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GET IT NOWWhen I’m craving cozy comfort food, this cheeseburger soup always hits the spot! It’s loaded with big, bold burger flavors in a rich, cheesy broth, minus that heavy feeling you get after the drive-through. I used to love it on freezing days when we lived in Minnesota, but I’ll be honest, I still enjoy it even living somewhere warmer. And while I’ve been making this cheeseburger soup recipe since 2016, right now — when it’s been really cold in many places — is the perfect time to show you some new tips I’ve picked up along the way. Make it with me!
Why You Need My Cheeseburger Soup Recipe
- Like a bacon cheeseburger in soup form – It’s got all the juicy ground beef, smoky bacon, and melty cheese flavors you love in a classic cheeseburger, but here I skip the bun and sneak in veggies for a healthier spin.
- Creamy and cheesy – I like regular hamburger soup, but creamy soups like this one are my specialty. (If you love them too, don’t miss my tomato bisque and cauliflower soup.) My cheeseburger soup delivers that same richness, and you can customize the thickness with my tips below.
- Quick and easy – This soup has super simple ingredients and virtually no prep, so you can have it on the table in just 20 minutes! And sometimes I totally make this my entire healthy dinner all by itself.
- Healthy comfort food – Many cheeseburger soup recipes are heavy, with pasta or potatoes, starchy thickeners, and processed Velveeta. Mine is lighter and gluten free, with vegetables and clean ingredients. I promise, it’s still comforting!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my bacon cheeseburger soup recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Ground Beef – I usually go for 85/15 lean ground beef—just the right flavor without being greasy. If you use 80/20, I recommend draining it. You can also swap it for ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground pork.
- Bacon – Feel free to skip it if you don’t want your cheeseburger soup with bacon. I like to include it! I often have batches of bacon cooked in the oven ready to go and crumbled for this soup, but you can also use pre-cooked bacon bits to save time, or cook raw bacon in the beginning.
- Cauliflower – My go-to neutral fillers instead of potatoes. I use florets, but cauliflower rice works too — it’ll just cook much faster. If you’re not a fan of this vegetable at all, see my tips below for alternatives.
- Broth – I used chicken broth mostly because that’s what I always have, but beef broth or even bone broth is great if you want your soup to taste more beefy.
- Milk & Cream – I prefer the combination of almond milk (which can withstand simmering) and heavy cream for richness. Regular milk is fine if it fits your lifestyle. You can swap the cream for coconut cream if you like, but the recipe still has dairy from the cheese.
- Shredded Cheese – Sharp cheddar cheese is best for classic cheeseburger vibes, but any kind that melts well will work.
- Parsley – I used a teaspoon of dried parsley because that’s what I had when I developed this cheeseburger soup recipe, but a tablespoon of fresh works, too. You can also add other herbs, like oregano, thyme, basil, or Italian seasoning (which I actually swap in most often).
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper – I kept the seasonings basic, but feel free to add other spices, like chili powder or cumin. Also, you might need to adjust the amount of salt if the broth you have isn’t reduced-sodium like mine.
How To Make Cheeseburger Soup
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Crisp the bacon. You can use a big pot or Dutch oven. This is quick if your bacon is pre-cooked, or takes a bit longer if you start with raw.
- Brown the beef. Turn up the heat, toss in the ground beef, and break it apart as it cooks until it’s browned.
- Simmer the soup. Add the cauliflower, broth, milk, parsley, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then let it simmer on medium heat until the cauliflower tender.
- Make it cheesy. Turn the heat down, and add the cream and cheddar. Stir until the cheeseburger soup is smooth and the cheese melts.
My Recipe Tips
- Don’t drain the bacon grease. It adds flavor and prevents the beef from sticking. If you’re using raw bacon and have a lot of grease, though, you might want to drain some of it.
- To avoid clumping, add the cheese gradually and stir like your soup depends on it! Don’t stop stirring, and wait for each batch to melt before adding more.
- For a more sure way to avoid clumps, whisk the cheese into 2 cups of hot broth in a bowl first. Then, stir it back into the pot. It’s more work (and dishes), so I usually don’t bother with this.
- Keep the heat low when adding the cheese. High heat can make it clump or turn grainy.
- Want a thicker texture? This soup has a cheesy broth and I love it that way, but you can easily make it thick if you want! Remove some of the liquid together with all (or most) of the cauliflower, puree in a blender, and stir back in. (This is the same trick I use for my easy broccoli cheddar soup without requiring a thickener.) You can also thicken this cheeseburger soup by adding room-temperature cream cheese and letting it melt, like I do for cream of broccoli soup.
- Want more flavor? Sometimes I saute a diced onion, diced celery or carrots, and a few cloves of minced garlic in the bacon grease before adding the beef. You can use butter or olive oil to saute them if you skip the bacon.
- Not a fan of cauliflower? I chose it because it has a neutral flavor, but you can use other veggies you’d put in vegetable soups, like broccoli or cabbage. Sometimes I use root vegetables, like turnips or rutabaga. For a more hearty option, diced potatoes work great. Keep in mind that potatoes and root veggies will take longer to cook, so just make sure they get soft.
Serving Ideas
My cheeseburger soup is already a meal on its own, but if you’re looking to round it out, here are some of my favorite sides and toppings to serve with it:
- Toppings – I like to save some extra bacon and shredded cheese for topping. You can also top it off with chopped dill pickles, caramelized onions, sour cream, or even jalapeño slices.
- Salads – This soup already has protein, so I pair it with lighter side salads, like cucumber tomato avocado salad or radish salad.
- Chips Or Crackers – If you’re craving some crunch, crumble some almond flour crackers, baked tortilla chips, or flaxseed crackers on top. They’re also great on the side for dunking.
Cheeseburger Soup (20-Min Recipe)
This 20-minute cheeseburger soup is easy, cheesy, and comforting, but lighter than most recipes. It will leave you feeling so good!
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Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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In a large pot, brown the bacon for 1-2 minutes over medium heat, until crispy. If your bacon is uncooked, this will take longer.
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Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the ground beef. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking apart with a spoon or spatula, until browned.
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Add the cauliflower, chicken broth, almond milk, dried parsley, sea salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender.
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Remove from heat. Stir in the cheddar cheese and heavy cream, until the soup is smooth and the cheese is melted.
LAST STEP: Leave a rating to help other readers, or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram. I’d love to hear from you!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 cup
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you avoid clumping the cheese, get a thicker texture if you prefer, add-ins for extra flavor, and swaps if you’re not a fan of cauliflower.
- Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
- Meal prep: This cheeseburger soup stores beautifully, so you can easily make it ahead for lunch! Sometimes I just pre-cook the bacon and beef, and chop the cauliflower, then it makes cooking faster the day-of.
- Reheat: Warm on the stove, stirring often, or microwave on medium power.
- Freeze: This soup will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months, as long as you use almond milk and not dairy milk. (The cream is just fine. ) Thaw overnight in the fridge and stir often when reheating.
- Note on nutrition info: The numbers here are based on almond milk for the milk of choice. Carbs and calories will be higher if you use regular milk.
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my 30 Dinners In 30 Minutes and Winter Ebook Bundle!
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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Cheeseburger Soup
140 Comments
Betty Taylor
2I added the following to take this recipe over the top:
1 tsp Cumin
1Tbs Chili powder
1tsp Oregano
2Tbs dry Ranch seasoning
Karen
1I made this but added a few things. I cooked and drained the bacon fat and then added onion and garlic before adding the hamburger and a little chili powder and garlic salt. I made rhe cheese sauce with heavy cream in a separate pan and then added it to the soup. It was amazing! For me the chili powder and garlic salt really made it eat like a bacon cheeseburger. It was great!!!
Laura Pearson
0This soup was great. Shared it with my friend and my neighbor. Both wanted the recipe. Used the chicken broth but thought I might like beef broth or bone broth. I would like to trying with broccoli too and add some onions.
Wholesome Yum D
0So glad you enjoyed it, Laura! Love that you shared it with friends and those ideas for beef broth, bone broth, broccoli, and onions sound like delicious variations to try next time.
Joy
0I used a combination of smoked, bacon and jalapeño cheddar cheese. It tasted perfect.
Wholesome Yum D
0That sounds like an amazing combo, Joy! I bet the smoky, spicy flavors took it to the next level. So glad it turned out perfect for you!
Joy
0I love your site. Thank your hard work creating it.
Wholesome Yum D
0Thank you so much, Joy! That means a lot, I’m so glad you’re enjoying the site!
Betsy Tewalt
0Perfect soup for cold winter days. Thank you for this. We have made it twice now and it’s a keeper.
Wholesome Yum D
0That’s so great to hear, Betsy! I’m really glad the soup has become a favorite for you, it’s always extra comforting on cold winter days. Thanks for making it part of your rotation!
Irene
0I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but I’m eager to give it a try this week. The ingredients sound delicious. Instead of cooking the bacon, could I use Costco’s already-cooked and crumbled bacon? It’s real bacon and a lot less messy than cooking in the oven or on the stovetop. I use it in my egg recipes, and it works fine. I gave it five stars because I like all the ingredients. My family doesn’t like spicy food, but I can see how this recipe could be spiced up for people who do. I am sure I will enjoy it.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Irene, Yes, you can use that if you like. Hope you love the soup!
Valerie
0This is very good, thank you. I didn’t alter the recipe at all except maybe to measure out 8 servings rather than the 10 stated in the recipe! I know Americans don’t use weights like we Brits do, but Cauliflower heads vary in size enormously so is it possible for a weight please? Thanks
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Valerie! You can get weights of all the ingredients by flipping the switch on the recipe card to metric. Hope this helps!
Susan Childers
0This is awesome! My hubby, who doesn’t like cauliflower, said,” I could eat cauliflower like this.” I used chicken broth and it was excellent. I’m going to try it with beef broth next time just to see what difference it would make.
Wholesome Yum D
0That’s such a win, Susan! I’m so glad even your hubby enjoyed it. Let me know how it turns out with the beef broth next time!
Jeannette
0We had this last night and it is awesome. I will try it again with a bit of spice added to it like a bit of chili powder or a Cajun seasoning of sorts.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m so glad you liked this soup, Jeannette! Yes, feel free to add spices to your taste.
Linda Dreher
0The soup was wonderful, didn’t make enough for my husband though!
I used riced cauliflower instead of bigger pieces since my husband doesn’t really like
cauliflower. Would recommend the soup to anyone who likes cheeseburgers.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Linda! Feel free to double the recipe if you need more next time.
Terry
0Super tasty and healthy for you if on keto. Nice addition to have on a rainy cold day – fits the comfort food category!
Sue V
0This recipe is delicious. I was surprised that I actually liked it considering I don’t like cauliflower and cauliflower is a great low carb substitute for potatoes. I made it a 2nd time and added a medium onion. Yum. My husband likes it too. My only question is why chicken broth is used instead of beef (since there is beef in the recipe)?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m so glad you liked it, Sue! I thought the chicken broth made the flavor more mild, but feel free to use beef broth if you prefer.
TONE
0SUPER GREAT RECIPE
Susan Perry
0Me and my family loved this recipe! Perfect for a cold rainy night. Will make this again.
Robert Dillon
0EXCELLENT!! However for fun I added liquid smoke, chili powder, oregano, garlic and onions. Smokehouse burger flavor!
Barbie
0This is easy and wonderful. Be sure to add the cheese slowly like she say, it melts in really well. I’m allergic to almonds, and used all chicken broth for liquid with a tiny bit more cream. This sub worked really well. Thanks for this!!
Tami
0Can’t wait to try this recipe, I have used a similar one, but added broccoli as well. It was a fam fav!
Daniel Ray
0This soup is so good. Easy to make even for a beginner like me. Made it in my instant pot
Hibber
0I eat a high fat diet, but found this unnecessarily fatty, even with half the cream and cheese. Next time I would omit the cream and halve the cheese. I added carrot, onion and celery, as well as mashed squash, and 1 t chili powder.
Julia
0This soup is actually very tasty and very easy to make. My kids enjoyed it very much!
Jamie
0The flavors in this soup are SO good! Love that is uses cauliflower as the base!
Sarah Skaggs
0My husband loved this so much! His favorite food made into soup!
Amy
0I would like to cook this in our instant pot.
Do you put all ingredients except for cheese and heavy cream in it? Was meat uncooked and for how long do you cook it? Thank you so much for any help. I’m new at this and am overwhelmed. Thanks, A
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Amy, You’re correct that cheese and cream should not be pressure cooked. I’ve only made this recipe on the stovetop, because it’s already so fast that the Instant Pot doesn’t save much time. But if you really want to, you can use the saute setting on your Instant Pot for the saute steps, then pressure cook for a couple minutes instead of the simmer step, then add the cream and cheese after removing the lid. Hope this helps!
Michelle
0Can you make this without cauliflower?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Michelle, Yes, I have other options listed above in my tips.
AMG
0Fast and delicious!
Lori Bauer
0Wonder if anyone has tried using Parmesan instead of Cheddar? Would that work?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Lori, I don’t think parmesan would work in place of cheddar, because it doesn’t melt the same way. If you want to use another cheese, I would choose one with similar moisture content to cheddar rather than a very hard cheese.
Sarah
0This soup is very delicious.
D.Lienhard
0A perfect recipe to add to my rotation.
T
0Sorry if this is already somewhere in the comments.. I did search first before asking…
If I were to use frozen riced cauliflower instead of fresh how much would I use?
Just a suggestion- it would be great if there was a search box for your comments to make it easier to find a question or comment previously posted! Thanks!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0My suggestion would be to start with one bag, and you can add a second if it doesn’t look like enough. Thanks for the suggestion on the comment search!
T
0Thanks! Trying it tonight, I will let you know how it goes. I had planned to blend all the cauliflower anyway so I figured it would be fine.
Amy
0Hi, So was the 10oz frozen cauliflower enough for the soup or did you add more? Thanks.
Angie
0Very yummy! I followed the recipe exactly except for half an onion sautéed with the hamburger. Will be a winter staple for us!
Elsa
0I’m not Amy but that’s what I used and it was perfect!
Christen
0I have someone in my family that is allergic to nuts & can’t have almond milk. Would coconut milk work or all heavy cream?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Christen, Yes, you can use coconut milk beverage instead of the almond milk.
Paula
0I made this yesterday and it was yummy. The only thing I changed is I used chicken breast instead of hamburger meat !!!! It was delicious!!!
Vicki
0I can’t find a link to print the recipe. Is there one? Love your recipes!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m so glad you love my recipes, Vicki! The print button for this recipe is right above the list of ingredients between the pin and review buttons.
Tina
0I made this today and it’s very tasty. A few adjustment, I did not have any almond milk so I just left it out, and only used half the amount of heavy cream. I also cooked in the Instant pot. Will definitely make this again. 🙂
Amy
0Hello, I saw you say you cooked this in the instant pot. I would like to also. Did you put all ingredients except for cheese and heavy cream in it? Was meat uncooked and for how long? Thank you so much for any help. I’m new at this and am overwhelmed. Thanks, A
Lex
0Another winner for Maya! OMG. This soup is so tasty. I always prepare something from Wholesome Yum by the recipe. From there I make modifications. This soup is such a terrific base, you can add whatever you like to it. Peppers, mushrooms, garlic, onions. They’ll all shine through and add more texture and variety.
It was snowing hard and cold today. This soup did what every good soup should do — warm ya right to the bone! Kudos, Maya!
Christine Chapman
0This was delicious. I substituted ground turkey and seasoned it with onions and garlic. I also roasted the cauliflower instead of just letting it soften in soup. This was so good and my picky boyfriend even loved it!
Linda Smith
0Very tasty soup! Will definitely make again!
bren037@yahoo.com
0I am not much of a soup fan. Never have been. But not only was this one super easy it was really tasty too! I added onion and a green bell pepper to it and that was amazing too. I love this recipe and I think it is now going to become one of my go to dishes for sure. Might try mixing it up and using chicken and broccoli in place of the cauliflower and ground beef. Even my picky eaters liked it.
Shirley
0Easy, quick and so yummy. Thank you for sharing. Stay safe.
Becky
0This was a quick and delicious meal! Thanks so much.
Dandy Eisenhofer
0I just made this soup today! It was AMAZING!!! What’s not to like… bacon, cheese, hamburger and cauliflower!! It was a super easy recipe and came together quickly, and makes a lot of wonderful, warming soup (was really great with the rainy day). My soup base was a bit thin to begin with, but just added more cheese and it became wonderfully creamy and smooth. I followed the recipe pretty much exactly except for the cheese and I was out of my regular cheddar (that I shred myself) so substituted with some swiss cheese chunks (a couple of handfuls) and some “cheddary” cheese slices (similar to Velveeta slices – Austria’s take on the same, but with real cheese and milk), the end result was really good (probably would have been better with the suggested shredded cheddar, but sometimes ya gotta go with what you’ve got!) As always, your recipe is spot on! Many, many thanks for your wonderful recipes and the time it takes to make each one to the perfection you share with us. Your presentations, tips, videos are absolutely GOLD! Taking into account many of the issues we novices encounter with trying to cook our favorite foods keeping it KETO friendly, you have taken the stress out of the process! Looking forward to more wonderful, tasty treats and meals 🙂
Carol Scally
0This is a very clever soup! Since I like my cheeseburgers with mustard and mayo and lettuce and tomatoes I added just a smidgeon of mustard and mayo, a chopped up grape tomato and some chopped spinach to my bowl.
Pure heaven!
Thank you for posting such a great recipe. : )
Tammy Major
0This was very good. I did add cumin, onion powder and chili powder. I will definitely make this again.
Donna Harrison
0I tried the cheeseburger soup and it was good, adding garlic salt to recipe, except I added 1 tbs of sour cream to each serving and that was the kicker to make this recipe over and over again. It adds .5 carbs to the serving, but boy it is worth it. I also put grated cheese on top of the hot soup.
I have been to high end restaurants where the cooks were graduates in culinary school, and sour cream is a secret ingredient they use in many of their soups especially when cheese is added., and I was told that makes them come back to the restaurants. I remember waiting in a line at The Malt Shop in Minneapolis years ago that was a block long for a bowl of their cream of cauliflower soup. I was told it was out of this world, and I didn’t want it because I didn’t like cauliflower. However I trusted my friend who said it didn’t matter if I liked cauliflower or not, that I would love the soup. She was right. Yes, they did add bacon to it and the cauliflower adsorbed all the other flavors including the sour cream.
Since then I always added sour cream and cheddar to my creamy soups, stews and casseroles using beef, chicken, tuna, and pork. I made them for many groups of people and they rave about it. But since I want them to rave about it just to me, I don’t tell my circle of friends my secret ingredient.
Thanks for your ear about this. This made the difference in my dogs licking the bowl to me licking the bowl. LOL
Alicea
0Good tip! I’m going to make this and was thinking of adding heavy cream, but I’ll try sour cream instead.
LORI WILKINSON
0This soup was a huge hit with my family especially for the ones that do not like cauliflower. They thought it tasted just like loaded baked potato soup. I added chopped fresh kale and spinach for extra nutrition. I will definitely be making this again!
Elaine Farmer
0This looks yummy–I will be cooking for about 30. Please explain “cauliflower in blend to thicken soup. How much would I need to blend?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Elaine, I think you are referring to the bonus tip to help thicken the soup further? Blending some of the cauliflower with the broth will create a thicker consistency. The amount of cauliflower you blend is really up to you. If you want the soup really thick (like potato soup thick) blend all of the cauliflower in with the broth. If you want some texture in your soup, leave about half of the cauliflower unblended. It will be delicious either way you decide to go!
Terena
0So excited to try these recipes on my new journey.
Allie
0A (super nice) friend made this for me. It was SO delicious!!!
Ella
0I made this on Monday night as the winter cold nights have definitely arrived, it was AMAZING, even my husband loved it and he’s really fussy 🙂
Jas @ All that's Jas
0You had me at bacon, lol! I love cauliflower and the combination of the two is making my mouth water!
Beth
0This dish is made in Heaven! Cheeseburger, soup and bacon is everything I need to be happy – almost everything 🙂
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
0I Made this for a gathering and it was a hit, everyone loved it! Will definitely make it again!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
0I’m making this for the weekend, I bet everyone is going to devour it!