Crockpot Cheeseburger Soup

Crockpot cheeseburger soup is pure comfort in a bowl – the kind of recipe that makes your whole house smell amazing and brings everyone running to the kitchen! This hearty, creamy soup combines all the flavors of a classic cheeseburger with tender potatoes, savory ground beef, and that dreamy melted cheese finish we all crave.

Love More Soup Recipes? Try My Loaded Baked Potato Soup or this Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• My kids actually ask for seconds – Even Emma who thinks vegetables are poison ate three bowls
• Uses stuff from my regular grocery run – Nothing fancy or expensive here
• Makes enough for tomorrow’s lunch – Because who has time to cook twice?

Ingredients You’ll Need

The Main Players:

• 1 pound ground beef (I buy the 80/20 because life’s too short for dry beef)
• 4 small potatoes, peeled and diced (Yukon if I’m feeling fancy, regular if not)
• 1 small white onion, chopped (yellow works fine, whatever’s in my pantry)
• 1 cup shredded carrots (bagged saves me 10 minutes I don’t have)

The Soup Base:

• 3 cups beef broth (those little cartons work great)
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup (trust me on this one)

Flavor Makers:

• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (the good stuff from the spice aisle)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic (jar garlic counts, fresh garlic snobs)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

The Cheese Situation:

• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (sharp cheddar or go home)
• 8 ounces cream cheese, cut into chunks (room temp is ideal but cold works)

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Why These Ingredients Work

The ground beef is obviously doing the heavy lifting here taste-wise. After hours in the crockpot, those potatoes break down and make everything thick and creamy without adding flour or doing any fancy techniques. I started using carrots because my pediatrician said my kids needed more vegetables. Joke’s on her – they actually like them in here.

Cream of mushroom soup was my mother-in-law’s suggestion and I thought she was nuts. Turns out it makes this incredibly rich base without all the work of making a roux from scratch. Sharp cheddar melts better than mild and doesn’t get stringy. The cream cheese goes in at the end and makes everything restaurant-smooth. My sister works at Olive Garden and says this is how they get their soups so creamy.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• 6-quart crockpot – Mine’s ancient but still works fine
• Big skillet – For browning the beef
• Sharp knife – Makes chopping less of a nightmare
• Cutting board – Obviously
• Wooden spoon – For stirring everything around
• Ladle – Makes serving way easier than trying to pour from the crockpot

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Brown the Ground Beef

Heat up your skillet and brown the ground beef over medium-high heat. Break it up as it cooks. Takes about 6 minutes until there’s no pink left. Drain the grease in the sink – trust me, you don’t want greasy soup.

Pro Tip: My mom always said brown your meat first. She was right about this one. Raw meat dumped straight in the crockpot tastes bland compared to properly browned beef.

Step 2: Load the Crockpot

Dump everything into your crockpot – the beef, potatoes, onion, and carrots. I give it a quick stir because it makes me feel useful, even though the crockpot does all the actual work here.

Step 3: Add the Liquid Base

Pour the beef broth in first, then add the cream of mushroom soup. Stir everything together. Sometimes stuff sticks to the bottom so scrape it up – those bits taste good.

Step 4: Season to Perfection

Add the Italian seasoning, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir it all up. My kitchen already smells amazing at this point and I haven’t even turned the thing on yet.

Step 5: The Magic Happens

Put the lid on. Cook 6 hours on low or 3 hours on high. Check that the potatoes are soft with a fork when time’s up. By hour 4, my whole house smells like comfort food heaven.

Pro Tip: Low setting is better if you have time. Everything gets more tender and flavors blend together better. High works when I’m rushing around and forgot to start early.

Step 6: The Creamy Finale

About 30 minutes before eating, add both cheeses. Stir gently and cover again. Everything melts into this gorgeous creamy mess that looks like expensive restaurant soup.

Step 7: Serve and Enjoy

Ladle into bowls while it’s hot. I set out little bowls of chopped green onions, bacon bits, and diced tomatoes for toppings. My teenagers dump bacon on everything like it’s a food group.

You Must Know

Don’t add cheese too early or it gets weird and separated looking. Those last 30 minutes are the sweet spot. If your cream cheese is cold and hard, cut it smaller and it melts fine. I forget to take mine out half the time and it still works.

Personal Secret: I taste it right before serving and almost always add more salt. My friend who went to culinary school told me most home cooks under-salt everything. She’s right – a pinch more salt makes everything taste way better.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

Get your cream cheese out early so it’s soft when you need it. Forget? Microwave 10 seconds. When browning beef, don’t mess with it constantly – let it sit and get those crusty brown bits that actually taste like something.

Soup too thin? Mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch with cold water and stir it in during the last 15 minutes. Too thick? Add broth until it looks right. I’ve done both fixes multiple times. Nobody ever noticed. Always taste before serving and add salt if it needs it. This is where most people mess up.

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

Want loaded baked potato soup instead? Add crispy bacon and use russet potatoes. For taco soup vibes, swap Italian seasoning for taco seasoning and add a can of diced green chiles. My neighbor does this version and brings it to every potluck.

Love mushrooms? Sauté fresh ones with the onions before everything goes in the crockpot. Frozen corn is great too – add it during the last hour. I mix sharp and mild cheddar sometimes when I have both in the fridge. Tastes even better. Sometimes I throw in gouda when I’m feeling fancy and want to impress someone.

Make-Ahead Options

Brown the beef and chop everything the night before. Then just dump it all in the crockpot the next morning before coffee. Saves my sanity on those mornings when I’m trying to get three kids out the door with backpacks and lunch boxes. Flavors actually get better sitting in the fridge overnight anyway.

Make the whole soup ahead and it keeps 5 days in the fridge. When you reheat it, add some broth because it gets thick sitting around. For freezing, skip the cream cheese and add it fresh when you reheat. I learned this after the texture went weird on me once. Wasn’t pretty.

What to Serve With Crockpot Cheeseburger Soup

Crusty bread or dinner rolls for dipping are basically required. My family fights over the last piece of bread for soaking up soup. Simple salad with lettuce, tomatoes and ranch cuts through all that cheese nicely.

Grilled cheese sandwiches make this the ultimate comfort food combo. My kids think Christmas came early when I serve both together. If you want lighter sides, raw veggies with ranch or fresh fruit keep things balanced without competing with the main show.

Allergy Information

This has tons of dairy so it’s not good for people who can’t have milk products. For dairy-free, you can try coconut milk instead of cream cheese and fake cheese, but it won’t taste the same. Just being honest here.

Cream of mushroom soup usually has gluten in it, so check the label if that’s an issue. Most brands make gluten-free versions that work fine. For less sodium, use low-sodium broth and go easy on the salt. You can always add more later if it tastes bland.

Storage & Reheating

Leftover soup keeps 5 days in the fridge in containers that seal tight. It gets thicker sitting there, so add broth or milk when reheating. I reheat bowls in the microwave, stirring every minute until hot.

Freezes for 3 months, but leave out the cream cheese and add fresh when you reheat. Thaw overnight in the fridge first, then heat slowly on the stove, stirring a lot. Add liquid to get the right consistency back.

Emily’s Kitchen Secret: Heat soup slowly and stir often. High heat makes cheese separate and look gross. I learned this after ruining a whole batch years ago when I was rushing to get dinner ready.

FAQs

Can I use ground turkey instead of ground beef?

Yeah, ground turkey or chicken work fine. They’re not as fatty though, so the soup won’t be as rich. I add a tablespoon of butter when browning turkey to make up for it.

My soup turned out too thick – what can I do?

Add warm broth, milk, or water until it looks normal. Start with ¼ cup at a time and stir. This happens if your crockpot runs hot or your potatoes were bigger than mine and broke down more.

Can I add other vegetables to this soup?

Sure! Frozen corn, chopped bell peppers, or celery all work. Add tough vegetables like potatoes at the beginning, but quick-cooking stuff like corn goes in during the last hour.

The cheese looks curdled – what went wrong?

Heat was too high or cheese went in too early. Use low setting and add cheese just 30 minutes before serving. If it happens, try whisking in cold milk to fix it.

💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! I love hearing how it turned out for you and what changes you made. What toppings were the biggest hit?