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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!
Not a big fan of tomatoes…could I leave them out and add something different…Tomato paste is fine just don’t like the “chunks” of tomatoes
Yes, that would be fine. Perhaps replace with a can of tomato sauce?
Yum! Made this tonight and added some leftover matchstick carrots I had in the fridge and topped with some fresh Parmesan. Such a warm and comforting meal on a cold winter day! ❄️ Plenty of leftovers too.
Excellent! 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
This soup is amazing!! This is our 3rd time making it because we all love it so much!!!
That’s great to hear!! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know!!
Will red potatoes work in this recipe as well?
You bet 🙂
Delicious. And sooo easy. I used my IP. recipe is perfect
Fantastic!!
Does this freeze okay?
You bet!
Made with ground Elk…Yummy!
Awesome!
Super good.
🙂
I wouldn’t change a thing, but wondering for people that are cholesterol conscious… Did you ever try ground turkey?
Hello! You could for sure try ground turkey. You may also like this soup that uses ground turkey: https://bit.ly/3jR2jEE
This is delicious, made it a few times and making it again today Thanks for sharing.
So pleased you like it, Marie! 🙂
I loved this soup and it was my first experience using the high pressure cooking feature on my Crockpot Express Crock Multi-Cooker. If you’re using this cooker, the “manual” feature doesn’t exist, per the instructions, just use the Beans/Chili button and adjust pressure and cook time.
I made this just as the recipe detailed. I did add fresh spinach into my own bowl since my son hates spinach. It wilted very quickly. I then added grated Parmesan to the soup, as well. Very yummy!!
I’m so glad you liked it!! Thanks for including the tips for your electric pressure cooker. 🙂
I have yet to make this recipe because I’m wondering how I’d make it with frozen ground beef? I always keep ground beef in the freezer but I’m not sure how I’d cook it using this recipe! Help please!!
Hi Emily! Hmm… I have a couple concerns with that. It is safe to cook frozen meats in the Instant Pot, but since I have not ever done it myself, I am not sure how much extra time would need to be added on. Secondly, if you do add extra time, the veggies in the soup may become very overcooked and turn to mush. Also, you will lose flavor by not browning the beef. With all that said, you can definitely experiment, but I can’t really advise you on timing, unfortunately. You could just thaw the beef as you would normally (safest to thaw it in the fridge) and then proceed with the soup as written.
Bummer.. maybe I’ll try thawing it and then carry on with the rest of the recipe. Thank you for your quick response! 🙂
You’re welcome! I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know if you end up trying it. 🙂
I just made this recipe and YUM!! The flavors are outstanding!! I ended up thawing my frozen ground beef in a bowl of hot water (changing out the water about 4 times until the middle wasn’t frozen anymore) and it worked out perfectly fine! I will definitely be making this again in the future. So delicious! 🤌🏼 **chefs kiss**
I’m so happy to hear that!!! 😀
I sometimes thaw meat in the microwave on defrost setting.
You can always cook the hamburger on sauté setting till it is cooked through. This is what I do. Scraping the cooked meat off as it browns. It take a few minutes longer to cook but we’ll worth the time. 😊