Instant Pot Potato Soup

Instant Pot Potato Soup is exactly the comfort you crave on a cold day! Made with tender potatoes, a rich and creamy broth, and topped with all your favorite Baked Potato toppings, this soup is not only is easy to make it is also hearty and gluten-free! 

Instant Pot Potato Soup is ready from start to finish in just over 30 minutes. While not any faster than my Baked Potato Soup, the Instant Pot version is hands-off--meaning you can prep a simple Spinach Avocado Salad or prepare Oven Baked Bacon to top your soup, without standing over the stove.

Instant Pot Potato Soup is creamy, hearty, warming, and loaded with flavor.

It is made with basic pantry staples and with minimal effort, which makes this Potato Soup a great recipe to make on any night of the week.

Key Ingredients

• Potatoes--Russet potatoes work best for this soup, as their high starch content helps to thicken this soup and make it really creamy. You can choose to peel your potatoes or leave the peels on. I often leave the peels on for a boost of fiber--not to mention it cuts down on the preparation time.
• Stock-- Either chicken stock or vegetable broth both work. If you are not using homemade broth, be sure to select a low-sodium version.
• Milk/Cream--Milk, half and half, or cream all work well. Obviously cream will make the richest and luxurious potato soup, but low-fat milk can be used. I do not recommend skim milk as it does not make this soup as creamy as the other options, but you can use it in a bind. If you would like to use dairy-free milk,  just be sure if it is unsweetened and unflavored for the best results.
• Distilled Vinegar--this is the SECRET to really good potato soup! The vinegar gives the soup tang and finishes it with almost a bright note. White distilled vinegar works best!
• Cornstarch--Instead of flour, I use a cornstarch slurry to thicken up this soup after it has been pressure cooked. This makes the soup thick and hearty, while still being gluten-free.

Step-By-Step Instructions

• Add potatoes and carrots to the inner pot of the pressure cooker.

• Add in the broth, salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder, and give everything a good stir.
• Place lid on Instant Pot and be sure vent knob is pushed towards sealed.
• Set cook time for 10 minutes on high pressure.
• Once cook time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes. Then do a quick release of any remaining pressure.
• Turn Instant Pot to Saute. Whisk together the milk and cornstarch until well combined and cornstarch has dissolved in milk.  Pro-Tip: It helps to warm milk before adding cornstarch to fully dissolve cornstarch.

• Add milk mixture to pressure cooker, whisking to incorporate into soup.
• Let potato soup come to a boil, stirring occasionally while soup thickens.
• Cook until thickened to desired consistency--this should take about 5 minutes.
• Serve potato soup with toppings as desired.

How to Serve

While this soup is delicious served with no adornments, just like a baked potato, the toppings make this soup really sing!

My favorite toppings include shredded cheddar cheese, diced cooked bacon, chives, green onions, and even a dash of sour cream. Load it up just as you would a loaded baked potato.

Storing Potato Soup

Cooled Potato Soup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. This is one soup I do not recommend freezing as the texture of the potatoes changes when thawed.

To reheat the soup, add a splash of stock or milk before reheating to thin out the soup, as it thickens as it sits.

More Instant Pot Hearty Soups and Stews

• Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
• Instant Pot Lasagna Soup
• Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
• Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
• Instant Pot Beef Stew
• Instant Pot Chili
• Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Grab the humble pantry staples needed and whip up this potato soup for a bowl of creamy comfort food! And be sure to leave a comment or review, telling me how much you enjoyed this recipe--I love to hear from you!