Stovetop Cheeseburger Soup Recipe – Super Cheesy & Creamy
Cheeseburger Soup can be so crazy good, but it can also go wrong quickly. This Stovetop Cheeseburger Soup has a few tricks so you end up with a bowl that’s smooth and rich, not greasy or gritty. It’s one of my favorite recipes, and it’s so good on a cold day or anytime you’re craving a bowlful of goodness.
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You could just toss ground beef and cheese into a pot with some milk or broth and call it soup. But Cheeseburger Soup can be so much more. This stovetop version has an extra step where you make the roux separately but it doesn’t take long and makes a world of difference.
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This is the soup I make when I want a cheeseburger and something warm in a bowl at the same time, with real cheddar sharpness instead of just salt.
Chef Jenn’s Take on Cheeseburger Soup
The biggest mistake I see with cheeseburger soup is relying on the cheese for all the thickening. Dump a pound of cheese into thin broth and you get one of two results: a watery soup under a slick of fat, or one that seizes and turns grainy the second it gets too hot.
I make this one on the stovetop instead of in the slow cooker on purpose. Simmering the potatoes in broth over a burner lets me pull them the minute they’re fork-tender, and that matters. Red potatoes left in a slow cooker for hours start breaking down at the edges, which turns the broth gluey before the cheese ever goes in.
The roux is what makes this version work. I cook the butter and flour in a separate pan, whisk in the milk, and let it thicken on its own before it touches the soup. By the time the cheese goes in, the broth already has body, so all you’re doing with the cheese is melting it. Keep the heat low from there, and the soup stays smooth to the last bowl.
What You’ll Love About This Cheeseburger Soup
- It tastes like a cheeseburger, not like a pot of nacho cheese. Browned beef and sharp cheddar keep it firmly on the burger side.
- The potatoes stay in tender cubes instead of dissolving into the broth, because you’re watching them on the stovetop, not leaving them for hours.
- One Dutch oven and one small saucepan. That’s all the cleanup, and I’ll take that trade any night of the week.
Ingredients
- Ground beef – 80/20 or 85/15. Leaner beef works, but you won’t have much fat left for softening the vegetables, so add a teaspoon of butter.
- Onion – Yellow or white. Chop it fine so it melts into the soup.
- Shredded carrots – Bagged pre-shredded carrots save time. Grating your own on the large holes of a box grater works too.
- Celery – Dice it small, about the size of the shredded carrot pieces.
- Dried basil – Use dried here, not fresh.
- Red pepper flakes – Leave them out for kids. A pinch won’t make it spicy, though.
- Low- or no-sodium chicken broth – Don’t use regular broth. The processed cheese and cheddar bring plenty of salt. Low-sodium beef broth works if you want a deeper beef flavor.
- Red potatoes – Yukon Golds are a good swap. Skip russets; they break down and cloud the broth.
- Butter – Salted or unsalted both work. Taste before adding the full amount of salt if you use salted.
- All-purpose flour – Measure it level. Too much makes the soup pasty.
- Velveeta– The boxed, shelf-stable kind. Cube it while it’s cold; it gets sticky at room temp.
- Whole milk – Don’t drop to skim. Half-and-half works if you want it richer.
- Salt – Taste before you add all of it.
- White pepper – Black pepper works fine. White just keeps the soup free of dark specks.
- Sharp cheddar – Sharp or extra-sharp, not mild. Mild gets lost under the processed cheese.
How to Make Cheeseburger Soup
Scroll down for the full recipe card with exact measurements and printable instructions.
Brown the ground beef in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, breaking it into small crumbles as it cooks. Once there’s no pink left, drain the fat but leave about a tablespoon in the pot for the vegetables.
Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until they just start to soften. Stir in the basil, and red pepper flakes so the dried herbs get a minute of heat before the broth goes in.
Pour in the chicken broth and add the diced potatoes. Bring it to a boil, then drop the heat to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 12 to 18 minutes, stirring now and then. Start testing at 12 minutes; you want a fork to slide in easily while the cubes still keep their shape.
While the potatoes cook, melt the butter in a separate saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and keep whisking for 2 to 3 minutes, until it’s bubbly and just turning golden. Slowly whisk in the milk until smooth, add the salt and white pepper, and cook another 2 to 3 minutes until it thickens slightly.
Stir the milk mixture into the simmering soup and cook gently for 3 to 5 minutes, until the broth looks noticeably thicker. Then turn the heat to low.
Add the cubed Velveeta and stir until it’s completely melted, then add the shredded cheddar a handful at a time. Once the cheese is in, the soup should never boil. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and ladle it into bowls with extra cheddar on top.
Make It A Meal
I serve this with something crunchy or tangy on the side to cut through the richness. The Ultimate Garlic Bread Grilled Cheese turns it into a full diner-style soup and sandwich night, and Italian Broccoli Salad gives you something cold and sharp next to the bowl.
For game day, set out Dill Pickle Dip before the soup comes out; it’s the pickle on the burger in dip form. If you want bread on the side with a little sweetness, try Honey Butter Cornbread Madeleines.
Storage
Store leftover cheeseburger soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. It thickens a lot overnight, so reheat it over low heat with a splash of milk, stirring often. I don’t recommend freezing it; the potatoes and cheese sauce both turn grainy once thawed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Use 93% lean ground turkey and add a tablespoon of butter before the vegetables, since turkey won’t leave enough fat in the pot. The flavor is milder, so taste and add a pinch more salt at the end.
Yes. Swap the all-purpose flour in the roux for an equal amount of a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend. Check that your broth and processed cheese are labeled gluten-free too.
Yes, as long as you use at least an 8-quart pot, and make the roux in a larger saucepan so the milk has room to thicken.
Top it the way you’d dress a burger. Chopped dill pickles, crumbled bacon, diced raw onion, or a few shredded lettuce ribbons all work, and a small squeeze of yellow mustard on top is worth trying.
Stovetop Cheeseburger Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ pound ground beef
- ¾ cup onion finely chopped
- ¾ cup carrots shredded
- ¾ cup celery diced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 3 cups low- or no-sodium chicken broth
- 2 pounds peeled red potatoes cut into ½-inch dice
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 pound Velveeta cubed
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼–½ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the ground beef in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, breaking it into crumbles, until no longer pink. Drain the fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pot.
- Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook 3–4 minutes, until starting to soften. Stir in the basil and red pepper flakes.
- Add the chicken broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook 12–18 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- In a separate saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook 2–3 minutes, whisking constantly, until bubbly and lightly golden.
- Gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Stir in the salt and white pepper and cook 2–3 minutes, until slightly thickened.
- Stir the milk mixture into the simmering soup. Cook gently 3–5 minutes, stirring, until the broth thickens.
- Reduce the heat to low. Add the cubed Velveeta and stir until completely melted. Gradually stir in the shredded cheddar until smooth. Do not let the soup boil after adding the cheese.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning. Ladle into bowls and garnish with extra shredded cheddar.
Notes
Recipe Card Tips
- Shred the cheddar yourself from a block. Pre-shredded bags are coated in starch that melts gritty in a cheese soup.
- If your burner runs hot even on low, pull the pot off the heat completely before adding the cheddar. Residual heat is enough to melt it.
- Cut the potatoes a true ½ inch. Bigger cubes push the simmer past 18 minutes, and the carrots and celery go soft waiting on them.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.