Best Cheeseburger Soup
If just like me, you are a fan of juicy, beefy cheeseburgers, I have the perfect comfort food for you. My homemade cheeseburger soup is incredibly hearty, cheesy, creamy, and flavorful. Its like a Big Mac served in a bowl, top it with hamburger fixings and enjoy it!
Table of contents
This easy soup is filled with lean ground beef, lots of crunchy veggies, shredded Velveeta, and cheddar cheese that make it luxuriously rich. The mixture of herbs and spices I put in my recipe, along with the vegetables, beef, and cheese, make it irresistible to everyone who tries it, so making a double batch is a good idea.
This meal is truly satisfying, whether you are entertaining for the Super Bowl, serving a larger crowd, or simply craving a delicious dinner that even picky eaters will love, then this is the perfect dish! I have tried many variations of this hearty soup, but this version is one of the best, trust me on this one.
One of the best things about this recipe is that it can be made in less than an hour. From beginning to end, prep time is only about 15 minutes, and cooking time is about 35 to 40 minutes.
Serve it with a side of fries and the kids will love it even more. My crispy potato wedges are the perfect combo for this. They are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Wonderful for dipping in the soup or ketchup!
I love making homemade soups, and this one is a true keeper. Try my other favorites such as Slow Cooker Clam Chowder, Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, and Taco Soup.
Why you will love this recipe
- Two favorite comfort foods in one: I love comfort foods during the fall and winter. Cheeseburgers and soup. Both of my favorite comfort foods for cold weather are together in one dish. How can I beat that? By making it fast and easy? Exactly my idea.
- Takes less than an hour: The next best thing about this soup recipe is that it only takes about 15 minutes to prepare and just 35 or 40 minutes to cook. That means it can be ready to serve in less than an hour, which is great for a busy weeknight or any night of the week.
- It is so easy to make: Start with browning the ground beef. Then, chop and saute the veggies before adding the other ingredients back in. Turn the heat down and let it simmer until it is done. Simple and fast.
- A kid-friendly meal: Cheeseburgers are popular with kids so when they learn that this soup is made of cheeseburger ingredients, they will love it. Let them add their own favorite toppings and you will have no trouble getting them to finish their dinner.
What you’ll need to make cheeseburger soup
Special items
- Dutch oven – A large saucepan would also work.
- Medium skillet – For making the cheese sauce.
- Bowls
- Cooking utensils
Ingredients
For the soup:
- Ground beef – I usually use 85/15 to make sure there is not much grease to strain from the soup but still plenty of flavor.
- Potatoes – About two pounds of potatoes. I prefer Yukon Golds, peeled and cubed to about one inch or so.
- Chicken broth – Organic and low-sodium chicken broth is what I use and highly recommend for the best taste without all the extra ingredients not needed.
- Sour cream – I use full-fat sour cream, at room temperature, for the best results.
- Butter – I recommend unsalted butter for sautéing the veggies. They do not need the extra salt since I am adding the salt myself.
- Onion – White onions are what I prefer because they remind me of what I put on my hamburgers.
- Garlic – Freshly minced garlic for the best flavor and no bitter aftertaste.
- Carrot – I shred my own carrots for the freshest taste. They also add moisture to the soup.
- Celery – Also, freshly diced celery gives this soup a nice earthy kick with some crunchiness to boot.
- Basil – Adds a bit of sweetness with a hint of spiciness.
- Thyme – Gives this soup an herbal grassy taste with a background of mint and hay.
- Paprika – Mild, sweet, and flavorful, with a vibrant red color and a touch of heat.
- Vegetable oil
- Salt
- Pepper
For the cheese sauce:
- All-purpose flour – To thicken the sauce. All-purpose flour is the best because it has a moderate amount of gluten for stability and structure.
- Butter – Use unsalted to get the full taste of the butter without the salt.
- Heavy cream – To get the best thickness and richness.
- Velveeta cheese – Melts the best and is perfect for this soup. Cut into one-inch cubes.
- Cheddar cheese – I shred my own because pre-shredded is treated with chemicals to keep it from clumping.
How to make cheeseburger soup?
- Brown the ground beef: First, I brown the ground beef over medium heat in a Dutch oven until it is no longer pink. Then, I put the beef on a plate and drain the grease.
- Make the soup: After, I melt two tablespoons of butter on medium and cook the onion for one minute. Then, the rest of the veggies and seasonings go in, and I cook them for about ten more minutes until they are tender. I add the potatoes, ground beef, and enough broth to cover the potatoes and bring to a boil. Then, I reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Make the cream sauce: When the potatoes are almost done, I make the cheese sauce in a medium skillet, melting the butter over medium heat. Then, I add the flour and stir continuously until it is bubbly and combined, for about three minutes.
- Add the cream sauce: The cream goes in a little at a time, stirring frequently. I reduce the heat to low and add the cubed Velveeta, stirring until it melts. After that melts, I stir in the cheddar cheese until it fully melts.
- Finish and serve: Then, I pour the cheese sauce into the soup and bring it to a boil, cooking it while stirring for two minutes before adding salt and pepper to taste. Once that is done, I remove it from the heat and stir in the sour cream before serving.
Expert tip
Choosing the ground beef
Many people have had a lot of trouble with too much oil and fat in their cheeseburger soup, and it has a lot to do with the kind of ground beef that is being used. It helps to use something that has less than 20% fat. I like to use 85/15 if I can find it.
I am not suggesting lean ground beef to cut calories or fat by all means. After all, I also have Velveeta, sour cream, and heavy cream in this recipe. The reason is to keep the greasiness out of the soup. Nothing ruins a delicious soup more than a layer of grease on top when you go to reheat it. I expect a little bit but a half inch of fat on top is too much.
So, use lean ground beef and be sure to strain the excess grease out of it. Then, squeeze the grease out of it after browning it too. I also like to use a stainless-steel ladle afterward to get any excess grease off the top, so it does not show up later after all the work I did.
Recipe variations and add-ins:
- Other meat: For a different flavor, use ground sausage, chicken, or pork instead of ground beef. They are all delicious, but my favorite is sausage.
- Baconize it: Make it a bacon cheeseburger! Add bacon bits. You can buy them store-bought or make your own.
- Different cheese: Speaking of cheese, use other cheeses to make this uniquely yours. Some of the ones I have tried are pepper jack, gouda, and parmesan.
- Mix in other veggies: Alternatively, you can add other vegetables such as mushrooms, bell peppers, peas, etc.
- Slow cooker version: Here is the full post on how to make this soup in the crockpot.
- Pressure cooker: Instant Pot cheeseburger soup is another great and fast way to make this recipe.
Serving suggestions:
- Soup is made to be served with some kind of bread to soak it up. Try it with my homemade brioche bread.
- For the fun of it, I like to have crispy homemade fries on the side.
- For an even more interesting meal, serve this savory meal in these fluffy and delicious bread bowls. Then, the guests can eat their dishes too!
- A quick and easy green salad with tomatoes and iceberg lettuce would be a perfect side dish.
- For dessert, nothing goes better with cheeseburger soup than chocolate chip cookies.
- Looking for the perfect wine? I like California Chardonnay, Riesling, or Amarone.
Favorite toppings:
This dish is super delicious and hearty just as is. However, for additional flavor, try adding some of the below toppings:
- Bacon crumbs or chopped bacon
- Chopped green onion or parsley
- Pickles
- Oyster crackers
- Croutons
- Corn chips
- Salty chips or pita chips
- Chopped green onions
- Sesame seeds
- shredded lettuce
Frequently asked questions
Do not add cold sour cream to hot soup. I would let the sour cream come to room temperature. Then, wait until after the soup is done cooking and the cheese sauce has been added. Wait a little bit at a time for a few minutes before adding the sour cream, stirring it well after each addition. Another way to do it is to add some of the hot soup to the sour cream a little at a time, stirring constantly, until it is warm, then pour it into the soup.
The most important thing is to get lean ground beef. I usually use 80/20 or even 85/15 so it has plenty of flavor with very little fat. Then, after browning it, I drain it well and place it between paper towels to squeeze all the excess grease out of it. But even then, some grease will get through, so I also skim the excess off the top of the surface with a stainless-steel ladle filled with ice cubes. The ladle picks up the grease like a magnet.
If the cheese is heated past the melting point, the proteins in it squeeze out the moisture and turn it into clumpy and rubbery bits. It has to be heated on low to reduce the chances of clumps and stirred often. In my recipe, I melt the cheese with Velveeta, which is a cheese spread made for melting. Then, it gets added to the soup at the end of the cooking process so it should not clump.
With a soup like this, there should be no problem thickening it. The cheese sauce has flour in it so it will help thicken it. But if it is still not thick enough, try mashing some of the potatoes to thicken it up. A potato masher or an immersion blender will work for this. If that is not enough, try a cornstarch slurry. Mix two parts liquid (such as broth or cream) with one part cornstarch until the cornstarch dissolves. Then, add it to the soup and let it cook for 10 minutes until it is thick enough.
How to store:
- Refrigerate: Leftover cheeseburger soup will stay fresh in a covered container in the fridge for three days. Remember that it will get thicker as the potatoes release more starch.
- Freezing: Use a measuring cup or ladle to spoon the soup into quart freezer bags. It can be kept in the freezer for up to three months. Store the bags flat to save space.
- Defrost: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator for the best flavor, or they can be thawed in a pot of warm water.
- Reheating: You can reheat it in a saucepan on medium-low for 10 minutes or in the microwave for one to two minutes.
More delicious soup recipes:
Recipe tips:
- Remove it from the heat before adding the sour cream to keep it from curdling.
- Cut the potatoes into long, thin strips to make them like French fries.
- To prevent the sour cream from curdling, do not add it until the end of the cooking process, when it is removed from the heat.
- Make sure the ground beef is lean, 80/20 or higher, to keep it from making the soup too greasy.
- Also, drain the ground beef well after cooking it and pat it with paper towels to remove any excess grease.
- Keep the heat on low when melting it to prevent it from clumping.
- To make the soup thicker, add cornstarch slurry or smash some potatoes.
Best Cheeseburger Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 tablespoons canola oil or vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika for more flavor
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 pounds potatoes peeled and cubed
- 3 cups chicken broth more if needed
- 1/2 cup sour cream optional
Cheese Sauce:
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups cream or whole milk
- 1 pound Velveeta processed cheese or you can use more cheddar cheese and a brick of cream cheese to add creaminess
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Place a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat, add oil, and once it's hot, add ground beef. Use a wooden spoon to crumble the beef and cook it until it is no longer pink. Transfer the beef to a plate and drain the grease from the saucepan.
- In the same saucepan, melt two tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add diced onion, stir, and cook for about 1 minute.
- Add the remaining veggies and seasoning: garlic, carrots, celery, basil, parsley, thyme, paprika, salt, and black pepper. Stir and sauté for about 8-10 minutes, until veggies are just tender.
- Add cubed potatoes, cooked ground beef, and chicken broth. Add enough broth to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until potatoes are tender, 10-12 minutes.
Cheese Sauce:
- Meanwhile, place a medium skillet over medium heat. Add butter and melt.
- Add flour and cook, stirring continuously, until bubbly and thoroughly combined, about 3 minutes.
- Add the cream, little by little, and stir to combine.
- Reduce heat to low, add the cubed Velveeta cheese, and stir to melt. Once melted, add the shredded cheddar cheese and stir until thoroughly melted.
- Add the mixture to the soup, stir, and bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.
- Remove from heat and blend in sour cream.
- If the soup is too thick, add more cream/milk or broth, little by little.
- Serve topped with extra cheddar cheese and preferred toppings.