Easy Instant Pot Potato Soup Loaded With Bacon And Cheese

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!

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.

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.