Cheeseburger Soup

This easy Cheeseburger Soup recipe has savory bacon, cheddar cheese, burger seasonings, and a hint of classic condiments! You’ve never had a soup like this before!

Cheeseburger Soup

If you’re looking for an ultra-cozy soup recipe, this Cheeseburger Soup will not let you down! This flavor profile couldn’t be more complete, with every ingredient balancing each other perfectly. 

With every bite of soup, you get hints of classic cheeseburger flavor. The seasonings in this recipe are exactly how restaurants would season a burger. The condiments come through in the most satisfying way. The bacon and cheddar cheese combo is just perfect, and there’s even an option to deglaze the soup pot with a little beer, which acts as an amazing (and subtle) flavor enhancer.

I can’t wait for you to try this soup. Don’t miss my pro tips below!

How to Make It

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Cook bacon and set aside, reserve bacon drippings. Chop bacon once cooled.

Brown ground beef in the same skillet until cooked through. Remove and set aside. Deglaze the skillet with beer (or beef broth), and reduce by half.

Add reserved bacon drippings and butter. Soften onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Add the Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, mustard, ketchup, pickle juice, seasonings, and flour. Add the chicken broth in small splashes, followed by the beef broth and half and half. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.

Add the beef back, simmer for 10 minutes. Add the potatoes, simmer until fork tender.

Stir in the cheese over low heat until melted and combined. Serve with chopped bacon!

Pro Tips

• Beer: I recommend light beer (such as Bud Light) for this recipe as we want the flavor to be very subtle. Beef broth can be used to deglaze the skillet if preferred. (If you prefer a stronger beer flavor, try my Beer Cheese Soup recipe!)
• Hot Sauce: I use Frank’s Hot Sauce and it serves to enhance the other flavors in the soup, it doesn’t make it spicy.
• Potatoes: I use Yukon Gold potatoes for this recipe because I love their creamy consistency, but red potatoes are always a great candidate for soup because they hold up the best. Russet potatoes may also be used, but they’re also the starchiest, which makes them more prone to falling apart.
• Cheese: Shred the cheese from a block instead of using packaged shredded cheese. It will melt and taste much better than pre-shredded. I use Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp Yellow.
• Make sure the base of the soup isn’t too hot when you add the cheese, otherwise the dairy will separate and create a grainy consistency.

Storage

• Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days. 
• This soup can be frozen but it doesn’t reheat quite as well as when served fresh. If you plan on freezing, be sure not to overcook the potatoes so that they hold up when reheated.

Tools For This Recipe

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• 4.5 Quart Dutch Oven– This is the one I use that’s pictured in this recipe.
• Box Cheese Grater– Freshly shredded cheese melts and tastes much better than packaged shredded cheese. 
• Better Than Bouillon– This is what I always use for broth in my recipes. It takes very little space and makes it easy to measure out customized amounts of broth.
• Measuring Spoons– I have these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized in my utensil drawer.
• Pinch Bowls– For measuring seasonings, etc. ahead of time.
• Soup Ladle
• 16 oz. storage containers I use these to store/freeze my soups. They have 8 oz. sizes as well. They’re stackable, leak proof, and dishwasher/microwave safe.

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Cheeseburger Soup

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

5 from 24 ratings

Servings: 10 cups

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This easy Cheeseburger Soup recipe has savory bacon, cheddar cheese, burger seasonings, and a hint of classic condiments! These flavors come together to make the best soup recipe!

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

• ▢ 5 strips bacon, 2 tbsp drippings reserved. (Optional, see notes)
• ▢ 1 lb. ground beef
• ▢ Salt/Pepper
• ▢ ½ cup light beer, see notes
• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 1 yellow onion, diced
• ▢ ¾ cup carrots, diced
• ▢ 2 ribs celery, diced
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• ▢ 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
• ▢ 2 teaspoons ketchup
• ▢ 2 teaspoons dill pickle juice
• ▢ 1/3 cup flour
• ▢ 4 cups chicken broth
• ▢ 1 cup beef broth
• ▢ 1 ½ cups half and half
• ▢ 1 ¼ lbs. potatoes, Yukon gold, russet, or red
• ▢ 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Seasonings

• ▢ ½ teaspoon EACH: brown sugar, garlic powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon EACH: onion powder, pepper, smoked paprika

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Instructions

Cook the Bacon

• Note: This soup can be made without bacon if needed, but it adds a lot of flavor to the broth. 2 tablespoons of butter can be used instead of bacon drippings if needed.
• Cook the bacon in a 4.5-quart soup pot slowly over low heat. (I cut my bacon in half, it’s easier to fit it in the pan and have it cook evenly.) While the bacon cooks, measure out remaining ingredients. Once cooked, set aside on a paper towel lined plate. Chop once cooled and reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings.
• Wipe any dark spots from the pot but leave as much bacon remnants as you can, as that will add flavor to the soup.

Brown the Beef

• Sprinkle the ground beef lightly with salt/pepper. Cook and crumble it in the same soup pot over medium-high heat until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Drain grease and set the ground beef aside.

Make the Soup

• Add beer and use a silicone spatula to clean the bottom and sides of the soup pot, this will add flavor to the broth. Let it bubble over medium heat until reduced by half, about 5-6 minutes.
• Add reserved bacon drippings, butter, onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook until the vegetables are softened, 5-6 minutes.
• Add the Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, mustard, ketchup, pickle juice, and seasonings. Stir to combine.
• Add the flour and stir continuously for 2 minutes, until the raw flour smell is gone.
• Add the chicken broth in small splashes, stirring continuously. Add the beef broth and the half and half in the same manner.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the cooked ground beef back to the soup. Cover partially and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
• Peel the potatoes and cut them into bite-sized cubes. Add to the soup and stir to combine. Cover partially and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
• Reduce heat to low and gradually stir in the cheddar cheese until melted and combined. Sprinkle with bacon and serve!

Notes

Pro Tips:

• Beer: I recommend light beer (such as Bud Light) for this recipe as we want the flavor to be very subtle. Beef broth can be used to deglaze the skillet if preferred. (If you prefer a stronger beer flavor, try my Beer Cheese Soup recipe!)
• Hot Sauce: I use Frank's Hot Sauce and it serves to enhance the other flavors in the soup, it doesn't make it spicy.
• Potatoes: I use Yukon Gold potatoes for this recipe because I love their creamy consistency, but red potatoes are always a great candidate for soup because they hold up the best. Russet potatoes may also be used, but they’re also the starchiest, which makes them more prone to falling apart.
• Cheese: Shred the cheese from a block instead of using packaged shredded cheese. It will melt and taste much better than pre-shredded. I use Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp Yellow.
• Make sure the base of the soup isn’t too hot when you add the cheese, otherwise the dairy will separate and create a grainy consistency.

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Storage:

• Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days. 
• This soup can be frozen but it doesn't reheat quite as well as when served fresh. If you plan on freezing, be sure not to overcook the potatoes so that they hold up when reheated.

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Nutritional information is an estimate and is per cup. This recipe makes approximately 10 cups. (Or enough to serve 5 people.)

Nutrition

Calories: 349kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 79mg, Sodium: 794mg, Potassium: 585mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 2072IU, Vitamin C: 14mg, Calcium: 227mg, Iron: 2mg

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Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Author: Stephanie