How to Make Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
This Instant Pot Vegetable Soup is made with a few simple ingredients to create a comforting and satisfying meal you can make in one pot.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Thick, creamy, and packed with veggies, this easy pressure cooker soup is full of flavor and uses a simple instant potato trick for chowder-like comfort!
This homemade vegetable soup recipe is adapted from an America’s Test Kitchen recipe. I didn’t want to bother with blending half of the soup, and I had some instant potatoes on hand, so I tried using them as a thickener. As long as you let the instant potatoes rest for 5 minutes after adding, it thickens the soup nicely with very little effort!
The result is a thick and creamy veggie soup that sticks to your ribs and keeps you feeling full.
✅ This easy recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, Cosori, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.
Why do you need the tall steamer basket?
The tall steamer basket makes a huge difference in the finished texture of the dish.
In our initial testing, we cooked the potatoes down in the soup. The flavor was delicious, but the potatoes ended up breaking down in the broth.
(If you don’t mind the different texture, you can still make the soup. Just know that everyone in my family liked the soup much better when we suspended the potatoes above the broth while it cooked.)
The Oxo steamer baskets we use has two inch-long feet to raise the basket. If you have a shorter steamer basket, you can try using a trivet underneath and then the basket on top. As long as the basket doesn’t interfere with the lid closing and most of the potatoes are out of the cooking liquid, you should be good to go!
Ingredient Notes
You can swap vegetable broth for chicken broth with no change to the recipe.
The bacon and bacon grease add a lot to the overall flavor of the soup. It’s worth it to spend the extra few minutes to cook the bacon in the pot using the sauté function rather using precooked bacon.
How to Cut Leeks for Cooking
We really love the gentle, subtle flavor and texture that the leeks add to this recipe. Here’s how to prep them for the soup:
- Trim off the roots and the tough dark green tops.
- Slice the leeks lengthwise, then place them cut-side down and slice into cut into thin half-moons (about 1/8 inch slices).
- Rinse well in a colander under cool water, swishing the water with your hand to remove any dirt.
- Transfer the leeks to a clean kitchen towel and pat dry.
Note: We opted to use leeks for this recipe; however, if you’d prefer onions, I recommend using a white onion and start with 1 cup finely diced. (Onions are much stronger than leeks, so you’ll need less in this recipe.)
Storing Leftovers
Cool leftovers to room temperature, then place in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
You can pop it in the freezer for up to 3 months, but the texture of the potatoes will change when you thaw it. I recommend thawing overnight in the fridge and reheating on medium heat in the microwave or on the stove.
More Easy Instant Pot Soup Recipes
Looking for other easy pressure cooker soups that are loaded with vegetables? We’ve got you covered:
- Our Instant Pot Minestrone features fresh tomatoes, carrots, celery, zucchini, and corn, finished with parmesan cheese.
- This Portobello and Barley Soup is a healthy vegan option, featuring mushrooms, barley, aromatics, and veggies in a flavorful broth.
- We upgraded our Butternut Squash Soup to a full meal by adding cubed chicken and orzo pasta. It’s filling AND flavorful!
- Ever tried Ribollita? This hearty stew is thickened with bread, filled with white beans, kale or spinach, thyme and sage.
Do you LOVE this recipe?
Leave us a review below to tell us why!
Creamy Vegetable Chowder | Instant Pot recipe
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon chopped
- 1 pound leeks white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly
- 4 carrots peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 celery ribs halved lengthwise, and cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon table salt plus more to taste
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 4 cups chicken broth divided
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup instant potato flakes
- 1/2 cup half-and-half
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Select Sauté to preheat the pot. When hot, add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 5–8 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Leave the bacon fat in the pot.
- Add the leeks, carrots, celery, thyme, and salt, and cook for 3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
- Add 1 cup broth and scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the pepper and bay leaf.
- Place the cubed potatoes in a tall steamer basket. Lower the basket into the pressure cooker so that the potatoes sit above the broth.
- Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and 4 minutes cook time. When the cook time ends, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes, then release any remaining pressure with a quick release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
- Remove the steamer basket from the pressure cooker and set aside. Use a slotted spoon to remove and discard the bay leaf.
- Add the remaining 3 cups of broth. Select Simmer, then add the instant potato flakes a little at a time, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, then turn off the pressure cooker and let stand for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the half-and-half, chives, and lemon juice. Add the steamed potatoes and ¾ of the crumbled bacon. Serve immediately, and garnish each bowl with fresh parsley and remaining bacon and seasoned with additional salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
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This is a gardener’s delight! I grow almost every vegetable & herb in the recipe. It looked really good in your photos, so I tried it on a snowy day, yesterday. I only made a couple of modifications. 🙂 I don’t buy instant potato flakes, so instead of using those I blended some of the cooked potatoes in a food processor with some of the remaining broth to add back into the soup. I also added a half cup each of frozen corn & peas, which were great. We enjoyed the soup for dinner with fresh homemade biscuits. Yum.
The instant potato flakes sound like a great idea: less work and fewer things to wash. I’m planning to put some of my homegrown potatoes, cooked & mashed, into my freeze dryer so I’ll have some of those on hand for the next few times I make this soup. Surely, I will make it often!