Creamy Instant Pot Potato Soup

This Easy Instant Pot Potato Soup is total comfort food! It’s uber creamy with rich potato flavor, and hints of bacon and cheese with each bite all in only 30 minutes. It’s the perfect cozy weeknight dinner.

Looking for more soup recipes to cuddle up with? Try out my Healthy Broccoli & Cheese Soup, Hearty Minestrone Soup or Potato Corn Chowder with Roasted Poblanos.

Easy & Creamy Potato Soup Recipe

I’m “all in” when a soup can be made into a meal. Sometimes soups need a little extra in order to make it filling enough to be a whole meal. And this recipe is it. Instant Pot Potato Soup can be a meal on its own or you can add a side or two to round it out a bit.

Either way, this soup is going to fill you up and warm you up! It’s so rich, and creamy, and has all the flavors you love from a loaded baked potato.

Tender potatoes are cooked with onions and thyme to develop a dense flavor. Then the cream is added to make it smooth and rich. Finally, you must top it with crumbled bacon, cheese, and sour cream! It’s what makes the soup so fun and flavorful.

Why Make Soup in the Instant Pot?

You see, the Instant Pot can be a truly magical thing. It really can change the way you meal plan and live your everyday life when you learn how to use it!

• Cooking soup in the Instant Pot is fast! Now, you do still need to take into account the time it takes for the pressure to build up and for the release. But cooking a soup in the Instant Pot for 1 hour can taste like it’s been cooking for 4+ hours!
• No stirring or babysitting is required. You just set the Instant Pot and go do something else! You don’t need to keep an eye on it or attend to it until the cooking process is done.
• There is less mess. You only need to use one Instant Pot insert pot for most recipes. This is because you can saute and cook the soup in one pot.

Recipe Ingredients

Here is what you need to make Instant Pot Potato Soup:

• Bacon: This is the ingredient that gets everything started! You can omit it if you want to keep this recipe vegetarian. But I highly suggest using the bacon for the best flavor!
• Yellow Onion: In my opinion, a good soup always starts with cooked onions. White or sweet onions would also work.
• Garlic: This is another soup staple. I always add fresh garlic when I start making soup!
• Yukon Potatoes: I like to peel my potatoes when I have the time for a smooth soup. But you can leave the skins on if you’d like for a more rustic flavor.
• Thyme: Fresh thyme is always best to use. It’s a great herb to use when cooking potatoes. You can also use oregano or rosemary.
• Salt: I like to use kosher salt for soups. It dissolves perfectly!
• Pepper: Fresh cracked pepper is going to give you the best flavor.
• Chicken Stock: You can also use vegetable stock.
• Milk: Using whole milk is best. But you can use low-fat, the soup just won’t be as creamy.
• Cornstarch: Adding cornstarch to the soup is a quick and easy way to thicken it.
• Sour Cream (or Greek Yogurt): This is one of my favorite ingredients for this soup! It adds creaminess and a little tanginess. It really brings out the “loaded baked potato” flavor.

Garnish:

• Crumbled Bacon
• Cheddar Cheese
• Sliced Green Onions

What are the best potatoes to use for potato soup?

I like using Yukon potatoes for this recipe because of their smooth and buttery texture. However, you can use red potatoes, too. They are a little less starchy and will hold their shape better in the soup. If you want your soup to have more of a mashed potato texture, you can use Russet potatoes.

How to Make Instant Pot Potato Soup

Here are the simple steps to making this soup. The only equipment you’re going to need is the Instant Pot.

First, cook the bacon on the Sauté function of the Instant Pot. Cook the bacon until it starts to crisp up. Remove the bacon from the pot once it’s cooked. Then you can add the onions and garlic.

Cook the onions until they are soft. As the onions soften and start to release their natural liquids, use that liquid to scrape up the bits of bacon that are stuck to the bottom of the pan. This ensures those bits don’t burn and the flavor goes into your soup.

Add the potatoes, thyme, chicken broth, salt, and pepper. Then put the lid on and switch over to the Soup/Broth setting. Set the timer for 8 minutes.

Let the Instant Pot do the work! You can prep the toppings while the soup is cooking.

Do a natural release when the timer goes off. Let the Instant Pot naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes.

You can mix the milk and cornstarch while the pressure is released. Whisk the two ingredients together to create the slurry (thickening agent).

After ten minutes, take off the lid and cancel the Soup/Broth setting. And go back to the Sauté function. Then add the slurry and sour cream and cook for a little while longer.

The soup is ready to be served once it’s thickened up a bit! This takes about 5 minutes. Don’t forget to add the tasty garnishes!

Tips for Success

Here are some of the tips and tricks I’ve learned while making this recipe.

• Preheat the Instant Pot before cooking the bacon. The key to crispy bacon is to cook it in a hot pan.
• Know what it means to “deglaze”. No bit of bacon should ever go to waste! If you notice that a lot of it has stuck to the bottom of the Instant Pot, you can deglaze it with a little stock. That means pouring some chicken stock into the pot and scraping the bits off the bottom of the pan while the liquid simmers and softens it up.
• To peel or not peel the potatoes. This is up to your preference. Leave the skin on if you want the soup to be a little starchier and taste a little more rustic. If you like a smoother, clean soup, then you can peel them.

How to Thicken Potato Soup

There are a few different ways to thicken this soup:

• Make a slurry: A slurry is a combo of cornstarch and liquid (in this case we use milk). You then add the slurry to the soup while it’s hot and the soup will thicken as the slurry heats up.
• To make it even thicker: Here’s what to do if you want really thick soup. You can use an immersion blender to puree the soup for just a few seconds. Do not puree the whole thing unless you want it to be completely smooth. But pureeing the potatoes helps thicken the soup, too.

Serving Suggestions

I mentioned before that this soup is filling enough to eat on its own. But it’s also great with some of my other favorite recipes. Here are some suggestions for what to serve with this potato soup.

• Serve it with your favorite finger foods. My kids love having soup alongside Chicken Wings and Chicken Tenders!
• Make it a soup and salad night. Adding a healthy, veggie-filled salad is a great weeknight meal option. Try this soup with the easiest go-to salad you’ll ever make or my Simple Caesar Salad.
• Build your favorite sandwiches. A simple BLT Sandwich is my ultimate favorite with this soup. A meal focused around bacon is bound to be a good one!

How to Store & Reheat Leftovers

This is one of the best soups to make ahead of time and have for lunch throughout the week. It’s so simple to store the leftovers.

Simply store the soup in an air-tight container (a large mason jar works great!) in the fridge. The soup is best if it’s eaten within 5 days.

You can reheat the soup on the stovetop or the microwave.

Can I Freeze Homemade Potato Soup?

You can freeze this soup! It’s a great recipe to make a big batch of and freeze for a simple dinner in the future. I recommend freezing in a gallon-sized bag (or smaller for single-servings). This way the soup doesn’t take up as much space in the freezer because they stack perfectly.

It is important to thaw the soup the night before eating it. So you can put it in the fridge and let it thaw overnight. Then reheat on the stove or microwave.

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More Easy Instant Pot Recipes

• Instant Pot Whole Rotisserie Chicken
• The BEST Instant Pot Chili
• Cilantro Lime Rice

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