Instant Pot Cheeseburger and Fries Casserole—all the flavors from cheeseburgers and fries in a one pot casserole meal. Kids and adults both love this dinner!

Instant Pot Cheeseburger and Fries Casserole
If you’re a fan of a good cheeseburger with pickles, tomatoes, ketchup and mustard you’re going to like this casserole that has all those flavors plus a crispy layer of french fries on top. At my house we gobbled this up and all agreed it was delicious.
Why potato flakes? I’ve been meaning to try a thickening trick I’ve heard for a while now. It is to stir a few tablespoons of dehydrated potato flakes into soups, sauces or casseroles that need to be thickened. I never really have potato flakes at my house so I hadn’t tried it. Finally I bought a box of potato flakes* and used the trick with this recipe. It worked perfectly and I liked it much better than making a cornstarch slurry. The very subdued potato flavor goes along perfectly with cheeseburger and fries casserole. Try it!
How to cook the fries? While my food was cooking in the Instant Pot I threw the frozen fries in the oven. Then I piled them on top of the casserole. Alternately, if you have an air fryer lid you can use that to cook the fries until they are crispy.
How to make this in the oven? If you want to cook everything in the oven you can do that too. Brown the ingredients in step one on the stove or in the Instant Pot on sauté setting. Add ingredients to a 9×13 inch pan. For the oven version do not add in the broth. Stir the pickles, tomatoes and only 2 Tbsp of potato flakes into the meat mixture. Sprinkle the frozen fries on top. Bake at 350° F for about 50 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 5 more minutes.
More Cheeseburger Inspired Instant Pot Recipes…
Instant Pot Cheeseburger Soup–Julie said, “I am not a soup fan but this was delicious.”
Instant Pot Cheeseburger Breakfast Casserole–Sabrina said, “It was really good! Next time, I plan to eat this with a side of grits!”
Instant Pot Cheeseburger Pasta–Eke said, “This is an AMAZING recipe, and I’m grateful that it only needs a small handful of ingredients.”
Instant Pot Steamed Cheeseburgers–Kim said, “Too delicious & too easy.”
Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni And Cheese–Brad said, “Wow just finished eating it was a hit!”
Instant Pot Crumbly Burgers–Kathie said, “We loved the delicious crumbly burgers!!! I used the meat for tacos several nights later and they were awesome. This is a keeper!!”

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Instant Pot Cheeseburger and Fries Casserole
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
All the flavors from cheeseburgers and fries in a one pot casserole meal. Kids and adults both love this dinner!
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean or extra lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 2 Tbsp ketchup
- 2 Tbsp mustard
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp Montreal steak seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
- 1/3 cup diced dill pickles
- 6 Tbsp potato flakes
- 1 pound frozen french fries
- 1 cup grated cheddar
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the beef and break it up. Add in the onions, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire, steak seasoning and garlic powder. Brown beef for about 5 minutes.
- Pour in the beef broth. Scrape the bottom of the pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Dump in the diced tomatoes and the pickles.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 5 minutes. When time is up move valve to venting and remove the lid.
- Stir in the potato flakes and half of the cheese.
- Bake the French fries according to package directions in the oven or sprinkle fries onto the top of casserole and use the air fryer lid to cook until crispy (about 10 minutes 400 degrees). Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and serve.
Notes
I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*.
- Category: Beef
- Method: Instant Pot
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Could corn starch be subbed for the potato flakes? I can’t justify buying a box of flakes because I won’t use them for anything else. I don’t like dried potatoes. If you think corn starch is ok, what suggestion do you have for the amount needed, 6 tbsp? 3 tbsp? Thanks for your help and your recipes.
Yes yes, it will be fine with cornstarch. I would use maybe 1-2 Tbsp
Coming back to make this again because it was so good! I was afraid it might have too much mustard & dill pickles for me but I knew my husband and boys would love it – we all loved it as written 🙂
I double it and use the oven method as we have a large family.
★★★★★
So glad you all enjoyed it Amanda!
Made a plant-based version of this! Subbed in plant-based grounds, dairy-free cheese and liquid aminos. Cooked down on stove top and added 2 tbsp cornstarch to thicken, then baked in the oven. Turned out amazing, kids loved it! Will keep on hand for the times we need some comfort food.
★★★★★
Good to know! thanks for sharing your experience.
I really enjoyed this! I didn’t have plain diced tomatoes so I had to use fire roasted but I thought the fire roasted was actually very good. I also added some chopped zucchini just for extra veggies. Will definitely make this again 🙂
★★★★★
Fire roasted sounds AMAZING
This is a tasty recipe,Kids should love this Mom,Next time try this with tater tots ,Just for the little ones .They can eat this with a spoon .
★★★★
😊
Looks good can’t wait to fix it ..lol
Hope you like it!
Can this be doubled in an 8 quart?
Yes!
I have a crisper lid on the way, but couldn’t wait to make this. It was REALLY good. Will make again!
Did you cook the fries in the oven? That’s what I did!
Yes, I did as you directed.
I made this last night, didn’t have canned tomatoes or instant potatoes (so I sorta made it, haha), used fresh diced tomatoes, without the spuds it was a little more soupy so it’s definitely needed. But man oh man was it delish!!
★★★★★
Glad you made it work for you Amy!!!