed this recipe years ago, and started with something a little different: Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup. I love that soup, but I wanted a "just potato" version. So I used the Broccoli soup as my starting point and fine-tuned it over the years.

One thing you might notice is that I use red potatoes. (Yukon Gold potatoes are another good choice). I do this for a couple reasons, not the least of which is time. Who wants to stand and peel potatoes? Not me!

The thin-skins of red potatoes will work just fine in this soup, and once you get to the blending/mashing part they will barely be noticeable. Besides, potato skins are good for you!

According to this source, "Potatoes are a rich source of fiber, iron, vitamin C and vitamin B-6, but to get the most nutrients you'll need to eat the whole potato." Which is what we are doing with this soup. 😀

I tend to make this on the stovetop, but am also including directions to make Instant Pot cheesy potato soup. It's pretty easy either way.

How to Make Stovetop Potato Soup

1. Like many soups, this starts with a mirepoix [pronounced: MEER-pwah) (onions, celery and carrot), which is sautéed in oil for about 5 minutes.

2. Add some garlic, then flour, salt and pepper. Then, add in the potatoes and liquids (vegetable or chicken broth and milk) and heat to boiling.

3. Lower heat, cover and cook until the potatoes are soft, about 10-15 minutes. Uncover and season with a little chili powder, salt and pepper and Parmesan cheese. Let this cook uncovered for about 5 minutes, then add shredded cheddar cheese, give it a stir and turn off the heat.

4. At this point, everything is cooked but it looks like chunks of potato in broth. All that is needed is to blend some or all of the soup mixture. You can use a stand blender, or an immersion blender.

I like my potato soup to have some texture, rather than being perfectly smooth. Using the manual masher helps control that for me. Just mash until it looks about right. 😄

Note: if using a blender, please be extremely careful. You will want to transfer about a third to half the hot mixture to the blender, cover and blend. Then transfer back to the pot. Repeat as needed to get your desired thickness or texture.

How to Make Instant Pot Cheesy Potato Soup

1. Prep the ingredients by washing and cutting up the potatoes, chop the vegetables, and gather your broth and seasonings.
2. Use the sauté function of the Instant Pot to warm the oil and then add the carrots, celery, and onion. Cook until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Then add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
3. Add the flour, salt, and pepper to the pot and stir until smoothly distributed among the veggies.
4. Add the potatoes, milk, and broth. Give this a stir, then cover and seal the Instant Pot. Set the cook cycle for 8 minutes (high pressure). Once the cook cycle is done, allow the pressure to natural release for 20 minutes, then manual release the remaining pressure.
5. Remove the lid and add the chili powder and Parmesan cheese. Stir and test for doneness by piercing the potatoes with a fork. If they are still firm, turn the Instant Pot to sauté and cook the soup for about 5 minutes. Once they are soft, no additional cooking is required. Turn off the Instant Pot.
6. Add the shredded cheese and stir well.
7. Using a potato masher or immersion blender, quickly mash or blend the soup to your desired consistency. Thorough blending will result in a smooth soup, for a chunkier soup only partially blend until your perfect consistency is reached.

When it's meatless Monday, I use vegetable broth and no other additions.

But this is also delicious with diced ham or bacon added for those who just can't handle the lack of meat. 😀

And for even MORE meat, I found a Steak and Potato Soup which is the ultimate comfort food soup!

Serving Suggestions for Cheesy Potato Soup

This soup is delicious on its own but even better with a few extras:

• Crusty bread is great for soaking up every last bit of the soup.
• A simple green salad is a nice way to balance the richness of this soup.
• Toppings are fabulous! Try extra cheese, chopped green onions and some bacon bits for a bowl of loaded potato soup.

How to Store Cheesy Potato Soup

Let the soup cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container. You can refrigerate for up to 4 days. To reheat, warm it gently on the stove top or microwave, stirring often.

For longer storage, you can freeze the soup for up to 2 months. I do this with individual sized portions so they can be thawed and re-heated for a quick lunch or cozy dinner.

📖 Recipe

Cheesy Potato Soup - electric pressure cooker (Instant Pot) method

My favorite feature of the Instant Pot is the saute function. For this recipe, I use this function to cook the veggies and garlic, then turn it off before adding the flour.

Then add in the potatoes and liquid. Set the Instant Pot to cook for 8 minutes on high. Use the "soup" setting and adjust the time, or the manual setting works as well.

Once the cooking cycle is done, allow the Instant Pot to vent naturally for at least 20 minutes before releasing manually.

Then proceed to add the rest of the ingredients. Check the potatoes to ensure they are soft enough. If not, use the saute function to heat the liquid and provide a little more cooking time to those potatoes.

As described above, use a potato masher or similar to mash some of the potatoes until the soup is at your desired consistency.

What to have with your potato soup

Like to have soup and sandwich? Try making some Hoagie rolls or Stromboli for delicious sandwiches!

Need some liquid comfort? Try a medicine ball tea!