4.77 from 21 votes

This crock pot cheeseburger soup is extra thick and cheesy with loads of potatoes and other vegetables. This “stick to your bones” soup will become a family favorite this winter.

Jump To:

🐄The Meat
✔️Tips
❄️Storage
♨️The Crock Pot
📖Crock Pot Soup Recipes
🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
📝Recipe

Introduction

This is a recipe suggested by my wife after having a similar dish at one of our favorite restaurants. Think of it as an extra-thick cheesy potato soup with some burger.

I call this an extra thick soup, but it can also be called a chowder, a thick soup based on a white sauce. A white sauce is based on a roux with flour, which is the recipe's thickening method.

The model recipe I settled on was a Taste of Home recipe that was stovetop. It was not exactly what we wanted. I wanted the crock pot. Plus, I wanted some other adjustments.

The big change was the thickness of the soup along with the crock pot conversion. I doubled the thickening and made exactly what we wanted. That was done by doubling the roux (butter and flour).

My Rating

A lower 5 or high 4. I was hungry and loved a thick cheese soup, so I'm going with the 5.

🐄The Meat

This recipe requires ground meat. Generally, that will be beef, but turkey or chicken will be fine. The burger is double the model but suggested by commenters and an obvious must-do.

The ground meat must be browned and drained before adding to the crock pot. Crock pots are great for a lot of things but cooking ground meat is not one of them. You will have clumps of meat along with all the fatty drainage in your dish. Please cook ahead.

Most of us will start with store-bought ground beef, which is fine. Just brown, break apart and drain.

There is a difference between hamburger and ground beef. Ground beef has a variable amount of fat, but the fat is from the beef being ground. Hamburger can have up to 30% fat, and fat can be added from trimming other cuts. Please choose #1, not #2.

✔️Tips

The Potatoes

A starchy potato, like Russet, is probably best here, but others can be used. I decrease the potato down a bit in the original recipe. There was more potato than want we wanted.

Also, be sure that the potato is chopped smaller than then other soups. I suggest ½ inch or a bit smaller.

Frozen diced potatoes will work fine here, also.

What cheese?

I continued my love of Velveeta. It melts well, and I do love the taste. OK, I know that is not "gourmet or foodie" like, but this is an everyday cooking blog.

Any American or cheddar cheese should be fine. Or go wild and use the cheeses of your choice.

Spices

I consider the basil and parsley flakes optional. I did them but felt they didn't add anything other than a hint of basil that didn't seem needed.

Make it Bacon Cheeseburger Soup.

Everything is better with bacon. You can add bacon as a topping. Or, for the full bacon experience, add it during the cooking.

You can add 8 pieces of cooked chopped up bacon with the browned meat.

❄️Storage

This and most soup will store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, tightly covered.

If frozen, the potatoes may lose some texture, and milk-based soups do not freeze the best. It is up to you, but for the best results, don't freeze.

♨️The Crock Pot

This recipe, as written, needs a 6-quart or bigger size crock pot. If you cut the recipe in half, use a 3 quart or larger pot.

Thickening in a Crock Pot

This recipe depends on a roux to thick the soup. A roux (pronounced roo) is the best way to thicken almost any other liquid like gravy.

Here we are using equal parts of butter and flour. Melt the butter and whisk in the flour and cook for a few minutes. Then add some liquid (milk here) and allow it to thicken before adding to the pot.

You can also use tapioca, cornstarch, or arrowroot, which are less fussy for thickening in a crock pot. What doesn't do well is just added flour to the recipe.

I do not like cornstarch here since reheating a liquid that has been thickened with cornstarch gives a gel-like consistency.

📖Crock Pot Soup Recipes

Easy Crock Pot French Onion Soup

Crock Pot Ham Bone and Bean Soup

Crock Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

Excellent Taco Soup in a Crock Pot

This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

Comfort Food Recipes, Crock Pot Recipes, Soup Recipes

🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

raw burger with vegetables and ingredients for 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.

pouring broth into crock pot with vegetables

Add veggies to a larger crock pot. Add 2 cups of low sodium chicken broth. Optionally add one teaspoon dry parsley and 1 teaspoon basil. Cook on low for 4 hours.

At 4 hours, brown 1 pound of ground beef. Drain the beef and add to the crock pot.

pouring milk into the pan with the roux and whisk

Wipe out the pan. Melt one stick (8 tablespoons) butter. Add ½ cup flour, whisk for several minutes until changing color slightly. Add 2 ½ cup milk. Whisk continuously for a few minutes while adding ¼ cup of sour cream, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper.

When thickened, add to the crock pot and mix well. Add 1 pound cheese of choice. Velveeta for me. Cook one additional hour on HIGH. Be sure the potato is tender before stopping.

cheeseburger soup in a blue bowl with toppings

Top the way you would your cheeseburger. I love some bacon, tomato, and pickle.

📝Recipe

Originally Published January 7, 2018. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

Thick Crock Pot Cheeseburger Soup