Soups
Healthy Cheeseburger Soup (Lighter & Cozy) 🍲
Prep
20 minutes
Cook
40 minutes
Yield
8
🍔 This healthy cheeseburger soup is pure comfort in a bowl! Plant-based, lighter & nostalgic in just 45 minutes. Your new soup obsession!
This healthy cheeseburger soup is one of the best homemade soups. It’s hearty, filling, and super easy to make quickly. This lighter cheeseburger soup reminds me of Hamburger Helper. But this vegetarian cheeseburger soup uses plant-based ground instead. Because it’s lighter and healthier, you feel better eating it. The nostalgic flavors bring back childhood comfort completely.
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Healthy Cheeseburger Soup
- Lighter: This vegetarian cheeseburger soup can use a cream alternative for a lighter option.
- Nostalgic: Reminds you of quick family meals from childhood.
- Adaptable: Make it vegan, gluten-free, or slow cooker style easily.
🍲 Ingredients
Cashew Cream – Cashew cream is a plant-based alternative to dairy cream. Most of its fat is heart-healthy unsaturated fat. Additionally, it’s lower in calories than traditional heavy cream. So this healthy cheeseburger soup becomes lighter without sacrificing creaminess.
Plant-Based Ground – Plant-based ground provides protein without animal products. It’s lower in saturated fat than beef. Additionally, it contains fiber that supports digestive health. Because it’s customizable, you control sodium and ingredient quality completely.
👩🍳 How to Make Healthy Cheeseburger Soup
Prepare Ingredients:
Step 1: Prepare all your vegetables before you start cooking. Dice the yellow onion, russet potatoes, celery, carrots, and peppers. Cut potatoes into small ½-inch pieces for even cooking. Uniform sizes ensure vegetables cook at the same rate.
Build the Flavor Base:
Step 2: Heat olive oil in a large soup pot. Cook for 20-30 seconds on medium-high heat first. Add diced onion and sweat for 3-5 minutes. The onion should become translucent and fragrant completely. Then add minced garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes. Cook until fragrant and slightly soft throughout.
Cook the Vegetables:
Step 3: Add russet potatoes, celery, carrots, and bell peppers. Stir consistently and cook for 8-10 minutes. Cook on medium-low heat until vegetables become fork-tender. The potatoes should break easily when pierced with a fork.
Add the Plant-Based Ground:
Step 4: Add your plant-based ground to the pot. Break it up with a spoon as it cooks. Cook for 2-3 minutes until it’s heated through. Plant-based ground browns less than beef but adds texture.
Build Deep Flavor:
Step 5: Add tomato paste and paprika to the pot. This browns the tomato paste and deepens flavors. Cook for 2-3 minutes while stirring constantly. Add fresh thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt, pepper. Include chili flakes and ancho chili powder for warmth. Cook everything together for 5 minutes on medium heat. The longer you cook, the stronger flavors become throughout.
Simmer the Base:
Step 6: Add vegetable bouillon paste and boiling water. Stir so the bouillon dissolves completely throughout. Bring the soup to a simmer on medium-high heat. Allow to cook for 10 minutes so flavors combine. The soup base should smell rich and aromatic.
Add Pasta:
Step 7: Add elbow macaroni to the simmering soup. Cook until the pasta becomes tender and cooked. Stir occasionally to prevent pasta from sticking together. The pasta should be just soft, not mushy.
Create Creaminess Carefully:
Step 8: Reduce heat to medium-low before adding dairy. This prevents the cream from splitting or breaking. Stir in cashew cream slowly while heating gently. Then add shredded cheddar cheese in batches. Stir until cheese melts completely into the soup.
Finish with Burger Flavor:
Step 9: Add a splash of mustard and diced pickles. This gives the classic cheeseburger flavor profile. Adjust seasonings to your taste preference completely. Add more salt, pepper, or herbs as needed.
Serve:
Step 10: Serve immediately with fresh herbs and toppings. Top with shredded lettuce, diced tomato, dill pickles. Add sesame croutons, scallions, or crispy onions for texture. Serve while hot and creamy for best results.
🗒 Tips and Tricks
- Soffritto: Sweat onion, garlic, and paprika slowly first. This creates deep, rich flavors throughout the entire soup. Don’t rush this step for best cheeseburger flavor.
- Potato Size: Dice potatoes into small ½-inch pieces. Uniform sizes ensure even cooking throughout the soup. Potatoes should be fork-tender when vegetables are done.
- Thickening: The soup thickens naturally after adding cheese. If too thin, simmer uncovered for 5-10 minutes. Or make a cornstarch slurry for quick thickening.
- Dairy Tempering: Never boil after adding cream or cheese. Lower heat and stir constantly while adding dairy. This prevents splitting and keeps the soup creamy smooth.
- Burger Finish: Add mustard and pickles for authentic cheeseburger flavor. This transforms the soup into a true burger experience. Serve with burger-style toppings for nostalgia.
- Too Salty: Add extra potatoes or a splash of milk. This dilutes excess salt without losing other flavors. Taste and adjust before serving to guests.
🗒 Substitutions
- Cream: Use evaporated milk for lighter texture and taste. Greek yogurt adds tanginess and extra protein content. Light cream or half-and-half works beautifully too. Combine oil plus milk (50/50) for dairy-free versions.
- Broth: Swap vegetable bouillon for chicken broth if desired. Or use homemade vegetable broth for more control. Bone broth adds collagen and minerals beautifully.
- Protein: Use lentils instead of plant-based ground meat. Add crumbled tofu for plant-based protein. Mix beans for heartier, different texture options. If you eat meat, you can also use ground beef.
- Cheese: Swap cheddar for gruyere for smokier flavor. Use dairy-free cheddar for vegan versions completely. Nutritional yeast adds cheesy flavor without dairy.
- Pasta: Use gluten-free pasta for GF versions easily. Or swap elbow macaroni for small shells. Omit pasta and add 1-2 more diced potatoes.
- Thickening: Make a cornstarch slurry for quick thickening. Mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch with cold water. Stir in slowly while simmering until soup thickens.
🍽️ Best served with
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store this healthy cheeseburger soup in an airtight container. Keep it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The flavors actually improve as the soup sits. Reheat gently over low heat on the stovetop. Avoid boiling after adding dairy to prevent splitting.
Freezing Note: Freezing dairy-based soups is not ideal. The cream and cheese may separate when thawed. Instead, freeze the soup base before adding cream. Add cream and cheese when you reheat and serve. This preserves the creamy texture beautifully.
Yes, lentils or crumbled tofu work beautifully as protein. Beans provide heartiness and extra nutrition, too. Or if you are not vegan, you can use regular ground beef.
Make a cornstarch slurry with water and cornstarch. Stir in slowly while simmering until the desired thickness. The cheese also naturally thickens the soup beautifully.
Russet potatoes are classic and break down nicely. Yukon gold potatoes hold their shape better. Cut all potatoes into small ½-inch pieces for even cooking.
Yes, use slow cooker on low for 6-7 hours. Or use Instant Pot on high pressure for 5 minutes. Quick release, then add cream and cheese at end.
Freezing with dairy isn’t ideal because the dairy separates. Freeze the soup base before adding cream. Add dairy products when reheating the soup.
Use gluten-free pasta instead of regular elbow. Make a cornstarch slurry instead of a flour roux. Use light cream or Greek yogurt instead of heavy cream.
Top with shredded lettuce and diced tomato. Add dill pickle slices and sesame croutons. Sprinkle scallions or crispy onions for extra crunch.
Lower heat to medium-low before adding dairy. Temper the cream by adding it slowly. Stir constantly while heating to prevent splitting completely.
Healthy Cheeseburger Soup (Lighter & Cozy) 🍲
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 3 large garlic cloves
- 3 medium sized carrots
- 2 stalks of celery
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 2 medium russet potatoes
- 1 package vegan ground round I use Yves brand
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme finely chopped
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp red chili flakes
- ½ tsp ancho chili powder
- 2 tbsp bouillon paste
- 6 cups hot water
- 1 ½ cups elbow macaroni
- 1 cup heavy cream or cashew cream
- 2 cups white cheddar cheese or vegan white cheddar cheese
Instructions
- For the soup, prepare all of your vegetables.
- Dice the yellow onion, russet potatoes, celery, carrots and bell peppers to be small-medium size.
- In a large soup pot add the olive oil and heat for 20-30 seconds on medium-high heat before adding your diced yellow onion.
- Sweat this out for around 3 – 5 minutes.
- Mince the garlic + add it to the pot.
- Cook for 2 – 3 minutes until fragrant and slightly soft.
- Add the russet potatoes, celery, carrots, and bell peppers, stir consistently and cook for 8 – 10 minutes until tender on medium-low heat.
- Add the ground round, I used Yves, breaking it up with your spoon.
- Add the tomato paste, fresh thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt, pepper, chili flakes, and ancho chili powder, cooking for 5 minutes on medium heat. The longer you cook this, the stronger the flavours will be!
- Add the bouillon paste and boiling water to the pot.
- Allow to cook for 10 minutes on medium-high heat.
- Add the elbow macaroni to the pot, cooking until the macaroni is cooked + tender.
- Stir in the heavy cream and cheddar cheese.
- Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Serve immediately with fresh herbs!
It’s a five-star! Easy to make and the flavor is so good!
thank you so much, amy!
My whole family loved this recipe – comfort food at its finest! It’s so easy to make with ingredients I always have on hand, I don’t always find the best alternative meat but I make with what I find!
I am so glad you enjoyed this!
I made this cheeseburger soup and ate the whole thing by myself, not in one sitting, but for every meal in two days, its not easy to find tasty vegan meals!
love it!
Can I double the recipe and can I make it a day or 2 ahead? Thanks.
yes, easily! It gets better with time!
This was very easy and filling and enough for a hungry family of 6, I halved it, vegan to regular bathes.
Everything I have made using your recipes has turned out extremely well.
thanks so much, stephanie!
This soup was straight-up delicious comfort food for the family last night, the kids loved it.
thank you!
Soooo yummy and easy to make – perfect comfort food. Will definitely be making again!!
Thank you so much for the love on this one my friend!
You always have the best recipes but so easy to find the recipe. I appreciate that!
Thanks so much!
Amazing Maria!! I used cashew cream and the cheddar. It looked as though it was going to be super thick and rich …..nope…it was in fact perfect! Highly recommend! Once again, well done you!!
SOOOOOOO GOOD, right? Was it everything you hoped for?
Love this recipe! Easy to make and delicious!! Just the right amount of spice.
thank you so much, bonnie!
Is it wrong that I have butterflies knowing that I am making this for dinner tonight. Haha. I can’t wait. I’ll let you know my thoughts on it!
hahahahah no not at all!! YOURE GOING TO LOVE IT SO MUCH! please let me know how it goes!