Instant Pot Potato Soup

Enjoy a hot and hearty supper tonight with this tasty Instant Pot Potato Soup. Seasoned with bacon and tarragon, this soup is perfect comfort food. Doll it up with shredded cheese, sour cream, and green onions for the loaded baked potato soup experience.

Serve Instant Pot Potato Soup with oyster crackers for a quick, easy supper. If you’ve got a little more free time, bake up a batch of Garlic Focaccia or Self-Rising Flour Biscuits to go with.

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• Why Make This
• Ingredients
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• FAQs
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• Instant Pot Potato Soup

Creamy potato soup has long been a classic favorite; what a delicious bowl of comfort on a cold night!  Potato soup recipes are inexpensive to prepare, making them top on the list of budget meals.

And they can be made with a handful of grocery staples — perfect for a throw together supper. This Instant Pot Potato Soup is loaded with flavor and is the perfect candidate for a last-minute dinner.

Why Make This

It’s fast. Instant Pot Potato Soup can be made quickly in the pressure cooker, freeing you up to prep the rest of the meal or take care of other tasks. Once you try this pressure cooker soup, be sure to try Instant Pot Tomato Soup.

It’s delicious. The potato, bacon, and tarragon flavors get a boost from being cooked in the pressure cooker. 

It’s cheap. Potatoes are one of our faves on the Budget Grocery List. You only need a little of the rest of the ingredients, keeping the cost of this Instant Pot Potato Soup low. This is a great kid friendly meal that won’t break the bank.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make Instant Pot Potato Soup:

bacon – You only need four slices of bacon; remember you can freeze cooked bacon that’s leftover for another time.

onion and garlic – You can use brown or white onions as well as leeks or shallots if that’s what you have on hand. Use fresh garlic cloves or minced garlic from a jar or tube.

potatoes – I typically use the more affordable russet potatoes, but you can use Yukon Gold Potatoes or red potatoes if you prefer. Just keep in mind that each type of potato has a slightly different texture once cooked. 

chicken stock – Homemade Chicken Stock adds lots of flavor, but you can use vegetable broth or even water in Instant Pot Potato Soup.

herbs and spices – You’ll need salt, dried tarragon, freshly ground black pepper, and a dash ground cayenne pepper. Feel free to swap out the tarragon for another favorite herb.

heavy cream – Cream will help thicken this soup, making it naturally gluten free. You can also use milk or almond milk if you prefer. Leftover cream? Freeze whipped cream.

toppings for loaded potato soup – Chopped green onions, shredded cheddar cheese, and sour cream aren’t required, but they definitely take this pressure cooker potato soup to the next level.

Variations

To make Instant Pot Potato Soup vegetarian – omit the bacon.

To make this soup vegan – omit the bacon, use vegetable broth and almond or coconut milk instead of the chicken broth and milk. Top with plant-based cheese and sour cream.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Here’s how to make Instant Pot Potato Soup:

• In the insert of a pressure cooker, saute the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain. 
• Cook the onions in the bacon drippings until tender and translucent, scraping up any browned bits. This will add flavor to the soup as well as prevent burning on the bottom of the instant pot. 
• Stir in the potatoes and the garlic. Cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring.
• Add the chicken stock as well as the salt, tarragon, black pepper, and cayenne.
• Secure the lid and close the pressure valve. Set the machine to manual for 5 minutes. 

• When the time is up, use the quick release to remove the lid.
• Stir the soup, mashing the larger potatoes with the bowl of the ladle, until you have the texture you prefer. For a very smooth soup, you can use the immersion blender. 
• Stir in the cream. Adjust the seasonings and serve with the crisp bacon and other toppings.

Variations

To make this soup in the slow cooker – Follow steps 1 to 3 in a skillet on the stove and then transfer everything to the crock of a slow cooker. Add the stock and seasonings. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours or on LOW for 6 to 8 hours. At the end of the cook time, blend the soup to your desired texture and stir in the cream. Adjust the seasonings and serve.

To make this soup on the stovetop – Prepare the soup steps 1 to 4 in a heavy stockpot on the stove. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. At the end of the cook time, blend the soup to your desired texture and stir in the cream. Adjust the seasonings and serve.

FAQs

More Instant Pot Recipes

This post was originally published on December 14, 2017. It has been updated for content and clarity.