The first properly cold evening of the year settles the question of dinner for about four months, and these soup recipes are the answer to all of it. There are forty two here, sorted by the kind of night you are having. Crockpot soups go in before work and look after themselves. Twenty minute bowls handle a Tuesday when nobody planned anything. There are two or three that want a whole Sunday afternoon and reward it, including a Sichuan beef noodle soup that simmers for the better part of four hours. Creamy potato, roasted tomato with no cream in it at all, Thai coconut curry, French onion under a raft of browned Gruyere, Mexican beef caldo, clam chowder, miso, pho, and a good number of vegan ones that nobody will clock as vegan. Every recipe links to the cook who wrote it, with real amounts and real timings, so you can pick a bowl and start.
Best Soup Recipes
1. Vegan Khao Soi Soup
Khao soi is a northern Thai curry noodle soup, and this vegan version builds the paste from scratch with red chillies, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, coriander stalks, shallots, turmeric and curry powder. The butternut squash gets roasted separately at 435 degrees for about 30 minutes instead of boiled in the pot, which is more work and worth it, because the edges caramelize. Coconut milk and vegetable stock carry it, and it is naturally gluten free. Prep and cook run 20 minutes each, and it serves three to four.
Get the full tutorial at Lazy Cat Kitchen.
2. Chickpea Vegetable Soup
Two cans of chickpeas stand in for chicken here, and the result tastes every bit as restorative as the soup you make when somebody has a cold. Onion, carrots, celery and diced potatoes soften first, then thyme, garlic, four cups of water and a spoonful of no chicken base go in and simmer about twenty minutes until the vegetables give way. The chickpeas are stirred in at the end just to warm, and a third of a cup of fresh parsley wakes the whole pot up. Thirty five minutes, four servings.
Get the full tutorial at Yummy Mummy Kitchen.
3. Mexican Street Corn Soup
Everything you love about elote, in a bowl you can eat with a spoon. Two cups of corn get charred in butter for six to ten minutes, stirred, then charred again, and that double char is where the flavor lives. Onion, jalapeno, garlic and toasted cumin follow, then four cups of broth and four more cups of corn, partly pureed so it thickens itself. Sour cream, lime and crumbled cotija go in at the end, with optional fish sauce and white miso for depth. Fifty minutes, six servings, and it is good warm or chilled.
Get the full tutorial at Closet Cooking.
4. Vegan Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Soup
Two heads of cauliflower and a head or two of garlic go on a lined tray and dry roast at 425 degrees for thirty to forty minutes, with no oil on them at all, until the florets are flecked deep golden. They simmer fifteen minutes in broth, then blend, and almond milk, nutritional yeast and apple cider vinegar make it taste creamy without a drop of dairy. Sixty five minutes total, fifteen of them yours, and it serves six.
Get the full tutorial at Blissful Basil.
5. Spicy White Cheddar Beer Cheese Soup
This one is built for two people and a pair of bread bowls, which is a refreshing change from recipes that hand you a gallon. Celery, carrot, onion, garlic and jalapeno cook twenty minutes until truly tender, then flour, a cup of light lager and a cup of chicken stock go in with bay, whole peppercorns, caraway seeds and thyme. It simmers thirty minutes, takes milk and half and half, then two and a half cups of shredded white cheddar. Strain the whole thing before serving, which is the step that makes it silky.
Get the full tutorial at A Flavor Journal.
6. Loaded Potato Soup
Half a pound of bacon starts this, and the vegetables cook in the drippings, which tells you exactly what kind of soup it is. Carrots, celery and onion soften for five minutes, then butter, garlic and a third of a cup of flour cook for a minute before the chicken stock, four cups of milk, eight ounces of cubed cream cheese and five diced russets go in. Thirty minutes at a low simmer gets the potatoes tender, then a cup of cheddar melts through. Crisp bacon, more cheese and green onions on top. Six servings, one pot.
Get the full tutorial at Butter Your Biscuit.
7. Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup
One pot, and most of it is already in your kitchen. Butter, onion and garlic soften, then four tablespoons of flour go in before two cups of chicken broth, so the base thickens properly. Salt, black pepper, a quarter teaspoon each of paprika and nutmeg season it, and that nutmeg is the note people cannot place in the restaurant version. Shredded carrots and twenty four ounces of chopped broccoli simmer covered fifteen minutes, then two cups of half and half and three cups of freshly shredded cheddar melt in off the heat.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
8. Northern-Style Vegan Thai Coconut Soup
Thai red curry paste, curry powder and turmeric bloom in oil with onion, garlic and ginger, and that thirty second step is what keeps this from tasting like broth with coconut milk in it. Four cups of vegetable broth and a cup of full fat canned coconut milk go in with soy sauce, two tablespoons of coconut sugar and lime juice, then simmer ten minutes. Rice noodles cook separately and join at the end so they do not go to mush. Thirty minutes start to finish, four servings, vegan and easy to keep gluten free.
Get the full tutorial at Choosing Chia.
9. Creamy Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
There is no cream in this at all, and you would never guess. Two and a half pounds of roma tomatoes, a pound and a quarter of grape tomatoes and eight smashed garlic cloves roast at 430 degrees for about twenty five minutes until charred on top. Meanwhile a diced potato cooks in the pot with onion, red pepper, tomato paste and four cups of broth, and that potato is the whole trick, because it thickens the soup when you blend it. Two cups of fresh basil go in at the very end. An hour, six servings.
Get the full tutorial at Cafe Delites.
10. Grandma's Manhattan Clam Chowder
The tomato kind, with no cream anywhere in it, which is the version people either swear by or have never actually been served properly. Four slices of diced bacon crisp first and the onion, celery and carrot cook six to eight minutes in the fat. Zucchini, potatoes, a twenty eight ounce can of crushed tomatoes, Worcestershire, three bottles of clam juice and fresh thyme come to a boil and simmer fifteen to twenty minutes until it thickens. A pound of clam meat goes in at the very end, just long enough to heat through.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
11. Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
No roasting and no chopping, because the celery, carrots, onion and garlic all go into a food processor and get pulsed to a mince. They sweat in butter and oil, take a quarter cup of flour, then four cups of chicken broth and two cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes with their juice. Fire roasted is the part that matters, since it gives you the smoky depth you would otherwise have to earn with an oven. A cup of Parmesan and a cup or two of cream finish it. Forty eight minutes, six to eight servings.
Get the full tutorial at Carlsbad Cravings.
12. Golden Turmeric Vegetable Soup
A whole cup of raw cashews goes into the pot with the vegetables, and they are what make this creamy, so no dairy is involved anywhere. Sweet potato, carrots, cauliflower, onion and garlic sweat under a lid with the cashews until soft, then fresh ginger, a tablespoon of turmeric, a tablespoon of red curry paste, a dash of nutmeg, lemon juice and four cups of water or broth go in. The whole thing gets blended smooth in one go. Twenty minutes, four servings, and it happens to be paleo and Whole30 friendly.
Get the full tutorial at Paleo Gluten Free.
13. Shrimp Egg Drop Soup
Here is the detail worth knowing: the size of your egg ribbons is entirely up to you. Stream the beaten egg in, wait a few seconds, then stir gently with chopsticks and you get big soft flowers. Stir sooner and faster and you get fine wispy ones. The other tip from the cook is to use fresh corn kernels rather than creamed corn, which makes the soup cloyingly sweet, or canned, which loses the crunch. Prawns, crab, chicken or tofu all work in the same bowl, and the whole thing is a thirty minute job.
Get the full tutorial at Souper Diaries.
14. One-Pot Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup
One pot, and most of what goes in it comes out of a can. Onion, garlic and fresh rosemary sweat in olive oil for five minutes, then a twenty eight ounce can of diced tomatoes, a fifteen ounce can of tomato sauce, oregano, basil, four cups of chicken stock and half a cup of heavy cream simmer for twenty minutes. Twenty ounces of three cheese tortellini cook right in the soup for twelve to fifteen minutes, then half a cup of Parmesan stirs through. Eight servings, and it works in a slow cooker too.
Get the full tutorial at Gal on a Mission.
15. Miso Soup
Ten minutes, five ingredients, and one rule that decides whether it tastes right. Bring two and a half cups of dashi to a boil, add soaked dried seaweed and four ounces of cubed silken tofu and cook three minutes. Then turn the heat off completely before you stir in the miso paste, because boiling miso flattens the flavor and dulls the aroma. Two to two and a half tablespoons is the starting point, dissolved with chopsticks. Chopped scallion on top and serve straight away. Two servings.
Get the full tutorial at Rasa Malaysia.
16. Easy Homemade Wonton Soup
Making fifty wontons sounds like a weekend project and it is really about forty minutes of folding once you get a rhythm. The filling is a pound of ground pork with green onion, ginger, sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil, and a single small shrimp tucked in with it. Brush two edges with water, fold to a triangle, squeeze the air out, then pull the corners round into a boat. The broth is separate: eight cups of chicken broth with mushrooms, carrots and baby bok choy. Eight servings, and they freeze beautifully.
Get the full tutorial at Jessica Gavin.
17. Crock Pot Cheesy Potato Soup
Six large Yukon Golds cut into half inch cubes go into a four quart crock pot with onion, garlic and four to six cups of chicken broth and cook on high for about three and a half hours. Then comes the part people skip: whisk three tablespoons of flour into a cup of cold milk until completely smooth before it goes anywhere near the pot, or you will be picking lumps out later. Half a cup of heavy cream, another thirty minutes, then a pound of Velveeta melts in. Six to eight servings.
Get the full tutorial at Dear Crissy.
18. Easy French Onion Soup Recipe
Two pounds of thinly sliced yellow onions and six tablespoons of butter, and then you wait. The onions cook down over medium low heat for about fifty minutes until they are properly deep brown, and there is no shortcut that gets you the same flavor. Flour, sugar, salt, pepper and fresh thyme cook in for five to seven minutes, then four cups of broth simmer covered for twenty five. Divide into ramekins, top with baguette slices and a mix of Gruyere and Provolone, and broil until it bubbles and browns.
Get the full tutorial at Lavender and Macarons.
19. Roasted Carrot Soup
A pound and a half of carrots, a sliced onion and four whole garlic cloves roast at 400 degrees for twenty five to thirty minutes, turned twice, until browned at the edges. Then two twenty eight ounce cans of whole peeled tomatoes go in, drained first with the juice saved, and everything gets pureed in two batches. The juice goes back in with dried basil and half a cup of plain Greek yogurt, which is what makes it creamy and tangy at once. Swap in coconut milk to keep it vegan. Six servings.
Get the full tutorial at Well Plated.
20. Vegetarian Tom Yum Soup
Lemongrass, shallots, galangal and kaffir lime leaves boil in five cups of water for five minutes to build the broth, and one squashed tomato goes in with them and gets mashed into the liquid as it cooks. Soy sauce, sugar, chili paste and two hundred and fifty grams of mixed Asian mushrooms follow, then the pot comes off the heat and lime juice goes in last so it stays bright. Taste for the balance of salty, sweet, spicy and sour before you serve. Ten minutes, two servings, and nobody misses the fish sauce.
Get the full tutorial at Cilantro and Citronella.
21. Chicken Laksa
The spice paste is made the old way: coriander seeds toasted in a dry pan until fragrant, then ground in a mortar with black peppercorns, cumin seeds, turmeric and clove powder. That goes into the pot with garlic and three tablespoons of laksa paste, then three cups of chicken broth, a cup and a half of coconut milk, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves simmer for ten minutes. Chicken poaches separately and gets shredded, shrimp cook in the soup for five minutes. Thirty five minutes, five servings.
Get the full tutorial at Couple Eats Food.
22. Japanese Clear Onion Soup
This is the clear broth they bring you first at a hibachi restaurant, and the surprise is that all the vegetables get thrown away. Onions, celery, carrots, garlic and ginger simmer uncovered in six cups of vegetable broth for thirty minutes, then you strain the whole lot out and keep only the liquid. The bowl gets thinly sliced button mushrooms and scallions, and the hot broth is poured over so they soften just slightly. Forty minutes, four servings, and it is almost nothing in calories.
Get the full tutorial at Living Chirpy.
23. Korean Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup
Jjamppong, and the heat is entirely in your hands. Three tablespoons of Korean chili flakes cooked in chili oil with garlic, ginger and green onion gives you only a mild burn, so adjust from there. Zucchini, shiitake, cabbage and onion wilt for a minute or two, then mussels, littleneck clams, prawns and squid rings go in with rice wine, soy sauce and stock and boil covered for about eight minutes. The noodles cook in a separate pot and finish at the same moment. Thirty five minutes, three servings.
Get the full tutorial at My Korean Kitchen.
24. Asian Vegetable Noodle Soup
A tablespoon of white miso and a teaspoon of sriracha go into the broth right at the start with soy sauce and ground ginger, which is a quicker way to depth than simmering anything for an hour. Garlic, onion, mushrooms and bok choy cook five minutes, then firm tofu and shirataki fettuccine go in for three more, and shirataki needs no boiling at all, just a rinse. Twenty minutes total, six servings, vegan and gluten free without trying. Green onion, jalapeno and red pepper flakes on top.
Get the full tutorial at This Savory Vegan.
25. Broccoli Spinach Soup
Two whole heads of broccoli, a leek, garlic and two golden potatoes simmer in six cups of stock for about ten minutes, only until tender, because mushy broccoli turns the color grey. Blend it right in the pot, then here is the part worth copying: three cups of baby spinach go in off the heat with a lid on, and the residual steam wilts them in two minutes, which keeps the green vivid. A poached egg on top turns a bowl of vegetables into dinner. Twenty minutes, six servings.
Get the full tutorial at Ciao Florentina.
26. Easy Beef Pho
Real pho takes a day. This one takes thirty minutes and gets surprisingly close, because the onion halves and ginger get charred cut side down in the pot for three minutes before anything else happens. A quart of beef broth, two cups of water, star anise, cloves, a cinnamon stick, fish sauce and sugar simmer twenty minutes and then the aromatics come out. The sirloin is sliced raw and paper thin, which is far easier if you freeze it fifteen to twenty minutes first, and the hot broth cooks it in the bowl.
Get the full tutorial at Pickled Plum.
27. Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup
Two cans of creamed corn do most of the work, which is why this tastes like the takeaway version and takes forty minutes. Chicken breast poaches in the stockpot for about ten minutes, then goes into cold water so you can shred it comfortably. The corn goes in, a cornflour slurry thickens the pot, and two lightly beaten eggs get poured in a steady stream and simmered five minutes until set. White pepper rather than black, and a dash of sesame oil off the heat. Eight servings.
Get the full tutorial at Lisa's Lemony Kitchen.
28. Caramelized Onion Roasted Garlic Bisque
This is a patience recipe and the payoff is real. A whole head of garlic roasts wrapped in foil at 350 degrees for a full hour. At the same time, nine cups of sliced sweet onions and two and a half cups of leeks cook uncovered for thirty minutes, get salt and thyme, then cook another thirty until dark gold, with a splash of water any time they threaten to catch. Flour, a third of a cup of dry white wine, four cups of broth and two cups of milk finish it, blended smooth. Six servings.
Get the full tutorial at Life Currents.
29. Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Everything roasts together on one pan, which is the reason to choose this one. Butternut squash cut into one inch cubes goes in with carrots, celery, onion, five garlic cloves, sage, thyme, rosemary and a quarter teaspoon of cayenne, tossed in olive oil and roasted at 350 degrees for an hour. Check the carrots rather than the squash, and give it another fifteen minutes if they resist. Puree with three and a half cups of vegetable stock, thin with water to taste. Vegan, eight servings, about ten cups.
Get the full tutorial at Ahead of Thyme.
30. Ginger Garlic Noodle Soup With Bok Choy
Two whole star anise simmer in the broth for ten minutes and then come out, and that one ingredient is why a twenty minute soup tastes like it has been going all afternoon. Shallots soften first, then the white parts of the green onions, four cloves of garlic and two tablespoons of fresh ginger. Five and a half cups of broth and soy sauce follow, then crimini mushrooms, rice noodles and a head and a half of bok choy cook five to eight minutes. Two servings, and chicken or shrimp slot in easily.
Get the full tutorial at The Forked Spoon.
31. Korean Brown Seaweed Soup
Miyeok guk, and the whole thing rests on fifteen grams of dried seaweed. Soak it in cold water for five to ten minutes while it expands, rinse it twice in running water and squeeze it dry, then cut it into little finger lengths with scissors if it did not come pre cut. Sliced beef seasoned with salt and pepper stir fries with the seaweed in sesame oil for two minutes, then soy sauce, garlic and five cups of water boil covered for ten to fifteen. Twenty minutes, three to four servings.
Get the full tutorial at My Korean Kitchen.
32. Vegan Potato Soup with Beans and Kale
Two tablespoons of tomato paste cooked for a minute before any liquid goes in is what gives this depth without a scrap of meat or dairy. Onion, celery and carrot soften, then garlic, rosemary, thyme, red pepper flakes and the paste, then a pound and a half of creamer potatoes and seven cups of vegetable broth come to a lively simmer for fifteen minutes. A can of Great Northern beans goes in for ten to fifteen more and four cups of kale wilt in the last minute. Fifty minutes, six servings.
Get the full tutorial at Cookin Canuck.
33. Spinach, Coconut and Zucchini Soup
The cook calls this her Incredible Hulk soup and the color earns it. Curry powder, cumin and turmeric go into hot coconut oil for a minute first, then leek, potato, zucchini and a deseeded green chili get coated in the spices and sweat under a lid for five minutes. A cup of hot vegetable stock and a can of light coconut milk cook ten minutes until the potato is fork tender, the spinach goes in for two or three, and the lot gets blended completely smooth. Garlic herb croutons on top. Thirty minutes, four servings.
Get the full tutorial at Supergolden Bakes.
34. Hungarian Mushroom Soup with Fresh Dill
A pound of mushrooms and one onion cook in butter for ten to fifteen minutes, and you wait for the liquid they release to evaporate completely, because that is where the concentrated flavor comes from. Flour and a tablespoon of paprika cook in for two or three minutes, then stock, three tablespoons of soy sauce and a cup of milk simmer ten. The sour cream, lemon juice, fresh dill and parsley all go in off the heat so nothing splits or turns bitter. Forty minutes, six servings.
Get the full tutorial at Platings and Pairings.
35. Favorite Slow Cooker Chicken Vegetable Soup
Everything goes in raw and you walk away, which is the entire appeal. A pound of chicken breast, carrot, celery, onion, zucchini, garlic, bay, thyme, five cups of chicken broth and two teaspoons of Worcestershire cook on low for five to six hours or high for three to four, then you shred the chicken with two forks right in the pot. The broccoli is optional and comes with a warning worth heeding: add it in the last fifteen minutes or the whole house will smell of it. Four servings.
Get the full tutorial at Best Recipe Box.
36. Minestrone Soup
Thirty minutes for minestrone, and it manages that because the bacon renders first and does the job a long simmer usually has to. Onion, garlic, carrot and celery soften in the fat, then four cups of chicken stock and a bay leaf come to a boil. A tin of cannellini, a tin of plum tomatoes and a cup of pasta go in together, and you crush the tomatoes into the soup with the back of a spoon rather than opening a food processor. Four servings, and it reheats and freezes well.
Get the full tutorial at The Cook's Pyjamas.
37. Caldo de Res
Two pounds of bone in beef shanks simmer for an hour and a half to two hours, and you skim the top as it goes, which is the difference between a clear broth and a cloudy one. Then the vegetables go in by how long they need: corn for four or five minutes, potatoes and carrots four or five, Mexican squash and green beans two or three, cabbage last for two or three more. Nothing turns to mush that way. Cilantro, lime wedges and hot sauce at the table. Eight servings.
Get the full tutorial at Onion Rings and Things.
38. Asiago Bisque
The cheese goes in off the heat, and that one instruction is doing more work than it looks like. Asiago stirred into a simmering pot turns grainy, so the pan comes off, two cups of shredded Asiago go in, and only then does the immersion blender come out. Blend it smooth for a proper bisque or stop early and leave some potato and carrot intact, because the texture here is genuinely your call rather than the recipe’s. Onion, celery and carrot soften in butter first, then potatoes, white wine and stock cook covered for twenty minutes. One pot, no oven, chopped bacon over the top.
Get the full tutorial at Chef in Training.
39. Cheesy Southwestern Chicken Tortilla Soup
Three chicken breasts get baked covered at 350 degrees for thirty minutes and shredded, and after that this is a stirring job. A fifteen ounce jar of salsa con queso, a can of cream of potato soup, a cup of sour cream and a cup and three quarters of chicken broth whisk together, then green chiles, two cups of frozen corn, a packet of taco seasoning, cilantro and the chicken go in. It holds on low for an hour or two without suffering, which makes it good party food. Do not freeze it. Six servings.
Get the full tutorial at Oh Sweet Basil.
40. Spicy Beef Noodle Soup
Two pots, three and three quarter hours, and it is the one on this list worth clearing an afternoon for. Three pounds of beef chuck blanch in sixteen cups of water with ginger, scallions and Shaoxing wine. In the second pot, Sichuan peppercorns, two whole heads of garlic, onion, five star anise and bay leaves cook slowly before spicy bean paste, tomato, light soy and sugar. The beef and strained stock move over with a piece of dried tangerine peel and simmer sixty to ninety minutes. Serves ten.
Get the full tutorial at The Woks of Life.
41. Crock Pot Vegetarian White Bean Soup
Three cans of white beans, celery, onion, carrot rounds, garlic, a thirty two ounce carton of vegetable stock and a handful of dried herbs go in the crock pot and you turn it on. Low for eight to ten hours, or high for four to six. The one thing to watch is the carrots, because they take the longest of anything in there, so when they are soft the soup is done and not before. Pull the bay leaf out, then Parmesan and sliced green onions on top. Four servings.
Get the full tutorial at Running in a Skirt.
42. Asiago Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Soup
Cauliflower and two to four whole heads of garlic roast at 425 degrees for twenty to thirty minutes, turned halfway, until tender and a little charred. Onion and thyme soften in the pot, four cups of broth go in, and half a cup of asiago and a tablespoon of lemon juice finish the blend. The crunchy topping is what makes it: raw quinoa toasted in a dry pan until it pops like popcorn, with panko, white and black sesame seeds, chia, more asiago, lemon zest and parsley. An hour, four servings.
Get the full tutorial at Closet Cooking.
