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Rich and hearty Cheeseburger Soup – loaded!
Our Cheeseburger Soup is so good and easy to make.
Loaded with beef, potatoes, vegetables and cheese, Cheeseburger Soup is amazing. Part of the appeal of this flavorful soup is going a little crazy with the toppings. We love a big bowl garnished with crumbled bacon, onion, shredded cheddar cheese and pickles for the total cheeseburger experience!
This soup is the perfect summer to autumn recipe. If you’re like me and are still grilling on the weekends before the cold weather takes hold, you’re already halfway to an amazing pot of cheeseburger soup.
Grill up your favorite hamburgers and make 3 or 4 extra burgers to use in this soup. No worries if you don’t have a grill, Simply sauté ground beef in a large Dutch Oven and you’re well on your way to a creamy, hot bowl of this delicious soup.
The perfect soup for your cheeseburger lover!
You probably know at least one person in your life who loves a juicy cheeseburger. Personally I know several, myself included! This is the best recipe to make for your cheeseburger loving folks. We start with previously grilled, leftover hamburgers crumbled and added to the base soup.
The base is made with chicken broth, potatoes, onions, celery and carrots. These are the classic flavor makers when it comes to developing delicious soup recipes.
Once the vegetables are tender the crumbled burgers, milk and cheese are added and warmed until thick and creamy. It’s really that easy to make with the unforgettable taste of home!
Do you have to use grilled hamburgers?
No, you don’t have to use previously grilled hamburgers for this cheeseburger soup recipe. However, I think you’ll really like the flavor and love having this part of the recipe prepped ahead of time. Using leftover grilled hamburgers gives the ground beef a more authentic cheeseburger flavor.
There are many restaurants and diners that use grilled burgers in their cheeseburger soup and chili recipes too. If you don’t have a grill or it’s snowing outside, simply brown the beef until no longer pink in a soup pot, Dutch oven or skillet.
For added flavor, brown some bacon in the pan first, then drain off all the grease. Leave the crusty bits of bacon to flavor the ground beef – you won’t be sorry!
Can you make cheeseburger soup in the slow cooker or crockpot?
Yes. You have plenty of options to make this soup your own. If you want to make cheeseburger soup in the crockpot or slow cooker, you can! Simply grill the burgers ahead of time or brown a pound of ground beef in a skillet.
Drain the fat and add the chopped cooked beef to the slow cooker or crockpot. Add the broth, vegetables and part of the milk. Set the slow cooker on low and cook for 4 hours.
Once the potatoes are tender turn the slow cooker to high. Add a slurry made with the remaining milk and cornstarch and the shredded cheddar cheese. Stir and cook until the soup is thick and the cheddar cheese is melted.
Can we use other kinds of cheese to make cheeseburger soup?
Absolutely! Velveeta cheese is a popular choice for cheesy soup recipes, but I encourage you to think outside the box here. Try adding half cheddar and half applewood smoked Gouda, hot pepper or Buffalo flavored cheese. You’ll want to pick something that melts beautifully and will contribute to the creamy texture of the cheeseburger soup.
Guess what else you can do with this amazing cheeseburger soup recipe!
You can make it your own by adding shredded rotisserie chicken, ground turkey or even broccoli in place of the ground beef. This base is a great jumping off point for so many chowder-like soups. Check out our Buffalo Chicken Chowder recipe; I think you’ll want to make it next!
You might also like to turn this creamy base recipe into a steaming bowl of Salmon Chowder or our Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup. You’re going to love this soup! Enjoy
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Cheeseburger Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef, or 4 previously grilled hamburgers
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 small-medium stalks celery, diced
- 2 large carrots, peeled and shredded or diced
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth (about 4 cups)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 cups whole milk, or half-and-half, divided
- 3 cups freshly shredded cheddar cheese, good quality - not pre-shredded
For serving (optional):
- bacon, cooked and chopped
- fresh parsley leaves
- dill pickles, chopped
- red onion, minced
- rustic bread, croutons, or toasted buns, cubed
- additional shredded cheddar cheese
- hot sauce
- diced tomatoes
- Ranch dressing drizzle
- cream cheese or sour cream
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, brown the ground beef until cooked through leaving some large chunks, drain. Alternately, crumble four (quarter-pounpreviously grilled hamburgers and set aside.
- Add the butter to the Dutch oven and cook over medium heat until melted. Add the celery, carrots and onion and sauté until crisp tender, about 10-12 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute or until fragrant. Add the potatoes, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly, and simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- In a small bowl whisk the cornstarch into 1 cup of the milk (or half-and-haluntil blended. Gradually stir the slurry into the soup. Bring it to a boil again and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and slowly add the shredded cheddar cheese and the remaining cup of half-and-half. Cook and stir gently until the cheese is melted. Add the cooked ground beef and heat the chowder until steaming but not boiling. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve immediately garnishing each bowl as desired.
Recipe Notes
- If the soup is too thick, add a little water, broth or milk to thin.
- Use any combination of cream, milk or half-and-half but I recommend at least using whole milk. All half-and-half works well.
- Leftover weekend grilled hamburgers are great for this soup. The charred, grilled flavor adds another dimension to this hearty, cheesy chowder.
- If you’re garnishing the soup with bacon, cook it in the Dutch oven or soup pot first. Drain/remove the grease from the pot but don’t wipe out the crusty bits as they will flavor the soup as well. Continue making the soup in the Dutch oven.
- Substitute your favorite cheese for part of the cheddar. Cheeses such as Smoky Apple Gouda, Buffalo Cheddar, Hot Pepper, or even Velveeta work well here.
Nutrition
We love to enjoy soup all year long, but especially in the fall. Check out these 25 Sensational Soups and this Loaded Potato Soup for more soup inspiration.
Here are a few more recipes you might like to try:
Marinated Burgers – A deliciously juicy home grilled burger that tastes like steak!
Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup – with a silky, creamy broth, tender chunks of chicken, loads of fresh spinach and pillowy soft gnocchi. This soup is comforting, easy to make and super satisfying!
You’re going to love this comforting, filling and delicious Hearty Beef and Gnocchi Soup. Our chunky soup is worthy of an entire meal, especially when served with a hunk of crusty bread to sop up all the delicious broth!
Phabron Martinez
Super easy to make! We ate ours with French bread / saltines. I only needed 2 tbsp of cornstarch and used whole lactose free milk and it was the perfect consistency! I also omitted chopped onions, kids and hubby don’t like onion, and just used onion powder I added half a bag of frozen peas/carrot mix and it was so good!
Tricia Buice
Thank you for the feedback Phabron. So glad your substitutions worked well!
Naomi Alemneh
Super delicious and I love that it doesn’t have velveeta.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Naomi! We appreciate you taking the time to comment and for trying our recipe. Enjoy!
Alice
I made your cheeseburger soup and my husband and I just loved it.
Will be making it for my grand & great grandchilren
Tricia Buice
Thank you Alice! I hope all the kids (young and old) enjoy it too.
Jill
My husband is not a soup person, he told me I could make this anytime! It was an easy to make delicious soup! Next time we are going to change it up a bit!
Tricia Buice
Guys love their burgers for sure Jill! We really appreciate the feedback and for taking the time to comment. Maybe you’ve convinced your husband that soup can be delicious 🙂
Sheila
We love this soup! Family always wants to join for dinner when they hear this is on the menu! Wondering if I could make a big batch and freeze some to be thawed and reheated later?
Tricia Buice
Thank you Sheila! Yes you can make extra to freeze for later. I would undercook it just a little so the potatoes don’t turn to mush. Cool completely before sealing and freezing. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then rewarm gently. Enjoy!
Emily
Wonderful! The next day I heated it up on the stove and added chicken broth and sour cream to reconstitute. It was even better!!
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Emily! So glad this was a home run 🙂 I love a good leftover and it sounds like you really elevated this delicious soup to another level. I’m trying the sour cream add-in next time! Thanks so much.
Linda
I make this for a group of healthy appetites at work! This soup is crazy good! Don’t think adding pickles is crazy….it seriously is the BEST addition!! Thank you for a great recipe!!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Linda! So glad they enjoyed the soup. The pickles are a big surprise but I can’t imagine eating the soup without them. Thanks again for trying the recipe and for letting us know how it worked out for you!
Valerie Vincent
Made this yesterday and I cannot tell you the compliments I got over, and over. I thought I had a good cheeseburger soup recipe, this one knocks that one out of the park. Love the idea of the condiments on the side. This is my go to soup now, thank you for a great recipe!!!
Tricia Buice
Thank you so much Valerie! I appreciate you taking the time to comment and let us know how this turned out for you. So glad you enjoyed this hearty soup 🙂
Lauren
Can’t wait to try this!! Is this a soup you can leave on low all day in a Dutch oven?
Tricia Buice
Hi Lauren. If left to simmer too long, I’m afraid the potatoes would turn to mush. You can add them later if you way, and that might work. If you just want to serve it throughout the day and keep warm, I would put it in a crockpot on low and add extra chicken broth if needed. It will be fine for a few hours, but not all day on the stove top. All the components are pretty small and don’t need long to cook. Thanks for the great question!
Sara
Looking forward to trying. Think it could be made in a crockpot instead of simmering?
Tricia Buice
Hi Sara. Yes you can once everything is sautéed. Enjoy
John / Kitchen Riffs
Yup, cheeseburgers are a real weakness of mine. So I’m a perfect candidate to make this soup. Love the idea — and the flavors!!!! — of this. Neat recipe — thanks.
Tricia Buice
The guys really love this soup! Thanks John 🙂
Mimi
Interesting! The name of this soup took me by surprise, and I was hesitant, but now I’m craving it. So smart to use already grilled burgers!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Mimi! This restaurant favorite practically has a cult following. My husband loves it and hope you will too!
Chris Scheuer
What a fun, fabulous and delicious idea, Tricia! I’ve never made cheeseburger soup but that’s about to change!
Tricia Buice
Hope you enjoy this hearty, cheesy soup Chris! It really tastes like a cheeseburger especially with all the ‘extras’ on top!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
I had the most delicious cheeseburger soup at a restaurant many years ago and I still think about it 🙂 Can’t wait to try your version. Looks perfect!
Tricia Buice
Some recipes really stick with us Jennifer. My husband said the same thing so I had to recreate it at home. He LOVES burgers and of course loves this soup. Thanks.
Larry
The soup looks delicious Tricia but still too hot here to think about soup – I save for later.
Tricia Buice
It will be cold soon enough Larry! Hope you’re doing well. Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂