A cozy, creamy soup with all the best parts of a cheeseburger! Seasoned ground beef, tender potatoes, sharp cheddar cheese, and just enough mustard to give it that classic burger flavor.
If you love cheeseburgers and you love a good bowl of homemade soup, this one is worth putting on the dinner rotation. It is hearty enough to be a meal on its own, but it also goes perfectly with homemade bread, rolls, or even toasted hamburger bun pieces.
And don’t skip the toppings! A little diced pickle, extra cheddar, crispy bacon, or green onion makes this soup taste even more like a cheeseburger in a bowl.
Why You’ll Love This Cheeseburger Soup
This isn’t complicated soup. It’s the kind of dinner I love making when I want something warm and homemade without spending all evening in the kitchen.
You get:
- Ground beef for that classic hamburger flavor
- Potatoes to make the soup hearty and filling
- Sharp cheddar cheese for plenty of cheesy flavor
- A creamy homemade broth
- A little mustard for that unmistakable cheeseburger taste
- Optional toppings that let everyone make their bowl their own
Ingredients
For the Soup
- ground beef
- yellow onion
- garlic
- potatoes
- beef broth
- butter
- all-purpose flour
- whole milk
- sour cream
- ground mustard
- salt
- black pepper
- paprika
- onion powder
Optional Toppings
- bacon
- cheddar cheese
- dill pickles
- green onions
- red onion
- hamburger bun pieces (or croutons)
How to Make Cheeseburger Soup
Brown the ground beef.
Place a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it into small pieces as it browns. Once the beef is cooked, drain excess grease if necessary.
Add the diced onion and cook for about 3-4 minutes, until the onion begins to soften.
Next, add the minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
Add the Potatoes and Broth.
Add the diced potatoes and beef broth to the pot.
Stir in ground mustard, salt, pepper, paprika, and onion powder.
Bring the soup to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 12-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
Make the Creamy Base.
While the potatoes are cooking, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Whisk in the flour and continue whisking for about 1 minutes.
Slowly pour in the milk while whisking constantly. Continue cooking and stirring until the mixture thickens slightly. (You don’t want it too thick, just a little bit.) Reduce heat and add in sour cream. Whisk until smooth.
Add the Creamy Mixture
Slowly pour the milk mixture into the soup pot, stirring as you add it.
Add the Cheese
Add the shredded cheddar cheese a handful at a time, stirring after each handful until melted.
Keep the soup over low heat while adding the cheese. Avoid bringing the soup to a hard boil after adding the cheese as high heat can cause the cheese to become grainy.
Taste and add additional salt or pepper if needed.
Add Your Toppings
Ladle the soup into bowls and let everyone add their favorite cheeseburger toppings.
My favorite combination is sharp cheddar, crispy bacon, and something crunchy on top like croutons or crushed up tortilla chips. My husband enjoys adding pickles to his soup.
Simply Heidi Tip
Shred your own cheddar cheese if you can.
Pre-shredded cheese won’t melt smoothly or properly.
Freshly shredded cheese gives the soup an especially creamy, smooth finish.
What Kind of Potatoes Should I Use?
Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes both work well with this soup.
Russets will break down a little more as they cook and can make the soup feel thicker and more rustic. Yukon Gold potatoes hold their shape nicely and have a naturally buttery texture.
I usually like Yukon Gold for this soup but use whatever you have in your pantry.
Can I Make Cheeseburger Soup Ahead of Time?
Yes!
Cheeseburger soup makes a great make-ahead dinner. Store cooled soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheat it gently on the stovetop.
Because this soup contains dairy and cheese, I recommend reheating it over low to medium-low heat rather than bringing it to a hard boil.
If the soup thickens too much in the refrigerator, add a splash of milk or broth while reheating.
Cheeseburger Soup Toppings Ideas
This is where you can really have fun.
Think about what you would put on your favorite cheeseburger and turn those ingredients into soup toppings.
Try:
- Dill pickles
- Bacon
- Extra cheddar
- Green onions
- Diced red onion
- Pickle relish
- Croutons
- Toasted hamburger bun pieces
- A tiny drizzle of ketchup
- A litle extra mustard
You could even set out several toppings and let everyone build their own cheeseburger bowl.
Easy Variations
Bacon Cheeseburger Soup
Cook 4-6 slices of bacon before making the soup. Remove the bacon, crumble it, and use a little of the bacon grease to brown the beef.
Save the crispy bacon for topping the finished soup.
Mushroom Cheeseburger Soup
Add 1 cup of sliced mushrooms when you saute the onion.
Cook until the mushrooms soften before continuing with the recipe.
Spicy Cheeseburger Soup
Add 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce.
You could also replace part of the cheddar with pepper jack cheese.
Pickle Cheeseburger Soup
For serious pickle lovers, add a couple tablespoons of finely chopped dill pickles to the finished soup.
I prefer putting the pickles on top rather than cooking them into the soup, but both are worth trying.
What to Serve With Cheeseburger Soup
This soup is hearty enough to be dinner by itself, but I love serving it with something simple.
Try:
- Homemade dinner rolls
- Garlic bread
- Toasted hamburger buns
- Homemade bread
- A simple green salad
- Roasted vegetables
- Fresh fruit
And if you’re feeding a family, don’t underestimate how good a warm homemade roll is for dipping into that homemade cheesy broth.
Storage
Allow leftover soup to cool and refrigerate it in an airtight container.
For best quality, use refrigerated leftovers within 3-4 days.
Reheat gently on the stovetop, stirring occasionally. Add a little milk or broth if the soup has thickened after refrigeration.
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Cheeseburger Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 med yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups diced potatoes cut into bite sized pieces
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 tsp ground mustard optional
- t tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
Optional toppings
- bacon cooked, crumbled
- cheddar cheese shredded
- dill pickles diced
- red onion diced
- hamburger bun crushed into pieces
Instructions
- Brown ground beef in a soup pot or Dutch oven.
- Add diced onion and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add minced garlic and stir well.
- Add the diced potatoes and beef broth to the pot.
- Mix in the ground mustard, salt, pepper, paprika, and onion powder.
- Bring the soup to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 12-15 minutes. You want the potatoes to be fork tender.
- While you wait for the potatoes to cook, in a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
- Whisk flour in butter and whisk for 1 minute.
- Slowly pour in milk while whisking constantly. Continue cooking and stirring until the mixture thickens slightly. Reduce heat to low and stir in sour cream. Whisk until smooth.
- Once potatoes are fork tender, add milk mixture to the soup, stir well and reduce heat to low.
- Add in cheese, a handful at a time and stir until melted.
- Serve with toppings of choice.
