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.
2.5lbspotatoesabout 5 cups, peeled and diced (into about ½ inch cubes)
¼teaspoondried thyme
¼teaspoondried rosemary
⅛teaspoonground nutmeg
214.5oz cans chicken broth
Salt & pepperto taste
Add after cooking:
1cupmilk
1-2tablespoonscornstarch
½cupsour cream
To serve:
shredded cheddar, cooked bacon and chopped chivesoptional
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.
Video
Notes
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
These combined make for a wonderfully thick and creamy soup with lots of chunky potatoes and bacon bits.
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