This Instant Pot potato soup recipe was an instant hit in my house. Some links in this post are affiliate links that earn me a commission if you purchase through them.

With winter approaching, it is soup season in my house. Soups are easy to make, and they tend to be pretty hands off.

Even better, Instant Pot soups are beyond fast. This one? Eight minutes of pressure to cook it.

And the flavor is fantastic, too, partly because of the bacon. Say it with me: bacon makes everything better.

What if I don’t eat bacon?

You can still make this, and it will still taste good, I promise. Simply leave out the bacon.

At the start, use a vegetable oil to saute the onions rather than bacon grease. It doesn’t give the smoky flavor of bacon, but everything else remains the same.

Want to jazz up the flavor? Add a dash of liquid smoke or Worcestershire sauce. Top your soup bowl with chopped green onion when you serve it. A little hot sauce is delicious, too.

What potatoes should I use?

This recipe needs a starchy potato that will hold together when they cook. I recommend using a russet potato.

Russet potatoes – the same ones you use for your standard baked potato – most easily puree and soften in the soup. Thankfully, they also tend to be among the cheaper potatoes to purchase.

That said, this recipe is pretty forgiving, so you can choose to use your favorite potato, although really waxy potatoes like a red bliss may be harder to use.

Is this Instant Pot potato soup gluten free?

Why yes, it is! Not every potato soup is gluten free, but this recipe contains no gluten.

It’s a thick, delicious soup, but it doesn’t use flour to thicken it like many soups do. Instead, after the soup cooks, use an immersion blender to zoop it up a few times (seriously – this is one of my favorite and most used kitchen tools, get one!)

The cooked potatoes provide the thickening in the soup, so you get the rich and creamy feel while enjoying a naturally gluten free soup.

Do I need to peel my potatoes for soup?

Absolutely not! Leave those peels on when you make soup.

First of all, it’s easier and saves you time. Why give yourself extra work?

Second, the skin helps the potato hold its shape after it cooks. Without the skin, you end up without chunks in your soup, and you want to have that variety of texture.

The pressure cooking softens the skins, so you don’t have to worry that they will be tough or a strong texture, which I know is why many people don’t eat the skins of baked potatoes. Plus, the skin is where the nutrients are!

How to Make Instant Pot Potato Soup

Turn your Instant Pot to saute. While it heats, chop your bacon into matchsticks.

Add the bacon to your Instant Pot, and stir periodically with a wooden spoon. You want the bacon to cook until lightly crisp.

While the bacon cooks, dice your onion. Once the bacon finishes cooking, use tongs to remove the bacon from the Instant Pot and make sure you have just one to two tablespoons bacon grease.

Add the onion and use a wooden spoon to it. The onion will loosen any stuck on bacon bits at the bottom to ensure you don’t get a burn notice while cooking. Turn the Instant Pot off, and let the residual heat finish cooking your onion.

Wash your potatoes, and cut into bite size cubes. Add them to your Instant Pot as you chop them.

Add the parsley, salt, pepper, and chicken stock, then stir. Close the Instant Pot lid, and ensure the vent is set to seal.

Cook for eight minutes, then let it natural pressure release for 10 minutes. Carefully open the lid, and set it aside.

Use your immersion blender to puree the soup with seven quick zips. You want to leave plenty of potato chunks but get enough pureed to make a nice, thick soup.

If you don’t have an immersion blender, buy one. You’ll love it. Just kidding. Instead, place one cup of the soup into your standard blender and pulse to puree. Make sure to hold the top on with a folded kitchen towel to avoid burns.

Add the milk, and stir. Grate your cheese and add it in small handfuls. If you add too much at a time, you’ll end up with clumps that don’t melt well.

Stir until the cheese fully melts, then serve immediately. Top with the reserved bacon and additional shredded cheese. Add green onion or your other favorite potato toppings if you choose.

This keeps in the fridge for two to three days. Make sure you use a tightly sealed container, and reheat the Instant Pot potato soup gently.

What would you serve with Instant Pot potato soup?

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