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Award Winning Cheeseburger Soup
What you Need to Make the Ultimate Cheeseburger Soup:
This soup is insanely delicious! Made with fresh ingredients and topped with shredded cheese, you will make it again and again! Each vegetable is coated in the cheesy goodness and tastes SO good. You will love this cheeseburger soup recipe!
Cheesy, thick chunks of vegetables and delicious buttery soup base. All of this in one bowl is pure joy and happiness! Simple to make and there will even be a little left over with how much soup there is!
- Ground beef: use one pound
- Onion: chopped
- Carrots: shredded
- Celery: diced
- Basil: dried
- Parsley flakes: added seasoning and flavor.
- Butter: used for sautéing and thickening the soup.
- Chicken broth: adds flavor and volume
- Potatoes: peeled and diced
- Flour: thickens the soup up.
- Velveeta: this a processed cheese that will be cubed or use 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese.
- Milk: creamy and smooth.
- Salt and pepper: just a pinch!
- Sour cream: thickens and adds flavoring to the soup.
How to Make The Best Cheeseburger Soup:
It is an award winning soup and it is excellent! This cheeseburger soup comes together quickly and easily. There are a few steps with simple ingredients ending in the perfect creamy soup with chunks of vegetables and tender beef.
It all comes together so well and blends perfectly. Cheeseburger soup is ranked one of my top recipes and people cannot get enough of it. My family included! They ask for this recipe often and I can never say no! I love it just as much as they do!!
- Cook the beef: Brown the ground beef in 3 quart saucepan. Drain and set aside.
- Sauté vegetables: In the same saucepan add 1 T butter and add onion, shredded carrots, parsley flakes, basil and celery. Saute until tender.
- Add in beef and potatoes then simmer: Add the broth, potatoes and beef and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- Make a roux: In a small skillet melt remaining butter (3 T) and add the flour. Cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to the soup and bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
- Add in remaining ingredients and cook: Stir in the cheese, milk, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat and blend in sour cream.
Cooking in the Slow Cooker?
The great thing about this cheeseburger soup is I even have a Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Soup recipe that is just as good as this one! If you are needing to make in the morning and let the slow cooker do the work, then this is the recipe for you! It tastes just the same as over the stovetop and has just as AMAZING flavoring. Either recipe will be just that good!
Tips for The Best Soup:
This simple to make cheeseburger soup is one of the BEST! You can’t go wrong with the ingredients as well as how good it tastes overall. It is delicious from start to finish! Every bite will leave you wanting more of that creamy soup with thick chunks with every spoonful. Here are some tips that will help make this cheeseburger soup easier to make.
- Ground beef: The leaner the ground beef the better. Be sure to drain off any excess of grease before adding it back into the soup.
- Potatoes: Russet potatoes are thick and strong. They usually don’t go mushy in soups. Yellow and red potatoes will work too but try not to over cook them.
- Cheese: Velveeta is a favorite for this soup. It will leave it thick and creamy. If you are not a fan of velveeta try shredded cheeses. The texture and thickness will be altered and have a thinner soup base.
- Thickener: Cream cheese is a great way to substitute the sour cream. It will keep it rich and creamy and still have the thick texture you need.
- Remove from heat: Before you add in your sour cream, remove the soup from heat. This will help prevent the sour cream from curdling when being stirred in.
- Make bun croutons: cube a sesame seeded bun and cook them on a baking sheet in the oven for a few minutes. Watching them so they don’t burn. Using the stove top with a skillet will also work until they are golden brown.
Variations of Warm Cheeseburger Soup:
I love mixing and matching recipes, especially after I have made a recipe a few times it is fun to experiment and try it in different ways.
This cheeseburger soup is one of those recipes. This is definitely a family favorite in our home and made often. I knew I wanted to try somethings a little different. To start with I made this Bacon Cheeseburger Soup recipe. This is a great variation but also kept with the cheeseburger soup recipe I already had, just added some bacon.
Here are a few other ways to enhance, substitute or simply leave out to make this cheeseburger soup recipe your own.
- Meat: switch up your meat by using chicken, ground turkey or even Italian sausage.
- Vegetables: add in more vegetables or substitute the vegetables in the soup. We have tried mushrooms, bell peppers and even canned tomatoes.
- Seasoning: your favorite seasonings can always be added. Simply start with a pinch or 1/4 teaspoon and taste as you go. We have added red pepper flakes or paprika for a more spicy soup or add in season salt for a different taste and blend of soup.
- Cheese: instead of Velveeta try 2 cups of cheddar cheese or Colby jack cheese. For a spicier cheeseburger soup try it with pepper jack cheese.
- Cream: don’t leave out the cream but use heavy cream or yogurt or whole milk to keep it creamy but also thick.
- Broth: beef broth or vegetable broth are great substitutes as well.
Add Your Toppings!
Topping are the fun part to add to this cheeseburger soup recipe! There are already so many great ingredients in this recipe that it all blends together. With every bite you are guaranteed a cheesy spoonful with a vegetable and topping. These toppings are versatile and can be made quickly. I love how simple they are and bring this cheeseburger soup even more flavor!
- Bacon pieces: for a quick way of making bacon, I use the microwaveable bacon and cut into chunks. Left over bacon is great too.
- Sour cream: a dollop of sour cream on top just adds to the taste with onions and chives.
- Onion: chopped and added to the top for a more crunchy texture.
- Pickles: dill is my favorite. This is fun to have chunks of pickles on top. It adds a sweeter taste to the soup.
- Crackers: you can never go wrong with crackers. Oyster crackers are fun and little to throw on top or just saltine crackers with a salty taste.
- Croutons: these will soak up all the cheesy broth and add and extra soft, crunch to your bite.
- Chips: salty chips are fun to use or pita chips. Dip them like salsa or crumble them up.
- Bun croutons: dice up a sesame seed bun and toast it or sauté it over the oven until they are golden brown and add to the top.
Storing cheeseburger soup
This cheeseburger soup is known for being delicious and everything good. I love the simplicity of this cheeseburger recipe and how delicious it is. It is a tried and true recipe that our family will continue to make over and over again. Another great thing about this cheeseburger soup recipe is that it makes a large amount of soup. Perfect for reheating, freezing or even sharing with others. Again, it is just that good!
When freezing this cheeseburger soup there are a few adjusts that need to be made. It is best to leave out potatoes because after being frozen they do become mushy. Also, it does have sour cream, cheese and a milk base. This kind of soup does not freeze well. It is best to enjoy your cheeseburger soup fresh! There are ways to freeze this cheeseburger soup recipe though and I am here to help with that.
- Storing cheeseburger soup: once your cheeseburger soup is completely cooled place your cheeseburger soup in an airtight container or ziplock bag. This will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days long. When ready to reheat you may need to add a little chicken broth if it is too thick.
- Can you freeze your cheeseburger soup? Yes, kind of. It is best fresh and made to serve. If you are needing to freeze this soup and are planning it from the beginning, I recommend leaving out the potatoes until you are warming it back up. Potatoes tend to go mushy when they are frozen in a soup. Once your soup is completely cooled, add your soup to a ziplock bag with excess air removed. Lay flat in your freeze. This will last about 1 month. Freezing too long can separate the soup leaving it hard to reheat and combine back together.
- How to reheat cheeseburger soup: It is best to reheat your soup on the stove top or in a slow cooker. No need to thaw your soup. Simply add the frozen soup to your pot and reheat on low stirring often. They will keep the soup from separating.
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Cheeseburger Soup
Equipment
- Alyssa Also Recommends:
- Want to make this even easier? Here are a few products that I LOVE:
- Calphalon Cookware Set
- Staub Cast Iron Skillet
- The Recipe Critic Measuring Cups
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3/4 cup chopped onion
- 3/4 cup shredded carrots
- 3/4 cup diced celery
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 4 tablespoons butter divided
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups peeled and diced potatoes
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups of Velveeta processed cheese cubed I used 16 ounce or- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef in 3 quart saucepan. Drain and set aside.
- In the same saucepan add 1 T butter and add onion, shredded carrots, parsley flakes, basil and celery. Saute until tender.
- Add the broth, potatoes and beef and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- In small skillet melt remaining butter (3 T) and add the flour. Cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to the soup and bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
- Stir in the cheese, milk, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat and blend in sour cream.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this soup tonight for our pre-Super Bowl meal. It was absolutely AMAZING!! I have very picky eaters and everyone had at least two bowls each!! Award-winning recipe, no doubt!! Thank you for sharing!! Delish!
I saw this recipe posted on Facebook today and decided to give it a whirl, and two of the main questions I saw in the comments were the same questions I had, so hopefully my comment can help answer them, it they haven’t already been answered…. YES, it is great with shredded cheese instead of Velveeta, and YES, it is super in the crockpot. I could not help but notice the very negative comment a bit above mine in the string (and you are correct- there is a big difference between a difference of opinion and rudeness!), and let me say, I get out plenty, and cook a wide variety of foods, and my whole family LOVED this.To do it in the crockpot I used ground beef I had already cooked, and I used chopped Yukon gold potatoes I had on hand- didn’t bother skinning them. I put veggies, potatoes, seasonings, and beef in the crockpot with homemade chicken broth I had on hand, cooked no high for one hour (mostly because my broth was frozen in chunks), and then switched to low for 5 hours. I stirred in the milk and 2 cups of a shredded blend of sharp cheddar, colby, and monterey jack about 30 minutes before serving, along with the roux made from the flour and butter, and took the lid off to help it thicken up a bit. It came out great that way. I also did add a splash of Worcestershire sauce and some garlic to bring out the flavors, and then topped it with bacon and scallions when serving. Super yummy!! My pickiest eater was the one who saw me looking at the recipe this morning and encouraged me to make it, and she adored it, so it will be back on our table again… probably tomorrow, because I can tell it will be even better the second day! 🙂
I am preparing this soup to be served later tomorrow. Is it ok to go ahead and add the sour cream a day before seving??
Made this soup tonight for my husband & son. Just a few things… I found that the butter/flour ratio for the roux was off. Traditionally, a roux is equal parts fat & flour. I had to add an additional tbsp of butter to even out the ratio & undo the ball of flour that formed in the pan. Also, I’d definitely recommend using a much bigger pan. The 3 qt. saucepan was ok until the cheese & milk were to be added. Fortunately, I’m fairly messy & I anticipated overflow & transferred to a stock pot. Added about 2 tbsp. garlic salt & some extra ground pepper for our taste. Also, I saw other comments mention the cheese on the top & no mention of reserving a bit for the end. Fortunately, being a cheese-loving Wisconsinite, I had plenty on hand. Overall, a really tasty soup & will make it again.
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I was looking forward to this dinner! I just wish it tasted as good as it looks, unfortunately it doesn’t! I did everything the instructions called for, but it tasted TERRIBLE! The ingredients contain too much salt, so it consisted of a dog food taste. Very disappointing!
Oh my goodness I am so sorry you didn’t like it! This is one of our favorites and most popular raved about soup recipe on the blog.
If this is your idea of insanely delicious, you need to get out more! This soup is just ok. Lacks seasoning / taste. My family expected better from the reviews, definitely sounds better than it is.
Even if this is your opinion… why on earth would you write such a negative comment like this? Is this supposed to make me feel good? Try writing a positive comment and making the world a better place. And read all of the comments, I am not the only one that thinks this soup is the best… and its the most popular soup on my site for a reason.
Sorry if my opinion made you feel bad, but it’s just an opinion. My comment that this soup lacks seasoning / taste is not making the world a bad place…..it’s informing other people that it may need adjusting according to my family’s taste. I did read all the reviews, which is why we decided to try it. It’s not horrible, nor did my family think it was insanely delicious, we just expected it to more than just ok.
I agree. It was just ok to me and my hubby.
Very good soup. I added salt a few times while cooking to help with taste. We also used deer meat, if using that only 1/2 pound.
Was wondering if this would freeze well? There are only two of us!
I should not have read this before breakfast – stomach is officially growling.
Delicious soup… my hubby and I loved it! I did 1/2 Velveeta and 1/2 sharp cheddar cheese.
I was in charge of finding a soup for a competition at my child’s high school and came across this one. We were looking for something different than the 5 recipes others would all use. We were told to make enough for 100 people to have small samples and instructed not to even go that high, there was a lot left over last year. I tweaked the recipe here and there ( I can’t seem to help myself!) and passed it out to 4 others so we could all make the exact same thing as per the instructions. People at the event looked as us weirdly and at first avoided our table because of the name. There were some kids who hadn’t bought tickets to the event but were there, so I gave them samples anyway. They were quick to pass the word to their friends who in turned passed the word to their parents. We suddenly had people swarming the table saying they’d heard about our soup and had to try it! We had started out with 5 full crock pots and ended up with everything empty and winning the competition. 🙂 Awesome recipe!
This soup is AMAZING!!!! My husband and daughter request it every week and it makes enough for two dinners so that’s saying something! I have shared this recipe with several friends and they all absolutely loved it too. If you haven’t made it yet, DO IT! Thank you so much for the recipe.
Made this for dinner on a ridiculously cold night. My picky eater loved it. And so did everyone else. Very comforting and healthy, too. Loved using the shredded Cheddar.
Made this for my family last night and everyone (right down to my picky 2 year-old) loved it! I used 2 cups of shredded pepper jack cheese instead of Velveeta – Delish! Thanks for a great recipe!
Found this on Pinterest, and can I just say…thanks so much sharing for this recipe…it was incredibly delicious (I used the 2 cups of shredded cheddar). Will be making it again for sure!!