Making an Instant Pot loaded potato soup is the best and easiest way to get a hearty and flavorful bowl of baked potato soup on the table. Top with your favorite potato toppings like bacon, cheese, sour cream, and chives. It's a WHOLE LOTTA YUM!
Baked Potato Soup (Instant Pot)
I don't know what it is about a potato soup, it's so simple to make and yet so savory and hearty. It's hard to believe making an Instant Pot loaded potato soup tastes even better than the classic baked potato!
We had this baked potato soup for Christmas this year, since cooking up a pot of soup on Christmas day is something we've done for many years. We love to keep the tradition going!
At first, I wasn't sure if I'd added enough liquid and wondered if I'd accidentally made mashed potatoes instead...all it needed was a good stir and the final addition of sour cream and heavy whipping cream to turn out just perfect! And just like that, a new favorite holiday soup became an instant hit.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- You don't have to peel the potatoes, just dice and toss them in the pot.
- It's hearty and filling, plus with all of your favorite loaded potato toppings, it's a crowd-pleaser and kid-pleaser too!
- With a pressure cook time of just 10 minutes, you can make Instant Pot loaded potato soup much quicker than a stovetop version.
- This potato soup Instant Pot recipe is naturally gluten-free.
Looking for even more Instant Pot potato soup recipes? Be sure to try our Pressure Cooker Zuppa Toscana loaded with potatoes, sausage, bacon, and kale.
And if you love hearty soups and stews, you'll also love our Instant Pot white chicken chili and Instant Pot chicken stew with Cuban flavors.
Be sure to download the Instant Pot Cheat Sheets when you join our recipe email list!
>> Get the Instant Pot Cheat Sheets Here <<
Ingredient Notes
The entire pot of Instant Pot baked potato soup just uses up basic ingredients you possibly already have on hand or typically buy. It's amazing how simple ingredients come together into such a delicious, hearty, and comforting pressure cooker potato soup recipe.
- russet potatoes, cut into 1" cubes
- bacon slices, cooked
- butter
- garlic cloves, minced
- onion, chopped
- heavy whipping cream
- chicken broth
- garlic salt
- ground black pepper
- shredded sharp cheddar
- sour cream
- garnishes- bacon, cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onions
Variations
Recipe Variations- You can definitely peel the potatoes if you prefer, we left the skins on the make the pressure cooker potato soup recipe even quicker and the peels give the soup a little texture.
Equipment
A Pressure Cooker - This is the 6 qt Instant Pot model that we used.
Diet Adaptions
- Vegan- use vegetable broth, vegan sour cream, and vegan cheese in place of the chicken broth and dairy products.
- Gluten Free- it already is!
Step by Step Instructions
You seriously won't believe how quickly the Instant Pot loaded baked potato soup comes together! Other than cooking the onion and garlic, you'll dump most of the ingredients in the pot, pressure cook, and then stir in the dairy at the end. Easy peasy!
Sauté
In a cold Instant Pot, add the butter and then turn the pot to Sauté to melt the butter. Once melted, stir in the chopped onion and cook until softened, which will take about 3-4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook it for 1 more minute, or until fragrant. Stir constantly since garlic burns easily.
Add the chicken broth to the pot and scrape up any onion bits left on the bottom of the pot.
Pressure Cook
Stir in the diced potatoes, garlic salt, and black pepper.
Pressure cook on High (some models call this Manual) for 10 minutes and then do a Quick Release of the remaining pressure. Remove the lid.
Stir the potato and broth mixture. At first, you might wonder if there's enough liquid in the soup, but don't fret...there is! Combine the soup well and the potatoes will start to break down.
Add Dairy
Mix in the shredded cheddar cheese a little bit at a time to prevent it from clumping. Stir until it's melted, and then mix in the heavy whipping cream and the sour cream. We did this off of the heat since the soup was so hot but you can also turn the pot to Sauté Medium and keep a close eye on it so the soup doesn't start to burn on the bottom of the pot.
The pressure cooker potato soup will thicken even more upon standing, and you can definitely add in more chicken broth to thin it out if preferred.
Garnish the Instant Pot potato soup recipe with chopped bacon, chives, shredded cheese, and olives, or any of your favorite baked potato toppings. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- To make an Instant Pot baked potato soup that's less rich and doesn't use heavy cream, you can use whole milk instead but it won't have as thick of a consistency. To thicken the soup after pressure cooking, take out ¼ cup warm liquid and mix it with flour to make a roux, stir that back into the soup and simmer until thickened to your liking.
- We didn't peel the potatoes but you definitely can. It adds a nice texture and makes it even quicker to make.
- While we used Russet potatoes, which breaks down a little bit more into the soup, you can also use yellow potatoes or red potatoes.
- Bake the bacon in advance to cook a large quantity.
Common Questions
Serve with air fryer green beans and mushrooms and teriyaki Instant Pot drumsticks for a whole hearty meal. Or a simple side salad such as coleslaw.
In the fridge for up to 5 days.
Instant Pot Soups
Come connect with us on Instagram! Be sure to tag us (wholelotta.yum) when you make a recipe. You can also find us on Facebook, and Pinterest.
Instant Pot Loaded Potato Soup
An easy baked potato soup in Instant Pot recipe that's LOADED with all the baked potato goodness but in soup form. You'll love this hearty yet simple pressure cooker soup with skin on potatoes that is super quick! Garnish with your favorite baked potato toppings.
Ingredients
- 6 medium-large russet potatoes, cut into 1" cubes
- 8 bacon slices, cooked
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium-sized onion, chopped
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar, shredded from the block
- 1 cup sour cream
Instructions
In a cold Instant Pot, add the butter and then turn the pot to Saute to melt the butter. Once melted, stir in the chopped onion and cook until softened, which will take about 3-4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook it for 1 more minute, or until fragrant. Stir constantly since garlic burns easily.
Add the chicken broth to the pot and scrape up any onion bits left on the bottom of the pot. Stir in the diced potatoes, garlic salt, and black pepper. Pressure cook on High (some models call this Manual) for 10 minutes and then do a Quick Release of the remaining pressure. Remove the lid.
Mix in the shredded cheddar cheese, a little bit at a time to prevent it from clumping. Stir until it's melted, and then mix in the heavy whipping cream and sour cream.
Garnish the Instant Pot potato soup recipe with chopped bacon, chives, shredded cheese, and olives, or any of your favorite baked potato toppings.
Notes
To make an Instant Pot baked potato soup that's less rich and doesn't use heavy cream, you can use whole milk instead but it won't have as thick of a consistency. To thicken the soup after pressure cooking, take out ¼ cup warm liquid and mix it with a little flour to make a roux, stir that back into the soup and simmer until thickened to your liking.
We didn't peel the potatoes but you definitely can. It adds nice texture and make even quicker to make.
While we used Russet potatoes, which breaks down a little bit more into the soup, you can also use yellow potatoes or red potatoes.
Bake the bacon in advance to cook a large quantity.
Wendi says
There is no flour or half and half amounts listed in the ingredients. I'm making this as I type this.
WholeLottaYum says
I'm sorry Wendy, the recipe actually uses heavy whipping cream which just gets added at the end with the sour cream. To lighten the soup you can mix half and half or whole milk with flour to make a roux, which gets mixed in place of heavy whipping cream. That was supposed to be in the notes section and not the recipe steps. It's corrected now. Enjoy the soup! We love it!
Jenny says
You mention combining half & half with flour, but don't list flour as one of the ingredients.
Tamy says
You don’t say how much flour to use fir the roux. Can you please tell me
Falynn says
How many servings does this make?