This Bacon Cheeseburger Soup is lightly creamy and cheesy, and loaded with your favorite burger flavors, like bacon, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Topped with shredded cheese and dill pickles, this easy soup recipe tastes just like your favorite cheeseburger!
The Best Bacon Cheeseburger Soup
This easy Bacon Cheeseburger Soup was inspired by a meal I had while visiting my parents many years ago. If you could imagine a cheeseburger with bacon and mushrooms…in a bowl…this would be it! Yum!!
This beefy burger of a soup is hearty and so fun – especially with toasted garlic buns for dipping. My family loves them. And for me? I adore loading up my bowl with dill pickle chips…because what’s a cheeseburger without pickles?!
Why You’ll Love This Cheeseburger Soup Recipe
- All the flavors of a burger. But not just any burger – a bacon cheeseburger with mushrooms! From the cheese to the burger to all the great toppings, this soup has it all.
- Easy to prepare. From start to finish this easy cheeseburger soup comes together in just 35 minutes. Perfect for busy weeknights!
- Easy to customize. Swap the meat, make it spicy, or omit the mushrooms to make this cheeseburger soup your own.
For more hearty soup ideas, check out my Irish stew and beef and barley stew recipes too.
What You’ll Need
This easy soup recipe includes ingredients you’d expect when making homemade cheeseburgers. Plus, I folded in a couple flavors that my mom has always used when making burgers – Lipton Onion Soup & Dip Mix and Lawry’s Seasoned Salt. I promise you, you’ll want a second bowl!
See the printable recipe card below for exact measurements and full instructions.
For the Soup:
- Bacon – I like to use a thick-cut bacon for this soup, but any bacon will work. I’d just stay away from any with added flavors, such as maple, for this “cheeseburger” flavored soup.
- Ground beef – Use lean ground beef to avoid excess grease.
- Lipton Onion Soup & Dip Mix – This mix is a nostalgia thing for me, as Mom always used this when making burgers. I love the flavor that it gives!
- Unsalted butter
- Onion & garlic – Add flavor to the burger. I like to use yellow onion, but red or white would also work.
- Mushrooms – I like button mushrooms for this recipe.
- Beef broth – This enhances the savory beefy burger flavor even more, but chicken broth would also be good.
- Fire-roasted tomatoes – These canned tomatoes add extra flavor to the soup – because I do love some tomato on my cheeseburgers! Do not drain, as the tomato juice adds more delicious flavor to the broth.
- Cheddar cheese soup – Adds a lightly creamy texture, plus cheesy richness to the broth – again, driving home that cheeseburger flavor.
- Half & half – Adds just a bit more creaminess. Skip it if you like.
- Sour cream – Adds a bit of tangy creaminess to the soup.
- Worcestershire sauce – A key ingredient for savory burger flavor.
- Ketchup & mustard – More classic burger flavors that make their way into this savory soup.
- Spices & flavorings – The remaining flavor comes from cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, and black pepper.
For the Toasted Garlic Buns:
- Dinner rolls – I use whole wheat dinner rolls but you can use regular white rolls if preferred.
- Unsalted butter – Feel free to use more butter if you want the buns to taste extra buttery!
- Garlic powder – For that irresistible garlic flavor.
How to Make Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger Soup
Here’s how to make this hearty bacon cheeseburger soup recipe in just over 35 minutes.
- Cook the bacon. Fry the bacon in a heavy pot, then transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain. Cool, then roughly chop and set aside. Drain the grease.
- Cook the beef. Cook the beef in the same pot, breaking it into small pieces. Sprinkle with the onion soup mix and stir. Cook until browned, then transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
- Saute the onion and mushrooms. Drain any burger grease from the pot – then add the butter, onion, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook until softened.
- Combine the ingredients. Return the beef to the pot, along with the beef broth, tomatoes, Lipton Onion Soup Mix, half & half, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, mustard, and seasonings. Cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.
- Add the bacon. Stir in the sour cream and chopped bacon. Cook another minute to warm.
- Enjoy. Serve with your desired garnished (dill pickles and shredded cheese, please!) and toasted garlic buns.
How to Make Toasted Garlic Buns
My family loves the toasted garlic buns that go with this beefy mushroom bacon soup. They’re so simple to make – I just toast the buns while the soup is cooking.
- Butter and season the buns. Butter the cut sides of each roll, then sprinkle with garlic powder.
- Toast. Toast the buns on a grill, in a skillet, or on a griddle over medium-high heat until nicely browned.
Recipe Tips & Variations
Here are a few tips and suggestions for making your cheeseburger soup.
- Be sure to drain the grease. Any grease from the bacon or ground beef should be drained from the pan before adding the next ingredients. This ensures that the final soup doesn’t have a heavy, greasy taste and texture.
- Use regular diced tomatoes. I like the look and flavor of canned fire-roasted tomatoes, but feel free to use regular diced tomatoes.
- Add some spice. If you like heat, add a few splashes of sriracha or hot sauce, some jalapeno slices, or red chili pepper flakes.
- Substitute the meat. Feel free to try this soup with ground turkey or ground chicken. While the ground beef really does make this taste more like a cheeseburger, it’s still a very flavorful soup all on its own.
What to Serve with Cheeseburger Soup
As I already mentioned, my go-to way to serve this bacon mushroom cheeseburger soup is topped with dill pickle chips and cheddar cheese, and toasted garlic rolls on the side. To me, that combination tastes just like my favorite bacon cheeseburger.
Feel free to add your own preferred toppings, like diced fresh tomatoes or jalapeno slices. You may also want to add some extra chopped bacon or a dollop of sour cream. Some fresh green onion would also be good!
Breadsticks, Cheesy Garlic Bread, Texas Toast, and even plain crusty bread can be used in place of the toasted dinner rolls too.
If you’d like to serve a salad with this soup, I’d recommend keeping it simple with some fresh iceberg or Romaine lettuce, plus some sliced onion and fresh tomatoes. Buttermilk Ranch Dressing would be perfect!
And for all you crazy pickle fanatics (me!!), a side of Fried Dill Pickles would be SO GOOD with this meal!
How to Store & Reheat Leftovers
- Fridge. Leftover bacon cheeseburger soup will keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat. Reheat gently on the stovetop, stirring frequently, to preventing the dairy from curdling.
- Freezer. Once cooled completely, store your cheeseburger soup in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months, thaw overnight in the fridge, and reheat as directed above.
More Hearty Soup Recipes
- Lasagna Soup
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Minestrone Soup
- Chicken Wild Rice Soup
- Irish Beef Stew
- Pizza Soup
Bacon Cheeseburger Soup
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 8 slices thick-cut bacon
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoons Lipton Onion Soup & Dip Mix
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 16 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups reduced sodium beef broth
- 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced fire roasted tomatoes (do not drain)
- 2 cans (10.75 ounces each) cheddar cheese soup
- 2 cups half & half
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup sour cream
For the toasted garlic buns:
- 1 dozen whole wheat dinner rolls, sliced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (use more if you like)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder (use more if you like)
Optional garnishes:
- dill pickle chips
- shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
For the soup:
- In a heavy pot with tall sides (a small to medium-sized stock pot works great) over medium heat, fry the bacon. Remove to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain. Let cool, then roughly chop and set aside.
- Drain the bacon grease and return pot to the burner. Add the beef, breaking it up into smallish bite-size pieces. Sprinkle with Lipton Onion Soup Mix and stir to combine. Once the beef is thoroughly browned, remove to another plate lined with a paper towel to drain. Set aside.
- Drain any grease from the pot and return to the burner again. Add the butter. Once it is mostly melted, add the onion, mushrooms, and garlic. Stir well. Cook until onion and mushrooms are thoroughly softened, about 10 minutes.
- Add the browned beef back to the pot, followed by the beef broth, tomatoes, cheddar cheese soup, half & half, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, mustard, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, Lawry's Seasoned Salt, and black pepper. Let the soup heat up as you occasionally stir it.
- Once the soup is thoroughly warmed to your liking, stir in the sour cream and chopped bacon. Let it cook another minute or so to warm throughout.
For the toasted garlic buns:
- While soup is warming, lightly butter the cut sides of each dinner roll. Sprinkle lightly with garlic powder. Cook, cut/buttered side down, on an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan, skillet, or griddle, over medium-high heat until nicely browned.
To serve:
- Serve with optional garnishes of dill pickle chips and shredded cheddar cheese, with toasted garlic buns for dipping.
Nutrition Information:
This post was originally published in 2011 and then updated in 2023.