Cheeseburger Soup
All the flavors of a cheeseburger in a creamy, comforting soup, topped with crisp bacon bits and hamburger bun croutons!
I love a good old fashioned cheeseburger just as much as the next person, but I can’t have it as often as I’d like or else I’d gain about 50 pounds. But when you serve it up in a bowl in the form of a comforting, cheesy soup – well, I think I could pretty much have that every single day of the week!
This cheeseburger soup has quickly become a number one favorite in our house. It’s loaded with so much goodness – from the ground up meat to the tender, crumbly potatoes. And you can’t forget the best part about the soup, which are, of course, the garnishes – the crumbled, crisp bacon bits, the extra cheddar cheese and the crunchy homemade hamburger croutons. You’ll want to pick off these garnishes one by one before stuffing your face with this soup!
Now isn’t this just so much better than an actual cheeseburger?

Cheeseburger Soup
Ingredients
- 3 hamburger buns, diced into 1-inch cubes
- 4 slices bacon, diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces ground beef
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 carrots, grated
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth
- 2 cups milk, or more, as needed
- 2 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spread bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place into oven and bake until crisp and golden, about 10-15 minutes; set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat and set aside.
- Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, celery, carrots and Worcestershire. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in chicken broth and milk, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in potatoes.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 12-15 minutes. Stir in ground beef, cheese, salt and pepper, to taste. If the soup is too thick, add more milk as needed until desired consistency is reached.
- Serve immediately, garnished with croutons, bacon and chives, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
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Have u made this in the crock pot? If so what modifications did u make! Thanks!
It is very difficult to give exact conversion information to translate a traditional stovetop recipe to be used in a slow cooker without further recipe testing. However, here is an article worth checking out on a possible conversion guide. Hope that helps!
I want to make a double batch-do you think it would freeze well? I LOVE your recipes. They are wonderful.
Thank you, Carole! But unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
Thank you for the quick response! I guess only one way to find out! I know I already said it, but I’ve made several of your recipes and they have ALL been not only delicious but so very easy to make. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Carole,
Did you try freezing this recipe? I’m going to make it this week and will increase the batch if it freezes well.
Hi Chungah,
I just found your website on pinterest, and love it! I have several recipes pinned just waiting to try and this one was my first one–it was awesome. Here in New England tonight, we are in the middle of a blizzard (again) and this was the perfect comfort while we watched the snow fall! I didn’t use the celery and used beef broth because I had some open–it was just perfect and hubby loved it. This will certainly be in my favorite box……just pinned too!
The only change/addition I would make would be to chop up some dill pickles and add to the soup or garnish. I always have dill pickles on my cheeseburgers. Wonderful recipe!
Just made this for dinner. I have a finicky grandma who likes literally only baked goods and tacos. She happily has eaten every recipe I have made from your site, and she ate this up, asking happily for seconds. Thanks for this delicious-0 recipe!
Thanks. Fyi: i just found your website by looking at an IG recipe post from some1 else that i follow. So far, i already see about 10 dishes i want to make now. Glad i found you!! Thanks bunches
Looks delish! How many does this soup serve?
This soup yields about 4-6 servings.
I am confused. There are comments regarding shirachi but I don’t see that in the recipe at all.
Jerelyn, I am confused as well. There is no mention of Sriracha in this recipe.
Cannot WAIT to try this! Thanks for sharing.
Hello,
Do you use sharp cheddar cheese?
It’s really up to you and how it fits into your taste preferences. I personally like to use a mild to medium cheddar cheese.
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I was so excited to find this recipe! I have one ‘picky eater’ in the bunch (he’ll eat anything and never say a word, but I know what he doesn’t like). I’m trying to make all his favorites before he leaves for school but there’s only so much you can do with a cheeseburger, steak, Mac n cheese, etc. Most cheeseburger soup recipes have velveeta which I try to avoid. When I saw yours I knew it would be good! I love all of your recipes and they’ve always been big hits at our house!! Thanks for sharing such great recipies. 🙂
This soup is REALLY good. I was limited to what I already had in the house, so I had to use a sprinkle of dried celery seed instead of the fresh celery (still gave it awesome flavor). I only had a few baby carrots, which I did grate into the soup, but I also added a few green peas for more veggies.
The biggest change I had to make was use smoked gouda cheese because I didn’t have cheddar. IT. WAS. AWESOME. It really made it taste more like a hamburger because you get a bit of that smoky grill flavor that a hamburger has. I would definitely recommend making it with the smoked gouda!
Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll definitely have to try that next time.
Made this last night and I’m eating the leftovers right now. Really great soup. Only thing I did differently was I cooked the ground beef in the bacon fat because – well – why the hell not? 🙂
Served with homemade hamburger buns instead of croutons. SUPER yummy and really quick and easy to make. Thanks for the great recipe.
My family and I LOVE this recipe! I looked at a few other recipes like this one but they used processed cheese or sour cream. So nice to have a healthy and delicious meal! Thank you!
Oh boy, I can tell this will be a new favorite in our house! It looks so satisfying 🙂
I made this soup for dinner tonight and it was delicious and a big hit with my husband!
I’m always in awe of your beautiful cheesy foods Chung-Ah. You know I struggle with it! But hey, practice makes perfect. I’m not surprised this cheesy soup is a hit with Jason! Kevin’s favorite food, besides peanut butter cups and buffalo chicken, is cheeseburgers. LOVE the hamburger bun croutons. So creative.
I have loved all of your recipes that I have made at home so far…they are creative and delicious! However, I must say that this recipe took me a while to prepare and my family was somewhat pleased but not totally satisfied—UNTIL I took the potatoes out. The potatoes make this soup a little blah, but without, the soup was totally delicious and I will make it again without potatoes next time 🙂 The garnishes are perfect as well!
Bummer! I actually loved the potatoes in this dish – it provides a lot of substance and makes it very filling. Otherwise it’s just a cheesy, meaty broth!
I accidentally added the cheese along with the potatoes. Without letting the potato simmer first. Will it be OK??? Help
I’m not sure! How did it turn out?
I’d suggest leaving them in but cutting them up smaller – they they’re less noticeable.
Yum! I just found your site today and have pinned almost all of your recipes haha! I can’t wait to make this and all the others. 🙂