Cheeseburger Soup Recipe: Creamy Dinner for 6 With a Pickle Finish

Most cheeseburger soup tastes like beef and cheese in a bowl, and the burger part has gone missing. Extra cheddar won’t bring it back. A splash of dill pickle brine, stirred in at the end, will, because pickle is the one flavor a burger has that this soup usually lacks.

Texture is the other place it goes wrong. Cheddar dropped into a bubbling pot seizes into rubbery strings and leaves an orange film of oil within about ten seconds. So here the cheese waits: the pot cools to 165°F (74°C) first, the cheddar goes in by the handful, and four slices of deli American cheese keep the melted fat from separating.

You end up with browned beef and soft potato in a smooth cheddar base, from one Dutch oven in about 70 minutes, and 25 of those need no attention. Nothing is hard. One step, the waiting, feels wrong, and it turns out to be the whole trick.

Why You’ll Love This Cheeseburger Soup

• Tastes like a burger. Ketchup and mustard cook into the base and the brine goes in last, so the soup gets a burger’s tang.
• One pot. The brown crust the beef leaves behind dissolves into the broth, not down the drain.
• Stays smooth. Cheese added at 165°F (74°C), plus American cheese, keeps the fat blended, so leftovers don’t turn oily.
• Half the cooking runs itself. The simmer, cool down and rest add up to about 25 minutes.
• Feeds six. Leftovers make lunch.

Quick Snapshot

• Prep time: 20 minutes
• Cook time: 50 minutes
• Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Servings: 6 (about 2 cups each)
• Difficulty: Easy
• Calories: 540 per serving
• Decides the outcome: an instant read thermometer
• Best for: cold evenings and next day lunches

Nutrition Information

Beef and cheese supply most of the protein and fat, and the cheeses and brine supply most of the sodium.

Values are estimates and vary by brand and measuring.

Ingredients for Cheeseburger Soup From Scratch

For the Soup Base

• 1 lb (450 g) ground beef, 85% lean
• 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced, about 1 cup (150 g)
• 2 medium carrots, diced, about 1 cup (130 g)
• 2 celery stalks, diced, about 3/4 cup (80 g)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup (30 g) all-purpose flour, down from 1/3 cup in my first version, which set like gravy
• 2 tablespoons (32 g) tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon (2 g) paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) fine salt
• 4 cups (960 ml) low sodium beef broth
• 1 1/4 lb (570 g) Yukon Gold potatoes, in 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) cubes, since they hold their shape
• 1 tablespoon (15 g) ketchup
• 1 tablespoon (15 g) yellow mustard

For the Cheese and the Finish

• 2 cups (8 oz / 225 g) sharp cheddar, shredded from a block, because mild cheddar vanishes
• 4 slices (about 3 oz / 85 g) deli American cheese, torn, for its sodium citrate, a salt that keeps melted fat and water blended. Cubed Velveeta, 3 oz (85 g), works too.
• 2 cups (480 ml) whole milk, warmed (2% works, with a thinner body)
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) dill pickle brine, added a teaspoon at a time

For Serving

• 1/2 cup (75 g) chopped dill pickles
• 2 tablespoons sliced chives
• 4 slices beef bacon, crisped and crumbled (optional)

Allergen and Dietary Disclosure

This cheeseburger soup contains milk and wheat (from the flour), with no eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, soy, sesame, fish or shellfish.

Labels: halal, when the beef and broth are halal certified. It is also egg free and nut free.

Milk has no clean swap here because the cheeses are the soup. Oat milk can replace the whole milk for a thinner, slightly sweeter result, but both cheeses still contain milk.

Check the broth label, since some brands add hydrolyzed wheat or soy protein for flavor.

Equipment Needed

• 5.5 to 6 quart Dutch oven. The wide floor browns the beef instead of steaming it, and the tall sides hold 12 cups.
• Instant read thermometer. It answers the one question that matters: is the pot cool enough for the cheese? Keep the probe off the bottom.
• Box grater. Two minutes on the large holes turns a block into evenly melting shreds.
• Flat edged wooden spoon. The straight edge scrapes fond off the pot floor.

Prep Before You Cook

Cut the potatoes to 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) and no bigger, since larger cubes are still firm in the middle once the cheese is in. Everything else can be about 1/4 inch (6 mm).

Shred the cheddar and tear the American slices, then leave both on the counter so they melt evenly. Warm the milk to about 100°F (38°C) and heat the empty Dutch oven over medium-high for 2 minutes.

Bagged shredded cheddar carries anti-caking starch or cellulose. That coating slows melting and can leave the soup gritty, so shred a block yourself.

How to Make Cheeseburger Soup Step by Step

Step 1. Brown the beef

Leave the beef in one flat layer over medium-high heat, about 400°F (200°C) at the pot floor, for 3 minutes, until the sizzle turns from a hiss to a crackle. Break it up and cook 4 to 5 minutes more, until no pink shows and it reads 160°F (71°C). Spoon off all but 1 tablespoon of fat and keep the brown crust, called fond.

Chef’s Note: Don’t scrape the pot clean. That crust dissolves into the broth and supplies most of the beefy color.

Step 2. Sweat the vegetables

Melt the butter into the beef fat and cook the vegetables over medium heat, near 300°F (150°C), for 6 minutes, stirring often, until the onion turns translucent and a carrot cube bends without snapping. Cooks call this sweating: softening vegetables in fat without browning.

Step 3. Cook the roux

A roux is flour cooked in fat, and it’s what lets broth coat a spoon. Scatter the flour and garlic over the vegetables, then work in the tomato paste and paprika for 90 seconds, until the paste turns from bright red to brick and the flour smells toasty.

Step 4. Simmer the potatoes

Pour in the broth 1 cup at a time, scraping up the fond, then add the potatoes, ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper. Hold a gentle simmer, about 190°F (88°C), with small bubbles and the lid tilted, for 12 to 14 minutes, until a fork slides into a potato with slight resistance.

Step 5. Cool the pot

Off goes the burner, and in goes the warmed milk. Wait 4 to 6 minutes, until the bubbling stops and the thermometer holds at 165°F (74°C). Ice or extra milk would speed it up and thin the soup.

Enameled cast iron keeps releasing heat after the burner is off. Slide the pot to a cold burner while it cools, or the floor stays hotter than the center.

Chef’s Note: The closer cheddar gets to a simmer, near 190°F (88°C), the harder its proteins squeeze out fat. At 165°F (74°C) it melts into the liquid instead.

Step 6. Melt the cheese

Add the cheddar in three handfuls, stirring in a figure eight until each one disappears. The first handful looks alarming, a raft of shreds clumped around the spoon, and smooths out within 30 seconds. Tuck the torn American slices in with the last handful and stop when a spoon dragged across the pot leaves a glossy ribbon that closes slowly.

Step 7. Finish with brine

Taste the soup before any brine goes in, so you know what beef and cheese taste like alone. Stir in the brine 1 teaspoon at a time, giving each 10 seconds to blend, until a pickle edge shows up at the back of your tongue, usually after 4 to 6 teaspoons (20 to 30 ml). Cover the pot for 5 minutes.

Chef’s Note: Brine simmered with the broth loses its dill aroma and reads as plain sourness. It tastes salty before it tastes tangy, so stop when you can just taste the pickle. One extra spoonful can’t be taken back out.

Expert Tips for Homemade Cheeseburger Soup

Salting at Step 4 is the mistake to avoid. The broth tastes flat, but the cheeses and brine add roughly 3,000 mg of sodium, and salt can’t be stirred back out.

Prep ahead. Shred the cheddar and dice the vegetables the night before. Potato cubes hold 24 hours in cold water in the fridge.

Brine every reheated bowl. Cold mutes salt and acid, so day-two cheeseburger soup tastes flatter. Stir in 1 teaspoon per bowl after reheating.

Brown in two batches if the pot is under 5 quarts. Crowded beef steams and turns gray, so it never leaves fond.

Warm the bowls. A cold bowl sets the cheese within a few spoonfuls, so run it under hot tap water for 30 seconds.

Dice while the beef sears. Step 1’s first 3 minutes need no attention.

Why Cheeseburger Soup Splits or Tastes Flat, and the Fix

A split announces itself within seconds. The first handful stalls as a rubbery knot, and a copper film of oil creeps from the edge inward. After the 3 minute rest, whisk 1 tablespoon of cold milk into a torn American slice until it forms a paste, stir that in, and work the whisk outward in slow circles until the surface turns from oily to satin. It won’t be quite as silky, but it serves.

Storing and Reheating Cheeseburger Soup

Room temperature storage doesn’t apply here: milk and cheese shouldn’t sit out longer than 2 hours.

Refrigerator

Let the pot cool 30 minutes, then ladle the cheeseburger soup into shallow lidded containers for 3 to 4 days. Keep pickles and beef bacon separate, since they go soft first.

Freezer

Finished soup freezes at a cost: mealy potatoes and cheese that can look broken. Freeze it flat in bags for up to 2 months, thaw overnight, whisking as it warms.

Reheating

Warm 2 cups over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until 165°F (74°C) with no hard bubble. In a microwave, use 50% power in 90 second bursts.

Make Ahead

Stop after Step 4 and keep the base 2 days in the fridge or 2 months frozen, before the milk and cheese go in. Then bring it back to a simmer and cool it to 165°F (74°C) before Steps 5 through 7.

Cheeseburger Soup Variations and Substitutions

Spicy. Add 1 diced jalapeño with the onion and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne with the paprika. Heat hides pickle tang, so brine to taste.

Mild and kid friendly. Grate the carrot fine so it disappears and use 2 teaspoons of brine, which tastes nearer beef and cheese.

Vegetarian. For a vegetarian cheeseburger soup, swap the beef for 12 oz (340 g) chopped cremini mushrooms, cooked 10 to 12 minutes until the pan is dry, and use vegetable broth. Add 1 extra tablespoon of tomato paste for depth.

Gluten free. Skip the flour but still cook the garlic, tomato paste and paprika for 90 seconds. Whisk 2 tablespoons (16 g) cornstarch into 1/4 cup (60 ml) cold broth and stir it in once the potatoes soften, simmering 2 minutes. Expect a glossier, thinner soup.

Ground turkey for beef. Use it one for one with 1 extra tablespoon of butter, since turkey is leaner and tastes flatter.

What to Serve With Cheeseburger Soup

Toasted garlic bread is the obvious scoop: its crisp crust holds up to a thick soup and its butter echoes the dairy. A cold, sharply dressed side salad cuts through the cheddar with acid. Quick dill pickles add cold crunch, the same contrast a burger gets from its pickle chip.

Crumbled beef bacon adds the chew that soft potato lacks, and unsweetened iced tea clears the fat between bites.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my leftover cheeseburger soup thicken overnight?

Potato starch and melted cheese both firm up as they chill, and the potato cubes keep soaking up broth for hours. That’s normal, not a failure. Warm the pot over low heat and stir in warm milk, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the spoon leaves a slow ribbon again. Water thins the flavor and broth adds salt, so use milk.

Why is my cheeseburger soup greasy on top?

Grease pooling at the edge of a smooth pot means the beef fat was never spooned off, which differs from the orange oil of a split cheese base. Rest the pot 5 minutes so the fat rises, then skim it with a wide spoon or a folded paper towel. Next time, drain the beef to 1 tablespoon of fat for a cleaner cheeseburger soup.

Can I use russet potatoes instead of Yukon Golds?

Russets work, but they change the soup. Their starch breaks down faster, so the cubes soften at the edges and thicken the broth toward chowder. Cut them a little larger, about 3/4 inch (2 cm), and test at 10 minutes instead of 12. Yukon Golds keep more distinct chunks, which is why a cheeseburger soup with potatoes like this one calls for them.

How long can cheeseburger soup stay warm for a party?

A slow cooker on its warm setting holds the soup for up to 2 hours, as long as a thermometer keeps it between 140°F (60°C) and 165°F (74°C). Stir every 20 minutes so the edges don’t scorch, and loosen it with a splash of warm milk if it tightens. Skip the high setting, which pushes past a simmer and breaks the cheese.

Is cheeseburger soup supposed to be thick like queso?

It should sit near a loose chowder and run off a lifted spoon in a slow, glossy stream, not a lump. Easy cheeseburger soup thickens as it cools, so pull it slightly looser than the bowl you want. If it’s too thin, potato starch and a 10 minute rest fix it, and if it sets like pudding, warm milk loosens it.

Let the Pickle Jar Set the Number

Pickle jars vary more than any other ingredient in this pot. A sweet brine and a sharp dill brine barely resemble each other, so the 6 teaspoons in Step 7 is a ceiling, not a target. I’ve stopped at 2 teaspoons with one jar and needed all 6 with another, and the soup was right both times. Let your tongue set the number, then pour it into a pot that has cooled properly. Made that way, this cheeseburger soup stays smooth from the first bowl to the last. Save this recipe to your soup board on Pinterest so it’s waiting the next time the weather turns.

Ben Lewis

Cheeseburger Soup

A one pot beef and potato soup with a smooth sharp cheddar base, finished with dill pickle brine so it tastes like a cheeseburger.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings: 6 about 2 cups each

Course: Dinner, Soup

Cuisine: American

Calories: 540

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 lb 450 g ground beef, 85% lean
• 2 tablespoons 28 g unsalted butter
• 1 medium yellow onion diced (about 1 cup / 150 g)
• 2 medium carrots diced (about 1 cup / 130 g)
• 2 celery stalks diced (about 3/4 cup / 80 g)
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 1/4 cup 30 g all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons 32 g tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon 2 g paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon 1 g black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon 3 g fine salt
• 4 cups 960 ml low sodium beef broth
• 1 1/4 lb 570 g Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) cubes
• 1 tablespoon 15 g ketchup
• 1 tablespoon 15 g yellow mustard
• 2 cups 8 oz / 225 g sharp cheddar, shredded from a block
• 4 slices about 3 oz / 85 g deli American cheese, torn
• 2 cups 480 ml whole milk, warmed
• 2 tablespoons 30 ml dill pickle brine
• 1/2 cup 75 g chopped dill pickles, for serving
• 2 tablespoons sliced chives for serving
• 4 slices beef bacon crisped and crumbled, optional

Method

 

1. Heat the empty Dutch oven over medium-high for 2 minutes.
2. Brown the beef in one layer for 3 minutes, then break it up and cook 4 to 5 minutes more, until it reads 160°F (71°C).
3. Spoon off all but 1 tablespoon of fat.
4. Melt in the butter, add the diced vegetables and cook over medium heat for 6 minutes.
5. Stir in the flour, garlic, tomato paste and paprika for 90 seconds.
6. Pour in the broth 1 cup at a time, scraping the pot floor.
7. Add the potatoes, ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper.
8. Simmer at 190°F (88°C) with the lid tilted for 12 to 14 minutes, until a fork slides into a potato.
9. Turn off the heat and stir in the warmed milk.
10. Cool 4 to 6 minutes, until a thermometer reads 165°F (74°C).
11. Stir in the cheddar in three handfuls, then the American cheese.
12. Stir in the brine 1 teaspoon at a time, tasting after each.
13. Cover for 5 minutes, then serve topped with pickles, chives and bacon.

Notes

Shred the cheddar from a block, because bagged shreds melt gritty.

Pickle jars differ, so add the brine a teaspoon at a time.

The base through Step 4 keeps 2 days in the fridge, with milk and cheese added after re-simmering and cooling.

Storage Notes:

Refrigerate in shallow lidded containers for 3 to 4 days.

Freeze flat in bags for up to 2 months, thaw overnight and whisk while warming.

Reheat over low heat to 165°F (74°C) with no hard bubble.