How this potato soup gets creamy without a drop of heavy cream
Most potato soup recipes hand you a carton of heavy cream and call it a day. I wanted one that tasted just as rich on a Tuesday, without a special grocery run for something I’d use a quarter of and then find three weeks later in the back of the fridge.
So what does the work instead? Bacon fat as the base, starchy Russets that break down into their own creaminess, and a milk and cornstarch slurry stirred in at the end.
This Instant Pot Potato Soup came out of those first crisp evenings when I want something warm on the table but have ZERO interest in standing over the stove for an hour. Comforting and easy don’t usually show up together, and that’s exactly what I was after.
If you love a loaded baked potato, this is that in a bowl, right down to the cheddar and sour cream on top. It scratches the same itch as my Loaded Bacon Mashed Potatoes, just with a spoon.
And since it all gets blended smooth at the end, you can quick-release the pressure the second the timer goes off. (No standing around waiting on a natural release!)
Why you’ll love this Instant Pot potato soup
- Loaded baked potato flavor in a bowl, and everybody builds their own with the toppings they actually want.
- 45 minutes start to finish, and the Instant Pot handles the standing-around part for you.
- No heavy cream, no flour, no cream-of-anything. Milk and a cornstarch slurry do all the work, which also makes it gluten free.
Ingredients and Substitutions
For the exact measurements and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card below.
- Potatoes: Opt for Russet for the best texture. Red or Yukon gold potatoes can be used, but they are waxy and the final result won’t be the same.
- Milk: Regular or a plant-based version both work, and oat milk is the preferred dairy-free alternative. Choose a full fat kind for the creamiest soup with the most flavor.
- Cornstarch: This is what thickens the soup instead of a flour roux or heavy cream, and it’s what keeps the whole recipe gluten free.
- Herbs: A combination of thyme and rosemary is best, but you can get creative and swap these out for your favorites.
- Bacon: Choose your preferred style and flavor. The fat is used to make the base, but you can top the soup with bacon bits, as well.
- Garlic: Minced garlic adds so much to the soup! You can use garlic powder if needed.
- Vegetables: Onion and celery create the base of the soup, and you can use white, sweet, or yellow onion depending on your preference.
- Broth: Chicken or vegetable broth are the mildest flavored, but you could use beef if that is all you have.
How to Make Instant Pot Potato Soup
Please see the recipe card below for the full instructions, ingredient amounts, and a printable recipe.
Prepare the potatoes
Rinse each potato and scrub the outsides to remove any dirt or debris. Remove the skins with a vegetable peeler and cut each one into 1-inch chunks.
You can leave the skins on if you’d like, but it will yield a chunkier texture to the soup.
Sauté the bacon and veggies
Turn your Instant Pot to sauté mode, then cut the bacon into small chunks and cook them for 6 to 8 minutes, until they’re crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon but leave the fat in the pot, setting the chunks on a paper towel-lined plate.
Add the butter, then the onion and celery, and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes before tossing in the garlic for another 30 seconds.
The Instant Pot I L❤️VE!
Not all pressure cookers are the same. The 6-quart Duo Plus is the one I reach for, since the sauté function does real work before the lid goes on and the controls are simple enough that you don’t need the manual.
Add the potatoes and cook
Pour the broth into the pot, add the dried herbs, salt, and pepper, and use a spatula to deglaze so nothing is stuck to the bottom. Carefully place the potato chunks into the broth and try to submerge them as much as possible.
Put the lid on, turn the valve to sealed, and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes.
Quick release is the right call here. Since the whole pot gets blended smooth at the end, you don’t need a slow natural release to keep the potato chunks intact.
Vent it the second the timer goes off and save yourself the wait.
Purée and thicken
While the soup cooks, whisk the warmed milk and cornstarch together in a medium-sized bowl. Once you’ve done the quick release, pour the slurry in and stir the mixture well.
Purée the soup right in the pot with an immersion blender until it’s smooth.
No immersion blender? A food processor or high-speed blender works too.
Be very careful transferring the hot liquid, and process the soup in more than one batch if you need to.
The best immersion blender!
This stick blender is a lifesaver when it comes to blending up creamy soups or even salad dressings. It’s easy to clean, gets things silky smooth, and is pretty affordable!
Serve
Serve this soup like you would a baked potato. The best toppings are shredded cheddar, sour cream, green onions, bacon pieces, and homemade croutons.
FAQs
The starch is the secret. Russet potatoes have enough of it to thicken the pot on their own, which is why this soup gets creamy without heavy cream or a flour roux. Almost everything that goes wrong with potato soup comes down to mishandling that starch.
You probably blended it a little too long. Potato starch turns pasty when it gets overworked, so purée just until the last lumps disappear, then stop.
Russets are the pick because they’re starchy enough to thicken the soup themselves. Red and Yukon gold are waxier, so they hold their shape instead of breaking down and you’ll end up with a thinner pot. They’re the same ones I reach for when I’m <a href=”https://www.evolvingtable.com/how-to-boil-potatoes/”>boiling potatoes</a> for anything else.
Whisk another spoonful of cornstarch into a splash of warmed milk and stir it in, then give it a minute on sauté. Warm the milk first, since cold milk will clump on you, and if it’s still not where you want it there are a few other ways to <a href=”https://www.evolvingtable.com/how-to-thicken-soup/”>thicken soup</a>.
You can. Leave the skins on when you cut the potatoes, and stop the immersion blender early so some pieces stay whole.
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Instant Pot Potato Soup
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds russet potatoes
- 4 ounces bacon finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter or oil
- 4 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 small onion diced
- 3 ribs celery diced
- 3 cups broth chicken or vegetable, regular sodium
- ½ teaspoon each of thyme and rosemary dried
- 2 teaspoons salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper to taste
- 1 cup milk regular or a plant-based alternative
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Toppings:
- sour cream
- Cheese shredded
- Chives or green onions
Instructions
- Rinse and scrub potatoes to remove any visible dirt and then cut into 1-inch chunks.2 ½ pounds russet potatoes
- Add bacon to a 6-quart Instant Pot set to the saute function and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until crispy.4 ounces bacon
- Remove bacon using a slotted spoon and keep the remaining bacon fat in the pot. Let the bacon pieces drain on a paper towel lined plate.
- Add butter, onion and celery and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and continue sauteing for an additional 30 seconds, or until fragrant.2 tablespoons butter, 1 small onion, 3 ribs celery, 4 cloves garlic
- Pour in the broth and then add the dried herbs, salt, and pepper. Scrape the bottom of the pot to release any bits or pieces that might be stuck.3 cups broth, ½ teaspoon each of thyme and rosemary, 2 teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Add the peeled and cubed potatoes to the pot and submerge them as far into the liquid as possible.
- Using the manual function, set the Instant Pot to high pressure and the timer to 10 minutes. Quick release the pressure as soon as the timer goes off.
- While the soup is cooking, whisk together warmed milk and cornstarch in a medium-sized bowl to make a slurry.1 cup milk, 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Once the soup has cooked, pour in the slurry, give it a good stir, and then puree the soup using an immersion blender until smooth. Alternatively, you can carefully transfer the hot soup to either a food processor or high speed blender and blend until smooth.
- Serve the soup with all of your favorite baked potato toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions, and those reserved bacon pieces. Enjoy!sour cream, Cheese, Chives
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Video
Notes
- Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 to 5 days.
- Freezing: Freezes for 4 to 6 months, but the texture changes. Milk-based potato soup tends to separate or turn a little grainy after it thaws, so reheat it low and whisk as you go.
- Reheat: Warm low and slow on the stovetop, whisking to bring it back together. The microwave works too.
- Make ahead: The whole soup can be made a day early, or just chop the potatoes and keep them in an airtight bag in the fridge.
- Potatoes: Russets are the pick, since their starch is what thickens the soup. Red and Yukon gold are waxier and will give you a thinner pot.
- Dairy-free: Swap in oat milk and a butter alternative.
- Vegetarian: Skip the bacon, use vegetable broth, and start the base with the butter or oil.
- Blending: Purée just until the lumps are gone. Overworking potato starch turns it gluey.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What to serve with potato soup
This is a big, filling bowl, so it doesn’t need much beside it. Some crusty bread and a pile of homemade croutons on top is honestly the whole move.
If you want a real dinner around it, Air Fryer Meatloaf or Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets both come together while the soup is under pressure, and neither one needs the stovetop.
And once you’re deep into soup season, Zuppa Toscana Soup is the other potato-and-bacon pot I rotate through all winter, and Potato Leek Soup is the one to make when you want something a little more delicate.
More Instant Pot soup recipes
Once the Instant Pot comes out for soup, it kind of stays out. These are the ones we make on repeat:
