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Instant Pot Potato Soup

Prep Time25 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Instant Pot, Potato, Soup
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon Butter
  • 1 medium Onion chopped
  • 3 cloves Garlic minced
  • 12 slices PreCooked Bacon roughly
  • 3 cups Chicken Broth
  • 1 10-12 oz. can or carton Cream of Chicken Soup (there are organic brands on the market)
  • 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke (optional)
  • 2.5 lbs. Russet Potatoes peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes
  • 1.5 teaspoons Kosher Salt
  • 4 grinds Black Pepper
  • 1 cup Milk
  • 1 Tablespoon All Purpose Flour (For OPTION 1)
  • 2.5 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese (I prefer sharp or extra sharp for this

For Garnish

  • Your choices of: Sliced Green Onions, Chives, and Shredded Cheddar

Instructions

  • Add butter to the Instant Pot and turn on the sauté function to low. Once butter is melted, add in the onions, garlic, and precooked bacon and cook for 4-5 minutes until the onion is soft. Stir often.
  • Add the chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, liquid smoke, potatoes, salt, and pepper to the pot, and stir well.
  • Place the lid on the Instant Pot and turn the vent to Seal.  Cook over Manual pressure for 10 minutes, then Quick release the pressure.

OPTION 1 FINISH (For slightly thinner broth, chunkier soup)

  • While soup is cooking, stir the flour into the cup of milk to make a slurry. After quick release, set the pot to saute ,and add the slurry. Stir well. Bring to simmer, and let simmer for 1 minute stirring occasionally.
  • Stir in the cheddar cheese, stirring until incorporated.

OPTION 2 FINISH (For thicker, less chunky soup)

  • After the quick release, open the lid and stir in the milk. Turn the pot to sauté, and once the soup reaches a simmer, cook for 1 minute, stirring often.
  • Partially puree the soup with an immersion blender just enough to thicken up the soup a little but leaving some chunks of potato.
  • Stir in the cheddar cheese, stirring until incorporated.

Modifications

The modifications are mostly built into the way I have streamlined this soup. 
The biggest change I made was using precooked bacon from the grocery store. Since this bacon is generally not as tasty as the thick cut, hickory smoked bacon I generally favor, I added a teaspoon of liquid smoke.
I chop the garlic first in the food processor until it is minced and then add the onion and process until it is chopped.
Peeling potatoes is not fun for me. I usually break this task up into two sittings and keep the ones I have already peeled in a bowl of ice water so they do not discolor waiting for me to peel them I then use the bowl of ice water to keep the diced potatoes in until I am ready to use them.