Loaded with ground beef and vegetables in a cheesy broth, this Crock Pot Cheeseburger Soup is an easy dinner the whole family will love.
This thick, hearty soup is perfect for cool weather when you need a "stick to your bones" chowder-like soup.
🍔Ingredients
Ground meat—usually beef
Dairy—Butter, Milk, Sour cream, Cheese
Veggies—Potatoes, Carrots, Celery. Onion
Chicken broth—low sodium
Flour
Salt and Pepper
Optional dry parsley and dry basil
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Featured Comment from Amy:
"5 stars. This was delicious!… My husband and I have enough for leftovers, but the soup seems to be disappearing fast. So good on a cold December night."
A hearty soup that is thick with creamy cheese, vegetables, potatoes, and meat. Yes, it is a cheeseburger in a bowl. It can also be called a chowder, a thick, meaty soup usually made of white sauce.
The model recipe was a Taste of Home recipe that was stovetop. It was converted to a crock pot with other adjustments to match an excellent restaurant version.
👨🍳How to Make Crock Pot Cheeseburger Soup
Most of the ingredients are sitting in your kitchen now.
Peel and chop 3-4 medium potatoes into ½ inch cubes to make 3-4 cups. Peel and shred 2 medium carrots and chop one small onion and one stalk (rib) of celery.
Add veggies to a 5 quart or larger crock pot. Add 2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth. Optionally add 1 teaspoon of dry parsley and 1 teaspoon of basil. Cook on low for 4-5 hours until the potatoes are tender.
Brown 1 pound of ground beef. Drain the beef and add to the crock pot.
Wipe out the pan. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Add 3 tablespoons of flour and whisk for several minutes until the color changes slightly. NOTE: to make it extra thick, double the butter and flour.
Add 2 ½ cup milk. Whisk continuously for a few minutes while adding ¼ cup of sour cream, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper.
When thickened, add to the crock pot and mix well. Add 1 pound of cheese of choice—Velvetta™ or cheddar recommended. Cook 30-45 minutes additional on HIGH until thick, and the cheese is all melted.
Top the way you would your cheeseburger. I love some bacon, tomato, and pickles.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
✔️Tips and options to make it right every time
- Usually, we use ground beef, but it could be other ground meat like ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Russet potatoes are best due to their high starch content. Peel and chop to about ½ inch cubes.
- Frozen diced potatoes will work fine here, also.
- Velveeta™ is recommended for at least part of the cheese since it melts well and is very creamy. Sharp cheddar cheese can be used for part of the cheese.
- The basil and parsley flakes are an option if you want.
- Top as you like. Use crumbles of bacon for the bacon cheeseburger taste or chopped-up dill pickles.
Serving Cheeseburger Soup
Serve with nice bread like Basic White Homemade Bread, Peasant Bread, or Lunch Lady Rolls. For other crock pot soup recipes, you may like Crock Pot French Onion Soup, Crock Pot Ham Bone and Bean Soup, Chicken Noodle Soup, and Broccoli Cheese Soup.
This recipe is featured in Our Best Soup Recipes.
⬇️Making a half recipe to be more "for two" friendly
A full recipe requires a 5-quart or larger crock pot. A half recipe, which is 4 servings, will fit in a 2 ½ quart or larger slow cooker.
- Use the recipe card and adjust the number of servings from 8 to 4.
- Use the amount of ingredients in the ingredient list, not the instructions—those do not adjust.
- The half recipe will fit in a 2 ½ quart crock pot.
- Cook for the same amount of time.
❄️Storage of leftovers
This and most soups will be tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
The potatoes may lose some texture if frozen, and milk-based soups do not freeze the best. It is up to you, but for the best results, don't freeze.
❓FAQs
No, crock pots can not brown raw hamburger or other ground meat. You would have clumps of meat and all the fatty drainage in your dish.
The ground meat should be browned and drained before adding it to the crock pot. Crock pots are great for many things, but cooking raw ground meat is not one of them.
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
Have you tried this recipe, or have a question? Join the community discussion in the comments.
📖 Recipe
Crock Pot Cheeseburger Soup
Ingredients
- 3-4 medium potatoes
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 rib celery
- 1 small onion
- 2 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 1 teaspoon dry parsley - optional
- 1 teaspoon dry basil - optional
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 ½ cups milk
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 pound Velveeta or sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Peel and chop 3-4 medium potatoes into ½ inch cubes to make 3-4 cups. Peel and shred 2 medium carrots and chop one small onion and one stalk (rib) of celery.
- Add veggies to a 5 quart or larger crock pot. Add 2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth. Optionally add 1 teaspoon of dry parsley and 1 teaspoon of basil. Cook on low for 4-5 hours until the potatoes are tender.
- Brown 1 pound of ground beef. Drain the beef and add to the crock pot.
- Wipe out the pan. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Add 3 tablespoons of flour, and whisk for several minutes until changing color slightly. NOTE: to make it extra thick, double the butter and flour.
- Add 2 ½ cup milk. Whisk continuously for a few minutes while adding ¼ cup of sour cream, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper.
- When thickened, add to the crock pot and mix well. Add 1 pound of cheese of choice—Velvetta™ or cheddar recommended. Cook 30-45 minutes additional on HIGH until thick and the cheese is all melted.
- Top the way you would your cheeseburger. I love some bacon, tomato, and pickle.
Your Own Private Notes
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- As written, this needs a larger crock pot of 5 qt. or larger. A half recipe would fit in a 2 ½ qt. crock pot.
- Cut the potato small (½ inch maximum), and be sure the potatoes are tender before stopping.
- This is good in the refrigerator for 3-4 days but will have texture issues if frozen.
- If you want a somewhat thinner, more soup-like result, cut the butter and flour in half. If you wish to have very thick soup, double them.
- I estimate a serving size of about 1 ½ cups each, but the exact amount of soup can vary a bit.
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Originally Published January 7, 2018. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Amy
This was delicious! We made a half recipe in our 3-quart crockpot. I sliced the potatoes with a mandoline slicer instead of dicing them. I used less parsley and basil, and added a little garlic powder with a dash of herb-and-garlic seasoning. My husband and I have enough for leftovers, but the soup seems to be disappearing fast. So good on a cold December night.
Shari
Thank you!!! I didn’t have time for the crock pot, but a Dutch oven worked well. I substituted heavy cream for milk because I had a little left. Also, may I suggest a tablespoon of mustard? I added it and it was a nice enhancement to the cheeseburger feel, but it didn’t overpower it. (Yummy in scrambled eggs too.). Thank you for this recipe!!! 😊😊👍👍👍
Dawn
Hi, i used red potatoes, sautéed white mushrooms sweet multicolored peppers and white onion with garlic and other spices. Used a pound and a half of hamburg because I like more meat. two cans of diced tomatoes. Cooked the hamburger along with the peppers and onions and mushrooms and put that in the crockpot first then I did the milk, flour, butter and sour cream on the stove added the 2 cups of chicken broth to the crockpot along with two beef bouillon cubes and added it all together and put it on low for 5 1/2 hours! I came out amazing I like to build flavor profiles with my spices and for it to be more of like a cheeseburger I went with peppers,onions and mushrooms instead of the carrots and celery.
Ronnie Sims
How would I make this dairy free and gluten-free
DrDan
Hi Ronnie,
Welcome to the blog.
I would not recommend it.
You can try arrow root for the thicken and whatever you normally for the dairy elements but I have my doubts about the outcome. Whenever you need to substitute of more than one thing, it gets dicey and you would be substituting for most of the soup. Just not a good idea.
Sorry.
Dan
Katie
Hi, we are in the process of making this today. What would happen if I added the ground hamburger in the beginning with the veggies? I will be gone all day. Also, I don't see the onion in the list of ingredients, does it matter what kind, or can I substitute with onion powder? Thanks!
DrDan
Hi Katie,
Welcome to the site.
Adding the cooked burger at the beginning is fine. But not the dairy things. I combined them to say with one pan. But the burger can be at any time.
There is one small onion. You could use the equal amount of powder with I think about 2 teaspoons would do it.
Fixing the ingredient list in a minute.
Dan
Katie
Thank you! It was DELICIOUS! I will say I did have to add double the chicken broth because of adding the meat early but I doubt it changed the taste, maybe just not as thick. Thank you again - I will be making this for my husband's fire department Alot this winter I'm sure
DrDan
Hi Katie,
Glad it worked well for you. If I was cooking for a fire department, I would do this chili https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/ultra-simple-crock-pot-white-chicken/
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Walter
"Larger Crock pot" doesn't help. What size did you use, 8 Qt. or 10 Qt? Can I double this recipe?
DrDan
Hi Walter,
This filled a 6 1/2 qt pot to about 50%. Usually keep a pot at 50-75% max and I like to aim for 60% max. So 6 qt or above. Less full is ok.
Doubling is a no. It just won't fit well
Jill Tempest
Absolutely delicious!!!!! I used the handy dandy converter at the bottom of the recipe to make 4 servings! I love not having to figure out all the measurements. Everything was perfect. Easy to prepare. Easy to follow instructions. Great taste! My only variation was to leave the skin on the potatoes. Get a bit more fiber as well as appealing to my lazy self. Will make again!
sandra
I have been making the Taste of Home version for years, now I will try this crockpot version. This soup was my intro to Velveeta cheese (i'm European) and everyone told me to avoid it. However after many experiments I have found this is actually the best product for the job. Don't be put off.
DrDan
Hi Sandra,
Thanks for the note. Since you're familiar with this recipe, be aware of the changes I made. A bit to there veggies/potatoes but mostly the thickness. If you want approximately what the thickness your have had, go with the cut down butter and flour. If you like it extra thickness that my wife and I wanted, go with the instructions.
Again, thanks for the note.
Dan
Karen
I think I'm missing something. How much cheese, and when do you add it?
DrDan
Add I reread this over 20 times... I'm getting old. Fixed