Cheeseburger Soup

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The flavors of your favorite burger combined with a creamy broth and topped with bacon! Cheeseburger Soup is the easy gluten free way to get your burger fix.

If you love cheeseburgers, but hate the carbs, be sure to try our reader favorite Bacon Cheeseburger Stuffed Zucchini Boats! Or try our reader favorite Chicken Fajita Soup in the Instant Pot!

White dinner bowls with low carb cheeseburger soup.

Why this Recipe is Best

My family and I LOVE this soup and I’ve spent a lot of time perfecting my recipe. To me, Cheeseburger Soup should be more than just a soup that includes cheese and beef. It should bring together all the taste of a classic cheeseburger from the zesty dill pickle slices to the ketchup and mustard.

To make that happen, I use pieces of dill pickle in this recipe, along with dijon mustard and diced tomatoes. A little red pepper for spice, heavy cream and cheese and this Cheeseburger Soup hits all the right tasting notes.

Don’t forget about the bacon. I think any good cheeseburger soup needs bacon!

You also can’t beat the cook time for this recipe. Cheeseburger Soup takes just about 25 minutes to make from start to finish! No long waits while anything simmers or cooks down and it’s a huge hit with kids too.

When it comes to soups that will fill you up without filling you with sugar and flour, you really can’t do better than this recipe. With plenty of ground beef in each bite, you’ll get plenty of protein AND plenty of approval from everyone at the dinner table.

Ingredient Notes

Ground beef – Swap beef for ground turkey if preferred.
Dill pickle spears – Make sure to use pickles with no added sugar, and cut them into small pieces.
Colby Jack cheese – Buy it in blocks and shred it yourself for easier melting.
Mustard – Use dijon mustard (not yellow) for best flavor.
Bacon – Cook the bacon and cut it into bite sized pieces for adding to each bowl of soup.

Tips and Tricks

Before starting cooking, make sure all your packaged ingredients are gluten free and have no added sugar. Several pickle brands have added sugars in the brine, and it’s not unusual to find beef broth with gluten, so I like to be extra sure before making a no sugar no flour recipe!

Step by step photos showing how to make cheeseburger soup.

Making Cheeseburger Soup starts with browning the ground beef (or turkey) in a large pot. Make sure to thoroughly drain the grease from the pot before adding the other ingredients to keep it from tasting oily.

Once the beef has simmered with broth, tomatoes and seasonings, I add heavy cream and shredded cheese to the pot in the last 2 -3 minutes of cooking time. Give it a good stir to make sure the cheese gets fully melted and the cream is heated through.

Ladle the piping hot soup into bowls, then sprinkle on more shredded cheese and bacon pieces. Parmesan Crisps are another favorite topping for Cheeseburger Soup in my house! They add the crispiness of croutons without any of the flour or gluten.

Recipe FAQs

Can cheeseburger soup be made with skim milk instead of whole?

You can swap the whole milk for 2% or 1% in cheeseburger soup, but it will not taste as thick and creamy. Same goes for the heavy cream–we want all the creaminess we can!

How do you store leftover soup?

Leftover soups should be kept tightly covered in the fridge and used within a few days.

Can you swap turkey for the ground beef?

Sure can! I love using this recipe to make Turkey Cheeseburger Soup too!

Can cheeseburger soup be made in advance?

Yes, you can make cheeseburger soup in advance, but wait to add the bacon and shredded cheese topping until just before serving. Reheat on the stove top while stirring or in the microwave.

More Easy Dinner Recipes

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Hearty, creamy and flavorful, Cheeseburger Soup is the ideal soup for meat lovers! Skip the fast food burgers this weekend and make a big pot of soup from scratch instead. Don't forget the extra cheese on top!

Ingredients

6 slices (1/2 lb) bacon, cut into bite sized pieces
1lb ground beef
1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes
2 tsp dijon mustard
4 dill pickle spears, diced (about 3/4 cup)
1 1/2 cup beef broth
2 cups whole milk
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cup shredded colby-jack cheese, divided
garnish with parmesan cheese crisps

Instructions

In a large soup pot over medium high heat, saute bacon pieces until browned (I like it crispy, it takes about 4-5 minutes). Remove bacon and place on a paper towel lined plate to drain. Set aside to use as topping.
To the pot, add the ground beef and cook until browned. Drain and return beef to the pot. (make sure all the grease is out of the pot).
Add tomatoes (with juice from can), mustard, pickles, beef broth, milk, red pepper, salt and pepper. Simmer over medium-low heat for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally.
To the soup, add heavy cream and 1 cup shredded cheese. Heat for about 2-3 minutes, until cheese is melted.
Serve in soup bowls with remaining cheese, bacon, and parmesan crisps!

Notes

Swap out the beef for ground turkey if desired.
Make sure to read your labels for gluten free and NO SUGAR ADDED products.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 472Total Fat: 34gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 125mgSodium: 971mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 32g

Hearty, creamy and flavorful, Cheeseburger Soup is the ideal soup for meat lovers! Skip the fast food burgers this weekend and make a big pot of soup from scratch instead. Don’t forget the extra cheese on top!