Cheeseburger Soup Recipe
Cheeseburger soup takes everything good about a loaded burger, the browned beef, melted cheddar, soft potato, and turns it into a thick, ladle-able soup you eat with a spoon instead of a bun. The base is a simple roux-thickened broth, built up with sautéed onion, carrot, and celery, then finished with two cups of shredded cheddar stirred in off the heat so it melts smooth instead of turning grainy. From raw ingredients to a full pot on the stove, this cheeseburger soup takes about 45 minutes, most of it hands-off simmering.
Quick Facts
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Servings: 6
- Calories: about 490 per serving (estimated, see Nutrition below)
- Course: Soup, Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop, one pot
Why This Recipe Works
- Browning the beef separately before it goes into the broth builds a layer of fond and rendered fat flavor that a quick simmer alone doesn’t develop.
- A butter-and-flour roux, cooked for a full minute before the milk goes in, is what keeps the soup thick and spoonable rather than watery, the same technique behind a good gravy.
- Stirring the cheddar in off the heat, in small handfuls, is the single biggest factor in whether the soup turns out silky or grainy: cheese proteins seize up and separate if they hit a full boil.
- Diced potato cooked directly in the broth releases starch as it simmers, which thickens the soup a second time on top of the roux, so you get body without relying on cornstarch or extra flour.
Ingredients
- 1 pound (454g) ground beef, 80/20
- 4 tablespoons (56g) unsalted butter, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 3 cups (450g) peeled, diced Yukon Gold potatoes, about 1 pound (454g)
- 4 cups (960ml) low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup (30g) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (480ml) whole milk
- 2 cups (220g) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Optional: 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream
- Garnish: crumbled cooked bacon, diced dill pickle, extra shredded cheddar, sliced green onion
Substitutions
- Ground turkey or chicken instead of beef works, though it’s leaner, so you lose some of the rendered fat that carries a lot of the burger flavor. Add an extra tablespoon of butter to compensate.
- Half-and-half or heavy cream instead of whole milk makes a richer, thicker soup. If using heavy cream, cut back to 1.5 cups since it’s more concentrated.
- Russet potatoes are a fine substitute for Yukon Gold. They break down a bit more and make the soup slightly starchier and less chunky.
- Pre-shredded cheese is convenient, but it’s coated in cellulose and cornstarch to prevent clumping, which makes it melt less smoothly than cheese you shred yourself. Freshly grated cheddar is worth the extra step here.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Brown the beef. In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the ground beef, breaking it into small crumbles with a spoon, for 6 to 8 minutes, until no pink remains and it reaches an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C). Drain off excess fat, transfer the beef to a plate, and set aside.
- Sauté the vegetables. In the same pot, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion turns translucent and the vegetables start to soften.
- Simmer the potatoes. Add the diced potatoes and chicken broth to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Make the roux. While the potatoes simmer, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until it smells lightly toasted. Slowly whisk in the milk, a little at a time, until fully smooth. Continue cooking for 3 to 4 minutes, whisking often, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Combine. Stir the roux and the cooked ground beef into the pot with the potatoes. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the soup visibly thickens. Do not let it come to a full boil at this stage.
- Melt in the cheese. Remove the pot from the heat. Add the shredded cheddar in small handfuls, stirring after each addition until fully melted before adding more. Stir in the salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. For extra tang, stir in the sour cream now.
- Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls immediately, while the cheese is still glossy and fully melted. Top with crumbled bacon, diced dill pickle, extra shredded cheddar, and sliced green onion.
Tips
- Grate your own cheese from a block. It melts smoother than the pre-shredded bags.
- Keep the heat low once the cheese goes in. Reheating the soup too hot after that point is the main way it turns grainy.
- If the soup gets thicker than you like as it sits, thin it with a splash of warm broth or milk rather than water, which dilutes the flavor.
Common Mistakes
- Boiling the soup after the cheese is added. Cheese proteins break down at high heat and separate into oil and grit. Keep heat on low or off entirely once cheese goes in, and reheat leftovers gently.
- Skipping the roux step. Without it, the soup stays thin and broth-like instead of the thick, spoonable texture the dish is known for. Cook the butter-flour step the full minute before adding milk.
- Not draining the beef. Leftover fat pools on top of the finished soup and makes it greasy. Drain the beef in a colander for a minute before setting it aside.
- Overcooking the potatoes. They turn mushy and start to dissolve into the broth, losing their texture. Check them at the 12-minute mark and pull them the moment a fork slides in easily.
Storage
Store leftover cheeseburger soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freezing
Freezing is not recommended for this soup. The dairy and cheese tend to separate and turn grainy once thawed, even with careful reheating. For a freezer-friendly version, freeze the soup before adding the milk, roux, and cheese, then finish those steps fresh after thawing.
Reheating
Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat, stirring often, until warmed through. Add a splash of milk or broth if the soup has thickened too much in the fridge. Avoid the microwave on high power, which tends to make the cheese separate; if using one, heat in short 30-second bursts, stirring between each.
Variations
- Bacon cheeseburger soup: stir in 4 to 6 slices of cooked, crumbled bacon along with the cheese for a smokier version.
- Spicy cheeseburger soup: add a diced jalapeño with the onion, and swap in pepper jack for half of the cheddar.
- Lighter version: use ground turkey instead of beef, and swap the milk for 2% or a milk-and-broth blend to cut some of the richness.
What to Serve With It
Crusty bread or pretzel rolls for dipping, a simple green salad with vinaigrette to cut the richness, or oven fries on the side for a full burger-and-fries feel in soup form.
FAQ
Can I use ground turkey instead of beef? Yes. Ground turkey works, though it’s leaner, so add an extra tablespoon of butter when sautéing the vegetables to make up for the fat you’d normally get from the beef.
Why did my cheese turn grainy? This almost always happens when the soup is too hot when the cheese goes in, or when it’s reheated at high heat afterward. Keep the pot on low or off the burner while stirring in the cheese, and reheat leftovers gently.
Can I make this cheeseburger soup in a slow cooker? Yes. Brown the beef and sauté the vegetables on the stovetop first, then transfer everything except the roux, milk, and cheese to the slow cooker with the broth and potatoes. Cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, then stir in a freshly made roux and the cheese at the end.
Is cheeseburger soup gluten-free? Not as written, since the roux uses regular flour. Substitute a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend or a cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water) in the same step.
Can I freeze cheeseburger soup? It’s not recommended once the dairy and cheese are in, since they tend to separate on thawing. Freeze the broth-and-vegetable base before adding milk, roux, and cheese if you want a freezer-friendly option.
Cheeseburger Soup
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Brown the beef. In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the ground beef, breaking it into small crumbles with a spoon, for 6 to 8 minutes, until no pink remains and it reaches an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C). Drain off excess fat, transfer the beef to a plate, and set aside.
- Sauté the vegetables. In the same pot, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion turns translucent and the vegetables start to soften.
- Simmer the potatoes. Add the diced potatoes and chicken broth to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender.
