This Instant Pot Potato Soup is creamy with very little cream added! The secret is in the potatoes themselves! You’ve got to choose the right type for a creamy soup.
Serve it topped with bacon bits, green onions and grated cheese for a delicious lunch or dinner!
Looking for an easy homemade bread to go with your soup? Give our Honey Buckwheat Soda Bread a try!
Not too many things are better on cold winter days than warm and cozy soups! Soups are delicious. They warm you up from the inside. They are also filling and economical!
All valid reasons why soups have been staples in so many cuisines for centuries. And creamy potato soup is one of my personal favourites.
Do you prefer your potato soup creamy or chunky?
I have to admit I love both, so for this recipe I mixed the two! I used two types of potatoes to serve two purposes.
Starchy or floury potatoes like Russet Potatoes or Maris Piper (UK) deliver the creamy texture. And waxy potatoes like red skinned ones provide a bit of texture.
Once the soup was done I divided it, then blended one half for a creamy base and left the rest chunky, so you’d have something to chew!
Do you know that according to research food that you have to chew leaves us feeling more satisfied?
How do you thicken potato soup?
Potato is a starchy vegetable. Corn or potato starch is what is usually used for thickening soups, sauces and gravies. There is no extra thickener in my recipe outside of the potatoes used.
Once you blend a half of the cooked soup and add it back to the pot together with 1/2 cup of cream and some grated cheese, you will end up with a nice thick soup.
Should I peel potatoes for a soup?
It’s really up to you. I peeled potatoes I planned to blend but left red skinned potatoes unpeeld because I wanted them to keep their shape plus I value the added fibre they bring.
How long does it take to make potato soup in Instant Pot?
It only takes 8 minutes of cooking time but it sounds a bit misleading because Instant Pot has to come to pressure before the actual cooking starts. Then it needs to depressurise after it’s done cooking, which all adds minutes.
It will take 15-20 minutes for your Instant Pot to come to pressure, then 15 more minutes to naturally release pressure. However you can do a manual quick pressure release if you are short on time.
More favourite soup recipes:
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 shallots or 1 onion
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 clove garlic
- 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 lbs potatoes see recipe notes
- 500ml/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 tsp salt
- 125ml/1/2 cup double/heavy cream
- 50g/1/2 cup Double Gloucester/Cheddar Cheese
- 4 strips bacon
- 2 green onions
Instructions
- Turn the Saute button on your Instant Pot and sauté chopped shallots and celery in olive oil for 4-5 minutes, add minced garlic and thyme leaves and cook for 30 seconds longer while stirring.
- Add the stock, bite-sized cubed potatoes and salt. Pressure cook on High for 8 minutes. While the soup is cooking, fry the bacon and chop it up. When the soup is done, allow the pressure to naturally release.
- Ladle out half of the soup and blend it until smooth, pour it back in the pot, add the cream, grated cheese and salt to taste. (You may need to turn the saute button back on for the cheese to melt. )Serve topped with bacon bits, sliced green onions and grated cheese.
Notes
- Starchy/floury potatoes like Russet Potatoes(US) and Maris Piper(UK)
- Waxy potatoes like Red Potatoes
This was an absolutely delicious soup that our whole family enjoyed. Rich and creamy with subtle smokey flavours from the bacon, and lovely chunks of potato to surprise us every now and then. So tasty and so easy! And substituting soya cream for double cream makes it even lower in fat, so a lean option for a rich-tasting dish.
So happy you enjoyed it, Livy! I love using soya cream, so my dairy intolerant son can enjoy cream dishes as well.