Super Easy, Velvety, Rich Instant-Pot Loaded Potato Soup

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I’ll admit it. The Instant-Pot bandwagon drove past the house, and I hopped on board. Don’t get me wrong: there’s nothing shameful about buying a trendy piece of kitchen equipment… as long as you have a darn good reason. For me, the reason is Instant-Pot Loaded Potato Soup.

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My Husband & a 5-lb Bag of Potatoes

My husband has a recipe for potato soup that basically involves boiling the potatoes into submission for the entire day. I may be unemployed, but I still don’t have time for that. But, this week, after yet another 5 pound bag of potatoes started to sprout, I needed to make good use of a lot of potatoes.

They weren’t even old. We bought the potatoes last weekend so Hubs could make french fries in the air fryer (another trendy kitchen tool that I’m grateful for). We made the mistake of leaving them in the bag, though. So, even though we have a ventilated potato drawer in the pantry, they started growing.

Anyways, long story short, I ended up using the Instant-Pot first to make soup, and then to make mashed potatoes for the freezer.

All About Instant-Pot Loaded Potato Soup

I’ll have to come back to mashed potatoes another day because right now, the packages of frozen potato in the freezer aren’t cute enough for Pinterest. So, keep your eyes peeled or Subscribe to get updates on the blog.

Basically, the reason I love making this soup in the Instant-Pot is that I’m not boiling potatoes all day. Instead, I can start the soup at 5:00pm, and we can have dinner before 6:00pm. That’s pretty good time for a nice soup, right?

Mise en Place

I start by prepping all the ingredients. First, the potatoes need a good scrubbing and peeling. Yes, you can leave on the skins if you like the texture. I peel them for a smoother soup. Then, cut the peeled potatoes into about 1/2 in cubes. To prevent oxidation, place your potatoes into a large mixing bowl and cover them with water while you finish prepping.

Mince the onion. You could dice it, but I like it smaller in my soups. Then you’ll cut your bacon strips into 1/2 inch bits. If you’re working with fresh garlic, mince that as well. I just use jarred minced garlic because I like the convenience.

And go ahead and pour a little over 1/2 cup of white wine. Take a sip… for quality control. I used the $3 Winking Owl Pinot Grigio from Aldi. Again, I am unemployed. We’re only buying cheap alcohol until I get a new job. It’s kind of like incentive. Although, Winking Owl really isn’t that bad especially to cook with.

Start with a Sauté

The thing I love about the Instant-Pot is that it not only functions as a pressure cooker, but it also can sauté things first for added layers of roasty toasty flavors. And that’s what we use to start this soup.

First, Bacon

Dump the bacon into the Instant-Pot and set the sauté function for 15 minutes. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn, but also don’t keep moving it. You kind of want it to settle and crust up the bottom. This is called “fond.”

I’m not actually cool enough to just know that on my own. It’s just one more thing that I learned watching Binging with Babish. But basically, it’s the flavorful remnants of whatever you’re cooking that can easily be scraped up to layer yumminess into your dish.

Once the bacon is cooked and starting to look like crispy golden bacon, use a slotted spoon to pull it out. I keep my bacon grease in a jar in the fridge, so I set up a funnel in my jar to pour the rendered fat into it.

WARNING: NEVER POUR BACON FAT INTO THE SINK!

If you don’t want to keep your fat, pour it into a disposable container. Allow it to cool and solidify, and then throw it in the trash.

Second, Onions

With just about a teaspoon of bacon fat left in the bottom of the Instant Pot (and all that fond), I dump in the minced onion and turn the sauté function back on for another 10 minutes. The water released from the onions as they heat up will initially deglaze the pot.

This will color your onions a fairly deep golden brown at the beginning. Keep cooking them until they start to leave behind a new layer of fond.At this point, I’ll add in the garlic and let it warm up for a minute or two. The heat may have turned off, and that’s fine. Leave it off for now.

Time to Deglaze

Once your garlic softens up a little, it’s time to deglaze. Leave the pot off as you pour your wine in. I removed the onions, but it is also fine for you to leave them in. It doesn’t really matter. Just scrape up the bottom of the pot and make sure there’s nothing stuck to it before you continue on. I use a wooden spatula.

Soup’s On!

After you’ve deglazed, add the bacon back to the pot. Also, drain the starchy water off of the potatoes and add them to the pot. Toss it all together. Pour in about 4 cups of water. You may need more or less, but you want the potatoes to be just barely covered.

Close the lid and set to Pressure Cook for 5 minutes. It will take about 5 minutes to pressurize, 5 minutes to cook, and about 10 minutes to depressurize naturally. At this point, if it’s not quite dinner time, feel free to set the slow cooker function for an hour and let it simmer. Or, you can continue on to finishing your soup.

The Velvety Texture of Instant-Pot Loaded Potato Soup

To achieve the desired texture, you’ll want to take your wooden spoon and mash the potatoes against the side of the pot. Leave some chunks, though. Then, you’ll pour in a little bit of milk, toss in a large handful of cheddar, and stir it together until smooth. That’s it!

You’ll be left with a hearty, creamy soup with a velvety mouthfeel. It’s fatty enough to stick to your ribs on a chilly day, but it’s also light enough that you won’t feel ill after a proper serving.

How to Serve Up Instant-Pot Loaded Potato Soup

Ladle two spoonfuls of soup into a bowl, and top as desired. I would recommend a dollop of light sour cream to start. You might also want to add more crisp bacon bits, a sprinkle of cheddar, or a dusting of chopped chives. These would also be fabulous with a side of garlic cheddar biscuits.

You are not me, though, are you? So, feel free to go nuts with your toppings! This is where it becomes fun for the kids. My 18 month old was given a bowl of mashed potatoes because I wasn’t sure how she’d like the soup. She ended up stealing a couple spoonfuls of my dinner to mix into hers.

So, what are you going to top your soup with? What is your favorite Instant-Pot recipe? Comment below and let me know. Please also subscribe for weekly blog post updates.

Instant-Pot Loaded Potato Soup

Thanks to the Instant-Pot, Loaded Potato Soup is no longer an all day event. You can have a comforting bowl in under an hour.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American

Servings 6 servings

Equipment

• Instant Pot

Ingredients

  

• 6 strips uncooked bacon
• 1 small yellow onion
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1½ lbs russet potatoes
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp pink himalayan sea salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• ¾ cup shredded cheddar
• ½ cup 2% milk
• sour cream optional topping
• green onion optional topping (not pictured)

Instructions

 

• Prepare the potatoes by scrubbing them clean and peeling them. Dice into ½ inch cubes. Set aside in a large bowl with enough water to cover. This will prevent oxidation.
• Cut the bacon into ½ in x ½ in pieces, and place into the cold basin of your Instant Pot.
• Press the Sauté button, and set for 15 minutes. Stir every 3 minutes. Fond will begin to form on the bottom of the pan.
• Drain and remove the bacon. You may optionally filter and reserve the bacon fat for future cooking. Keep in the refrigerator. DO NOT POUR BACON GREASE INTO YOUR SINK.
• Mince the onion and add to the pot, setting once more to Sauté for 10 minutes. Use the liquid released from the onion to scrape up the browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Once deeply brown, but not burned, add in garlic. Turn off Sauté function, and remove the onions to the same reserving bowl as the bacon bits. New fond should have collected at the bottom of the pot again.
• Deglaze the pot with the heat OFF with the white wine. Scrape the bottom of the pot clean. The wine should turn dark golden brown.
• Drain the starchy water off of the potatoes, and add them to the Instant Pot along with the bacon and onions. Toss them in the wine sauce.
• Add enough clean water until the potatoes are just covered, and season with salt.
• Seal the Instant Pot lid in place, and turn on the pressure cook function for 5 minutes. Allow to depressurize naturally.
• Using the back of a serving spoon, mash about half of the potatoes for a chunkier soup. You can mash more for a smoother texture.
• Stir in ½ cup of milk and ¾ cup of cheddar cheese.
• Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of green onion as desired.

Keyword Loaded Baked Potato, Potato, Soup

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