This Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Soup is a family favorite cheesy soup filled with cooked ground beef, potatoes, shredded Velveeta cheese, chicken broth, veggies, and seasonings. All the flavors marinade together for a cheeseburger soup recipe that’s sure to be a huge hit.
If you’re looking for a less cheesy option, try my Slow Cooker Hamburger Soup.
Why this recipe works
Not only is this crockpot cheeseburger soup a delicious one-pot meal, but it’s also perfect to have any time of the year. You’ll notice that the soup is fairly thick, but I don’t add flour. Instead, I use a combination of chicken broth with Velveeta cheese and cream cheese added toward the end of cooking time.
The cheeseburger soup ingredients are kitchen staples and easy to find at your local grocery store. This is a great soup recipe when you’re looking for a delicious meal that can feed a large family and/or crowd.
Recipe Ingredients
- Ground Beef: If you want less grease when browning the beef, go for lean ground beef.
- Chicken Broth: Using a broth will help create a soupy texture and also gives the cheese a substance to help with melting.
- Ground Beef: If you want less grease when browning the beef, go for a lean ground beef.
- Vegetables: Russet potatoes, a carrot, a celery rib, and an onion are chopped/diced to add additional flavor and heartiness to the cheeseburger soup.
- Cheese: I don’t recommend processed cheese that has been sliced and bagged as it doesn’t melt as great as the Velveeta cheese block. Cream cheese is also used as a thickening agent.
- Seasonings: Oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper are classic soup seasonings that add the perfect flavor.
Step-by-Step Directions
Step One – Brown the ground beef over medium high heat until cooked and crumbled.
Step Two – Add the cooked beef, potatoes, carrots, diced celery, onion, salt, pepper, basil, and garlic powder into the slow cooker pot.
Step Three – Pour in the chicken broth.
Step Four – Stir the ingredients together. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 hours. (Do not open the lid during cooking time.)
Step Five – Cut the two kinds of cheese into cubes and add them to the soup mixture.
Step Six – Stir everything together.
Step Seven – Cover and cook for ONE more hour on LOW. Give the soup another good stir to blend the cheese. Serve and enjoy!
How to serve
- Since this is a “cheeseburger” soup, you can add burger-like toppings such as sliced dill pickle, crumbled bacon, coarsely chopped lettuce, and extra shredded cheddar cheese.
- Keep it in classic soup form by adding optional toppings like chopped green onions, bacon bits, and sour cream, and serving it with a side of garlic bread.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. They are another type of potato that’s good for slow cooking.
You can use chicken stock, beef broth, veggie broth, or homemade broth (or stock).
Add any remaining soup to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop until warmed throughout.
I don’t recommend cooking it on high. The slow cooking time will give all of the ingredients to soften and the flavors to marry together.
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Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground beef browned and drained
- 2 russet potatoes diced
- 2 carrots peeled and diced
- 3 celery ribs peeled and diced
- 1 white onion diced
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 lb. Velveeta cheese (add towards the end of the cooking time)
- 8 oz. cream cheese (add towards the end of the cooking time)
Instructions:
- (note before starting this recipe, the total slow cooking time is 8 hours, the Velveeta cheese and cream cheese are added at the 7th hour and cooked for 1 more hour)
- Add the cooked beef, potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, salt, pepper, basil, garlic powder and chicken broth. DO NOT add Velveeta cheese and cream cheese yet.
- Cover and cook and LOW for 7 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time. (Can cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours, or until the potatoes are tender).
- Cut the velveeta cheese and cream cheese into cubes, add to the soup in the slow cooker. Stir to get the cubes into the soup (they won’t melt straight away).
- Cover and cook for one more hour on low.
- Stir until the cheeses are blended into the soup. Serve and enjoy!
How to Video:
Sarah’s Notes:
- Add any remaining soup to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop until warmed throughout.
- You can use chicken stock, beef broth, veggie broth, or homemade broth (or stock).
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Donna says
If I had a slow cooker, this would be one recipe I would definitely make! It looks delicious!
DONNA says
Can I use chicken in place of hamburger?
Sarah Olson says
I don’t see who not.
Taylur says
Has anyone cooked this on high? How did it turn out? How long did you cook it?
Dee-Dee says
Instead of chopped celery, can I use cream of celery soup? If so, should I put it in after the 7 hours as well?
Sarah Olson says
You can put it in at the beginning.
Anonymous says
Thank you!
Kathy Lott says
Why use chicken broth instead of beef broth?
Sarah Olson says
Chicken broth has a better flavor and often beef broth in recipes tastes tinny.
Sally Fridge says
I just made this yesterday. I was really looking forward to it since everyone commented on how wonderful it was. I don’t know what I did wrong with mine. The only two things I did differently was that I added 8 oz. of mushrooms-it just sounded like mushrooms would be a nice addition and it looked like it needed more liquid so I added one more cup of broth. I cooked it on high for the 4 hours suggested for that temp. I ended up with overcooked veggies and hamburger with absolutely no taste at all. The broth wasn’t particularly tasty, either, even with all of the cheese! I was really disappointed. I talked to my husband as he was also disappointed in it and today we added 3/8 c. of dry red wine (a cabernet sauvignon), 2 tsp. Worchestershire (sic) sauce, another cup of chicken broth, and 8 more oz. of Velveeta. We heated that up until the cheese melted enough to stir in and it tasted so much better. I sure don’t know what I did wrong in the first place but so glad we were able to make it so that it was really quite good. Can anyone give me some idea of where I went wrong in the first place? I am a huge Sarah Olson fan and this is the first recipe I have made that didn’t meet with my expectations.
Sarah Olson says
There is too much broth to cheese for what you stated (mushrooms make more broth too), and I only tested the recipe for 7 hours on low. 🙂
Shantay says
Hi Sarah!! I absolutely LOVE Cheeseburger Soup!! My little brother used to call it, “Cheesebooger Soup!” LOL!
When I make this soup towards the end when adding the Velveeta cheese and the cream cheese, I kind of change it up. What I do is add half cream cheese and half sour cream, as well as one cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Then let it melt all together like you do. It changes the flavor ever so slightly and it’s super yummy!!
Any way you make this recipe you’ll be totally satisfied! I haven’t met a single person that says they don’t love this stuff! Thank you for sharing!!
Rita Becker says
I’m not a real fan of Velveeta what is a good sub?
Stacy says
I used some sliced cheese only because I think I used too much broth and it turned out fine. I do however think if you were to go with something else besides velveeta you would need a lot of it. I think you might be able to use block cheese to, but you would have to soften it up before it went in. Good luck!
Barbara Ann Elliott says
I don’t like Velveeta either I just used shredded cheddar it was yummy
Melissa R. says
This soup is DELICIOUS and just won me a Soup-er Bowl trophy at work!!
Sarah Olson says
Yay! I’m so proud of you. Congrats!!!
Sherlene nunnally says
Why not just do on stove top and get it done!!
Sarah Olson says
This is a slow cooker website. If you did this on the stove you’d have to stay home and watch and stir it for at least an hour or more.
Jay says
Love this recipe
Abi says
My soup turned out super thick, which I didn’t like. Can I add more chicken stock to thin it out?
Sarah Olson says
Yes! You can do that with any slow cooker soup. And you may need to for leftovers when you are reheating as well.
Amy says
Thanks for sharing! Looks delish! I have a large family so can you double the recipe in a large crockpot for a larger crowd? Will it all fit or no?
Bob armstrong says
Nice but what does Velveeta cheese translate to in New Zealand? Is it something like Philly?
Andrea says
No Philly is cream cheese. Velvetta is a processed cheese (not real cheese) comes in rectangular shape melts real smoothly, unlike cheddar. If you have anything like that, it will work!