I love playing with new ideas, taking classic dishes and putting my own spin on them.
The time has come for me to introduce bacon to soup in the most unusual of ways. I mean, have you ever heard of a Cream of Bacon Soup before? Yeah, me neither. And so I decided to create one.
Folks, I kid you not when I tell you this will be one of THE most comforting, outrageous and soulful soups you will ever slurp. One taste and, I assure you, it will become a staple at your family gatherings, Thanksgivings, holidays, football games – basically anytime there’s an excuse to eat soup.
And, oh yeah. The Instant Pot is going to allow us to do this all in ONE pot with NO mess. How often does that happen when you cook bacon? It starts today.
Here’s How I Made It!:
Begin with some lovely, glorious thick-cut bacon…
…and cut/dice it into little pieces.
Then take some sweet onions…
…and cut ’em into strands.
And to conclude out prep, here’s a few potatoes…
…that we’ll peel and cut into chunks.
Now go to the Instant Pot, give it heat and add in some butter.
Once it melts…
…add in that bacon!
Allow it to simmer and cook in the pot for a solid 15 minutes. Allowing it to set and stir every 2-3 minutes or so while giving the bottom a good scrape to ensure no bacon sticks to it. Since we’re cooking the bacon in butter, it shouldn’t stick, but just do it anyway for good measure.
When done, all of the bacon should be nice and cooked to a crisp. All of the white, fatty pieces from pre-cooking will become unrecognizably delicious and crispy. Just make sure you remove the bacon with a slotted spoon as soon as it looks like this or else it will be prone to burn quickly thereafter.
Transfer all the bacon to a paper towel-lined bowl and set aside. The bacon will really crisp up as it cools!
See all that bacon grease that was released in the pot? Beautiful.
Add all the onions to it. Toss to coat and sauté for 10 minutes.
Add in some sherry…
…and crushed garlic as well.
The onions will have cooked down into an almost pasta-like consistency.
Now add in some ham broth…
…chicken broth…
..and some thyme.
Add in the potatoes…
…stir it up, secure the lid and cook at high pressure.
When done, its going to look like this. Not quite a Cream of Bacon…YET! So let’s add in a few more things…
..like flour.
Whisk it up!
And then add back in about 3/4 of that bacon (now nice and crispy), reserving the other 1/4 for topping on the served bowls of soup.
Mmmmmm…bacon….
Now take an immersion blender…
…and blend everything up real good until puréed.
And then give it a lovely hint of maple flavor with some maple syrup (because who doesn’t love a maple bacon?)…
…as well as some cream…
…and seasoned salt.
Give it all a good stir…
…ladle into bowls…
…top with some chives and that reserved bacon…
…try it out…
…react…
…and praise. My Cream of Bacon is one SERIOUSLY game-changing soup!
Instant Pot Cream of Bacon Soup
Cream of Bacon Soup? Yep, you read that properly. This remarkable soup is exactly as it sounds and it's going to be a home-run at any table it's served upon.
Ingredients
- 1/4 stick (2 tbsp) of salted butter
- 1.5 lbs of thick cut bacon, cut into little pieces using kitchen shears
- 2 Vidalia/sweet onions, cut into strands
- 1 tbsp of crushed garlic
- 2 lbs of Idaho/Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 3 cups of ham broth (I used 3 tsp of Ham Better Than Bouillon + 3 cups of water)
- 2 cups of chicken broth (I used 2 tsp of Chicken Better Than Bouillon + 2 cups of water)
- 1/2 cup of Sherry wine (you can use another 1/2 cup of broth if you don’t want to use wine)
- 2 tsp of dried thyme
- 1/3 cup of flour
- 1 cup of heavy cream or half & half
- 1/4 cup of maple syrup
- 1 tbsp of seasoned salt (optional)
- 1/3 cup of chives, chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- Place the butter in the Instant Pot and hit “Sauté” and Adjust so it’s on the “More” or “High” setting
- Once the butter’s melted, add in the bacon, coat well with the butter and sauté (while stirring occasionally) for 15 minutes total until nice and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon when done and set aside in a paper towel-lined bowl
- With the bacon grease still in the pot, add in the onions, coat well with the bacon grease and let cook (while stirring occasionally) for 10 minutes (NOTE: This step is important so don’t skip it. Also, since the Instant Pot can only Sauté in intervals of 30 minutes and then turns itself off, it should be be done by then. But if it does, just turn it back onto “Sauté” until you’ve sautéed for the proper time.)
- Add the sherry and garlic. Let simmer for another minute and then add in the potatoes
- Pour in the broth and thyme. Stir well, secure the lid and hit “Keep Warm/Cancel” and then hit “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” at High Pressure for 10 minutes. Quick release when done
- Once the lid comes off, whisk in the flour and then add in 3/4 of the bacon (which should be nice and crispy by now)
- Now it’s time to make this an unforgettable soup. Take an immersion blender (or use a regular blender, but an immersion blender is SO much easier so you don’t have to transfer the soup to a blender and then back into the pot). Blend everything in the pot together for about 1-2 minutes until it’s puréed. The soup will thicken nicely once done
- Lastly, add in the heavy cream, maple syrup and seasoned salt. Stir well
- Ladle into bowls (these crocks are adorable) and top with the reserved bacon and come chives and perhaps a few extra drops of maple syrup
- Enjoy!
Jeffrey's Tips
No person that loves to make soups should be without an immersion blender. Get yours here.
Like those adorable tri-toned ceramic crocks? Get yours here in a set of 4!
Want beans or corn added to the soup? Great! Add a can of drained beans and/or a box of frozen corn in right at the end and stir. They will heat up within moments due to the heat of the soup.
To make it Keto friendly, sub in cauliflower for the potato, almond flour for the regular flour and leave out the maple syrup.
Dudley Bacon
Yikes. Given that my last name is none other than Bacon, I can’t wait to try it. Thanks Jeffrey; I’m confident it will be amazing.
Kari
Cheese would be good on/in this too! No idea on how much because “cheese!” For me, I’d just see what I had in already shredded in the freezer and throw in a few handfuls until my inner Food Network star told me it looked good, lol.
Emily Z.
This is sooooo good. My personal preference is more bacon and some cheddar cheese. I’m a better cook since getting my instant pot and following Jeffrey. The step by step instructions are great. Thanks Jeffrey. Keep on cooking and sharing with us.
Millie
I have made this soup several times now! Watching the video this time I noticed you only put in 1 tablespoon of maple syrup but you say 1/4cup? Have I been putting in more than what I should be?
Jeffrey
Follow the recipe
Jenn
The video appears to show a tablespoon of syrup, recipe says 1/4 cup?? Please confirm 1_4 cup.
Thank you…cant wait to try it!!
Jeffrey
Follow the written recipe.
Diane M.
You had me at bacon! I’m going to make this. Yes, for those of us on Keto. I’d use xanthan gum to thicken and radishes to replace the potatoes. It would definitely work. Thanks for a yummy sounding recipe and such great instructions.
Diane
Oh yes, and I’d use the Sugar Free syrup or just leave that out.
Bonnie Craft
Sounds yummy!! Going to make this tonight for supper. I do not have any sherry so will add 1/2 cup of more broth. Looking forward to it. It is raining and dreary outside today so perfect day for SOUP!!
Just love watching you on you tube. I have your cook books as well. Love them. But have to get your latest one.
Johnnie Holmes
I live in my RV and my IP keeps throwing my breaker! I did stick it out though by resetting it until the soup was done. It was well worth the wait and work! This soup is excellent! I do like soups but usually get them out of a can but since I found your site I’ve been trying more and more and I’m loving it! Keep up the good work my friend!
Dave
How about pouring it over scrambled eggs in a bowl?
Diana Drew
Why the butter? Seems the baconfat rendered would provide enough fat to cook the onions. Just asking…
Cassie Thompson
I started using this as the base for my green bean casserole for holidays. So good.
Does it freeze well?
Cheryl Hunter
This looks yummy! Now can you come up with a copycat recipe for Bean and Bacon soup?? I love that stuff!
Kelly
I’m having a hard time finding the ham base in my grocery store. Would you suggest to substitute with more chicken broth or maybe vegetable broth?
Jeffrey
You can use any broth you want! Ham def isn’t required (but you can also get it online).