Thick and creamy Instant Pot Potato Soup is made in one pot and ready in 30 minutes! Making a bowl of this hearty soup has never been easier thanks to the pressure cooker.
We also love this Instant Pot potato salad and Instant Pot potatoes!
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This Instant Pot potato soup tastes like it has been simmering for hours, but by using the pressure cooker it’s done in a flash. Talk about a game changer for busy families, especially during the week!
This is my favorite time of the year to make big batches of healthy soup recipes. It’s the perfect way to warm up on chilly days!
A few other favorite homemade soups that give the same cozy feels are this healthy butternut squash soup and chicken stew.
We also love Instant Pot chicken and potatoes, a thick stew that is also comforting and grounding after a busy day.
And the best part about this hearty ‘baked’ potato soup is that it’s customizable and makes a large batch, meaning you can have soup leftovers for days!
Ingredients You’ll Need
There is so much flavor in this Instant Pot loaded potato soup from simple ingredients like potatoes, onion, garlic and herbs with no canned soup in sight.
Naturally gluten free, it’s loaded with fiber, potassium, and vitamins A and C.
- Russet potatoes
- Onion and garlic
- Butter
- Dried thyme
- Low sodium broth: I use Instant Pot chicken broth.
- Salt and pepper
- Whole milk
- Toppings: Green onions, bacon, shredded cheddar cheese.
How to Make Instant Pot Potato Soup
Quick and easy, this homemade potato soup is ready in 30 minutes, thanks to the Instant Pot! Just follow these step by step directions.
Saute: On the Instant Pot, press Saute and wait until the display says Hot. Add butter, onion, garlic, and thyme to the pot.
Saute for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Watch for burning garlic! Press Cancel.
Stir in potatoes, broth, salt, and pepper and close the lid. Turn the pressure valve to Sealing. Pressure cook on high for 5 minutes.
Once the cooking time is over, it will beep. Do a 3-minute natural release, meaning do nothing for 3 minutes. And then release the remaining pressure using the quick release method.
Open the lid and add the milk. Mash potatoes with a masher until desired consistency. The pressure cooker will have made the potatoes so tender that it won’t be difficult to mash.
Use an immersion blender for a few quick pulses. Careful not to over mix.
Serve hot garnished with your favorite toppings! My family loves classic loaded potato toppings like baked bacon, green onion, and grated cheese.
Tips and Notes
- Evenly sized cubed potatoes: Chop potatoes into same size for even cooking.
- Do not over blend your soup: Whether you use a masher or immersion blender, over blending will cause potatoes to release too much starch and they become gluey.
- Use freshly grated cheddar cheese for the toppings: It not only tastes better but melts better and is just generally healthier. Using pre-shredded cheese comes with additives that you don’t need in a healthy soup!
- Bacon: Bacon grease is your friend! Whether you’ve cooked the bacon in the oven or on the stovetop ahead of time, use the grease in place of the butter for the initial saute. It will add so much flavor!
What Potatoes are Best for Potato Soup?
Russet potatoes are always a go-to for making a creamy potato soup recipe. They’re readily available in most grocery stores, they’re higher in starch and they break down easily. Which is why they make great Instant Pot mashed potatoes too.
I love to use them for this recipe for Instant Pot baked potatoes as well!
I don’t recommend using red potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes in this type of potato soup because of their low starch level. They are waxier potatoes so they do well in soups or stews that have potato as an added ingredient as they hold their shape better.
How Can I Make This Without An Instant Pot?
You can make this soup on the stovetop as well as the slow cooker!
For the slow cooker, toss all ingredients into the cooker, close the lid and set it for 7-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high. After cooking time, proceed with mashing and topping as desired.
On the stovetop, saute your onion, garlic and thyme in butter until translucent. Add all other ingredients except milk and topping.
Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer until potatoes are fork tender about 20-30 minutes. Proceed with mashing into desired consistency and then add desired topping.
How to Store
Store: This soup makes great leftovers when kept refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can also keep it in the lining of the Instant Pot if you’ve got a lid for it.
Freezing: Freeze in a glass container or resealable silicone bags. Leave extra room for expansion. Can be kept frozen for up to 3 months.
Reheating: If frozen, thaw overnight or on the counter for 6 hours. Reheat the amount you need by simmering on low in a pot on the stove top. This should take about 5-7 minutes.
You can add more broth or milk to thin it out as necessary.
FAQs
This ‘baked’ potato soup is quite thick on its own and it does continue to thicken as it cools. However, you can use a bit of cornstarch.
Grab a small bowl and whisk together cold milk (or cold water or broth) and cornstarch. Add to the pot and it will thicken it up nicely.
Cooked chopped bacon, freshly grated cheddar cheese, green onions or even a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt make loaded potato soup.
A little hot sauce or everything bagel seasoning are delicious!
Serve this soup with whole grain bread and lettuce salad, savoy cabbage salad or healthy broccoli salad.
While I love the nutrients in the potato peel, for this pressure cooker potato soup peeling your potatoes gives it a silkier texture. That being said, if you don’t mind the peels in soup, feel free to leave them on.
For a vegetarian potato soup, use vegetable broth vs. chicken broth and skip the bacon topping.
To make Instant pot potato soup vegan, saute your onion mixture in olive oil, use vegetable broth and swap whole milk for an unsweetened non dairy milk, like almond milk, rice, soy, hemp, oat etc.
Taste may change slightly and your soup may be more thin in texture. Skip adding bacon topping.
Try making soup with half cauliflower, half potatoes for a lower carb version.
More Instant Pot Soup Recipes
- Instant Pot zuppa toscana
- Instant Pot lentil soup
- Instant Pot vegetable soup
- Instant Pot minestrone
- Instant Pot black bean soup
- Instant Pot lasagna soup
- Instant Pot cabbage soup
You may also love this collection of healthy Instant Pot recipes!
Instant Pot Potato Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 lbs (5 medium) russet potatoes peeled & cubed
- 1 large yellow or white onion finely chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 tsp thyme dried
- 2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth low sodium
- `1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 cup whole milk
- 10 bacon slices
- 3 green onion sprigs finely chopped
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese grated
Instructions
- On Instant Pot, press Saute and wait until display says Hot. Add butter, onion, garlic and thyme; saute for about 5 minutes. Press Cancel.
- Add potatoes, broth, salt and pepper. Close the lid, turn pressure vent to Sealing and press Pressure Cook on High or Manual for 5 minutes.
- While soup is cooking, preheat large ceramic non-stick skillet on medium heat and cook bacon in batches until crispy. Transfer to a plate to cool off, then chop.
- After Instant Pot has finished cooking, wait 3 minutes and release pressure using Quick Release method.
- Open the lid, add milk and mash potatoes with a masher until desired consistency. You can also give just a few whirls with an immersion blender but do not overprocess.
- Serve potato soup hot garnished with bacon bits, green onion and grated cheese.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container or right in the pot for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Freeze in a glass container or re-sealable silicone bags leaving room for expansion for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or on the counter for 6 hours.
- Reheat: Reheat amount you will consume at that time by simmering on low heat in a pot. Shouldn’t take more than 5-7 minutes. Add more broth or milk to thin out the soup, if necessary.
- Do not overblend: If you decide to puree soup with an immersion blender, do not puree for too long as soup will become gluey mess within minutes.
- Red or yellow potatoes: I do not recommend using red or yellow potatoes for the soup because they are too waxy.
Hi Olena,
I made the best Bourbon braised honey ham the other night for dinner and had leftove ham and mashed potatoes. Originally, I thought of making split pea soup( but I wasnt really in the mood for split pear or lentil), so I thought, I wonder if I can make leftover mashed potatoe soup in the instant pot. I did and it turned out great. I sauteed onions, celery, baby carrots in some butter. Diced up some of the very delicious bourbon ham. Then I added some thyme and minced garlic. Added chicken broth . I thickened the soup with corn startch and milk and added finely chopped parsley, fresh dill and green onions on the top. It was absolutely out of this world delicious. Anyone who wants to can add cheddar cheese and top or a dollop of sour cream. I wanted potato soup and wanted to use the instant pot but used leftover mashed potatoes instead. PS. I absolutely love getting your news letters. You have the best ideas!
Fantastic! Glad you enjoyed the recipe and made it your own haha. So happy to hear you love my newsletters, Marianne.
This soup is excellent and quick to make.
So glad you enjoyed it!
My family said this was better than one they had recently at a restaurant!
Love it! Soup and the Instant Pot for the win!
Thanks will make this tomorrow will let you know
Looking forward to how it goes!
I love that you offer substitution options. Brilliant. Did half potatoes and added cauliflower. Delicious. Like always!
Thanks Tara! Glad you enjoyed the soup!
Thank you for another great quick and easy healthy recipe! We loved it. Since we didn’t have green onion we used chives.
You are very welcome, Tammy!
I’m looking to prepare this soup in a slow cooker. I have a non-dairy family member…can I use coconut milk in place of whole milk? Merry Christmas!
Thanks.
It has not been tested without dairy milk, but you can try coconut milk, taste will be different. Merry Christmas!
Wow!!! Excellent recipe! Thanks for all the tips. This is a very forgiving recipe so you should taste and adjust to your liking. Potato size may alter how much liquid you need. Also, using low sodium broth, I had to add more salt (or Vegeta for more flavor). But it’s better to add than to have too salty. I also used whipping cream instead of regular whole milk. So creamy. I like a little heat so I added Franks Redhot original seasoning (your favorite hot seasoning will work). Now, my little secret, I add a bit (to taste) sweet Hungarian Paparika! The cheddar cheese and fresh bacon bits topped it off!
I’m looking forward to more of your recipes!!
So happy to hear you loved it Rebekah and love that you made it your ‘own’! That’s awesome!
Absolutely scrumptious, Olena! Total success. I substituted half of potatoes for cauliflower, as you suggested, and also added some chopped leeks – great flavor, thanks for suggesting that too. While frying onions and garlic, I added a little bit of fresh ginger – love the kick! And last but not least, I used non-dairy milk (coconut – from a carton) and it worked well too! 🙂 This is going to be a staple in our house – thanks!
So happy to hear this! And that ginger kick- what an innovative addition that sounds amazing! Thanks for the review. 🙂
is peeling the potatoes mandatory?
You don’t have to, but it will create a smoother soup without strips of potato skin in there…if you are okay with that! 🙂