Cheeseburger Soup With Potatoes Recipe

You know that feeling when you take a bite of something and it just hits every single comfort zone in your body at once? That is exactly what cheeseburger soup with potatoes does. If you love a good cheeseburger and you also love a warm, hearty bowl of soup, someone went ahead and combined both of those things into one incredible recipe, and honestly, it might be one of the best things that has ever happened to comfort food.

This soup is thick, creamy, loaded with seasoned ground beef, tender potatoes, melted cheese, and all the flavours you love from a classic cheeseburger, just in a warm bowl instead of a bun. It is the kind of meal that makes the whole house smell amazing while it is cooking, and it is the kind of soup that everyone at the table goes quiet for because they are too busy eating to talk.

In this article, you are going to learn everything about how to make cheeseburger soup with potatoes, from the full ingredient list to the step-by-step cooking method, helpful tips, variations to try, storage advice, and answers to questions you might already be thinking about. Get comfortable, because this is going to be a good one.

What Makes Cheeseburger Soup with Potatoes So Special

Before we get into the recipes, it helps to understand why this soup has become such a beloved dish in so many homes. The idea behind it is simple. Take all the best parts of a cheeseburger, the seasoned beef, the cheese, the onions, the pickles if you love them, and turn them into a hot, filling soup that is hearty enough to be a full meal on its own.

The potatoes are what make this version especially satisfying. They bulk up the soup, soak up all that cheesy, beefy flavour, and give you something substantial to sink your teeth into. Without the potatoes, it is a good soup. With the potatoes, it becomes a complete meal that fills you up and keeps you warm for hours. It is also a very budget-friendly recipe because the ingredients are simple, easy to find, and do not cost a lot of money.

Cheeseburger Soup with Potatoes

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This is the classic, original version of this soup and the one you absolutely need to try first before exploring any of the variations. Once you nail this base recipe, everything else becomes easy.

Ingredients

1. 500 grams of ground beef, also called minced beef
2. 4 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and diced into small cubes
3. 1 medium onion, finely diced
4. 3 cloves of garlic, minced
5. 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
6. 2 stalks of celery, diced
7. 3 cups of chicken broth or beef broth
8. 2 cups of whole milk
9. 1 cup of sour cream
10. 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, sharp cheddar works best
11. 3 tablespoons of butter
12. 3 tablespoons of plain flour
13. 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
14. 1 teaspoon of onion powder
15. 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
16. Salt and black pepper to taste
17. Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Cooking Method

Step 1. Place a large, heavy-bottomed pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Add your ground beef and break it up with a wooden spoon or spatula as it cooks. Season it with a little salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika while it cooks. You want it to be nicely browned and fully cooked through with no pink remaining. Once done, drain any excess grease from the pot and set the beef aside in a bowl.

Step 2. In the same pot, reduce the heat to medium and add your butter. Once the butter is melted, add your diced onion, carrots, and celery. Cook them together for about five to six minutes, stirring occasionally, until they have softened and the onion has gone slightly translucent. Add your minced garlic and cook for another minute, stirring so it does not burn.

Step 3. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir everything together well. The flour will coat the vegetables and start to form a paste with the butter. Cook this for about two minutes, stirring constantly. This step is what helps to thicken your soup later, so do not skip it.

Step 4. Slowly pour in your chicken or beef broth while stirring continuously. This prevents lumps from forming. Once all the broth is in, add your diced potatoes and stir to combine. Bring the soup to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and let it simmer for about fifteen to twenty minutes, or until the potatoes are completely tender and you can pierce them easily with a fork.

Step 5. Once the potatoes are soft, reduce the heat to low and pour in your milk. Stir gently and let the milk warm through without letting the soup boil again, as boiling after adding dairy can cause it to separate or curdle.

Step 6. Add your cooked ground beef back into the pot and stir to combine. Then add your sour cream and stir it in until fully incorporated and smooth. Finally, add your shredded cheddar cheese in handfuls, stirring between each addition so it melts smoothly and evenly into the soup without clumping.

Step 7. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with more salt, pepper, or garlic powder as needed. Serve hot in bowls, garnished with fresh chopped parsley, extra shredded cheese on top, and any other toppings you love.

Topping Ideas

Part of what makes cheeseburger soup so fun is that you can dress it up like an actual cheeseburger with toppings. Here are some great ones to try.

1. Crumbled crispy bacon
2. Diced pickles or pickle relish
3. A drizzle of mustard or ketchup
4. Sliced jalapeños for heat
5. Extra sour cream
6. Chopped green onions
7. Croutons for crunch
8. A sprinkle of more shredded cheddar cheese

Cooking Tips

Do not add the cheese over high heat. High heat causes cheese to break and turn greasy and grainy instead of smooth and creamy. Always reduce the heat to low before adding your cheese and add it slowly in batches while stirring.

Cut your potatoes into even, small cubes. When all your potato pieces are roughly the same size, they cook evenly and you do not end up with some pieces that are mushy and others that are still hard. Aim for about one centimetre cubes.

Use freshly shredded cheese rather than pre-shredded. The pre-shredded cheese you buy in bags from the store is coated with an anti-caking powder that prevents it from melting as smoothly. When you shred cheese fresh from a block, it melts beautifully into the soup and gives you a much creamier result.

Season your beef well while browning it. The beef is the flavour backbone of this entire soup, so making sure it is well-seasoned before it goes back into the pot is really important. Do not just cook it plain and hope the broth will carry all the flavour.

Let the soup rest for five minutes before serving. Once everything is mixed together, take the pot off the heat and let it sit for a few minutes. The soup thickens up slightly more as it rests and the flavours settle and deepen, making every bowl taste even better.

Storage Tips

Cheeseburger soup with potatoes stores well and makes excellent leftovers. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. When reheating, do so gently over low to medium heat on the stove, stirring frequently. You can also reheat it in the microwave in short intervals, stirring between each interval.

The soup will thicken considerably as it sits in the fridge because the potatoes continue to absorb liquid overnight. When reheating, simply add a splash of extra broth or milk and stir it in to bring the soup back to the right consistency. Taste and re-season after reheating if needed, as flavours can dull slightly after refrigeration.

Freezing this soup is possible but not ideal because dairy-based soups can sometimes separate and become grainy when thawed. If you do want to freeze it, let it cool completely first, store it in a freezer-safe container, and thaw it overnight in the fridge before reheating slowly and stirring well to bring it back together. Adding a fresh handful of shredded cheese when reheating from frozen can also help restore the creamy texture.

Cheeseburger Soup with Potatoes and Bacon

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Everything is better with bacon, and this variation proves that point without any argument. Adding crispy, smoky bacon into the mix takes the already incredible base recipe and turns it into something that tastes like a fully loaded burger with everything on it. This version is richer, smokier, and even more satisfying.

Ingredients

1. 500 grams of ground beef
2. 6 slices of streaky bacon, chopped
3. 4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
4. 1 medium onion, diced
5. 3 cloves of garlic, minced
6. 2 carrots, diced
7. 2 stalks of celery, diced
8. 3 cups of chicken broth
9. 2 cups of whole milk
10. 1 cup of sour cream
11. 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
12. 3 tablespoons of butter
13. 3 tablespoons of plain flour
14. 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
15. 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
16. Salt and black pepper to taste

Cooking Method

Start by cooking your chopped bacon pieces in the pot over medium heat until they are crispy and golden. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set it aside on a paper towel to drain, but leave the bacon fat in the pot because that is pure flavour you do not want to waste. Add your ground beef to the same pot and brown it in the bacon fat, seasoning it as you go. Remove and set aside. Add butter to the remaining fat in the pot and cook your vegetables just as in the base recipe, then follow all the same steps through to the end. When you are serving, stir half the crispy bacon directly into the soup and save the other half to sprinkle on top of each bowl as a garnish. The combination of crunchy bacon on top and the bacon flavour throughout the soup itself is absolutely stunning.

Helpful Tips

If you want the bacon to stay crispy as a topping, do not stir it into the hot soup early. Add it right at the moment of serving so it stays crunchy and gives that satisfying contrast in texture between the soft, creamy soup and the crispy bacon pieces. You can also use smoked bacon for an even deeper, smokier flavour throughout the dish if regular streaky bacon feels too mild for you.

Cheeseburger Soup with Potatoes and Velveeta

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If you grew up eating American-style comfort food, you already know that Velveeta melts into soups and sauces in a way that is honestly magical. It gives a super smooth, ultra-creamy, processed cheese flavour that a lot of people absolutely love in this kind of soup. This variation uses Velveeta instead of, or alongside, shredded cheddar for a soup that is incredibly silky and rich.

Ingredients

1. 500 grams of ground beef
2. 4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
3. 1 medium onion, diced
4. 3 cloves of garlic, minced
5. 2 carrots, diced
6. 2 stalks of celery, diced
7. 3 cups of chicken broth
8. 2 cups of whole milk
9. Half a cup of sour cream
10. 250 grams of Velveeta cheese, cut into small cubes
11. 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
12. 3 tablespoons of butter
13. 3 tablespoons of plain flour
14. 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
15. 1 teaspoon of onion powder
16. Salt and black pepper to taste

Cooking Method

Follow all the same steps as the base recipe right up until the point where you would normally add the shredded cheese. Instead of adding only shredded cheddar, add the cubed Velveeta first and stir over very low heat until it is completely melted and the soup is smooth. Then add the shredded cheddar on top and stir until that melts through as well. The result is an incredibly smooth, glossy, deeply cheesy soup that coats every single piece of potato and beef in a way that feels almost indulgent.

Helpful Tips

Cut your Velveeta into small, evenly sized cubes before adding it so it melts more quickly and evenly. Large chunks will take longer to melt and could cause you to raise the heat, which you want to avoid. If you cannot find Velveeta where you live, a similar processed cheese block from your local supermarket will work in the same way.

Cheeseburger Soup with Potatoes and Cream Cheese

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This variation is for people who want their cheeseburger soup extra thick, extra rich, and extra creamy. Cream cheese added to a potato soup base creates a texture that is almost like a bisque, incredibly smooth and velvety with a slight tang that balances the richness of the beef and cheddar beautifully.

Ingredients

1. 500 grams of ground beef
2. 4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
3. 1 medium onion, diced
4. 3 cloves of garlic, minced
5. 2 carrots, diced
6. 2 stalks of celery, diced
7. 3 cups of beef broth
8. 1 and a half cups of whole milk
9. 115 grams of cream cheese, softened and cut into cubes
10. 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
11. 3 tablespoons of butter
12. 3 tablespoons of plain flour
13. 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
14. 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
15. Salt and black pepper to taste

Cooking Method

Follow the base recipe exactly up to the point after the potatoes are cooked and tender. Before adding the milk, drop your softened cream cheese cubes into the hot soup and stir continuously over low heat until they are fully melted and incorporated. The soup will immediately look thicker and more velvety. Then pour in your milk, stir, and continue with adding the beef back in, the sour cream if you are using it, and the shredded cheddar. The cream cheese adds a background richness and tanginess to every bite that is really hard to stop eating.

Helpful Tips

Make sure your cream cheese is properly softened at room temperature before you add it. If it is cold and stiff straight from the fridge, it will not melt smoothly and you will end up with white lumps floating in your soup that take a long time to dissolve. If you are in a hurry, microwave the cream cheese for ten to fifteen seconds before adding it to the pot. Also, full-fat cream cheese gives the best result here. Low-fat versions can sometimes make the soup slightly watery rather than thicker.

Cheeseburger Soup with Potatoes in a Slow Cooker

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If you have a slow cooker, this variation is perfect for days when you want dinner to cook itself while you get on with your life. You do a little bit of preparation in the morning, put everything in the slow cooker, and come home to a house that smells incredible and a soup that is ready and waiting for you.

Ingredients

1. 500 grams of ground beef, browned and drained first
2. 4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
3. 1 medium onion, diced
4. 3 cloves of garlic, minced
5. 2 carrots, diced
6. 2 stalks of celery, diced
7. 3 cups of chicken or beef broth
8. 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
9. 1 teaspoon of onion powder
10. 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
11. Salt and black pepper to taste
12. 2 cups of whole milk, added in the last 30 minutes
13. 1 cup of sour cream, added at the end
14. 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, added at the end
15. 3 tablespoons of plain flour, stirred into broth before adding

Cooking Method

Brown your ground beef in a pan on the stove first and drain the excess fat. You cannot skip this step even for the slow cooker version because slow cookers cannot drain grease and your soup will end up greasy and heavy if you skip it. Once the beef is browned, add it to your slow cooker along with the potatoes, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and broth. Whisk the flour into the broth before adding it to the slow cooker to help with thickening. Season with your spices and stir everything together. Cook on low for seven to eight hours or on high for three to four hours.

In the last thirty minutes of cooking, add your milk, stir, and replace the lid. When the time is up, stir in your sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese over the residual heat, stirring until everything melts together. Serve immediately with your favourite toppings.

Helpful Tips

Resist the urge to lift the lid of your slow cooker while it is cooking. Every time you open it, heat escapes and adds an extra fifteen to twenty minutes to your cook time. Only open it when you need to add the milk and cheese at the end. Also, cut your potato cubes slightly larger than you would for the stovetop version because potatoes can overcook and become very mushy in a slow cooker over a long period.

Cheeseburger Soup with Potatoes and Dill Pickles

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This one is going to surprise you, but stay with it because it is genuinely one of the most exciting variations in this entire article. Adding chopped dill pickles to cheeseburger soup sounds strange until you think about it and realise that pickles are one of the most iconic cheeseburger toppings of all time. They add a sharp, tangy, slightly sour flavour that cuts right through the richness of the cheese and cream and balances the whole bowl in a way that makes you think someone really understood what they were doing when they created this version.

Ingredients

1. 500 grams of ground beef
2. 4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
3. 1 medium onion, diced
4. 3 cloves of garlic, minced
5. 2 stalks of celery, diced
6. 3 cups of beef broth
7. 2 cups of whole milk
8. Half a cup of dill pickle juice from the jar
9. Half a cup of diced dill pickles
10. 1 cup of sour cream
11. 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
12. 3 tablespoons of butter
13. 3 tablespoons of plain flour
14. 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
15. 1 teaspoon of mustard powder
16. Salt and black pepper to taste

Cooking Method

Follow the base recipe steps exactly, but when you add your broth, also pour in the half cup of dill pickle juice. This is what infuses the tangy, bright flavour throughout the entire soup rather than just having chunks of pickle floating in it. Add your diced pickles in along with the potatoes so they soften slightly and blend into the flavour of the soup. Continue with the recipe as normal through to the end. When serving, add extra pickle slices on top as a garnish along with your cheese and parsley. The mustard powder in the seasoning also ties everything together and makes the soup genuinely taste like a burger in the most satisfying way.

Helpful Tips

Do not worry about the soup tasting too sour or too tangy from the pickle juice. The creaminess of the milk, sour cream, and cheese completely absorbs and balances the tanginess so it becomes a background brightness rather than an overpowering flavour. If you are nervous about it, start with a quarter cup of pickle juice rather than half and taste before deciding if you want to add more. The diced pickles can also be stirred in right at the very end after the heat is off if you prefer them to stay firmer and more crunchy rather than softening into the soup.

Additional Helpful Information

Now that you have all the recipes and variations, there are a few more things that are genuinely worth knowing about this dish before you head into the kitchen.

What Potatoes Work Best in This Soup

Not all potatoes behave the same way when cooked in a soup, and choosing the right one makes a difference to the final result. Russet potatoes are the most popular choice for cheeseburger soup because they are starchy, which means they break down slightly during cooking and help thicken the soup naturally. They become tender and creamy and absorb the flavour of the broth beautifully.

Yukon Gold potatoes are another excellent option. They are slightly waxier than russets, which means they hold their shape better and give you firmer, more defined potato chunks in the soup if you prefer that texture. They also have a naturally buttery flavour that works wonderfully with the cheese and cream in this recipe.

Red potatoes are the firmest option and they will hold their shape very well, but they do not contribute as much to thickening the soup and can feel slightly undercooked in texture if you are not careful. If you use them, make sure you dice them small and cook until they are completely soft all the way through.

How to Make This Soup Thicker

If your soup turns out thinner than you would like, there are several ways to fix it. The simplest method is to take out about a cup of the cooked potatoes, mash them with a fork until smooth, and then stir them back into the soup. The mashed potato acts as a natural thickener without changing the flavour at all.

You can also make a quick slurry by mixing one tablespoon of cornstarch with two tablespoons of cold water, then stirring it into the simmering soup. Let it cook for another five minutes and it will thicken up noticeably. Another option is to simply continue simmering the soup uncovered for an extra ten to fifteen minutes to allow some of the liquid to evaporate naturally and concentrate the soup.

Can You Make This Soup Lighter

If you want to enjoy cheeseburger soup with fewer calories or less fat, there are easy swaps you can make without losing too much of what makes it so good. Use lean ground beef, around ninety percent lean, to reduce the fat from the meat. Swap whole milk for semi-skimmed or use a light evaporated milk for creaminess with fewer calories. Use reduced-fat sour cream or replace it entirely with plain Greek yogurt, which gives a similar tang and creaminess with more protein and less fat. Use a sharp cheddar cheese because sharp cheddar has a stronger flavour, which means you need less of it to get the same cheesy taste throughout the soup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make cheeseburger soup ahead of time for a dinner party?

Yes, this soup is actually one of the best make-ahead options for entertaining. You can make the full soup the day before, let it cool, and store it in the fridge. On the day of serving, gently reheat it on the stove over low heat, adding a splash of broth or milk to loosen it up and stirring well. It often tastes even better the next day because the flavours have had time to fully develop and meld together overnight. Just add the toppings fresh when you serve it.

Can I use a different type of cheese instead of cheddar?

Absolutely. While cheddar is the classic choice because it melts well and has that familiar cheeseburger flavour, you can experiment with other melting cheeses. Gruyère adds a deeper, nuttier flavour. Colby jack gives a milder, creamier result. Pepper jack adds a spicy kick that pairs really well with the beef. Monterey jack is another smooth melting option. Just make sure whatever cheese you choose is a good melting variety and shred it fresh from the block for the best result.

What can I serve alongside cheeseburger soup with potatoes?

Because the soup already contains potatoes and is quite filling on its own, you do not need a lot on the side. A simple crusty bread roll or a warm slice of sourdough is perfect for dipping. A light green salad on the side adds freshness and balance against the richness of the soup. If you are serving it to children, some simple buttered dinner rolls on the side are always a hit. Some people also love serving it with a small side of coleslaw, which adds a cool, crunchy contrast.

My soup curdled when I added the milk. What went wrong?

This is a common issue and it usually happens when the soup is still on too high a heat when the dairy is added. Milk and sour cream can curdle when they hit a very hot liquid or are boiled after being added. To prevent this, always reduce the heat to low or even take the pot off the heat entirely for a minute before adding any dairy. Adding room temperature or slightly warmed milk also helps because the temperature difference between cold milk and very hot soup is reduced. If it does curdle slightly, do not panic. Continue stirring gently over very low heat and it will often smooth back out, especially once the cheese is added.

Is there a way to make this soup without flour for people who cannot have gluten?

Yes, there are a couple of easy alternatives. Cornstarch is the most straightforward swap. Use one and a half tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with two tablespoons of cold water as a slurry, and stir it into the soup after the broth has been added. Another option is to skip the roux altogether and instead mash a portion of the cooked potatoes back into the soup to thicken it naturally, which works very well and keeps the soup completely gluten-free. Make sure your broth is also certified gluten-free if you are cooking for someone with a serious intolerance.

Conclusion

Cheeseburger soup with potatoes is one of those recipes that earns a permanent spot in your recipe collection the very first time you make it. It is comforting without being complicated, filling without being heavy, and flavourful in a way that makes it feel like far more effort was involved than it actually was. The ingredients are affordable, the method is straightforward, and the result is a pot of something genuinely wonderful that the whole family will love.

Whether you go with the classic base recipe, the smoky bacon version, the tangy pickle variation, or the ultra-creamy cream cheese one, every single option delivers on the promise of a bowl of food that feels like a warm hug on a cold day. The slow cooker version is there for when life gets busy, and the make-ahead option means you can have this ready for dinner parties without any last-minute stress.

The most important things to remember are to brown your beef properly and season it well, to add your dairy over low heat so it does not curdle, and to shred your cheese fresh for the smoothest, creamiest result. Keep those three things in mind and your cheeseburger soup will come out perfect every single time.

Make a big pot this week, share it with the people you love, and do not be surprised when they ask for the recipe before they even finish their first bowl.