Yes you can make creamy delicious comforting potato soup without heavy cream or a giant block cream cheese! My Instant Pot Loaded Potato Soup (No Cream Cheese) is easy, delicious and loaded with flavor.
It’s all the flavor of a loaded baked potato garnished with green onions and bacon crumbles. It’s sure to become one of your favorite Instant Pot soup recipes. Don’t worry if you don’t have an Instant Pot, I included stove top directions as well!
Instant Pot Loaded Potato Soup (No Cream Cheese) Tips
Since potatoes are the star of the show, it is important to use the right ones. We need this to be creamy soup without cream or cream cheese so russet potatoes are your best bet. Behind those are yukon gold potatoes. This is not the place for red potatoes. Keep in mind the kind of potatoes matters!
I think that chicken stock or chicken broth is most flavorful, but if you are trying to make this vegetarian, you could sub in vegetable broth and of course use a dairy free alternative like dairy free sour cream.
This instant pot potato soup recipe is so easy because it’s all literally done in one pot. You essentially saute, add in all of your ingredients, give it a quick release, and blend using your immersion blender. If you’d like your soup thicker and with more chunks, I’d recommend a potato masher.
Perhaps the best part is all the toppings. Cheddar cheese, bacon, scallions, chives and even a dollop of sour cream would be absolutely delicious. Oh and don’t forget the bacon!
If you opt for the potato masher method, your soup may not be as creamy or thick. This is because the starch of the potatoes is helping this soup thicken without a ton of cream. Just keep that in mind. It’s still delicious!
Substitution Options for this Recipe
This is an easy recipe to tailor for your dietary needs. If you need to omit the milk and make it dairy free, simply use your favorite dairy free alternative. I know that a lot of people have luck with plain Nut Pods as a a substitute or even almond milk.
Out of 2% milk? A can of evaporated milk works just fine!
The high starch content of the potatoes is a natural thickener so in some cases you might even choose to skip all dairy and dairy free alternatives.
You can sub out the chicken stock for vegetable stock to make this vegetarian. Nutritional yeast is an excellent substitute for cheese.
How to store Leftover Potato Soup
Because the soup has dairy , I cannot recommend freezing it. There’s often a separation when you have a dairy based soup. Leftover soup will keep in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
What to serve with Potato Soup
Soup and salad are a always a great idea, so feel free to serve this up with your favorite salad. Crusty bread, grilled cheese, a panini or crackers is also a great choice to make this a complete meal.
Tools for this recipe
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Lighter Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 3 slices Center Cut Bacon diced
- 5 cups Russett Potatoes Cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1/2 cup Carrot finely diced
- 1/2 cup Celery finely diced
- 1 cup onion finely diced
- 4.5 cups Chicken Stock low sodium preferred
- 1 cup 2% milk Do not use lower fat than 2%.
- 3 tbsp. Flour
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- INSTANT POT/PRESSURE COOKER INSTRUCTIONS- Turn the Instant Pot to saute and throw the diced bacon in. Cook it until it's crisp. Remove and place it on a paper towel line plate.
- Add in the celery, onion and carrot and saute until translucent. Add in the potatoes and a heavy sprinkle of salt and pepper.
- Pour in 4.5 cups of chicken stock. Place the lid on the Instant Pot (or pressure cooker) and press manual and set for 7 minutes. The Instant pot takes some time to build pressure. It will then cook for 7 minutes and you'll quick release the steam. Use a towel and stand back as the steam releases.
- After you've released the steam, puree about 1/3 of the soup using an immersion blender or just transfer it to a regular blender and pour it back in. Mix together the 1 cup of milk and 3 tbsp. of flour. Whisk well so there are no lumps.
- Pour in the flour and milk mixture. Turn the function on the instant pot back to saute (if using a traditional pressure cooker or stove top just cook it on the stove at medium heat) and allow the soup to thicken and the flour to cook out for 2-4 minutes. The soup should coat the back of a spoon. Add more milk or chicken stock if you need to thin it to your liking.
- Taste for seasonings. You'll likely need to add more salt and pepper. Serve with chives, bacon, a dollop of sour cream or a little cheese. Load it to your liking.
- STOVE TOP- The only difference in cooking on the stove top is the part where you add the stock and cook the potatoes. If you're making this on the stove top you'll need to bring the stock mixture to a low boil and cook until the potatoes are fork tender instead of pressure cooking them.