Cheddar Bratwurst & Beer Soup [Instant Pot and Slow Cooker]

Happy Monday! It’s the first Monday of the month and after so much fun with all the Instant Pot recipes in January, I’m continuing the Instant Pot love and spreading it to Slow Cooker recipes too for February by providing recipes for dishes that include conversions in both applications. Although the winter has been fairly mild, I still enjoy making soup since it’s quick, easy and satisfying. The most recent soup I made was this Cheddar, Bratwurst & Beer Soup. This is a hearty soup of potatoes, cheddar bratwurst, a bit of beer and a whole lot of cheese.

This is a soup that is a full meal in of itself. Pair it with some crusty bread or even some Frito Scoop chips to sop it up with, it will definitely hit the spot. The first time I made it was on the stove top and it was wonderful… but took a bit of time. I adjusted the recipe a bit more for some shortcuts to take on prep time and it still resulted in a delicious soup.

You can tweak the consistency to your preference by thinning it out with more beer or thickening it up with more cheese. I also made this with a combination of cheddar and monterey jack cheeses for a little smoother soup.

If you want the stovetop version, check it out here…. but I’ve included both the slow cooker and Instant Pot recipes below. Enjoy!

Cheddar Bratwurst & Beer Soup Recipe

recipe adapted from Food

Cheddar Bratwurst & Beer Soup Recipe Ingredients

• 1 (28oz) bag frozen Potatoes O’brien
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 4 -5 cooked cheddar bratwursts, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 1 cup beer plus more if desired
• 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
• 2 teaspoons horseradish
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 8 ounces monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• snipped chives for garnish

Cheddar Bratwurst & Beer Soup Slow Cooker Instructions

1. In a slow cooker, add potatoes, butter, onion, bratwurst, beer, cream of mushroom soup, brown mustard, horseradish.
2. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours.
3. Stir in cheeses until melted through.
4. If you want to thin down the soup, add a little more beer until its as thin as desired.
5. To serve, garnish with chives.

Cheddar Bratwurst & Beer Soup Instant Pot Instructions

1. Plug in the IP with insert set in place.
2. Add the add potatoes, butter, onion, bratwurst, beer, brown mustard, horseradish.
3. Secure the lid of the IP and ensure the valve is set to SEALING.
4. Press MANUAL and adjust the time to 5 minutes on HIGH pressure.
5. The display will reflect ON while the IP comes to pressure. Allow a few minutes for your IP to come to pressure.
6. Once at pressure, the display will reflect 5 (the number of minutes you initially set) and will begin to countdown to 0 minutes.
7. When the IP beeps after pressure cooking for 5 minutes, allow your IP to naturally release pressure for 5 minutes. While naturally releasing pressure (also known as NPR or NR), the display will reflect numbers counting up from 1. The numbers indicate how many minutes the IP has stopped cooking since it beeped (or how many minutes it has been naturally releasing pressure).  No need to touch your IP while it naturally releases pressure.
8. When the display reflects 5 (which is 5 minutes since the IP has beeped), turn the setting on top of your IP to VENTING. Doing so allows the IP to quickly release pressure (also known as QPR or QR). I use a wooden spoon to carefully turn the setting to avoid close contact with the potential steam. You may also want to turn your IP away from cabinets to allow the released steam to escape freely. The pin at the top of your IP will drop when all pressure has been released and it’s safe to open.
9. Open up your IP when the pin has dropped (allow a few minutes for this to happen).
10. Stir in cheeses and cream of mushroom soup until warmed and melted through.
11. If you want to thin down the soup, add a little more beer until its as thin as desired.
12. To serve, garnish with chives.