Comforting, heartwarming, and absolutely easy to make this Crockpot Cheeseburger Soup is a freezable weeknight meal everyone will love. It’s filled with hearty ingredients such as ground beef and potatoes in a creamy cheddar cheese soup. It’s delicious!
I love hearty soups such as this Tuscan White Bean Soup and this Acorn Squash Soup, but when I want comfort and feel-good food I turn to this hamburger soup.
Why This Recipe Works
Crockpot and Slow Cooker recipes like this hamburger soup make weeknights easier, especially when you can dump everything in and leave it to cook through the day. You’ll just need to quickly brown the meat and add the cheeses with an hour left of cook time. Everything else can be dumped in.
With hearty ingredients such as ground beef and potatoes and then diced tomatoes, onions, and plenty of spices there are tons of filling flavors. Best of all this soup has a cream and cheesy base using cream cheese and cheddar cheese.
Inspired by the original Taste of Home Cheeseburger Soup my version is a little more like a cheeseburger with the addition of diced tomatoes and cheddar cheese instead of Velveeta.
This is the ultimate creamy comforting soup recipe and a family favorite everyone will love. You can turn this into a freezer meal by freezing any leftovers or by reserving half the batch.
Ingredients Needed
Ingredient Notes
- Ground Beef: I like to use 93% lean ground beef in this soup but you can use any version you like, particularly the ones you use for making hamburgers.
- Cheddar Cheese: Freshly shredded cheddar cheese makes this soup and I prefer to use it instead of Velveeta.
- Cream Cheese: adding full-fat cream cheese towards the end of the cooking time makes the base of this soup smooth and extra creamy.
- Diced Tomatoes: choose your favorite type of diced tomatoes whether their fire roasted or plain.
- Broth: since this is a soup with a variety of ingredients I prefer to use chicken broth, however, you could easily use beef broth too since it has beef in it.
- Potatoes: you’re going to need Russet potatoes for this recipe. Others such as Yukon gold become too mushy and fall apart. You can also swap the potatoes out for frozen hashbrowns too.
Recipe Variations
- Add that grilled flavor. Drizzle some liquid smoke into the soup and give it a good stir before serving it for a smokey off-grill taste.
- Add your favorite burger toppings. If you love bacon or mushroom burgers then toss some crumbled bacon or mushrooms into the soup. You could also top it off with some pickle relish if you can’t imagine a burger without pickles.
- Change up the meat. There are so many types of burgers such as turkey and chicken. Change up the meat in this soup by swapping the ground beef for ground chicken or ground turkey.
Toppings
- Croutons
- Crumbled Bacon
- Diced Green Onions
- Chives
- Dill Pickles or Pickle Relish
- Drizzle on Sriracha
- Sliced Avocado
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Brown the meat. In a skillet over medium-high heat brown the ground beef, breaking it apart as it browns. Drain any excess fat and place it into the crockpot.
- Add the ingredients to the crockpot. Place the potatoes, diced tomatoes, diced onion, basil, salt, pepper, and chicken broth into the crockpot (don’t add the cheddar cheese and cream cheese).
- Slow cook. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours without stirring.
- Mix in the cheese. Shredded the cheddar cheese and cut the cream cheese into cubes. With 1 hour left to cook add them both to the crockpot and stir to mix.
Other Cooking Methods
- Stovetop Cooking Instructions: Heat a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and add the ground beef. Break it apart as it browns and then add the onions and continue to sauté. Drain any excess fat. Add the remaining ingredients except for the cheddar cheese and cream cheese. Cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the soup cook for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheddar cheese and cream cheese, stirring until thoroughly mixed.
- Instant Pot Cooking Instructions: Set the Instant Pot to SAUTÉ and add the ground beef. Break it apart as it browns. Once the meat is no longer pink, about 4 minutes, add the onions and continue to sauté for 1 to 2 more minutes. Drain the fat if necessary. Add the remaining ingredients except for the cheddar cheese and cream cheese. Close the lid and make sure the valve is set to “sealing.” Set the Instant Pot to MANUAL and cook for 9 minutes. Release the pressure and stir in the cream cheese and cheddar cheese. Once melted it’s ready to serve.
Storage and Freezing Information
- Leftovers: any leftovers can be placed in an air-tight container and stored in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
- Freezing Instructions: allow the soup to cool completely before placing it into a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag. It can be stored in the freezer for 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before planning to reheat it the next day.
- Reheating Instructions: to reheat pour the contents into a pot and place it on the stove over medium heat. Stir it occasionally until heated through. Depending on the amount it could take 5 to 10 minutes.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Serve with crusty bread or your favorite hamburger toppings such as crumbled bacon and sliced pickles.
- The best potatoes for this soup are Russet because others such as Yukon gold can fall apart and turn into mush in the soup.
- To thicken the soup you can mix 1/4 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of the soup broth. Then dump it into the crockpot and let it cook a little longer.
- Make your own croutons using hamburger buns. Cut some hamburger buns into cubes and toss with olive oil and salt. Spread them onto a baking sheet and bake them at 375 F for 10 to 15 minutes.
FAQs
Of course! Just as there are veggie burgers there can be veggie burger soup. Instead of using ground beef use black beans and mushrooms. Change the chicken broth to vegetable broth. You won’t need to cook them before. Just toss all the ingredients into the crockpot except the cheddar cheese and cream cheese and cook it according to the recipe directions.
This is a very hearty soup so it’s fine on its own or with some toppings such as sour cream. I like to cut up some hamburger buns and toss them with some olive oil and then toast them. They make great croutons for this soup. You can also serve it with some crusty bread or a simple side salad.
This version is gluten-free, but always check your labels for any hidden gluten.
Related Recipes
Crockpot Cheeseburger Soup
Equipment
- Crockpot
- Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 2 large Russet Potatoes peeled and diced
- 1 14.5 ounce can Diced Tomatoes
- 1 medium Yellow Onion diced
- 2 teaspoons Dried Basil
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Pepper
- 3 cups Chicken Broth
- 1 lb Cheddar Cheese shredded
- 8 ounces Cream Cheese
Instructions
- In a skillet over medium-high heat brown the ground beef, breaking it apart as it browns. Drain any excess fat and place it into the crockpot.
- Place the potatoes, diced tomatoes, diced onion, basil, salt, pepper, and chicken broth into the crockpot.
- Cover and cook on low for 7 hours without stirring.
- Shredded the cheddar cheese and cut the cream cheese into cubes. With 1 hour left to cook add them both to the crockpot and stir to mix.
Notes
- Serve with crusty bread or your favorite hamburger toppings such as crumbled bacon and sliced pickles.
- The best potatoes for this soup are Russet because others such as Yukon gold can fall apart and turn into mush in the soup.
- To thicken the soup you can mix 1/4 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of the soup broth. Then dump it into the crockpot and let it cook a little longer.
- Make your own croutons using hamburger buns. Cut some hamburger buns into cubes and toss with olive oil and salt. Spread them onto a baking sheet and bake them at 375 F for 10 to 15 minutes.
Storing and Freezing Information
- Leftovers: any leftovers can be placed in an air-tight container and stored in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
- Freezing Instructions: allow the soup to cool completely before placing it into a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag. It can be stored in the freezer for 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before planning to reheat it the next day.
- Reheating Instructions: to reheat pour the contents into a pot and place it on the stove over medium heat. Stir it occasionally until heated through. Depending on the amount it could take 5 to 10 minutes.