Healthy Instant Pot Potato Soup

Total comfort food, this creamy Instant Pot potato soup is perfect for chilly nights. Best part? It's a lightened up, healthy potato soup with no cream or butter - but you'd never know it!

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Why This Instant Pot Potato Soup is SO Good

• It's creamy and delicious, perfect for cozy, chilly nights when all you want is comfort food.
• Total comfort food, but healthier - no cream, no butter, and with more protein than traditional recipes.
• It can even be made in advance and simply reheated - reheating instructions provided below!

Ingredients

• Yukon gold potatoes
• Olive oil
• Onion
• Garlic
• Vegetable or chicken stock or broth
• Greek yogurt
• Skim milk

When you're making your grocery list, don't forget to add any of your favorite potato soup toppings! Try green onions or chives, crumbled bacon (or crumbled crispy prosciutto), shredded cheese, and a dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream.

Equipment

• Instant Pot (I used an 8 quart, but you can also use a 6 quart)
• Immersion blender
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Knife and cutting board
• Peeler
• Kitchen scale (you can do without, but I find having a kitchen scale helpful to measure out ingredients, like the 2 pounds of potatoes called for in this recipe).

How to Make This Soup

1. Heat olive oil in the Instant Pot on the Saute function. When hot, add the onion and garlic and saute 3-4 minutes until the onion begins to turn translucent, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the potatoes and broth, then securely close the Instant Pot lid and seal the vent shut. Set to cook at high pressure for 3 minutes. When done, let naturally release for 10 minutes, then carefully quickly release any remaining pressure. Once pressure is released and it is safe, open the Instant Pot.
3. Using an immersion blender, carefully blend half the cooked potato and broth mixture. This will help make it creamy, while still preserving some texture from the un-blended potato pieces. (If you prefer a completely smooth soup, blend the entire mixture).
4. Stir in the milk and plain Greek yogurt until it's evenly combined.
5. Taste the soup and adjust salt and pepper seasoning to personal preference.
6. Serve, top with any desired toppings, and enjoy!

How to Make Ahead & Reheat

You can make this soup ahead of time, just make sure that it is stored in a refrigerated, airtight container and consumed within 2-3 days.

To reheat, you can heat a single portion in the microwave 1-2 minutes, or reheat the whole batch in a pot on the stove over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

I found that the soup got thicker the longer it sat, so when reheating you may need to add an extra tablespoon or two of broth or milk to achieve your desired texture.

Top Tips to Best Make This Recipe

• Leave half the cooked potato pieces intact when blending if you'd like a chunkier soup with a little more texture. If you prefer a smooth puree, that's fine, too! Just blend up everything!
• Wait to season with salt and pepper at the very end. I find that potatoes absorb a lot of the flavor (including sodium) from the broth. I personally don't like a very salty soup (especially if I'm topping with cheese or bacon), so season to your personal tastes. Start low - it's easier to add than take away!
• I highly recommend using milk. I tried testing with other alternative milks and found they impacted the flavor (there was a strange flavor profile with almond milk, coconut milk made it too sweet). Use cow's dairy got the best result. You can easily use whatever percentage fat cow's milk you prefer, but I used skim milk to great results.

Serving Suggestions

Enjoy as is topped with your favorite soup toppings, like shredded sharp cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, Greek yogurt, green onions or chives, etc.

It pairs great with sandwiches, like my turkey avocado sandwich with veggies, or alongside salads. Try my honey mustard grilled chicken salad or winter kale salad with cranberry vinaigrette.

Nutrition Highlights

Made with simple ingredients, per one cup serving this Instant Pot potato soup contains:

• 146 calories
• 0.8g fat
• 6.5g protein
• 30.1g carbohydrates
• 2.2g protein

It's also a great source of vitamin B6 (19% daily value), vitamin C (38% daily value), calcium (7% daily value), and potassium (28% daily value). Much of this is due to the star ingredient - potatoes! Often they get a bad rep, but potatoes can boast many nutrients, like those above!

Is this recipe healthy?

As a dietitian, I absolutely would consider this Instant Pot potato soup something that can fit in the majority of individual's diets. It's lighter and more nutritionally balanced than many other potato soup recipes, with nourishing, simple ingredients. Especially when paired with a veggie-rich salad or sandwich, it can make a very satisfying and nutritious meal!

Know, too, that “healthy” is subjective. The foods that help one maintain their health may or may not work for you - and that’s okay! Honor the body you have. As a registered dietitian nutritionist, I suggest eating a variety of nourishing foods that help you feel good and achieve or maintain your health, balanced with the foods you love. Remember - an election isn’t won with every vote, but the majority. Your health is the same way - the overall dietary pattern is what matters most.

Related Recipes

If you're looking for more delicious soups, stews, and chilis check out these:

• Gluten-Free Turkey Chili
• Lentil Stew with Turnip Greens
• 3-Ingredient Black Bean Soup
• Spiced Sweet Potato Carrot Soup

Want more Instant Pot recipes? These are popular choices:

• Instant Pot Foolproof Salmon
• Instant Pot Salsa Chicken
• Unsweetened Applesauce
• Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce
• How to Hard Boil an Egg 3 Ways (hint: the Instant Pot is my favorite method!)

Did you make this recipe? Give it a 5★ rating below! For more healthy recipes and tips to create your own balanced relationship with food and health, be sure to follow Nutrition to Fit on Instagram!