This potato soup cooks in an Instant Pot® and is customizable with assorted toppings. I prefer to get my saltiness from the bacon, so I don’t add extra salt. I also like a thicker chowder-like consistency; if you like yours thinner, add more liquid.
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 30 mins |
| Additional Time: | 20 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr |
| Servings: | 6 |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 thick slices cherrywood-smoked bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 ½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup water
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic base (such as Better Than Bouillon® Roasted Garlic Base)
- 1 ½ cups half-and-half
- ½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup sliced green onions
- ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Turn on a multi-functional pressure cooker (such as Instant Pot®) and select Saute function. Add onion, bacon, and butter to the hot pot and saute until bacon is crispy, 5 to 8 minutes. Turn off Saute function and transfer contents to a small bowl.
- Add potatoes, water, and garlic base to pot and close and lock the lid. Select high pressure according to manufacturer’s instructions; set timer for 12 minutes. Allow 10 to 15 minutes for pressure to build.
- Release pressure using the natural-release method according to manufacturer’s instructions, about 15 minutes. Release remaining pressure carefully using the quick-release method, about 5 minutes. Unlock and remove the lid. Mash potatoes against the side of the pot, leaving some chunks if desired. Add onion-bacon mixture and half-and-half; stir to combine.
- Ladle into soup bowls and top with green onions, Cheddar cheese, and black pepper.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 342 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 40 g |
| Cholesterol | 47 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Protein | 12 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Sodium | 446 mg |
| Sugars | 1 g |
| Fat | 16 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
It was very filling, and super yummy! I will probably use less onions next time, and more half and half. It had the consistency of loaded mashed potatoes, but was still delicious! I will also double the recipe. There are four of us and there was only enough for one bowl each. Still, all in all it’s yummy!
I loved the ease of prep, which not all Instant Pot recipes have. I did not have any garlic base so I used the equivalent amount in minced garlic, which provided a lovely garlic background without being overwhelming. My recommendation would be not to use such thick bacon next time because it just can’t get crunchy enough. Just increase the amount of thinner bacon to 6-8 slices (even more if you’re a bacon freak!) and you can fry it until it’s very crispy. I made it again using fully cooked bacon that I microwaved for more than a minute with a paper towel on top, which worked fine. I know some purists would disagree with my suggestion that you can also used the fully cooked bacon pieces sold in bags- but they were great! Notice how many times I’ve had an excuse to make this by constantly changing the type of bacon! 😉 I used heavy cream in one version because we love the thick texture but half and half is a great addition if you want a few less calories. I think the biggest thing is to keep experimenting with what spices you want because it is very bland without them. I ended up using a blend called “Farm Dust” but I don’t know if it is sold outside of PA. Some white pepper with a seasoned salt would probably be sufficient. I added a little sugar to my last batch and it provided a smoother taste. No matter what you choose, you’re going to like this a LOT!
The bacon didn’t get crispy but it still turned out excellent.
Cold night here in New York so I wanted to give this recipe a try. This soup was amazing. I did double up the bacon, onions and butter though because we are lovers of bacon and onions. You might say our soup was really loaded!!! Lol. So delicious and filling. A keeper recipe for sure.
Good
This was super easy to make. My family loved it! Would be especially good on a cold winters day. Followed the directions exactly.
This soup was incredible! The whole family of picky eaters loved it. I doubled the recipe and used the entire carton of half and half. I used the fat free version to slim the calories. The only change I made was to add more water as it was very thick. This recipe is definitely a keeper and perfect for those chilly nights when you want to snuggle on the couch with some yummy, and easy to make, soup.
Great recipe. Added extra liquid. Very thick as is. Everyone like it tho.
Cooking the bacon together with diced onions is a disaster. I had to dump the pot, clean it, and start over. Cook the bacon first, remove it, THEN cook the onion. I left the softened onion in the pot and cooked it in with the potatoes. This was a bit smoother than we prefer, so I’ll adjust the cooking time on the potatoes. It was very tasty, once I got it figured out. I will be making this again.
Very good and loved that it was nice and thick. I added more bacon and doubled the recipe. Will definitely make again and have shared the recipe as well 🙂
A fairly quick meal and very delicious.
Loved it. The portion calculator is off. I more than doubled the recipe and it made 5 bowls. Great flavour and easy to make
LOVED IT!!!! Best recipe we have made in awhile!!! A very comforting food!
First I would cook bacon by itself. Then add in butter if needed and sauté onions. My husband liked the soup because it was thicker but I felt like it was too much like not fully finished mashed potatoes. Not a ton of flavor.
This was delicious!
Calls for way too much liquid in relation to potatoes
We love this soup! Wonderful flavor and texture. Quick to make, too.
I got the link to this in my email today, and decided to try it for dinner tonight. I used Hormel Crumbled Bacon, since I keep that in the freezer, and just sautéed it up with the onion and butter. The recipe was easy and turned out great! I decided to add some cheese to it, as well as having it as a garnish, plus I added a little more salt. I mashed half of the potatoes, and that was perfect. My husband said the recipe was a keeper, and he’s a foodie, so that’s a big compliment! It’s definitely going in my recipe rotation. 🙂