This hearty cheeseburger soup tastes just like your favorite burger, minus the bun! It’s a quick, 30-minute recipe that’s made in one pot, without any processed Velveeta cheese.
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“It tastes amazing and I have made it for family dinner for about three times and my family has loved it every time.” -Susan D., FoodieCrush reader
A Juicy Cheeseburger, in Soup Form!
This insanely fast and easy soup recipe is based on my mother-in-law’s hamburger soup. But for today, my craving for a cheesy soup was what hit the spot.
I substituted my MIL’s use of beef broth with whole milk and added cheese. (Real cheese! Not the processed kind.) She usually adds in more veggies, but since this is based on a traditional cheeseburger, I kept it a little simpler.
I topped my serving with zesty bread and butter pickles and homemade garlic croutons for extra oompf.
And although nothing can compare to biting into a juicy cheeseburger sandwiched between two toasted buns, this homemade cheeseburger soup came pretty dang close.
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
Stir the soup as it simmers. This is a milk-based soup, which — although delicious — is prone to sticking to the bottom of the pot. You don’t want a browned (aka burned) bottom of the pan. If the soup gets too thick for your liking (or if reheating) add a bit more milk to thin.
Choose 85% lean ground beef. It will deliver just enough fat to flavor the soup without making it too rich. If you prefer a lighter grind, you may want to add a touch of olive oil to the pan before browning your meat so it doesn’t stick.
Add the cheese off the heat to prevent curdling. Grating a block of sharp cheddar rather than purchasing the pre-shredded kind will also reduce the chance of your soup splitting.
The Key Ingredients You’ll Need
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Ground beef — I used 85% lean hamburger.
- Veggies and aromatics — Garlic, onion, and celery are the flavor foundation of this cheesy soup, while good ol’ Russet potatoes add texture and heft.
- All-purpose flour — Thickens the soup without having to add heavy cream.
- Whole milk + chicken broth — I used 4 cups of milk and just 1 cup of broth for a super rich and creamy soup base. Don’t use all milk, or else your soup will be too thick.
- Canned diced tomatoes — We’re ditching the ketchup in favor of soup-friendly diced tomatoes.
- Hot sauce — I add hot sauce to the soup to give it a bit of a vinegar heated kick. I prefer Chohula, but use your own favorite brand if you prefer. If you use Tabasco, decrease the amount to 1 teaspoon. And if you like it hotter, by all means add more.
- Cheddar cheese — Be sure to use a sharp cheddar. That way you’ll need less cheese and will capitalize on max cheese flavor.
- Toppings — Pickles on soup sound strange, but trust me on this! Bread and butter pickles added just the right amount of pucker, and garlic croutons acted as the “bun” of the cheeseburger soup.
How to Make Cheeseburger Soup in 30 Minutes
- Cook the beef and veggies. Brown the ground beef, then add in the garlic, onion, celery, and carrots and continue cooking until the onion has softened.
- Make the roux. Sprinkle the beef and vegetable mixture with flour and cook it for a good minute or two to remove the raw flour flavor. Add the milk, broth, potatoes, and tomatoes and bring to a boil.
- Simmer. Reduce the heat and let the soup bubble away until the potatoes have softened.
- Add the cheese off the heat. Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the hot sauce and cheese. Add the garnishes of your choice (we love pickles in this house!) before digging in.
Heidi’s Tip: If you’d like to make this soup leaner, you could swap out the hamburger with ground chicken or turkey. You’ll just need to add a little olive oil to the pan before browning the meat since ground poultry is much leaner than beef.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
The Best Cheeseburger Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef (I used 85% lean)
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
- 2 stalks celery, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 4 carrots, peeled and chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups cold whole milk
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 small russet potatoes, peeled and cubed into bite size pieces (about 3 cups)
- 14.5 ounces canned diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce*
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish
- 2 tablespoons Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Brown 1 pound ground beef over medium high heat in a large dutch oven until it's no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add 3 cloves pressed garlic, stir and cook for 1 minute until the garlic becomes fragrant.
- Add 1 small chopped onion, 2 stalks chopped celery, and 4 chopped carrots. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the onions soften. Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper.
- Sprinkle ⅓ cup all-purpose flour over the beef mixture. Stir and cook for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Add 4 cups milk, 1 cup chicken broth, 3 cups diced russet potatoes, and 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes (drained) and stir. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 12-15 minutes, stirring often, until the potatoes are tender.
- Remove the soup from the heat. Stir in the 1 tablespoon hot sauce and 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese. If the soup is too thick, stir in more milk to your liking. Taste for seasoning and garnish with chopped parsley plus more cheese and hot sauce if desired. I like mine topped with a few chopped bread and butter pickles.
Notes
Nutrition
Side Dishes to Make This a Meal
Storage Tips
Leftover soup will last up to 5 days in the fridge. Reheat gently on the stove over medium-low heat to prevent the broth from splitting.
I don’t recommend freezing this soup since it has a dairy-rich base and there’s a healthy amount of cheese stirred in. If you froze and reheated this soup, I’m afraid the dairy would separate and give the leftovers a funny texture.
More Soup Recipes to Make with Ground Beef
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Jen Hellman
Delicious…
I used white cheddar and topped with homemade croutons and chopped bacon!
Great idea Jen and sounds delish with the bacon!
SharonFromMichigan
Just found your recipe and printed it. This sounds like the ultimate Fall comfort food. Especially since I’m really getting tired of soggy takeout food during Covid! Maybe this soup would be a good reason to make homemade milkshakes to serve with it? :)
Sophie Anderson
Delicious….I wouldn’t change a thing!! Thank you for another tasty recipe. I have tried many and they are all family favorites now!!!
Malissa
Delicious soup on a cold night and I will make this again.
Susan Dubose
It tastes amazing and I have made it for family dinner for about three times and my family has loved it every time.
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
YAY! I am so happy to hear that!
kathleen
This is awesome. I’m always trying new things with my kiddies and will try this cheeseburger soup. Thanks.
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Hope you all love it!
Rimmy
This soup is delicious! Super rich and filling.
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
hanks so much Rimmy! Glad you enjoyed it!
Veronica
Cheeseburger soup was a first for me but it was a pleasant surprise, I will be making it again for my all girls sleepover.
Kara Mathys
Legit speechless, that cheeseburger soup recipe looks unreal! Definitely, I will make it on the weekend for my family.
Christina Moore
The first thing I liked about this soup is that it looked delicious. This is a great recipe, and this soup looks deeply satiating and delicious. Such an inspiring take on cheeseburger soup, I can see why you call it the best. Stunning photos!
Robin Hamilton
That cheeseburger soup looks absolutely fantastic. Beautiful photos, too. I look forward to trying this.
Bella Hardy
This is so yummy and interesting cheeseburger soup. I tried this kind of recipe before but this is unique.
Jill Roberts
I am obsessed with soups! Definitely cheeseburger soup will be yummy! I’m seriously so inspired right now. I need to add bell peppers to recipe and it would be perfect. Thx for sharing Heidi!