A cheeseburger soup that’s thick, creamy, and REALLY cheesy, the way a soup with “cheese” in its name should be. Ground beef, potatoes, and two kinds of melty cheese come together in just one pot, with no Velveeta and no thin, brothy bowl. It’s cozy comfort food you can have on the table in a little over an hour.
Cheeseburger Soup At A Glance
Prep
20 min
COOK
50 min
Total
70 min
Serves
8
Pan
Large pot or Dutch oven
A Creamy Cheesy Soup To Fall in Love With
I love a good cheeseburger (like my smash burgers), so I thought I’d love cheeseburger soup. Turns out I didn’t. A lot of recipes I tried were too, well, soupy… as in brothy. So while the taste was good, the texture was off for me. I expect something with “cheese” in it to be creamy. So I worked at this recipe for a while until I got a lovely version that just fills you right up for those chilly nights we’re about to have this fall.
To make this happen, we use less broth, twice the flour, and mash some of our potatoes and stir them back into the pot. Then a little American cheese goes in with the cheddar, which keeps the cheddar melting smooth instead of grainy. The result is SO creamy and cheesy. We LOVE this version, and I think you will, too!
Let’s dig in!
Tips and Notes Before You Start
- Keep a spoonful of beef for the top. Once the beef is browned, set aside about 1/2 cup to sprinkle on top. If you don’t do this, the beef disappears into the soup and it looks more like cheesy potato soup. Not that that is bad, per se, but it looks more like “cheeseburger soup” with a few burger crumbles on top. I forgot the first time I made it (as I say, I make the mistakes so you don’t have to!).
- Dice the potatoes small, about 1/2 inch. They cook faster and tuck into every spoonful when they are small.
- Shred your own cheddar if you can. Bagged shreds work, but the anti-caking powder can make the soup a little grainy.
- Any American cheese works. Deli slices, the individually wrapped kind, or Velveeta all melt smooth.
- Hold the salt until the end. Between the cheese and the Worcestershire, we didn’t need a pinch more than what goes in with the beef.
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What You’ll Need for Cheeseburger Soup
Ground beef. I use 85/15. That’s enough fat to give the soup a real burger flavor without making it greasy. Note that you can use more or less beef without changing the rest of the recipe. So if you want it really beefy, feel free to double the amount.
Potatoes. I recommend Yukon Golds, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces. I peel them for this soup because the skins come loose when you mash some of the potatoes, and you end up with little papery strips in a soup that’s supposed to be smooth and creamy.
Onion, carrots, and celery. The celery is optional. If you use it, dice it small, about 1/4 inch, so it softens all the way.
Garlic, mustard, and Worcestershire. The mustard and Worcestershire are what make it taste like a cheeseburger instead of just cheesy potato soup.
Broth. I used unsalted chicken bone broth, which gives the soup a little more body, but regular low-salt broth is fine. If yours is regular salted broth, skip the salt with the beef.
Milk. Whole milk gives you the creamiest result, and lower-fat milk makes a thinner soup. Your choice.
Two cheeses. Grated sharp cheddar and American cheese, torn into pieces. The cheddar brings the flavor.
Sour cream. Stirred in at the very end for a little tang.
Can I Make Cheeseburger Soup Lactose Free?
Yes! Lactose-free whole milk swaps in cup for cup, and lactose-free sour cream is on the shelf at most grocery stores now. Aged cheddar is naturally very low in lactose (I recommend Tillamook brand), and lots of people who avoid milk do fine with it. Butter is very low in lactose too, but lactose-free butters are also available. You know your own tolerance best, so use whichever versions work for you. Lactose-free milk tastes a tiny bit sweeter, so taste the soup at the end and add a pinch of salt if it needs it.
How to Make Cheeseburger Soup
First we make the hearty beef and potato soup, and then we give it a creamy, cheesy finish. It all happens in one pot.
Step 1: Brown the beef
Set your pot over medium-high heat and add the ground beef, salt, and pepper. Break it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 8 to 10 minutes, until there’s no pink left. If you let it sit for a minute between stirs, it picks up more color, and that adds flavor.
Now spoon out about 1/2 cup of the crumbles and set them aside for the top of your bowls. If there’s more than about a tablespoon of fat left in the pot, tilt it and spoon off the extra.
Step 2: Soften the vegetables
Add the onion, carrots, and celery to the beef and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft. Stir in the garlic and ground mustard and cook for about a minute, just until you can smell the garlic.
Step 3: Make the roux right in the pot
Add the butter and let it melt. Then sprinkle the flour over everything and stir constantly for about 2 minutes. It will look pasty and coat the beef and vegetables, and that’s exactly what you want. This helps because cooking the flour first takes away the raw flour taste, and it’s what thickens the soup later.
Step 4: Add the broth and potatoes
Pour in about a cup of the broth while you stir and scrape the bottom of the pot, until it’s smooth with no lumps. Then add the rest of the broth and the Worcestershire. Pouring slowly at first is the trick here. If you dump it all in at once, the flour can clump up.
Add the potatoes, bring the soup to a boil, then cover the pot and turn it down to a gentle simmer. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until a potato cube smashes easily with a fork. Stir every few minutes, because the thickened broth can stick to the bottom. Mine took about 20 minutes, even with small pieces, on the little electric burner I use when I’m filming. Don’t worry if yours take a bit longer. Just keep checking.
Step 5: Mash some of the potatoes
Give the soup a few presses with a potato masher, enough to mash about a quarter of the potatoes, then stir. No masher? Smash them against the side of the pot with your wooden spoon. The mashed potato thickens the soup with no extra ingredients. Be careful not to mash them all, though. You still want plenty of tender potato bites.
Step 6: Add the milk
Stir in the milk and heat it gently for about 5 minutes, until it’s steaming. Be careful not to let it boil hard, which can make the milk separate.
Step 7: Melt in the cheese
Turn the heat down to low. Add the torn American cheese and stir until it melts. Then add the cheddar a handful at a time, stirring until each handful melts before you add the next. Don’t let the soup boil once the cheese is in. Cheese that gets too hot turns grainy and greasy.
Step 8: Finish with sour cream
Take the pot off the heat and stir in the sour cream. Now taste it. Add a pinch of salt if it tastes a little flat. If the soup is thicker than you’d like, stir in a splash of milk.
Ladle it into bowls and top each one with the beef crumbles you saved and a little extra shredded cheddar. Then add whatever you like on your cheeseburger. Sliced green onions and a couple of dill pickle slices (really!!) are my favorite, and crumbled bacon is good too.
Can I Make Cheeseburger Soup in a Crock Pot?
You can! Brown the beef and vegetables and make the roux in a skillet first, because that’s what thickens it. Then scrape it all into the crock pot with the broth, Worcestershire, and potatoes, and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours or HIGH for 3 to 4, until the potatoes are tender.
Hold the dairy until the end. Mash some of the potatoes, stir in the milk, and let it heat on HIGH for about 20 minutes. Then turn it to LOW and stir in the cheeses and sour cream. Milk and cheese that cook for hours can curdle, so be careful not to add them at the start.
How to Store and Reheat Cheeseburger Soup
Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Don’t be surprised if it’s very thick the next day. The potatoes keep soaking up liquid, and that’s totally normal.
To reheat, warm it on the stove over medium-low with a splash of milk, stirring until it loosens back up. In the microwave, add a splash of milk and heat it in short bursts, stirring in between. Be careful not to let it boil, so the cheese stays smooth.
I don’t recommend freezing this one. I haven’t tried it myself, but soups made with milk and cheese tend to separate and turn grainy when they thaw, and the potatoes go soft.
Cheeseburger Soup FAQs
Can I use Velveeta instead of American cheese?
Yes. Use about 4 ounces of Velveeta, cubed, in place of the American cheese. It melts the same way. I haven’t made this exact version with Velveeta, but it’s the classic cheese for cheeseburger soup.
Why is my cheeseburger soup grainy?
Usually the soup got too hot after the cheese went in, or bagged cheddar brought its anti-caking powder along.
Why is my cheeseburger soup thin?
Let it simmer uncovered for a few extra minutes before the milk goes in, and it will thicken up. Next time, make sure the flour cooks into the butter before the broth goes in, and mash a few more potatoes.
Can I make it gluten free?
Try a cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend in place of the regular flour. I haven’t tested it that way yet, so stir a little more often, since some blends stick more easily. Check that your Worcestershire and broth are gluten free too.
Creamy Cheeseburger Soup Recipe
Equipment
- 5 to 6 quart pot or Dutch oven with a lid
- Wooden spoon
- Potato masher (optional) optional
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef 85/15
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (skip if using regular salted broth)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- yellow onion , diced
- 2 carrots , peeled and diced
- 2 celery ribs , diced 1/4 inch (optional)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups chicken broth , unsalted or low-sodium
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes , peeled and diced 1/2 inch (about 4 cups)
- 3 cups whole milk
- 4 ounces American cheese (about 6 slices), torn, or Velveeta, cubed
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar , shredded (about 2 cups), plus more for topping
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- Toppings: sliced green onions and dill pickle slices (optional: crumbled bacon)
Instructions
Instructions
- Set the pot over medium-high heat and add the ground beef, salt, and pepper. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, breaking it into small crumbles, until no pink remains. Set aside about 1/2 cup of crumbles for topping. If there’s more than about 1 tablespoon of fat in the pot, spoon off the extra.
- Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft. Stir in the garlic and ground mustard and cook 1 minute.
- Add the butter and let it melt. Sprinkle the flour over everything and stir constantly for 2 minutes, until no dry flour remains.
- Slowly pour in about 1 cup of the broth, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot until smooth. Add the remaining broth and the Worcestershire.
- Add the potatoes and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a gentle simmer, and cook 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Mash about a quarter of the potatoes with a potato masher (or against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon) and stir.
- Stir in the milk and heat gently for about 5 minutes, until steaming. Do not let it boil hard.
- Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the American cheese until melted, then add the cheddar a handful at a time, stirring until each handful melts. Do not let the soup boil once the cheese is in.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream. Taste and add salt only if needed. Thin with a splash of milk if you’d like.
- Ladle into bowls and top with the reserved beef crumbles, extra cheddar, and any optional toppings.
Nutrition
Notes
- Salt: With unsalted broth, the 1/2 teaspoon with the beef was all it needed. With regular salted broth, skip that salt and taste at the end.
- Cheese: Any American cheese works, including Velveeta. Shred your own cheddar if you can; bagged shreds can make the soup a little grainy.
- Lactose free: Use lactose-free whole milk and lactose-free sour cream. Aged cheddar and butter are naturally very low in lactose.
- Crock pot: Brown the beef and vegetables and make the roux in a skillet, then cook with the broth, Worcestershire, and potatoes on LOW 6 to 7 hours or HIGH 3 to 4. Mash some potatoes, add the milk for 20 minutes on HIGH, then stir in the cheeses and sour cream on LOW.
- Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. It thickens a lot overnight. Freezing isn’t recommended, because the dairy can separate and turn grainy.
- Reheating: Warm on the stove over medium-low with a splash of milk, stirring until it loosens up, or microwave in short bursts with a splash of milk, stirring in between. Don’t let it boil.
How to Trust This Recipe
Because I find it harder and harder to know what is and is not a real, I figure you might be also … so I’ve started taking everyday photos of what I make and eat with a special app that proves it’s legit. Here is a photo of my delicious cheeseburger soup leftovers the day after I made it, while I was sitting at my desk writing up this recipe for you. (Yes, that is my cat Butterscotch sleeping in the background).
The above photo was taken with ProofMode, which attaches Content Credentials (the C2PA standard) to the image, so anyone can check that it’s a real photo taken by my iPhone on my farm on a particular date and place. You can download the proof files here and learn how to verify them.
If you make it, I’d love to hear what you put on top of yours.
Happy cooking!
Love,
Jennifer
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Meet Jennifer
Jennifer cooks and experiments in the kitchen at Maker Farm, where she focuses on simple pantry cooking, homemade staples, and practical recipes that make everyday meals easier. Over the years she has tested many ways to make cooking simpler and more dependable, and shares the methods that work best in her own kitchen, occasionally showing them on her Heart to Home at Maker Farm vlog.