Cheeseburger Soup
Cheeseburger Soup is the ultimate comfort soup. Chock full of seasoned ground beef, potatoes, onions, and of course, cheese all in a creamy soup!
A HEARTY, BEEFY, CHEESY, FILLING SOUP
I have been in a soup sort of mood lately. My mind is gradually turning to all things fall. Football games, apple picking, hay rides and warm, comforting soup. This Cheeseburger Soup is definitely what I would call comfort soup. It is thick, filling and is a whole meal all by itself!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
We enjoy eating cheeseburger soup with some thick crusty bread to dip into the soup. Also, a small side salad would be perfect with this soup.
Bacon is my favorite but we also enjoy sliced green onions and a dollop of sour cream.
Yep! I have an actual recipe for Crock Pot Cheeseburger Soup if you’d like to check that one out. But basically, you’d want to brown and crumble the ground beef first. Then pop all the ingredients in a 5-6 quart crock pot, cover and cook on low for about 4-6 hours. About an how before serving, stir in the shredded cheddar cheese and heavy cream.
I mention it a bit more in the ingredient listing below but I would skip the hamburger seasoning and use a no salt seasoning blend. In addition you can use a heart healthy version of the cheddar cheese soup and a no sodium (it may just say unsalted) beef broth.
Yes. However, when it is eventually reheated, it may not have the exact same texture as it did when it was freshly made. Potatoes can become mushy when frozen then reheated. It’s important to ensure this is stored in a freezer-safe bag or container. Only freeze once the soup has cooled completely.
Note: I recently updated this recipe because I got so many complaints that the original recipe used Velveeta. Apparently A LOT of people really hate Velveeta – ha! Anyways, I put the original recipe below since many of you wondered where the old recipe went after I changed it. How come none of y’all commented that you liked it?? When you don’t comment positive things about a recipe and I only hear the negative then I assume no one likes the recipe and it is time to change it and go back to the drawing board. So please, please comment in the future when you like a recipe on my site or else I have no way of knowing if anyone is enjoying a recipe or not. 🙂 For those who enjoyed the original recipe, here you go:
Ingredients:
▢ 2 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed
▢ 2 carrots, peeled and grated
▢ 1 small onion, chopped
▢ 1 clove garlic, minced
▢ 1 ½ cups water
▢ 1 Tablespoon beef bouillon granules (about 4 cubes)
▢ ½ teaspoon salt
▢ 1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
▢ 2 ½ cups milk (divided use)
▢ 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
▢ 8 ounces Velveeta, cubed
▢ ½ pound bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
Instructions:
1. Brown and crumble ground beef. Drain excess grease and set aside.
2. Combine first 8 ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. 3. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender.
4. Stir in beef and 2 cups of milk.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and remaining ½ cup milk until smooth. Gradually whisk into soup.
6. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thick and bubbly, stirring constantly (so mixture does not burn.)
7. Reduce heat; add cheese and stir until completely melted.
8. Garnish with bacon and serve.
If the soup is too thick, you can add a bit more water or beef broth.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- bacon
- lean ground beef
- hamburger seasoning – you can just use salt and pepper if you don’t have this. I just use the Hamburger Seasoning by McCormick (not an affiliate link.)
- garlic – I prefer fresh garlic but you can use the jarred stuff if you need to. Or you can use about 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder in a pinch.
- cheddar cheese soup – if you have any salt sensitivities, I would recommend using a low sodium version (non affiliate link) of this. It is usually called “heart healthy”. You can leave out the cheddar cheese soup if you don’t have it. But if you need help finding it in the store, it can be found where all the other soups are (usually near the cream of chicken soups).
- beef broth – again, if you are concerned at all about salt levels, of with a low or no sodium option. You can always add salt but you can’t remove it.
- potatoes O’Brien (with onions and peppers) – you will sometimes see this go by a few names but they are just frozen diced potatoes. I got the Ore Ida brand (not an affiliate link). They may also be called southern hash browns (not an affiliate link) or just diced hash browns (not an affiliate link). When I think of hash browns, I think of shredded has browns but every store seems to have their own names for these things but you want the frozen diced potatoes (even if they don’t have the onions and peppers, that’s ok. Or, if you don’t want to use frozen potatoes, you can use peeled and diced russet potatoes.
- shredded cheddar cheese
- heavy cream – this adds wonderful richness to this but you can use milk in a pinch.
- additional toppings: shredded cheese and/or sliced green onions
HOW TO MAKE CHEESEBURGER SOUP:
Cook the bacon in a large stock pot or dutch oven over medium high heat until crispy. Depending on how crispy you like your bacon this can take 8-15 minutes. Remove the bacon to a large plate with clean paper towels and allow to cool.
Add the ground beef and hamburger seasoning into the bacon grease. Brown and crumble for 5-7 minutes or until cooked through. Drain off and remove all the excess grease. Reduce the heat to medium and add the minced garlic to the ground beef, sautéing for 1 minute or until fragrant.
Add in the cheddar cheese soup, beef broth and hash browns and gently stir until combined and smooth. Bring to a boil and cook until the hash browns are heated through, about 7-10 minutes.
Crumble the bacon well and then add half to the soup, reserving the other half for topping. Once the soup and potatoes are heated through, add in the cheddar cheese, a handful at a time, stirring well to melt and combine it with the soup.
After all the cheese has been added, slowly stir in the heavy cream and then bring the mixture just to a simmer. Simmer for 1-2 minutes or until thick and creamy. Do not boil or the cream may curdle.
Remove from heat and serve topped with bacon. Optional: top with additional shredded cheese and sliced green onions.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Recipe originally published: October 2011
Updated and republished: October 2024
Cheeseburger Soup
Ingredients
- 12 ounce package bacon
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 teaspoons hamburger seasoning (or just season with a little salt and pepper)
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 10.5 ounce can cheddar cheese soup (can use low sodium)
- 2 cups beef broth (can use low or no sodium)
- 5 cups O'Brien diced potatoes with onions and peppers (you do not need to thaw first)
- 8 ounce block medium cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Optional toppings: chopped green onions and/or extra shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a large stock pot or dutch oven over medium high heat until crispy. Depending on how crispy you like your bacon this can take 8-15 minutes. Remove the bacon to a large plate with clean paper towels and allow to cool.
- Add the ground beef and hamburger seasoning into the bacon grease. Brown and crumble for 5-7 minutes or until cooked through. Drain off and remove all the excess grease.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the minced garlic to the ground beef, sautéing for 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Add in the cheddar cheese soup, beef broth and hash browns and gently stir until combined and smooth. Bring to a boil and cook until the hash browns are heated through, about 7-10 minutes.
- Crumble the bacon well and then add half to the soup, reserving the other half for topping.
- Once the soup and potatoes are heated through, add in the cheddar cheese, a handful at a time, stirring well to melt and combine it with the soup.
- After all the cheese has been added, slowly stir in the heavy cream and then bring the mixture just to a simmer. Simmer for 1-2 minutes or until thick and creamy. Do not boil or the cream may curdle.
- Remove from heat and serve topped with bacon. Optional: top with additional shredded cheese and sliced green onions.
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- You can probably get 8 servings out of this if you serve a smaller amount per serving.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Made today with ground turkey & topped with dill pickles, was delicious! Bet it’d be amazing w/ beef (but over $8/lb here this week while turkey is less than $4 so….)
Yes! It’s awful the way the prices are spiraling so bad. Totally understand and so happy you loved this one!
I want to try your recipe using a crock pot and using fresh potatoes, can you please share how it can be modified?
I give crock pot directions above in the frequently asked questions. Timing you’ll have to play by ear but cook until potatoes are tender, I can’t give you a time since I haven’t tested with fresh
Hi, I’ve been reading the comments for this and they said the old recipe had Velveeta. I love Velveeta! Would you please send me a copy of the original recipe? It would be greatly appreciated!
It’s above in the post (under the frequently asked question section) 🙂
I had this recipe saved and really loved it. Can I please have the original recipe back?? This one is not the same.
It’s in the frequently asked question section now & I talk about why it was changed. When I only get negative reviews and not positive comments, I go back & rework the recipe because I figures it’s not a good recipe. Please leave positive reviews when you enjoy a recipe 🙂
Love the original, thanks for posting it!
Love watching you on your videos … do you have a cook book ??? Would love to buy one.. make a wonderful gift for my granddaughter….
i want to make the cheeseburger soup in my crockpot but do i cook the bacon first and when do i add it into the crockpot?
So, if I’m making this in the crock pot, I would only add the bacon as a topping at the end. Otherwise it gets soft and soggy. However, if that doesn’t bother you, you can cook it up and add it in as it cooks. But if you like to keep your bacon crispy, just cook it up and use it as a topping when you serve it 🙂
I’m glad you removed the velveeta – yuck! I hate when that is always used! This as fantastic!
It’s a controversial ingredient apparently LOL
Hi there. I just came back to get your recipe again but it’s been changed in the last couple weeks! It still sounds really good but it’s not the one I printed recently. What happened? Any chance I can get the old recipe with Velveeta?
Hey Nicole! I ended up updating the recipe as over the years so many people complained about the use of Velveeta and how they hated it so I re-worked the recipe to remove it. If you’d like, you can send me an email through the contact form here and I can get you the old one 🙂
First time I made this and all I can say is wow! I did not have Velveeta,, so I used a combination of American Cheese and Horseradish Cheddar. This will definitely go into my rotation,.
Just made this, quick and delicious, just the way I like to cook!
Me too! Ha! Thanks so much Marguerite!
Are we supposed to guess on the measurements if each item or did I miss something?
If you scroll to the bottom of the post to you’ll see the full recipe as well as a printable recipe card.
Can you use regular cheddar cheese in this ? I’m not really fond of velveeta.
Well, Velveeta melts so smoothly and adds to the creaminess of this recipe. You could use a mild cheddar cheese but keep in mind, you won’t get the same consistency and the cheese will pull a bit when you try to eat it.
I used shredded cheddar from BJs and it came out fine. It was probably a little thinner than the velveta method but it wasnt watery at all and tasted great
Thanks so much for coming back to comment John!
Thank you for this recipe. Took it to a teacher’s luncheon and it was the first to get eaten all up. Served with some crusty sesame bread. Perfect. Wouldn’t change anything in this recipe.
I made this Cheeseburger Soup for dinner last night and my son went back for THREE helpings! He then wanted to know when I would next be making it again so I think this recipe's a keeper lol. Here in New Zealand we don't have the Velveeta cheese so I used Kraft Cheese Spread and it worked perfectly fine. This was the first recipe of your's that I've tried and now I can't wait to try more. Thanks heaps 🙂
loved the fact i had all the ingredients for the cheeseburger soup and it was great. i used venison burger (boyfriend is a hunter) and he was thrilled. said anything with cheese, deer and potatoes has to be good!
Favorite meal was always tacos, that were made by mother, back in the days when tacos were unusual to make. Would have those and watch Perry Mason on tv.
Just made a pot of this soup for tomorrow nights dinner…it is delicious! We love it….i dont think much will be left for tomorrow.thank you for the recipe!
This was perfect. Everyone loved it – thank you!
Amazing. Followed directions and ingredients exactly!
I love and eat soup all year…not just winter. This is similar to my version. I add basil to mine. Yum. A hard choice between this or homemade tomato bisque. Now I'm hungry 🙂
I tried this recipe last night, and it was delish! HOWEVER, 1 suggestion… 4 cubes of beef bouillion!??? I didn't dare try that… I used 1 cube and about 1/8 tsp granules. It was perfect, and I couldn't imagine how salty it may have turned out with 4 cubes..
This looks like it should be illegal! I'm drooling…
This soup sounds and looks so good. I'd like a bowl of soup. 🙂
My favorite meal was any meal spent with my grandma's. I loved spending time with them.
My favorite home cooked meal…. hmmmm has to be my Mom's Red Flannel Hash…. we all knew when she purchased a huge beef roast, there was going to be Hash in the following days…. yum… anglswhspr224@gmail.com
I love all kinds of soups and salads- too many to list!
I love all kinds of soups and salads- too many to list!
My all time favorite meal was my Grandma's fried chicken and mashed potatoes with gravy, she was the best cook and I know Heaven is enjoying her efforts.
I can't wait to try this soup! It was a little cooler today, so I made some CHILI!!! Man, does that taste good! I love soups & chili's and could eat them 3-4 times a week! Now to get started with this one so when the chili's gone, I can make the Cheeseburger Soup! YUM!!
Picking just one favorite meal is very hard! I loved everything my granny made – especially mac&cheese, fried chicken and all the great vegetables! I also love my dad's cabbage rolls (sarma), my brother's beer can chicken or my other brother's italian beef sandwiches. My daughter makes awesome lasagna using her dad's family recipe. I guess my favorite meals are those cooked by someone else!! ;-)I would love to win this cookbook!! Thanks!
pattikaye5258@yahoo.com
My favorite home cooked meal is Roast Beef with clove/sour cream gravy. I like to serve it with a green salad (all the fresh greens, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, shredded carrots and croutons)a loaded baked potato, mixed vegetables (not canned, not frozen but as fresh as possible, corn, carrots, beans, peas) cooked in butter, garlic and parmesan. No dinner is complete without an accompanying beverage, such as Kendall Jackson's white chardenay. Or is wine is not to your taste, a flavored coffee such as hazelnut or almond. Dessert: Chocolate! any kind of chocolate! lol or it would be a homemade tiramisu cake. The best homecook meal is one shared with one or two or more friends who appreciate delicious food, good conversation by candelite in a cozy, warm, country atmosphere. Friends always make the food taste even better. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to win this Gooseberry Patch book. It seems to have so many great recipes that fit that favorite homecook meal! Thank you for sharing so many of its recipes and for sponsoring this giveaway I love your site and I think I'm going to be back here alot. Love, hugs, Marie email carpediem5790@yahoo.com
My favourite home cooked meal is a roast done in the crockpot with an onion soup mix. There's never any left over so I think it's my families favourite too.
oops forgot to leave my email address: pixiehallow@hotmail.com
So many favorite homemade meals it's hard to just choose one. So here's a few that I enjoy: my Papa's French Toast, my mom's homemade spaghetti sauce, Chicken and Noodles, and my papa's hash.
I LOVE your recipes, I printed the yeast dinner rolls and also the oreo pudding poke cake, I am going to try them this weekend.My favorite meal is when family get together and have southern chicken and dressing,yams,baby limas,cranberry sauce and rolls pecan pie for dessert.We dont get to be together alot so when we are ,its around meals.I hope I win a cook book, I love cooking and baking and also family and friends,and I love trying new recipes and also old recipes that have been passed down.I love your web page and spend alot of time reading it and checking out new recipes.
My favorite home cooked meal would have to be Pizza. My hubby makes the best dough in the world then depending on the day or event we top them accordingly. From just pepperoni and cheese to bacon tomato feta and provolone the combos are endless. In fact we are making probably 8 pizzas the 30th for a games night at our church!
Sungazer61@yahoo.com
Love meatloaf w/mashed potatoes & gravy!
michael_weiss at hotmail dot com
My all-time favorite home cooked meal is fried chicken, cornbread
and field peas with okras.
cindyskitchen@yahoo.com
My favorite home cooked meal would have to be chicken and noodles with mashed potatoes! My MIL makes an awesome chicken and noodles! I try to duplicate it but it just never turns out the same… something to be said about coming from the hands of the cook I think! Tomorrow night we are actually going to have the beef and noodles variation for dinner. Can't wait!! I think I may try the Cheeseburger soup this weekend, perfect for after my son's football game!
Thanks for the chance to win a Gooseberry Patch cookbook… love them!
Dac K. dackennedy74@gmail.com
This is actually my husband's favorite. Fried pork cutlets with cream gravy, mashed potatoes, corn and green beans. And,maybe, biscuits to soak up the extra gravy.
My favorite home cooked meal is a recipe which came out in a book called "San Antonio Cuisine" around fifteen years ago. The recipe was called "crosswalk Chili" and was and still is amazing. I have made the dish and people walking by my house have commented "my it smells so good here", meaning the "hood" was smelling yummy! I also took the dish to my childrens elementary to a chili cook off and won first prize! (ground beef, can whole tomato, one serrano, chili powder, canned pinto beans, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, top with fritos and cheese) julie melchor brownie371@gmail.com
So hard to pick a favorite – love scalloped potatoes w/ham along w/scalloped corn and a homemade roll or cornbread. Also enjoy homemade soups and stews!! Maggie – GrammaLite52@aol.com I really enjoy your recipes and posts!!
My favorite meal is my Dad's Cornell BBQ'ed chicken and salt potatoes. I live in Canada now, by way of Alaska, Colorado, South Carolina and Florida… but I grew up in Upstate NY and back home in Syracuse, NY, there's no more classic a Summer meal. To me, the tastes and smells are simply home. Trysha, estrogensea@gmail.com
Just reading through all the comments, takes me back…….. I was blessed to be raised in a large family with wonderful cooks…. but my favorite recipe is homemade chicken and noodles,, fresh butchered farm chicken,, simmered for a day with herbed salt made by a family member from an organic herb bed and homemade thick noodles…. made from scratch that day ,, house smelled wonderful all day!………. Soups are the comfort food .. thats a lost art in this generation.
chili
ABreading4fun [at] gmail [dot] com