Whole30 Cheeseburger Soup
This Whole30 Cheeseburger Soup is a gluten free and dairy free version of the classic comfort food soup! It is packed with ground beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, and a dairy free “cheese” sauce. Easy to make and ready in less than 30 minutes!
This Whole30 Cheeseburger Soup is so incredibly hearty and perfect for the upcoming fall and winter months. It is rich and comforting, yet made with real ingredients. No junk! It uses a cashew cream sauce (nut free option available, as well), which makes it taste exactly like a decadent dairy-loaded soup. I had to walk away before eating the entire pot while standing over the stove! It’s that good, friends. This soup almost reminds me of beef stroganoff over mashed potatoes, but in soup form. What could be better than that?!
What You Need to Make This Whole30 Cheeseburger Soup:
- Ground beef – I like to get my Grassfed, grass-finished beef from Butcher Box. They deliver it right to your doorstep! Right now they have a free ground beef for life promo happening, where you can get 2 lbs of ground beef for FREE in every box for the life of your membership. Such a great deal! Click HERE to grab a box!
- Bacon – I also get this from Butcher Box! It is sugar free and the best bacon I’ve ever had in my life! You need 4-6 pieces for this recipe.
- Onion
- 1 cup diced carrots
- Minced garlic – I like to get a big tub of pre-minced garlic at Costco.
- 2 russet potatoes
- Chicken broth
- Ghee – my favorite brand is 4th and Heart
- Raw, unsalted cashews- I get these from Trader Joe’s or on Thrive Market
- Dijon mustard – make sure to check ingredients to see if it’s sugar free and compliant
- Nutritional Yeast – This is inactive yeast and it gives dishes a “cheesy” flavor without the dairy. It is necessary for this dish to give it the proper flavor. I get it at Trader Joe’s or I also found Bragg brand at Wegman’s recently.
- Parsley, for garnish (optional)
That’s it! You only need a few simple ingredients to make this delicious soup.
Is There a Nut-Free Version?
Yes! If you can’t have nuts or don’t want to use cashews, you can substitute 1 cup of full fat coconut milk. I like to use Organic Thai Kitchen brand or Native Forest brand. I do not recommend using Trader Joe’s coconut milk, as it gives off a very “coconutty” flavor.
You would just add the coconut milk to the blender with the cooked potatoes, dijon mustard, water (reduce to 1 cup), salt, and nutritional yeast. It won’t be as creamy as it would be with the cashews, but it will still be delicious!
How Do You Make this Whole30 Cheeseburger Soup?
This soup is super simple to make, and it comes together in less than 30 minutes.
First, cook the bacon using my No-Mess Baked Bacon method. The best way to make bacon without the mess!
Then melt 1 tbsp ghee in a large pot or dutch oven. Add in the ground beef and a pinch of salt, and sauce it for 5-7 minutes until browned and cooked through. Remove the meat and set it aside. Add the remaining tbsp of ghee to the pot along with the diced onions, carrots, and garlic. Stir for 3-4 minutes until fragrant, then add in the potatoes, broth, and 1 tsp of salt. Stir and cover. Bring to a boil and cook for 18-20 minutes for until the potatoes are fork-tender.
Remove 1 cup of potatoes from the soup using a slotted spoon and add them to a high-powdered blender along with the cashews, dijon mustard, remaining tsp of salt, nutritional yeast, and cashews. You do not need to soak the cashews if you have a high-speed blender. If you do not have a good quality blender, I suggest soaking them for 30 minutes in boiling water prior to making this soup. Blend on high for 1 minute or until very creamy.
Add the ground beef back into the pot along with the cashew “cheese” sauce, and stir over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Top with crumbled bacon and parsley, if desired.
Looking for some other hearty soups to enjoy this fall and winter? Check out these recipes!
Whole30 Loaded Potato and Broccoli Cheddar Soup
If you make this Whole30 Cheeseburger Soup, be sure to tag me on Instagram @maryswholelife so I can see your creations! I am also doing a contest this month where one winner will get a $100 gift card to the grocery store of their choice plus a signed copy of my cookbook once it releases November 10th! To enter, simply make one of my recipes and tag me in your stories or feed. If you have a private account, please send me a screen shot of your post, otherwise I might not see it!
Have a great week,
Mary
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Whole30 Cheeseburger Soup
Ingredients
- 4-6 pieces sugar free bacon
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1 lb ground beef, *Don't forget you can still get FREE ground beef for life from Butcher Box!
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 3 cups diced potatoes, I used 2 russet potatoes
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 tsp sea salt, divided
- 1 cup raw, unsalted cashews*, see notes for substitution
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 ½ cups water
- chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)
Equipment
Instructions
- Cook bacon according to my No Mess, Perfectly Baked Bacon method (bake it on a foil lined baking sheet at 400 for 12-15 minutes).
- Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a large pot or dutch over over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook for 5-7 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through. Remove the ground beef using a slotted spoon and set it aside.
- Add the remaining tbsp of ghee to the pot along with the onions, carrots, and minced garlic. Stir for 3-4 minutes until fragrant. Add in the potatoes, broth, and 1 tsp sea salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and let it cook for 18-20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove 1 cup of cooked diced potatoes from the pot and add them to a high-powdered blender. Add the cashews, dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, remaining tsp of salt, lemon juice, and water to the blender. Blend on high for 1 minute or until it's very smooth and creamy.
- Add the ground beef back into the pot along with the blended "cheese" sauce. Stir together over medium heat until well combined. Serve topped with crumbled bacon and parsley, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
69 Comments on “Whole30 Cheeseburger Soup”
Wow, this was good. It’s SO thick and creamy and flavorful. When you see the finished product, you’ll be shocked that’s it’s totally dairy free. Love yummy soup recipes!
So glad you loved it!
If you like easy recipes with short ingredient lists that are absolutely delicious, this is your recipe! Perfect for when you need to bring a meal to someone after surgery or childbirth. This recipe is a keeper for sure!
Thank you so much, Michele!
Delicious! Husband loved it too! Thanks for so many good recipes! ❤️
Thanks Callie! So glad you both enjoyed it 🙂
My husband asked for this recipe to be put on repeat! Even our picky teenager liked it. It’s easy and has ingredients that we tend to keep on hand.
This soup is delicious! It’s supe easy to make and so flavorful. It’s one of our favorites!
I am so thankful for this recipe. Since going DF for my husband who is allergic, our family has really missed creamy potato soups. This one is just so delicious, my 5 year old asks for seconds! I have learned that I have to double this recipe if we want leftovers. Since we are completely dairy free we use the bacon grease instead of ghee. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Hi! When you substitute coconut cream for cashews, do you still add water to the “cheese sauce?”
I make this often. It is yummy. Today I subbed ground white chicken in place of the ground beef and it was just as delicious.
Will be adding this to our soup list. I made mine in the crockpot. Super tasty.
I added some frozen butternut squash & sundried tomatoes.
I must start off with I LOVE this soup!! I have made it multiple times and one of my favorites.
I do have a question. Could you use the same ingredients to make the cheese sauce and leave out the potatoes (I use white sweet potatoes) and get the same results? I have a cheeseburger casserole recipe but I would prefer to use the cheese sauce recipe for the cheeseburger soup?
This is the very first recipe that I ever made of yours, and it is so good. My favorite part is that no one can tell it is dairy free. Thank you so much for creating these delicious SIMPLE recipes. I tell everyone who is looking for meal ideas to go check out your blog.
This soup is so delicious!! My family loved it and I can’t wait to make it again! Very easy and so good! ❤️
This soup is on constant rotation in my house-it’s so tasty! Perfect for the winter months because it warms the soul. I don’t have a high enough powered blender so I use the nut-free modification with the canned coconut milk. I actually prefer it this way. So yummy! Thank you for the delicious recipes! I have quite a few that are regular meals here and winners to feed the entire family.
Thank you, so glad to hear it worked without the cashews!
My fiancé and I love this soup! We make it regularly – even in the summer when soup is the last thing one would usually want! It’s that good! I have an upcoming surgery and I’ll be making a big batch ahead of time as my recovery comfort food. Mary – thank you for making such delicious recipes that bring us so much joy!
My family loved this last Fall/Winter so making the first batch tonight for this Fall/Winter season.
I couldn’t believe this was dairy free- it literally tasted like a cheeseburger. Don’t knock it until you try it! My boyfriend is obsessed as well!
Thank you, Devin! So glad you love this recipe!
This is a family favorite! My 7 year old requests it daily. You would never know there isn’t cheese in it because it tastes so “cheesy”! It’s also very easy to make which is a win for me!
We love this soup! We sometimes use Tostitos scoops instead of a spoon to eat this 🙂
Sounds delicious and can’t wait to try it when the weather turns cooler! Would it work ok to substitute oil or a different dairy free butter for the ghee? My daughter has a dairy allergy and since ghee is not dairy free I want to make sure this recipe is safe for her.
A favorite around my house. Can not believe it’s whole 30.. it’s such a comfort food.