A creamy, comforting potato soup made in the Instant Pot in about 10 minutes. Loaded with butter, cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar, and optional bacon bits and green onions.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Speed: ready in about 10 minutes under pressure (plus blending).

• Creamy texture without heavy cooking.

• Hearty and satisfying: potatoes, cheese, and optional bacon bits.

• Flexible consistency: add more or less milk to adjust thickness.

• Great for cold days, weeknight dinners, or when you want comforting soup fast.

10 Minute Instant Pot Baked Potato Soup

Potato soup is the kind of dish that warms you from the inside out, and with an Instant Pot, you can enjoy it almost instantly. In this version, peeled and cubed potatoes cook under pressure with minced shallot (or onion) and chicken broth until tender. When the pot releases, you mash the potatoes right in the pot (or use an immersion blender) to your desired texture—some pieces chunky, others smooth.

Once you’ve got your base, you enrich it with butter, softened cream cheese, sour cream, shredded cheddar, salt, and pepper. The cream cheese and sour cream add richness and silkiness; the cheddar gives flavor and body. You then gently add milk until the soup reaches your preferred consistency—thicker for spooning, thinner for sipping.

For added texture and flavor, you can heat real bacon bits and mix them in or use them as a topping, along with chopped green onions. The result is a bowl of creamy potato soup packed with flavor, ready quickly thanks to pressure cooking. It’s flexible, comforting, and a joy to adapt (add herbs, extra cheese, or spices) to make it uniquely yours.

Servings

About 6–8 servings

Time

Ingredients

• 5 lb potatoes, peeled and cubed

• 1 large shallot, minced (or 3 Tbsp minced onion)

• 5–6 cups chicken broth (or enough to cover potatoes)

• 4 Tbsp butter

• ⅓ cup softened cream cheese

• ⅓ cup sour cream

• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

• ¼ tsp salt

• ⅛ tsp pepper

• 1–2 cups milk (adjust for desired consistency)

• ½ cup real bacon bits, heated (optional)

• 1 green onion, chopped (optional garnish)

Instructions

1. Add minced shallot (or minced onion) and cubed potatoes into the Instant Pot.

2. Pour in enough chicken broth to cover the potatoes. Seal the lid, set to Manual or Soup setting, and cook for 10 minutes under pressure.

3. Once cooking is done, release pressure (turn valve from sealing to venting). Remove lid.

4. Mash the potatoes in the pot using a potato masher or an electric hand mixer—blend to your preferred texture (smooth or slightly chunky).

5. Stir in butter, cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar cheese, salt and pepper; blend until creamy and combined.

6. Gradually stir in milk, adding more or less until the soup reaches your desired consistency.

7. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.

8. (Optional) Heat bacon bits in microwave 30–60 seconds until crispy; either mix into soup or use as a topping.

9. Serve hot, garnished with green onion or extras as desired.

Tips

• Use starchy potatoes (Russet or Yukon) for creamier texture.

• Blend gently—overblending can make the soup gluey.

• Add milk slowly so you don’t overshoot your desired thickness.

• Use freshly shredded cheddar (not pre-shredded) for better melt.

• Keep extra toppings (bacon, green onion) separate so diners can customize.