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This Instant Pot hamburger soup is easy and flavorful! It’s a healthier comfort food meal that uses simple everyday ingredients like ground beef and potatoes.
If you’re looking for the stovetop version, head on over to my popular Easy Hamburger Soup instead.
Why you’ll love it
Tender ground beef enrobed in a tasty tomato broth… who can resist? This Instant Pot hamburger soup builds a ton of flavor in way less time. I just love how this appliance concentrates flavor and is pretty hands off. Open it up, and it’s as if this soup has been simmering away for hours.
I always make this simple, hearty, and affordable soup when I’m cleaning out the pantry. This Instant Pot ground beef soup recipe also happens to be super forgiving. Got some extra veggies? Throw ’em in. It’s all good! And the leftovers are very tasty. It’s a reader favorite.
What you’ll need
- Olive oil, onions, and celery – sautéing sweet (Vidalia) onions along with celery makes a delicious aromatic base
- Ground beef – it’s also known as hamburger, hence the name of the soup. I like to use 95% lean.
- Garlic – garlic lovers, add even more if that’s your thing
- Tomato paste and diced tomatoes – these pantry staples are canned at the peak of ripeness for perfect concentrated tomato flavor
- Beef broth – a 32 oz container equals the 4 cups required for this recipe. Easy peasy.
- Potatoes – Russet potatoes are my go-to variety for soups, but you can definitely use red or Yukon gold
- Italian seasoning – this delicious blend of dried herbs comes in a single convenient jar and adds so much flavor
Pro tip
- I like to use extra lean ground beef because it’s a bit less fatty, so you can skip the step of draining the fat once you’ve browned it. There’s still a bit of fat left, but I find it adds a nice flavor to the soup. If you do use a fattier ground beef, I would definitely drain some of the fat so the soup doesn’t end up excessively oily.
How to make Instant Pot hamburger soup
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Add the oil and chopped onion and celery to your IP. Press the sauté button, cooking for 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and meat. Cook until browned, giving it the occasional stir. I don’t drain the fat, but you can if not using extra lean ground beef.
Stir in the tomato paste, followed by the diced tomatoes, broth, Italian seasoning, and potatoes. Close the lid with the valve on “sealing”. Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. After the countdown, do a quick pressure release. Season generously with salt & pepper, and enjoy!
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I have an older 6 quart model, but here’s the latest version of the Instant Pot.
- Not sure how to store the other half of your onion? This onion saver keeps it fresh in the fridge.
- A sturdy ladle that doesn’t slop soup all over is a must-have.
Substitutions and variations
- You can definitely add in some chopped carrots at the same time as the celery.
- Several readers have successfully thrown in a drained can of corn and/or green beans. Or stir in some spinach after you release the pressure for even more veggies and let it wilt.
- If you’re sensitive to salt, use low-sodium beef broth.
What to serve with Instant Pot hamburger soup
- I like how hearty this soup is, so a dinner roll, breadsticks, or a slice of Cheesy Garlic Bread will round it out nicely.
- For a classic soup and salad combo, try spring mix with my Creamy Balsamic Dressing or this mouthwatering Beet and Spinach Salad to change it up.
Leftovers and storage
- Store leftovers of this hamburger soup in the fridge for 3-4 days in a covered container. The flavors intensify over time even more!
- I recommend reheating over a low heat in a saucepan, stirring every so often until warmed through.
- Leftovers will freeze well. Consume within 3 months. I like to store them in individual containers.
Let me know in the comments below if you gave this easy Instant Pot soup recipe a try. I’d love a review. Questions the blog post didn’t answer? Talk to me! You can also find me on Instagram.
Instant Pot Hamburger Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 2 sticks celery chopped
- 1 pound extra lean (95% lean) ground beef
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 (28 fluid ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 large Russet potatoes diced
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning or to taste
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the olive oil, onion, and celery to your Instant Pot. Press the sauté button and cook for 4 minutes.
- Stir in the beef and garlic. Cook until the beef has browned, stirring occasionally (about 5 minutes). You shouldn't need to drain much fat if you're using extra lean ground beef, but feel free to drain some/most of it if desired (I didn't drain any).
- Stir in the tomato paste, then add in the diced tomatoes, beef broth, potatoes, and Italian seasoning.
- Close the lid, make sure the valve is on "sealing", and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.
- Once the countdown has finished, do a quick pressure release.
- Season with salt & pepper as needed and serve immediately.
Notes
- Serves 4-6.
- Anything from about 1 to 1.5 pounds ground beef will work.
- Use low-sodium beef broth if you’re sensitive to salt.
- Inactive time indicates the time it takes the Instant Pot to get up to pressure.
- Try the stovetop version if you don’t own an IP.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally published on January 30, 2019. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
Hello, I am fairly new to using an instant pot but I want to try this recipe today. I am wondering when you cook the beef in the pot do you leave the instant pot? Or what setting do you have it on for this?
Thanks!
Hi! What you you mean by “do you leave the Instant Pot”? It’s all cooked in the Instant Pot if that’s what you mean. In step 1, press the sauté button. You don’t close the lid or press a timer or anything… it’s basically like sautéing anything on your stove. You add the beef to the Instant Pot in step 2. In step 4 you close the lid and then press the “manual” button and set the timer to cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. I hope this helps… let me know if you need further clarification on anything. 🙂
I’m making this recipe in my instant pot today😋 I followed recipe but…
I added whatever vegetables I had… yellow squash, fire roasted tomatoes, cut up cabbage, radishes, potatoes, onion, carrots, bay leaf, garlic, beef broth.
SMELLS GOOD COOKING can’t wait to taste it.
Thanks again for sharing
I hope you enjoy it, Gail! 🙂 You’re very welcome!
I made this tonight and my entire household enjoyed it! Including my picky 7 year old. We are vegetarian so I used impossible plant based meat. Added a can of corn like another commenter suggested and topped with freshly shredded cheddar cheese. Sooo good ! Will definitely be making again.
Fabulous!! Love it when everyone likes it! 🙂
I have made this soup several times and it always turns out great. I follow the recipe exactly and it’s delicious.
Wonderful!! Thanks, Jeff. 🙂
This recipe looks delicious! What cooking times would you recommend for doubling the recipe?
The same. IP doesn’t recommend increasing time when you double most recipes. Just make sure you don’t go over the max fill line.
We enjoyed this soup, and I am not a ‘soup person.’ I did put the tomatoes through the food processed to make it smooth. If I make again, I might use sweet Italian sausage and put fresh spinach in. To me it needed more substance, but my guy drowned homemade bread in his to sop up the juice.
My MIL just had oral surgery, so a quart is headed to her this morning.
I’m so glad that you enjoyed it! Fresh spinach would go great. Yes, it’s a fairly light soup. I hope your MIL gets better soon! 🙂
I love this kind of soup,when I bought my instant pot,I thought wow this is going to be fun,I never looked back,I made this last week with left over ground beef and now I’m doing it again by putting frozen mixed vegetables and black beans in thank you and is chicken good in this?
I think chicken would work ok! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
can i make this just like this but with chicken ? omg i made this and my kids loved it,now i want to try it with chicken,you think that would work?
Yes! I would say so.
Do I make it same or with chicken broth because I love this flavor of beef but want to try chicken,just for the heck of it lol thanks let you know ok
I’ve made it with ground turkey, so I am sure ground chicken would work well. I didn’t have any potatoes that were good, so I used Orzo. I used a bit too much, and it sucked up most of the broth.
Made this recipe for my family. Will definitely be doubling this recipe. There was something in it for everyone. I really liked Dale’s idea of adding some carrots. I’m going to do that next time. Adding this to the family meal plan rotation. Thank you for such a great recipe, Natasha!
Fab!! You’re very welcome! 🙂
The soup was so easy to make, and my wife and I really enjoyed. Very tasty! It should actually taste better after a day or two. I doubled the recipe and added two carrots, extra seasoning and 2 tsp of kosher salt and 1/4 tsp of black pepper. Thank you for sharing your recipe, it makes me look like a pro!
Good! Yes, it’s definitely one that tastes better after a couple days. You’re very welcome, Dale. 🙂