Instant Pot Potato Soup

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An instant pot potato soup with bacon recipe that’s loaded with all your favorite ingredients, like cheddar cheese, garlic, onions, potatoes and thyme.

Here we go again, another soup recipe for your Fall food collection. This recipe is an Instant Pot adaptation of our Creamy Loaded Baked Potato Soup,

So, if you don’t have an Instant Pot, that’s okay, just click that link for a stove-top version of this potato soup with bacon. Honestly, I’m not sure which soup recipe I like the most.

Both options have all my favorite ingredients, like bacon, cheese, and a heavy cream base.

I suppose, I don’t have to pick one, I can enjoy them both equally. They are the perfect soups to indulge in on a cold day and they definitely hit on the mark on “comfort food.”

The main difference between each potato soup with bacon is the Instant Pot version takes a little less time.

If you happen to be pressed for time, then I recommend you give this dish a try. While this might seem abrupt, how about we stop chatting and start cooking?

An aerial view of the potato soup with bacon in square bowls garnished with bacon and green onion.

How to Make Potato Soup with Bacon:

First, start by turning on the Instant Pot and setting it to saute. Now, add the uncooked bacon to the pot.

Cook it until it reaches the desired crispness, then remove the bacon from the pot. Turn off the instant pot and drain out any excess grease.

Next, turn the Instant Pot back on and set it to saute once again. Then add the butter, onion, and garlic.

Saute everything for 2-3 minutes or until the onions are soft. Be sure not to over cook the garlic or it with become bitter.

Turn the instant pot off the saute function.

All of the potato soup with bacon ingredients, like cooked bacon and heavy cream, prepped to create the dish.

At this point, it’s time to return the cooked bacon back to the pot and add the broth, potatoes, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir all of the ingredients to combine them.

Then, close the lid and make sure the valve is turned to “sealing.” Set the Instant Pot to manual pressure/pressure cook high for 10 minutes.  

While the soup cooks, whisk together the heavy cream and flour and set the mixture aside for later.

A photo, looking down into the instant pot, showing the broth and potatoes, just after cooking.

After the 10-minutes are up, complete a quick release. Remove the lid and set the Instant Pot back to saute.

Afterwards, carefully add the heavy cream mixture and shredded cheddar cheese while stirring the soup. Continuously stir the soup until it thickens. It should only take about 3-4 minutes.

Last, pour 1-cup servings of the soup into bowls and top with additional bacon, cheese, and green onions if desired. Serve the potato soup with bacon immediately and store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

A final top-down picture if the finished instant pot potato soup with bacon served in two squares bowl.

Instant Pot Potato Soup with Bacon Tips:

  • Make sure you cut the potatoes into 1-inch, bite-sized, chunks; otherwise, the potatoes will not cook properly.
  • In regards to the potatoes, you can choose any variety of potato you desire. We chose golden or yellow potatoes simply because that’s what we had on-hand.
  • To create a vegetarian potato soup version, leave out the bacon.
A final top-down picture if the finished instant pot potato soup with bacon served in two squares bowl.

Instant Pot Potato Soup

5 from 7 votes
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Author: John
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Pressure Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 8 Servings

Ingredients

  • 8 slices bacon, plus extra for garnish
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ½ cup white onion, diced
  • 2 tablespoons garlic cloves, minced
  • 32 ounces low sodium vegetable broth
  • 6 baby gold potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme, or to taste
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • First, turn the Instant Pot to saute and add the uncooked bacon to the pot. Cook until it reaches the desired crispness, then remove from the pot. Turn off the pot and drain any excess grease.
    8 slices bacon
  • Next, turn the Instant Pot back to saute, then add the butter, onion, and garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes until the onion is soft. Turn off the saute function.
    2 tablespoons unsalted butter
    ½ cup white onion
    2 tablespoons garlic cloves
  • Then, add the cooked bacon, broth, potatoes, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir the ingredients to combine.
    32 ounces low sodium vegetable broth
    6 baby gold potatoes
    ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • Afterwards, close the lid and make sure the valve is turned to “sealing.” Set the Instant Pot to manual pressure/pressure cook high for 10 minutes. While the soup cooks, whisk together the heavy cream and flour. Set aside.
    1 cup heavy cream
    ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • Last, after the 10 minutes, complete a quick release. Remove the lid, and set the Instant Pot back to saute. Carefully add the heavy cream mixture and shredded cheese while stirring. Continue to stir until the soup thickens (about 3-4 minutes). Top with additional bacon, cheese, and green onions. Serve immediately.
    ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese

Suggested Equipment

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 397kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 686mg | Potassium: 778mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 851IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 2mg

Notes

The calories listed are an approximation based on the ingredients and a 1-cup serving size. Additionally, the calorie count does not include any garnishments, like extra bacon or cheddar cheese. The potato soup with bacon can be stored in your fridge for up to 3-days in a sealed container.
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12 Comments

    1. Good morning Claude, that’s a great question. Absolutely, once the soup cools transfer it to a freezer safe container. It should last about 3 months in the freezer. Thank you for asking, have a great day 🙂

  1. Hi John,
    I made this recipe last night and it was DELICIOUS!!! I love my instant pot and am so glad to have found your site!!
    I had some broccoli and wanted to use it before it timed out so I added that and diced carrots to the soup.
    I had made homemade chicken stock last week and used that instead of vegetable stock..
    Thank you again for a great recipe!
    May God bless you and yours and our country/world during these most difficult, sad times.

    1. Thank you Susan! That’s one of my favorite soup recipes. I’m glad the additions worked well for you. Thank you again for coming back to comment on and rate the recipe card. Have a lovely day 🙂

  2. Hi John,
    I made this recipe last night and it was DELICIOUS!!! I love my instant pot and am so glad to have found your site!!
    I had some broccoli and wanted to use it before it timed out so I added that and diced carrots to the soup.
    I had made homemade chicken stock last week and used that instead of vegetable stock..
    Thank you again for a great recipe!
    May God bless you and yours and our country/world during these most difficult, sad times.

  3. Hi John,
    I made this recipe last night and it was DELICIOUS!!! I love my instant pot and am so glad to have found your site!!
    I had some broccoli and wanted to use it before it timed out so I added that and diced carrots to the soup.
    I had made homemade chicken stock last week and used that instead of vegetable stock..
    Thank you again for a great recipe!
    May God bless you and yours and our country/world during these most difficult, sad times.

  4. I will be trying this recipe out today! But I am wondering if I am able to freeze this and if so for how long? Thanks 🙂

    1. Good morning Charlena! That’s a great question and I have a simple answer for you. Yes, it can be frozen and should hold for about 2-3 weeks in your freezer. With that being said, it has (full fat) heavy cream in the recipe. So, when you’re re-heating it, I recommend doing so very slowly. Otherwise, the cream will, “break,” and separate. In my opinion, that makes it inedible because the fat and cream split apart and you end up with little beads of fat throughout the whole dish. That’s kind of yucky to me. To summarize, yes it can be frozen for a few weeks, but be sure to reheat it slowly (low temp on stove top or power 4 or less in the microwave). I hope this information helps. Kim and I wish you a lovely day 🙂

    1. Good Morning Sarah, that’s a great question. If you don’t have heavy cream, you can use milk instead. Have a great day 🙂

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