This delicious Potato Soup Recipe is made in the Instant Pot. You’ll love that it’s really easy to make and that it’s ready in under 30 minutes!
Potato Soup is really easy to make in the Instant Pot. The recipe below uses baking potatoes, chicken broth, ham or bacon, flour, and milk. You can serve it as is, or make it into a loaded potato soup by topping it with shredded cheese, bacon, green onions, and sour cream.
There are more details about making homemade Instant Pot Potato Soup below, or you can click here to jump straight to the recipe.
Ingredients
- Potatoes (peeled or not): Any kind of potato will work, really. Baking potatoes are my preference though because they turn out the fluffiest.
- Chicken broth: Feel free to use whatever kind of broth or stock you like. Different broths and stocks have different amounts of salt though, so keep that in mind. Also, some broths have more color to them than others. If you were to use a beef stock, for instance, it will likely tint your potato soup to a beige color.
- Ham or bacon: For a classic potato soup, I do like to use bacon. However, in the Instant Pot, I find that cooked bacon can get a bit limp and unappealing. I therefore prefer to use some cubed ham in this soup. If you really want to use bacon, I’d add it as a garnish at the end, to make this a loaded potato soup, rather than during the cooking process. If you’re adding cooked bacon as a garnish at the end, you can also add ham or cooked bacon during the cooking process so that the flavor infuses the soup.
- Whole milk: The whole milk is being mixed with flour to make a slurry that is added to the soup at the end to thicken it (see more info below). I find that whole milk adds a nice creaminess without being too rich. If you’d like it richer, you can use heavy cream, half-and-half, or either of those mixed with whole milk. You can alternatively use fat-free milk for the full amount or part of it. Water will also work, as will more stock/broth, but you won’t get as creamy a taste.
- All-purpose flour: This soup is thickened partly from the potatoes and partly from a slurry of milk and flour. If you’d prefer, you can use cornstarch instead of flour. You’d do everything the same, but use 2 tablespoons of cornstarch instead of the 1/4 cup of flour. I haven’t tried using other types of flour, but if you’ve had success thickening soups with other kinds, they should work here.
- Salt and pepper and seasonings: I keep this soup really simple, the way my mom made it, with just salt and pepper for the seasonings. You could also add some garlic powder, and any other seasonings that you’d like. Some paprika or a touch of thyme would be nice in here.
- Garnishes: When I was growing up, loaded potato soup wasn’t a thing, so we didn’t typically garnish this soup. I’m therefore used to having it plain with some buttered bread. Carb-fest! However, if you want to make this into a loaded potato soup, that’s really easy. Simply garnish each serving with a sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese, some cooked chopped bacon (or bacon bits), some chopped green onion, and a dollop of sour cream.
Using A Slurry In Instant Pot Soups
A lot of creamy soups are made with a roux. A roux is a blend of fat (like butter) mixed with flour until it forms a paste. You would then add liquid to that to thin it down. You also usually then simmer the liquid to cook out the raw flour taste. You can see a roux in action in my classic Béchamel sauce (basic white sauce) recipe over here.
When making soups and sauces in the Instant Pot, the intense heat and pressure can cause the sauce created using a roux to break apart, and then no longer be nice and smooth. I therefore never use a roux if I’m planning to cook in the Instant Pot. Instead, I use a slurry.
A slurry is a mixture of flour and liquid (or cornstarch and liquid). I find it easiest to mix it well by measuring it into a far with a tight-fitting lid and then shaking it until I no longer see any flour clumped anywhere.
A slurry is typically stirred into a dish towards the end of cooking. When using a slurry in the Instant Pot, I add it after the pressure cooking, so that it doesn’t break as explained for the roux earlier. In the case of this Instant Pot Potato Soup, you pressure cook the soup, then you take out some of the potatoes to mash them a bit (this serves to thicken the soup a little and to spread the potato flavor into the broth). Then you make a slurry out of milk and flour, and stir it into the soup.
As with the roux, it’s important to bring it all to a simmer after adding it so that the raw flour taste cooks out. When using the Instant Pot, you do this by setting it to Sauté for a minute or two, stirring continuously, until it comes to a simmer. You’ll see the soup thicken before your eyes!
Cook Time For Instant Pot Potato Soup
You’ll start by cooking most of the ingredients for this soup together in the Instant Pot on high pressure for 8 minutes, followed by a quick-release of the pressure. After that, you’ll add in that slurry of milk and flour. At that point, you’ll set your Instant Pot to Saute and cook, stirring often, until it comes to a simmer, about 2-3 minutes.
More Potato Soups To Try
If you love soups with a lot of potato in them, you’ll also love these soups:
- Classic Potato Ham Soup
- Quick and Easy Potato Soup (this one is on the stovetop)
- Easy Zuppa Toscana
- Dill Pickle Soup
Enjoy! -Christine xo
Instant Pot Potato Soup Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
Making Potato Soup in the Instant Pot is simple and ready in about half an hour. Enjoy this cozy homemade soup any day of the week! This soup is wonderful served plain, or make it into loaded potato soup by adding some or all of the optional garnishes.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. baking potatoes
- 4 cups low or no sodium chicken broth
- 8 oz. cubed ham*
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk**
- Optional garnishes: Shredded cheddar cheese, chopped green onions, chopped crispy bacon, sour cream
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes, if desired. Cut them into 1 inch cubes.
- Into the Instant Pot put the potatoes, chicken broth, ham, salt, and pepper. Stir.
- Set the Instant Pot to cook on high pressure for 8 minutes, making sure the valve is turned to Sealing.
- After the pressure cooking has finished, turn the knob to Venting to allow the pressure to release. Once the pressure valve drops, remove the lid. Stir.
- Scoop out about half of the potatoes and put them into a large bowl. Use a potato masher to gently mash them a bit. You don’t want them fully mashed. More like half mashed. Return the half-mashed potatoes to the Instant Pot. Stir.
- Measure the flour into a jar or a container with a tight-fitting lid. Add the milk. Put on the lid and shake it well until the flour and milk are fully combined.
- Stir the flour mixture into the potato mixture in the Instant Pot. Set the Instant Pot to Sauté and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer for one minute.
- Taste and add extra salt and pepper, if desired. Serve as is, or topped with any or all of the optional garnishes.
Love this recipe? I’d appreciate it if you could scroll down and add a *5 star rating* to help others know they’ll love it as well!
Notes
*Instead of ham, you can use 4 strips of cooked bacon, chopped. However, I find that cooked bacon gets a bit limp in the Instant Pot. I therefore prefer to use the ham, and, if I’m going to use bacon, then I put some cooked and chopped crispy bacon on top of the soup as a garnish for serving.
**I find that whole milk is the right amount of creaminess without being too rich. But feel free to use water, fat-free milk, or cream, or a combination of any of those instead.
Dawn says
Such a great comfort food recipe!
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
Absolutely, Dawn! Super comforting meal without a ton of effort.