This Instant Pot Potato Soup Recipe turns simple ingredients into the most comforting bowl of creamy goodness you’ll ever taste. With tender potatoes, melted cheese, and crispy bacon all coming together in your pressure cooker, dinner is ready in under an hour!
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🍲 This recipe serves as the perfect foundation for endless variations based on your preferences or what’s in your pantry!
My 2 Best Tips For Making This Instant Pot Potato Soup Recipe
Potato Prep: Choose russet potatoes for the best results, as they break down slightly during cooking and help thicken the soup naturally. Cut them into uniform 1-inch cubes to ensure even cooking under pressure. Don’t skip peeling the potatoes, as the skins can become tough and unpleasant in the creamy soup base.
Bacon Technique: Cook your bacon until it’s crispy but not burnt, as it will continue to absorb moisture from the soup and can become chewy if overcooked initially. Save some of the bacon grease to sauté your onions for extra flavor depth throughout the soup. Crumble the bacon into bite-sized pieces rather than tiny bits so you get satisfying chunks in every spoonful.
I use a steamer basket to prevent the potatoes from breaking down too much during pressure cooking, which gives me better texture control. After cooking, I mash some of the potatoes with a fork before adding them back, creating the perfect balance of chunky pieces and creamy thickness.
This creamy potato soup becomes the star of our dinner table whenever the weather turns chilly. It’s so satisfying and filling that I often serve it as the main course with just a simple side salad.
You can also serve it as a starter before a lighter main course! I love topping each bowl with extra bacon bits, green onions, or a dollop of sour cream.
🩷 Melissa
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Creamy Instant Pot Potato Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 2 cans chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 cups russet potatoes peeled and cubed
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 3 ounces cream cheese cubed
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 6 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
Instructions
- Select the “Browning/Sauté” option on the pressure cooking pot and melt butter in the pot. Add onion and sauté until tender.
- Stir in 1 can of chicken broth, parsley, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
- Put a steamer basket in the pressure cooking pot. Add the potatoes to the steamer basket.
- Lock the lid in place. Select “High Pressure” and 4 minutes cook time.
- When cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker. After 5 minutes of natural release time, turn it to quick release.
- Open the lid and remove the steamer basket from the cooking pot.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and cold water.
- Select the “Simmer/Sauté” option again and add the cornstarch slurry to the pot.
- Stir constantly until the soup thickens.
- Turn the Instant Pot to "warm," and stir in the cream cheese and cheddar cheese until melted.
- Stir in the last can of chicken broth, half-and-half, corn, bacon, and cooked potatoes and heat through.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- If your soup turns out too thin, mix an additional tablespoon of cornstarch with cold water and stir it in while the soup simmers.
- If it’s too thick, gradually add warm broth or milk until you reach your desired consistency.
- Should the cheese separate or look grainy, remove from heat immediately and whisk vigorously
Nutrition
How To Make Instant Pot Potato Soup Recipe
Step 1: Select the “Browning/Sauté” option on your Instant Pot and melt the butter. Add the chopped onion and sauté until tender, then stir in 1 can of chicken broth, parsley, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
Step 2: Place a steamer basket in the pot and add the cubed potatoes to the basket. Lock the lid in place, select “High Pressure,” and set for 4 minutes cook time.
Step 3: When cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker and wait 5 minutes before doing a quick release. Open the lid and carefully remove the steamer basket with the cooked potatoes.
Step 4: Whisk together cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl. Select “Simmer/Sauté” and add the cornstarch slurry to the pot, stirring constantly until the soup thickens.
Step 5: Stir in the cubed cream cheese and shredded cheddar cheese until completely melted and smooth.
Step 6: Add the remaining can of chicken broth, half-and-half, frozen corn, crumbled bacon, and cooked potatoes. Stir gently and heat through, then serve hot.
Recipe FAQs
You can make this soup without a steamer basket by adding potatoes directly to the liquid. The potatoes will break down more, creating a thicker, more rustic texture that many people actually prefer.
You can lighten this recipe by using milk instead of half-and-half and cutting the cheese in half. Greek yogurt can replace cream cheese (add at the end without boiling), and turkey bacon provides smoky flavor with less fat.
Russet potatoes work best due to their high starch content that naturally thickens the soup. Yukon Gold can substitute but won’t thicken as much, while waxy red potatoes should be avoided as they don’t break down properly.
More Delicious Soup Recipes to Consider
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Barbara M
Beinging a Vegetarian. soups are my favorite meal !! But anything without MEAT calls my name !!!!