See my guide on how to use an Instant Pot.


Creamy Instant Pot Potato Soup is easy to make with simple ingredients. Load up your bowl with your favorite toppings for a warming, cozy meal.

Looking for more comforting Instant Pot recipes? You’ll love Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup, Instant Pot Beef Stew and Instant Pot Pot Roast.

Instant Pot potato soup served in a bowl with shredded cheese, bacon and green onions on top.

Instant Pot Potato Soup

Making soup in your Instant Pot is an easy way to get a delicious, wholesome meal on your table. You can sauté ingredients, pressure cook, and thicken the soup, all right in the Instant Pot.

Many of my favorite Instant Pot recipes are Instant Pot soup recipes. The Instant Pot makes some of the most flavorful soups, and this Instant Pot potato soup is no exception. The pressure cooking process develops the flavors of the ingredients in a short amount of time.

Instant pot potato soup served in a bowl with bacon, cheese, green onions and a spoon.

This Instant Pot potato soup is creamy and flavorful, with hearty chunks of potato throughout. You can make it cheesy by stirring in some shredded cheddar, or top your bowl with bacon crumbles, green onions and cheese. The best part is it takes just about 35 minutes to make, start to finish!

Are you new to Instant Pot cooking? Read my how to use an Instant Pot beginner’s guide to learn the basics of cooking in an Instant Pot.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredients for Instant Pot potato soup recipe.

Here’s what you’ll need to make this Instant Pot potato soup recipe. Find the full recipe with ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.

  • Butter: For sautéing the onion and garlic. The butter also adds richness to the soup.
  • Onion and Garlic: These aromatic ingredients help to flavor the soup.
  • Yukon Gold Potatoes: Gold potatoes cook up rich and creamy. See more below about which potatoes are best for potato soup.
  • Carrots: Adding 2 small/medium carrots to potato soup brings another layer of flavor.
  • Seasonings: This Instant Pot potato soup is seasoned with dried oregano, salt and pepper. For a little kick, add up to 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. The cayenne is optional, and you can leave it out if you’re sensitive to spice.
  • Vegetable Broth: I recommend using low sodium broth so that you can better control the amount of salt in the finished dish.
  • Milk and Cornstarch: These are stirred together and then stirred into the soup after cooking, to thicken it and make it creamier.

What Potatoes are Best for Potato Soup?

My favorite potatoes for potato soup are Yukon gold potatoes. Gold potatoes are waxy and buttery, with a low starch content. Their creamy, moist texture and rich flavor makes for a flavorful soup with the best thick and creamy texture. Russet potatoes also make delicious potato soup; use them if you prefer a milder potato flavor.

How to Make Potato Soup in the Instant Pot

There are just a few simple steps to making the best Instant Pot potato soup.

  1. Sauté the onion using the Instant Pot’s sauté function.
  2. Then add the garlic, turn off the Instant Pot, and stir for 30 seconds.
  3. Deglaze the Instant Pot by pouring in a little bit of the vegetable broth, then stir and scrape up any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pot. This step ensures that you won’t get the Instant Pot burn message during pressure cooking. Deglazing instant pot with broth.
  4. Add the potatoes, carrots, seasonings and remaining broth. Stir. Potatoes, carrots and seasonings added to pot.
  5. Pressure cook for 6 minutes at high pressure.
  6. When the cooking cycle finishes, let the pot release naturally for 10 minutes. Then quick release the remaining pressure.
  7. Stir together the milk and cornstarch. Stir this slurry into the soup in the Instant Pot.
  8. Use a potato masher to mash the soup to your desired consistency. Mashing soup with potato masher.
  9. Thicken the soup as needed using the Instant Pot sauté function.

Recipe Tips

  • Chop the potatoes into 1/2-inch size pieces, so that they will cook in the time given in the recipe.
  • Mash or blend: For a chunkier soup, use a potato masher to mash some, but not all, of the potatoes after pressure cooking. For a smoother soup, use an immersion blender or countertop blender to puree the soup to your desired consistency.
  • Make it creamy: To make the soup creamier, stir in up to 1/2 cup of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt after mashing/blending the soup.
  • Make it dairy-free: Skip the recipe step of stirring in the milk and cornstarch. Simply blending the soup will make it thick and creamy. Use olive oil instead of butter.
  • Make it vegetarian: Use vegetable broth (not chicken broth) and keep your toppings vegetarian.
  • Make potato leek soup: Use this Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup recipe.
Two bowls of potato soup with instant pot in the background.

Can I Make this Recipe in the Crockpot? On the Stove?

Want to make potato soup in the slow cooker or on the stove? Try my Crockpot Potato Soup and classic Potato Soup recipes.

Potato Soup Toppings

For a delicious loaded baked potato soup, load up your soup bowl with your favorite baked potato toppings. Try these potato soup toppings:

  • cooked, crumbled bacon
  • shredded cheese
  • sliced green onions
  • chopped chives
  • sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
  • salt and pepper
Bowl of instant pot potato soup with toppings.

More Instant Pot Soup Recipes

Try one of these easy Instant Pot soup recipes next.

Bowl of instant pot potato soup topped with bacon, shredded cheddar and green onions, with spoon in bowl.
5 from 13 ratings

Instant Pot Potato Soup

Servings: 5 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Total Time: 36 minutes
This creamy Instant Pot Potato Soup is easy to make with simple ingredients. Load up your bowl with your favorite toppings for a warming, cozy meal.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 cup chopped yellow onion
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 ½ pounds Yukon gold potatoes, cut into ½-inch pieces
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional, for spice
  • 2 ½ cups low sodium vegetable broth, or chicken broth

After Pressure Cooking:

  • 1 cup milk, whole milk preferred
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Optional Toppings, for Serving:

  • shredded cheddar cheese
  • cooked crumbled bacon
  • sliced green onions or chives

Instructions
 

  • Press the Sauté button on your Instant Pot to turn on saute mode. Add the butter to the pot. When the Instant Pot is hot, add the onion and cook, stirring often, until onion has softened, about 3 minutes.
  • Add the garlic to the pot and press Cancel to turn off the Instant Pot. Stir for 30 seconds.
  • Pour in a little bit of the broth and stir, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add the potatoes, carrots, oregano, salt, pepper, cayenne (if using) and remaining broth to the Instant Pot. Stir.
  • Close the Instant Pot lid and turn the steam release valve to the sealing position. Using the Manual/Pressure Cook function, set the cook time to 6 minutes. The Instant Pot will take about 15 minutes to reach pressure and then the cook time will begin counting down.
  • When the cook time ends, allow the pot to naturally release for 10 minutes by just letting it sit. After the 10 minute natural release, use the handle of a long spoon to carefully move the steam release valve to the venting position. Once all of the steam escapes and the pin drops down, carefully open the Instant Pot lid.
  • In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, stir together the 1 cup milk and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Turn the Instant Pot on sauté mode and stir in the milk and cornstarch mixture. Use a potato masher to mash some, but not all, of the potatoes. Let the soup simmer, stirring, until it thickens slightly.
  • Press cancel to turn the Instant Pot off. Serve the soup with toppings, as desired.

Notes

  • Leftover potato soup can be stored for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It reheats well, in a pot on the stove, in the microwave, or in the Instant Pot using the sauté function.
  • When you are thickening the soup, keep in mind that it will continue to thicken as it cools.
Serving: 1.5cups, Calories: 219kcal, Carbohydrates: 39g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 10mg, Sodium: 901mg, Potassium: 1133mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 4515IU, Vitamin C: 30.2mg, Calcium: 145mg, Iron: 7.6mg
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Cuisine: American
Course: Main Course, Soup
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