This Instant Pot Potato Soup has all the comforting taste of a loaded baked potato made in only 30 minutes in your pressure cooker! Butter, sour cream, and cheese are melted in to every bite of this deliciously simple recipe. I love topping it with chopped bacon and green onions.
I love a good classic baked potato with crispy skin, but they take a heck of a long time to cook. Enter: loaded baked potato soup!
A pressure cooker makes quick work of this potato soup recipe- you can have dinner on the table in only 30 minutes. But if you don’t own one, don’t worry- you can make this in your slow cooker or on your stovetop, too.
I love how simple this recipe is. At its core is onions sautéed in butter, with diced potatoes that cook in chicken broth with plenty of salt and pepper. This mixture is pureed, then sour cream and grated cheese is stirred into the soup, which melt into every creamy, decadent bite.
And the best part? Topping each bowl with more sour cream and cheese, chopped bacon, and green onions. YUM!
How to make potato soup in your Instant Pot
- First, sauté some diced onions in butter. This is what I love about pressure cookers- you can sauté right in the same pot!
- Then, add some potatoes and chicken broth, along with some salt and pepper.
- After making sure the pressure valve is set to “sealing,” set your instant pot to manual, high pressure for 10 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes for it to come up to pressure, then 10 to cook.
- Once it beeps indicating it’s finished, quick release the pressure valve to “venting.” I usually use a wooden spoon to turn the valve, as it can be a bit alarming and scary when the pressure is released (but don’t worry- it’s normal!).
- Open the pressure cooker once the float valve has depressed, indicating it’s safe to open. Then, use an immersion blender to puree the soup directly in the instant pot. Alternatively, you can use a blender, or just a potato masher for a more rustic, chunky texture.
- Finally, stir in some sour cream and grated cheese until it’s completely melted into the soup. Season to taste and you’re good to go!
Do I have to peel the potatoes?
NOPE! I almost never peel potatoes if I can help it. For one thing, it’s a total PITA. For another, the peels have nutrition and fiber in them!
I just give the potatoes a good scrub with a vegetable brush and dice them up. Keep in mind: some skins are tougher than others. If you use russet potatoes, you may want to peel them as their skins are thicker than red, gold, or white potatoes.
Can I make this in my crockpot?
Yup! Using a slow cooker to make this loaded baked potato soup is a cinch.
Just add the onions, potatoes, chicken broth, salt, and pepper to your crockpot. Then, cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. When it’s done, puree it and stir in the sour cream, cheese, and the butter (since you didn’t use it to sauté the onions).
What about on the stovetop?
If you like to cook the old-fashioned way with a pot on the stove, I hear ya. It’s easy to adapt this recipe for the stovetop.
Sauté the onions in the butter in a large pot, then add the potatoes, chicken broth, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low for 30-45 minutes, or until the potatoes are super tender. Then, puree, stir in the sour cream and cheese, and you’re done!
Other Pressure Cooker Soups and Stews
- Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
- Instant Pot Fish Stew
- Pumpkin Chili
- Instant Pot Black Eyed Pea Soup
- Instant Pot Chili with Ground Beef and Kidney Beans
Be sure to check out all my other Instant Pot Recipes!
Did you make this instant pot loaded baked potato soup recipe? Please click the stars below to comment and Rate this Recipe
Instant Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2.5 lbs. gold potatoes diced into 1" pieces
- 4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt (more or less to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (more or less to taste)
- 8 oz. sour cream
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- for serving: chopped green onions, chopped cooked bacon, sour cream, and cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Use the sauté function on your instant pot to melt the butter (2 tablespoons). Add the diced onion and stir to coat. Sauté for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened.
- Add the chicken broth (4 cups), diced potatoes (2.5 lbs.), kosher salt (1.5 teaspoons), and black pepper (1/2 teaspoon). Stir together.
- Turn sauté function off and place cover on instant pot, making sure the valve is set to "sealing." Set pressure cooker to manual, high pressure for 10 minutes.
- When the 10 minutes is up, quick release the pressure by using a wooden spoon to turn the valve from "sealing" to "venting." Wait until the float valve depresses completely until you open the pressure cooker (this can take about 5 minutes).
- Use an immersion blender to puree the soup directly in the pot. (Alternatively, use a potato masher for a more rustic texture.)
- Add the sour cream (8 oz.) and the shredded cheddar cheese (1 cup) to the pot and stir together until melted. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Serve garnished with sliced green onions, chopped cooked bacon, more sour cream, and more cheese, if desired.
Notes
- For a vegetarian version, be sure to use vegetable broth instead of chicken.
- If you don't have an immersion blender, or if you want a more rustic texture, you can just use a potato masher to mash the potatoes. You can also use a standing blender in batches.
- To cut down on food waste, you can cook bacon in the pressure cooker and use 1-2 tablespoons of the leftover grease instead of butter, and chop the bacon for serving. You can also add the white parts of the green onions to the diced yellow onions.
- Slow cooker directions: Place the onions, potatoes, chicken broth, salt, and pepper in your crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Puree, then stir in the butter, sour cream, and cheese.
- Stovetop directions: Sauté the onions in butter in a large pot, then add the potatoes, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low for 30-45 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Puree, then stir in sour cream and cheese.
- I made this in my 6 qt. Instant Pot. You may have to cut the ingredients in half for a mini IP, or adjust the cooking times if you have a different brand pressure cooker.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Matt
You prepped this in 10 minutes? I’m calling bull
Elizabeth Lindemann
Prep time will depend on how experienced you are in the kitchen! For this recipe, you only need to chop an onion and some potatoes (no peeling required) so for me, that takes less than 10 minutes.
Dean
Followed it exactly and think it’s the best soup I’ve made in my insta pot. Thank you for it. Will make again.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Emily Wabik
I made this for both my sister and husband. Neither of them cared for it or said they would make it again. I would not recommend this recipe – it is missing something. It is very grainy…basically mushy potatoes. Tastes like liquidy mashed potatoes. It could possibly be modified to add some more substance and some heavy cream to make up for the creaminess it is missing.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Hm, I didn’t have that experience with this recipe! My guess is – not enough salt, and too much liquid. It’s tough sometimes to gauge liquid with the instant pot – it’s possible the onions needed more time to sauté and release some of their water, or the potatoes were super fresh and had more water content… there are many factors here. And from my own experience, I’ve under-seasoned potatoes a lot in the past and have learned that they always need a lot of salt! Heavy cream would be a delicious addition here if you want. I would also recommend that if you like a super smooth soup texture, you may want to invest in a high power blender. My Vitamix makes a huge difference when I make blended soups. Better luck next time!
Joe
Amazing!!!
And easy to make.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
MaryEllen & Bruce Hoiseth
We made this recently on an unusually cold day here in GA. Bruce cooked it on the stovetop and it was truly delicious! Skipped scallion topping, instead using seasoned croutons & oyster crackers. Even better on day 2 and, with it being so hearty, there was enough to share with Britt’s family, too.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you all liked it, and great to hear from you! ❤️
Colleen
I’m making this tonight and can’t wait. I’ll update with my review but I just had to comment how much I appreciate your recipe writing. Repeating the amounts during the steps is a game changer!! Love the attention to detail. Thank you!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks so much for that feedback! Hope you like the recipe and so glad adding the amounts in the instructions was helpful for you :-)
Colleen
This was absolutely delicious and so easy! Thanks so much for this recipe. Can’t wait to check out some more of yours! 🤩
Elizabeth Lindemann
Awesome! So glad you liked it!
S Clark
Had an overabundance of potatoes so went looking for a recipe that I could make in my Pampered Chef quick cooker. This recipe came up and I had everything needed. It was a big hit with everyone, even my super finicky sister. Easy and delicious!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you, and everyone else, liked it!
Natalie
Made it, loved it two friends came over to claim a bowl. I added minced garlic in the saute and 3 serrano peppers on the cooking. The kid loved it! No leftovers to freeze, it was gone minutes after yelling DINNER?
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Megan
I am a big fan of this recipe. I always have leftover carrots and celery and I cook it along with the onions, because why not?! It saves well and is really easy. I am adding this one to my repeater list.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Chef Admired
Really Great Recipe, I cooked my onion and garlic in my bacon fat on the stove then added it to the instant pot, another change would be is that I added less salt and added milk and heavy cream to make it less thick!! And it turned out great whole family loved it!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it and thanks for sharing your suggestions!
Valentina Zapata
LOVED THIS RECIPE! It was so easy and fast. I had half of a bag of potatoes about to go bad, and started looking for recipes and this one was the winner. It had less ingredients than the other ones I found, plus it was very well explained. I added a little bit of milk to make it less thick as someone else suggested, and it worked perfectly. I added some herbs to give it more flavor too.
Really good! And the best part, so effortless, but yet so delicious.
Thank you for the recipe!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad this recipe worked well for you! It’s helpful to know you were drawn to the recipe for the minimal ingredients. That’s what I always look for too when I’m cooking.
Ashley
Will a 6qt still work abs same tome if I up the recipe to the 24 servings?
10lbs of potato’s??
Elizabeth Lindemann
Definitely don’t up the recipe to 24 servings in a 6 qt. IP! I recommend just making a few batches if you need a lot of this.
CK
INSANELY GOOD! Major crowd pleaser. Glad I doubled it because everyone got seconds. I sauteed six minced cloves of garlic (for a double’d batch) after the onions and added some fresh rosemary because I had it on hand. Will definitely be making this as well!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Love the idea of adding rosemary.
Ashley
Did you use a 6qt when doubled? Did you have to increase cook time?
Elizabeth Lindemann
I wouldn’t double this in a 6 qt.- you might be able to increase the servings to 9 for 1.5x the original recipe. An 8 qt. IP should be good for doubling. Hope that helps!
Liz
Can I make this and freeze it to eat later?
Elizabeth Lindemann
Potatoes tend to change their texture when frozen. That’s never stopped me from doing it! But the good thing about this soup is that it’s pureed and it has a good amount of fat in it. Both of those things will help the potatoes be much better off in the freezer. That’s a long way of saying – yes! Go ahead and freeze it :-)