Instant Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup

You just came across the BEST Instant Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup Recipe! Honing in all of the flavors of a baked potato but also sneakily lightened up with cauliflower. My version of this soup plays with smoky flavors of bacon, smoked paprika, and smoked gouda to take the whole to a new level! Plus it couldn’t be any easier thanks to the easy pressure cooker method!

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Healthy Baked Potato Soup

Let your pressure cooker to all the heavy lifting this winter and make this super cozy (yet healthy) Loaded Baked Potato Soup.

Many versions of this soup lack just a tad in my opinion so I really wanted mine to shine with both flavor but also a soup that will make you feel good!

So you will see the obvious potatoes in this soup but you also see cauliflower to help keep it light but with the same creamy constancy that potatoes have. In this version too you won’t be seeing any heavy creams or cheddar, instead I packed this with bacon, smoked paprika, and smoked gouda plus finished off with a bit of sour cream for ultimate creaminess.

So get that pressure cooker out, let’s get making dinner!

Supplies

For this recipe you will want a few specialty items like…

• Electric Pressure Cooker: The one I have is an Instant Pot.
• Blender, Immersion or Stand: An immersion blender is one of those things you don’t realize how amazing it is until you finally have one, it works great to quick blend this soup, not to worry if you don’t have one, you can just transfer to a stand blender to blend it as well. AND if you don’t have any of those things I also have tested it by mashing to with a potato masher for a little bit more chunky soup and it was still delicious!
• Standard Kitchen Accessories: Such as tongs, measuring cups/spoons, you will probably need a cheese grater since smoked gouda usually comes in block form, as well as a knife, cutting board, and ladle.

Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker

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KitchenAid Hand Blender

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Ingredients for Loaded Baked Potato Soup

A pretty simple list of ingredients:

• bacon – I tend to use nitrate free all natural bacon, this is a personal preference, you won’t be using a ton, just 4 strips enough to help flavor the soup but not overpower it
• onion – a medium sized white or yellow onion, diced up
• russet potatoes – russets work best here, but if you need a substitution a Yukon Gold could also work
• cauliflower – one full head, you will want to cut it into 4 sections and remove as much of the stems and leaves as you can while trying to keep it in the large chunks so it doesn’t get over cooked
• smoked paprika – not too much to over power the dish but just enough to add to that smoky flavor
• chicken broth – a standard 32 ounce package
• kosher salt – kosher salt has a different shape than table salt, so if you are using table salt use HALF the amount, you could also sub sea salt using the same measurements as kosher salt
• smoked gouda – smoked gouda can most likely be found in the fancy cheese section in a block or circle shape, smoked gouda helps give this soup the smoky flavor so if you sub out for normal gouda you will be missing out on that smoky flavor
• sour cream or greek yogurt – I tested this recipe both with sour cream and greek yogurt, the sour cream makes the soup slightly smoother and creamier but I honestly thought it tasted great with either, so if you want to make soup without sour cream use plain greek yogurt instead
• green onions – for topping the soup at the end, you could also use chives

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

Instructions

First up, prepping the vegetables! Note, keeping the potatoes and cauliflower chunky helps keep an even cook in the pressure cooker. Peel and slice the potatoes into about 1 inch rounds. For the cauliflower cut the head into quarters, removing as much of the stem and leaves as you can while keeping the cauliflower in large chunks. Finally dice the onion. Set vegetables aside. 

Add your strips of bacon to the pressure cooker pot. Turn the pressure cooker onto Sauté mode. Cook the bacon, flipping occasionally until browned and slightly crispy, transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate to cool and be crumbled for topping.

Add the diced onion to the bacon grease, sauté the onion in the bacon grease 2-3 minutes until it becomes slightly translucent. Using about ¼ cup of the chicken stock splash a little onto the onions, moving your cooking utensil around the bottom scraping up and releasing any large brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Turn off the Sauté mode. 

Now over the onions add the sliced potatoes. Over the potatoes add the cauliflower. It is important to do it in this order, you will want as much of the cauliflower NOT in the broth, this will help steam them for a better cook rather than just boiling it. Once the vegetables are in add in the smoked paprika, salt, and chicken broth. 

Seal the lid, turn steam vent to sealing, and select manual/pressure cook. Set to high pressure for 15 minutes.

When the timer goes off quick release the steam. Once the float has dropped carefully open the lid.

Now you have three choices…

For Immersion Blender: Use your immersion blender in the pot to blend the soup until smooth. 

For Stand Blender/Food Processor: In two batches (as not to overcrowd) carefully transfer the hot vegetables and broth to a blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer (back) to a pot.

By Hand: Use a potato masher or large spoon to mash the contents of the soup together, while it will be a little more chunky than the other methods it still totally works!

Once soup is smooth add the smoked gouda and sour cream, stir it in until fully smooth and creamy. Serve immediately topped with crumbled bacon, additional cheese, green onions, and sour cream. 

Tips, Tricks, & Questions

Can I make this on the stovetop?

Absolutely! Follow the steps in a large pot over medium-high heat instead. You will want to bring the broth to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until vegetables are tender, it will probably take between 30-40 minutes.

I can’t find Smoke Gouda. What can I sub?

You can substitute regular gouda or cheddar cheese as well.

You might also like:

• Easy Pressure Cooker Split Pea Soup with Ham
• Instant Pot Refried Beans
• Easy Pressure Cooker Baked Potatoes + How to Get Crunchy Skin
• How to Make Perfect Baked Potatoes

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