Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Soup Recipe That Stays Creamy, Never Grainy
When I want cheeseburger flavor on a cold night without standing over a griddle, I make this Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Soup. I brown the beef, load the slow cooker, and walk away until it’s time to finish it, which takes about 30 minutes.
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This is one of the easiest, beefiest, and tastiest soups. It’s a real stick-to-your-ribs soup, and it’s perfect on game day, a cold day, or anytime you want a hands-off meal. Most slow cooker versions get the cheese wrong. Put it in at the start and by dinnertime you have a grainy, broken soup. I keep the dairy out until the potatoes are fully tender, then thicken the soup with a quick roux made on the stove.
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Chef Jenn’s Take on Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Soup
The biggest mistake with slow cooker cheeseburger soup is treating it like a dump-and-go recipe, cheese and all, from the first minute. That’s where the grainy, separated texture comes from. Milk and cheese that sit at a simmer for hours break apart, and stirring won’t bring them back.
The original stovetop version of this soup cooks fast, so the potatoes and the dairy go in close together. A slow cooker is good at something else: the long, low cook that gets the potatoes and vegetables fully tender and lets the browned beef season the broth.
So I split the work in two. The slow cooker handles the vegetables and broth. The stove handles the roux, because a slow cooker never gets hot enough to cook out the raw flour taste. The milk and cheese go in during the last half hour. Processed cheese goes in first for a smooth base, and sharp cheddar goes in last for real cheese flavor. That’s the difference between a soup that tastes like a cheeseburger and one that tastes like jarred nacho sauce.
What You’ll Love About This Cheeseburger Soup
- The slow cooker does the long part. Your hands-on time is browning the beef up front and making a five-minute roux before dinner.
- I use processed cheese for a glossy, smooth base and finish with sharp cheddar for actual flavor. Use only one and you lose either the texture or the taste.
- Leftovers reheat on the stove in a few minutes, so one pot covers dinner and a couple of weekday lunches.
Ingredients
- Ground beef – I use 80/20 or 85/15. Drain it well either way.
- Onion – Yellow or white both work. Chop it fine so it melts into the soup.
- Carrots – Shred them on the large holes of a box grater, or buy a bag of pre-shredded carrots to save time.
- Celery – Dice it small, about 1/4 inch, so it matches the potatoes.
- Dried basil and dried parsley – Use dried here, not fresh. Fresh herbs lose their flavor over hours in the slow cooker.
- Red pepper flakes – Leave them out if you’re cooking for kids. Add more if you want real heat.
- Chicken broth – Buy low or no-sodium. The cheese brings plenty of salt, and regular broth pushes the soup over the edge. Homemade works too.
- Red potatoes – Yukon Golds are a good swap. Skip russets, which break down and turn the soup pasty.
- Butter – Unsalted if you have it. Salted is fine; just go easy on the added salt.
- All-purpose flour – Measure it level. Too much and the soup turns gluey once it cools.
- Velveeta – Buy the brick, not individually wrapped slices. No processed cheese? Use 1 pound of deli American cheese, which melts just as smoothly.
- Whole milk – Don’t use skim, which is thin and more likely to curdle. Half-and-half makes a richer soup.
- Salt – Taste before you add all of it. Between the cheeses and the broth, you may not need the full amount.
- White pepper – Black pepper works fine. You’ll just see the specks.
- Sharp cheddar – Shred it yourself from a block. Bagged shreds are coated in anti-caking starch that turns the soup grainy.
How to Make Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Soup
Scroll down for the full recipe card with exact measurements and printable instructions.
Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it into small crumbles as it cooks. When it’s almost cooked through, add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften. Drain off the fat.
Add the beef and vegetables to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add the dried basil, dried parsley, red pepper flakes, diced potatoes, and chicken broth, then stir.
Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours or on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours. To check if it’s done, press a potato cube against the side with a spoon. It should give way without any resistance.
About 45 to 60 minutes before serving, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring, until it’s bubbly and smells lightly toasty.
Slowly whisk the milk into the roux, then the salt and white pepper, until smooth. Stir the mixture into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 20 to 30 minutes, until the soup has thickened.
Add the cubed processed cheese and stir until it’s just melted. Stir in the shredded sharp cheddar until it melts too, then serve hot with extra cheddar on top.
Make It A Meal
Soup and a sandwich one of my favorite meals. I go with my The Ultimate Garlic Bread Grilled Cheese for dunking. If you want something green to cut through the richness, serve it with my Extra Garlicky Homemade Caesar Salad with Bacon Croutons or the Italian Broccoli Salad.
Serving this on game day? Put out my Dill Pickle Dip first. Pickles are the one cheeseburger topping this soup doesn’t have.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat them gently on the stove over medium-low heat, stirring often, and add a splash of milk or broth if the soup is too thick. Skip the freezer. Thawed, the potatoes turn grainy and the cheese sauce can separate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Swap the all-purpose flour for a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend, and check the labels on your broth and processed cheese.
Yes. Simmer the beef, vegetables, potatoes, and broth in a Dutch oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Then stir in the roux and milk, simmer until thickened, and add the cheeses over low heat.
Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 3/4 cup onion finely chopped
- 3/4 cup carrots shredded
- 3/4 cup celery diced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 3 cups low or no sodium added chicken broth or use homemade
- 2 pounds peeled and diced red potatoes cut into ½ inch dice
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 pound Velveeta
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar plus more for garnishing
Instructions
- Cook the ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink, breaking it into crumbles. When it’s almost cooked through, add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until softened. Drain the fat.
- Add the beef mixture, basil, parsley, red pepper flakes, potatoes, and chicken broth to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Stir.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours or on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours, until the potatoes are tender.
- About 45 to 60 minutes before serving, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring, until bubbly.
- Whisk the milk, salt, and white pepper into the roux until smooth. Stir it into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 20 to 30 minutes, until thickened.
- Add the cubed processed cheese and cook until just melted.
- Stir in the shredded sharp cheddar until just melted. Serve hot, garnished with more cheddar.
Notes
Recipe Card Tips
- If you cooked on LOW, switch to HIGH when the roux goes in. LOW won’t get the soup hot enough to thicken in 30 minutes.
- Cut the processed cheese into 1/2-inch cubes. Bigger chunks take too long to melt, and the soup overheats while you wait.
- Once both cheeses are melted, switch the slow cooker to WARM. Don’t let it bubble after the cheese is in, or it can break.
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.