This Instant Pot hamburger soup is easy and flavorful! It's a healthier comfort food that uses simple everyday ingredients. The whole family is sure to love it!
I made a regular stovetop version of hamburger soup, so I figured I'd also test out an Instant Pot version. Soup leftovers for days, folks. Good thing this is a yummy soup! 🙂
This soup is great because you can throw in extra veggies if you have them on-hand, and you don't have to worry too much about measuring anything out, in my opinion. I love forgiving recipes like this. In my "real life" I rarely measure anything. I think there's a certain freedom in cooking when you ditch the measurements. Just don't try it with baking. And that is why I rarely bake.
I digress.
As always, I like using my Instant Pot to build flavor in a relatively short amount of time. I'm typically someone who is totally fine making most recipes on my stove, but sometimes it's nice to use the Instant Pot. It frees up the stove, it's hands off when you close that lid, and it's nice to use a gadget that may be collecting dust in a dark corner of the kitchen. 😉
I love how the Instant Pot makes everything fall-apart tender after only a short period of cooking. And you don't have to mess up the stove. But you do have to clean your Instant Pot... sorry.
This electric pressure cooker hamburger soup is delicious without being creamy. Like I put in the write-up of the stovetop version of this recipe, creamy soups are typically my favorite kinds of soups, but this one is a new favorite for me even sans cream.
The tomato broth is flavorful, and the beef and potatoes make it nice and hearty.
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.
Other delicious ground beef recipes you may like:
- Crockpot Beef Chili
- Easy Beef Bowls
- Instant Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
- Instant Pot Beef Chili
Let me know in the comments below if you'll give this easy Instant Pot hamburger soup recipe a go.
Questions? Talk to me!

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 dash Italian seasoning
- 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", press the "manual" button and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.
- Once the countdown has finished, carefully 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.
- I use this 6-quart Instant Pot.
- 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.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Ray P. says
I made this per the instructions and it was WONDERFUL on a cold day. It is a VERY tasty base recipe that can be "personalized" by adding other ingredients. A drained can of green beans or corn, for instance. Recipes like this keep me exploring in the kitchen. Thank You!!
Natasha says
So glad to hear it, Ray!! 🙂
Donna says
Is it possible to substitute rice for the potatoes? If so, how much rice would you recommend to add?
Natasha says
Hi! I haven't tested, but I'd probably sub 3/4 cup or so. Be mindful that on some IPs you can get a burning if rice sticks to the bottom, however.
Lisa Jouzy says
Lacks flavour
Natasha says
Thanks. Did you add salt?
Amy says
How long if I’m using frozen hamburger?!!
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
Hi! We've never cooked frozen hamburger in the Instant Pot and recommend looking at Instant Pot guidelines for frozen beef.
Donald Schreiber says
Loved the Hamburger Soup it was Delicious 😋
Natasha says
Fantastic! 🙂
Nancy Mayfield says
This soup is fabulous! I added 2c of V8 vegetable juice, 16oz bag of semi frozen mixed vegetables and 2T of ketchup and was delicious! Served with some warm bread put this soup over the top.
Natasha says
Excellent!
Beth says
Made this tonight. My family always gives me their input, on new recipes, and tonight they said to mark this one as a “keeper”. The really interesting thing about this is… my husband even piped up and agreed, and he doesn’t like soup! 🙂
Natasha says
That's so nice to hear!!! 😀 Thanks for letting me know, Beth!
Karen Ward says
I have been looking for a great hamburger stew recipe and this is it!!! Loved it. Also didn't have the celery but it was fine. Add green beans and corn. I wonder if sweet potatoes would give a nice twist to the stew instead of the potatoes?
Natasha says
I'm so happy it was a hit, Karen! Yes, I think sweet potatoes would be delicious.
BHerm says
Very, very good! I didn't have celery, no big deal - still very flavorful. I used beef bone broth and added a can of tomato soup (no paste on hand,) can of stewed tomatoes, garlic powder, 1/2 lb. extra burger and a couple dashes of Italian seasoning. This one is a keeper - pinned!!!! Thank you. Quick, easy, delish.
Natasha says
You're very welcome!! 🙂 I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
Xarah says
Not much flavor. I ended up having to add 2 teaspoons of garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning (instead of a dash), smoked paprika, and white pepper.
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
Did you add enough salt? This one is a reader favorite, so we're sorry it didn't work out for you.
Dante says
This recipe was absolutely delicious and definitely going on my menu. I did add a few more seasonings to it. When serving it I added some sour cream, shredded Parmesan cheese and some hot sauce!!
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
Those additions sound great, Dante! So happy you enjoyed the soup. 🙂