Instant Pot Potato Soup is creamy, comforting, and loaded with potatoes and veggies. It is the ULTIMATE comfort food and my favorite soup!
Table of Contents
It’s no secret that I’m a big soup lover.
Even though I’m not a big veggie eater, I will eat just about anything in a hearty soup.
The way the flavors blend together just makes everything taste amazing!
Some of my favorite soup recipes are my Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup, Chicken Rice Soup, Sausage Tortellini Soup, and this Easy Roasted Tomato Soup Recipe.
They’re all delicious, comforting, and filled with nutrients.
But potato soup? It’s my #1.
Potatoes are my love language because they’re creamy, chunky, and hearty too!
They sometimes get a bad rep, but these tender potatoes are healthy and filled with tons of good things, too, like fibre, vitamin C and potassium.
Some people go all out with their loaded potato soups, adding in cream cheese, a bucket of sour cream, or a package of bacon.
I like to keep mine on the healthier side and add in toppings as needed — this way everyone gets their perfect bowl of potato soup!
Looking for more cozy, easy Instant Pot recipes? Try my Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo Pasta, this Instant Pot White Chicken Chili Recipe, Instant Pot Chicken Tortellini Soup, or my Sausage Potato Soup with Kale!
Ingredients Needed:
- Oil: I use canola oil because it has a high smoke point and is full of good fats. Any cooking oil with a high smoke point will work fine, though.
- Onion: use whatever onions you have on hand! Sweet onions are great, and red onions have a nice flavor, but any onion will taste great.
- Seasoning: use a combination of salt, freshly minced garlic, dried parsley, dried thyme, and freshly ground black pepper to season this soup with lovely savory flavors.
- Chicken broth: I use low-sodium chicken broth in pretty much everything because that way I can control the amount of salt added and adjust the seasonings to my tastes.
- Red potatoes: any kind of potatoes will work for this recipe, but I use red potatoes for this recipe because I prefer not to peel them. Potato skins are a great source of fiber, and peeling potatoes will also add more prep time. Russet potatoes and Yukon Gold potatoes also work well in this recipe, peeled or with the skin on.
- Carrots and celery: Carrots, celery, and onion form the basis for many soup recipes! It’s the classic savory trifecta. You can definitely add to these, but I wouldn’t omit them unless you absolutely have to. See my tips below on how to make this soup your own!
- Evaporated milk: I like to use evaporated milk because it’s a little lighter, and I can keep some cans stashed in the cupboard to use when I don’t have cream on hand. You can substitute with light or heavy cream (I recommend half and half or higher, 10% to 30% fat).
- Cornstarch: this will help thicken the soup.
- Garnish: use your favorite toppings. Some great ideas include cheese, green onions, and bacon!
How to Make Instant Pot Potato Soup
This recipe is quick and easy to make. Full instructions are included in the recipe card below.
- Sauté onions: Sauté the onions in oil on the Sauté setting, until they start to brown. Add the seasonings to toast.
- Deglaze: Turn the Instant Pot off, add the broth, and deglaze the pot, scraping with a wooden spoon.
- Add potatoes and vegetables and pressure cook until tender.
- Thicken the soup: Stir in the evaporated milk with cornstarch, and sauté to thicken.
Instant Pot Potato Soup FAQs
I add a few veggies for flavor and added nutrients. Because potatoes are the perfect base but don’t add a lot of flavors by themselves. The other veggies really add something special, though.
I like to keep my soup simple, with chicken broth, milk, and seasonings, but I like to get a little more interesting with my toppings.
This way, you can have your sour cream, bacon, or buckets of cheese, but it’s still quite a bit lighter than if you just dumped them all right in the soup (and this way, everyone can customize their own meal).
Store Instant Pot Potato Soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Allow it to cool to room temperature before putting it in the fridge.
This soup can be frozen but I don’t recommend it. The potatoes and the dairy will both change in texture after freezing and may not be as appetizing.
Instant Pot Potato Soup Variations
- Bacon. Everything tastes better with bacon. I’m sure that’s been scientifically proven… Simply add some bacon in with your onions and sauté until crispy.
- Bump up the seasonings. Add in a bit of cayenne pepper or red chili flakes for some heat if you like it that way!
- Mix up the veggies. I use onion, carrots, celery, and potatoes — a classic soup combo! But you can add in sauteed mushrooms, bell peppers, and sundried tomatoes, or stir in some fresh green beans or broccoli florets after pressure cooking.
- Make it creamier! Use just ¾ cup of evaporated milk and add in ¼ cup of sour cream for a rich and tangy flavor.
- Add some cheese. Melt 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese into the soup with the evaporated milk, then top with more cheese for the cheese lovers in your life!
- Make it thicker. To make the soup thicker, remove ⅓ to ½ of the soup and puree it with an immersion blender until smooth, then stir it back into the soup.
Serving Suggestions
Of course, this meal calls for some bread on the side to soak up the delicious soup in the bottom of the bowl!
Try my No Knead Artisan Bread, this Cheesy Garlic Bread, or some slices of this Whole Wheat Bread with butter. We also love this soup with Homemade Breadsticks or a buttery Brioche Bun as they’re great for dunking!
You can also serve this creamy potato soup with some veggies on the side to add nutrients and make it a fuller meal. Try my Air Fryer Green Beans, Roasted Carrots, or this Cheesy Baked Asparagus!
More Delicious Instant Pot Soup Recipes To Try
Instant Pot Potato Soup
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 2 teaspoons salt reduce if using salted broth
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 lbs red potatoes about 6 medium
- 2 large carrots peeled and sliced
- 1 rib celery chopped
- 1 cup evaporated milk or cream
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- For garnish cheese, green onions, and bacon
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to sauté and add the oil. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until they start to brown.*
- Add the salt, garlic, parsley, thyme, and pepper. Stir and cook for one minute. Turn the Instant Pot off and add the broth, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to remove any browned bits.
- Slice and cut potatoes into 1 cm cubes and add to the Instant Pot.
- Add carrots and celery. Put the lid on, turn the valve to sealing, and select Manual, high pressure, for 3 minutes.
- It will take about 20 minutes in total, including the time it takes to build pressure. Once the cooking time is over, do a gradual quick release by slowly opening the valve to release the pressure. You don’t want to let it all release at once, or it could sputter and foam.
- When the lid is off, turn the Instant Pot to sauté.
- Make cornstarch slurry by whisking together the evaporated milk and cornstarch, then stir it into the soup. Cook and stir until thickened.
- Now it’s time to season and serve. We use cooked, crumbled bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, and chopped chives or green onions for garnish. If you like, you can add extras right into the soup for more flavor!
Notes
- Store: Store Instant Pot Potato Soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Allow it to cool to room temperature before putting it in the fridge.
- Freeze: Freeze this soup without the cream in it if you use cream (cream can tend to separate weirdly when you defrost it). Make the soup as instructed but without the cream. Cool it completely, then store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw it completely in the fridge, warm it on the stove or in the microwave, add the cream, and then serve with your toppings.
Nutrition Information
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Debbie Heinrichs says
First of all, Ashley, I want to thank you for your amazing recipes that have given me confidence to use my Instant Pot. As a result of this confidence, I made a few changes to this recipe because of personal preferences and am thrilled with the outcome. I wanted to share it with you because without your recipe and instructions, I don’t think I would have made this next step. I apologize for my rambling. Here are the changes I made: I cut up a 375g package of bacon and sauted it in the Instant Pot. I removed the cooked bacon and sauted a chopped onion, the celery and 1 tablespoon minced garlic in the bacon grease. Then I drained the fat and added 1/2 cup soup broth to deglaze the bottom of the pot. I then followed all the recipe ingredients except I only used 3 chopped potatoes. When the soup was cooked, I added 2 cups of yesterday’s mashed potatoes softened with 1/2 cup milk. When that was hot, I added the cream with corn starch as instructed in your recipe. So, so yummy!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Debbie! I’m glad you liked it!
Cristina says
Love these ideas and making this soup soon. If I add broccoli as some suggested, when do I add it? Does it need to be precooked or will it cook in the process? Thank you
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Cristina! Add cooked broccoli florets after pressure cooking.
Tom says
Excellent. Similar to my 40+ year old crock pot recipe but much faster! My changes: about 1/2 lb more potato, one chopped medium onion rather than onion powder, about 5 big pinches of black pepper, slightly mash potatoes after cooking, stir in 2-3 Tbl butter with the evaporated milk.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing Tom!
J Muse says
This is the best potato soup in the land! I added a bit of ancho powder and smoked paprika, topped it with bacon, green onion and shredded Colby/jack. I plan to make this recipe enough to have it memorized soon enough 😀
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi J! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!
Brenda says
This soup was absolutely amazing. My husband couldn’t stop raving about it. Made it in the Instant Pot and I usually follow recipes exactly. The ONL Y thing I did different was used gold potatoes and 2% milk. This soup was seriously amazing! Making it for an event this weekend and making a double recipe.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for leaving a comment Brenda!
Heidi says
Delicious! I made the recipe accordingly, just added a little leftover roasted chicken breast. It didn’t need it, it was so good, but I wanted to use up the chicken, and it made a nice addition. Thanks for the tasty recipe.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Heidi!
Lorie says
Made this tonight. We are vegetarians, so I left off the bacon and subbed veg broth in place of chicken and it was dynamite. I did use one extra tablespoon of corn starch to make it a little thicker too. Didn’t need any extra toppings, it was great as is! Thanks for sharing. Love my new instant pot!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Lorie! I’m glad you liked it!
Chelsey says
Would it work to do this in the the slow cooker?
Ashley Fehr says
I have a crockpot version here: https://www.thereciperebel.com/crockpot-potato-soup/
Michelle says
I looked online for a long time this morning for a great potato soup recipe to use in my new Instant Pot. It’s rainy here in Ohio, and potato soup sounded like just the thing. Most of the recipes had around 1800 mg of sodium and about every fattening thing a person might have in their fridge. I, too, like my sweets, so as good as the soup might be, it sure wasn’t going to beat chocolate cream pie, so here I am. Excellent recipe! I used celery and carrots and onions, sautéed a bit before adding in the rest. I also had heavy cream only on hand, so I diluted it with water and it turned out fine. I don’t think I really needed to do that, but – cream pie. Thanks for the healthy alternative!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Michelle! I’m so happy you liked the soup!
A.B. says
Recently got an instant pot for my birthday and have been experimenting with different recipes.
Tried this one tonight and was a definite success whole family was in love.
I doubled the recipe and started with a little bit if bacon drained and then cooked as recommended except omitted the salt due to the bacon and cooked for 5 mins was cooked to perfection and the best potato soup I’ve ever had. Cant wait to make again.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that!
Alex Kopp says
Will this fit in an 8 qt instant pot if doubled?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, I would think so!
Tamera says
I thought I messed it up bc I added the cream before cooking. Used heavy cream bc thats what i had. But it was fine! I thickened with starch afterward. My teen boys raved and fought over the leftovers the next day for lunch! Theyve already requested it, “every night!”
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that Tamera!
Courtney says
Can I use heavy cream instead of evaporated milk? I want to make this tonight, but I don’t want to go to the store… Lol
Ashley Fehr says
Absolutely! Any cream will do
Ile says
Can I use just milk?!
Ashley Fehr says
You can, but lower fat content increases the risk of curdling and it won’t be as thick. You may want to add a bit of corn starch and ensure the soup isn’t boiling when you add it
Kerrie says
This recipe is so yummy and easy. I made it today after a loooong day gardening in the rain and it warmed me right up. I think I didn’t do the gradual quick release fast enough so my potatoes were really overcooked. I didn’t have any parsley and I used fresh, sauteed onion (out of onion powder) and it was still delish. Everyone sharing their successes with subs is what made me want to try it. This isn’t the first potato soup recipe I’ve ever tried, but I think it might be the last. A little tweak on timing and I’m pretty sure I’ve found my “rotation” potato soup. Thank you so much!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you so much Kerrie! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and yes, I love when people share their swaps and successes too!
April says
I’m trying to make this now but I realize I have all the ingredients in. Can I make it that way or did I miss it up! I’m so frustrated with myself
Ashley Fehr says
It’s generally not recommended to add thickening agents before pressure cooking but I’ve never tried! You could try it, or you could dump it into a soup pot and simmer on the stove (the crockpot would also work!)
Beth says
Second time making this outstanding soup. The next time I’d like to triple the celery. Cream of potato-celery-carrot soup. How do you think the soup would freeze? If the potatoes got mushy, it wouldn’t really matter, I wouldn’t think? Thanks again for a super souper recipe.
Ashley Fehr says
I have frozen potato soups before! They are not quite the same but I think they are still delicious.
Kristina says
Thanks for the recipe. I add CORN & fresh onion & fresh garlic to mine. Y’all gotta add some seasoning in that! Lol
Chad Burgess says
My family has made this recipe, easily, over a dozen times. I do not accurately measure anything and it comes out perfect. It is very forgiving. All of the kids, ages 1, 3, and 9 love it…depending on the day. This is a tried and true simple potato recipe and I will probably use this in my pressure cooker until I die. The first time I made it I cooked it a hair too long (I have a harvest brand cooler) and cut the potatoes too small. It turned into a soup with little texture but still tasted amazing. So don’t fret if your ingredients are too soft. Cut them bigger and try again and/or adjust your time if you have a different pressure cooker brand. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Chad! I am so thrilled to hear your family enjoys it!
Joy says
Absolutely love this recipe! I used fresh thyme and parsley instead of dried and added a bay leaf to the instant pot to add a little more flavor. I also added some chicken breast for more protein and some sautéd onion. I’m eating the fruits of my labor right now and it’s delicious. I also love that I didn’t have to make a roux for this recipe. I’m planning on freezing the rest since I’m the only one eating it.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Beth says
Absolutely wonderful. I’m lactose intolerant so used Carnation’s lactose free evaporated milk. We didn’t put any topping on it, though I offered turkey bacon and shredded cheese to my husband. Winner winner potato soup dinner. And lunch. And a snack. My first soup in my IP Duo Evo Plus. My first IP too! Thank you so very much!
Becky says
This is the best potato soup we’ve ever had. So creamy and flavorful. I used fresh thyme and parsley that I grow. When using fresh, you want to use 3 times the amount. I used a small can of evaporated milk which is about 2/3 cup or so and finished the cup with half & half. Also, I didn’t have red potatoes so I used gold. So, no real changes in the recipe. I will be making this often.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Becky! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Marni says
My husband’s mom usually makes a fantastic potato soup and I’ve never even tried making it. I got an instant pot though so I was keen to try this recipe! He was sort of surprised that the potatoes didn’t get all blended up, but then he tried it and I could see the literal surprise on his face about how good it was. ^-^ He already asked me when I can make it again. Thank you for the wonderful recipe. It was super yummy. xx
Ashley Fehr says
It makes me so happy to hear that! You could definitely blend up the potatoes if you want it even thicker, but we don’t usually. Personal preference!
Jamie says
Amazing!! I doubled the recipe with no problems. I followed the recipe and added half and half and corn starch at the end. I also took about a cup or two of potatoes out at the end and blended them and then added them back in to make it even more creamier! I wish I had green onions to top at the end but I didn’t. Next time! Will be making this again for sure!
Ashley Fehr says
I love the idea of blending some of the potatoes! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment!
Lydia says
Oh this is so good, even my picky husband loved it, ??? I didn’t put the onion’s in but I put the onion powder in, ?,then I didn’t have evaporated milk but I had heavy cream from a recipe from yesterday, wish I knew about the cornstarch last night, lol. Then for decorating we didn’t have bacon or shreaded cheese, so I cut up deli ham and warmed that up and cut up sliced cheddar cheese to top the soup. Can you tell this was a last mi ute recipe? ???????? I will take a picture and put on your Instagram!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Lydia! I’m so glad you liked it!