Make mealtimes easy and delicious when you make soups for the freezer. These tips and best freezer soup recipes will make it simple.
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Years ago I remember reading that you shouldn’t spend time freezing soups. The rationale was that soups are mostly water, easy to prepare, and would take up valuable freezer space. And for many years, I believed the lie.
But, this past winter, I’ve come to realize the true potential in bulk cooking several kinds of soups and freezing them in 2 cup and dinner-size portions. The benefits are numerous. Let me count the ways.
Why Make Freezer Soups
You get it your way. When you make bulk batches of freezer soups, you’re presumably making a few different kinds, particularly those that you like. When you do this, you get to enjoy the soups that no one else likes! I don’t have to force feed it to anyone or make a smaller batch. I just cook what I like and divide it into 2-cup portions, perfect for a quick soup lunch.
Everyone else gets his or her own way. Likewise, every other member of the household gets his choice of soup. When I make three kinds of freezer soups in one cooking session, that means that three kinds of soup will be stored in the freezer for later. Everybody has the chance to be happy on Soup Night. Pro tip: This is a great way to handle meal planning for different diets.
Meals come together quickly. Lunchtime can come together in a matter of minutes. It doesn’t take long to thaw/reheat soup in the microwave or by placing the container in cold water. Add some bread and a side salad and the meal is served.
Freezer soups are great to make Sunday Dinner easier. These are a great postpartum freeze meals to keep on hand, too!
You have soup whenever you want it. Soup is comfort food, especially when you’re under the weather. And who wants to cook when you’re sick? Having some homemade soup in the freezer makes it easy to enjoy comfort food, even in less than perfect circumstances.
Tips for freezing soup
Stock up on the right containers. I prefer reusable plastic containers with lids or silicone Soupercubes for freezing soup.
I’ve tried wide mouth, quart size canning jars with plastic lids, but it you don’t thaw ahead of time, it is difficult to get frozen blobs of soup out of the jars. With plastic or silicone, the little cube of soup pops right out for stovetop or microwave reheating.
Choose recipes that share common ingredients. One of the biggest time saving techniques in freezer cooking is to use common ingredients. Since soups often share many vegetables and broths in common, you can easily prep a lot of these ingredients and combine them in different ways for variety.
Make several batches at one time. I own two stockpots and an instant pot. But, I also have several crockpots. I could potentially have many different kinds of freezer soup cooking at one time. Use what you have to make bulk batches of soup to freeze.
Choose a variety of soups to please everyone. If you’re making three or four freezer soups at one time, make at least one kind that will please the picky eater in your crowd. This will serve you in many ways, especially on the night when he really doesn’t like what everyone else is eating. Pull out a container of soup he does like.
Go light on the garlic and spices. Flavors can intensify in the freezer. Use a light hand in the preparation and adjust the seasonings on the serving end.
Buy or borrow a stick blender. A friend told me how wonderful it was to use in soups. I was a skeptic. But, now I’m a believer. I’ve used this immersion blender for many years and am amazed at how easy it is to use.
In the past, I’ve always blended soups in batches in the food processor. What a hassle and mess! This gadget is fantastic — and stores in a drawer out of sight.
Avoid noodles and potatoes for freezer soups. For best texture, avoid adding noodles and potatoes to the soup before you freeze it. Instead, add those when you reheat for best texture.
Best Freezer Soup Recipes
These are some of the best soup recipes to make to freeze!
You can use any kind of beans you like in this easy Instant Pot Bean Soup. It’s super cheap and versatile, allowing you to use what you have or find on sale for a delicious, hearty soup supper.
Loaded with tender chicken breast, lots of veggies, taco spices, and a rich chicken stock, this simple recipe for Chicken Taco Soup is one you will love to serve both for easy weeknight suppers or fancier Cinco de Mayo celebrations. It’s ready in less than half an hour!
Split Pea Soup is super easy to make, hearty and delicious. It’s the perfect dish to warm you up on a cold winter day. Try this one on the stove, in the slow cooker, or in the Instant Pot.
Instant Pot Tomato Soup is smooth, creamy, and packed with tomato flavor. It’s a perfect soup lunch or dinner.
Roasting vegetables in the oven caramelizes their flavors. Blend them into roast vegetable soup and you’ve got a lovely meal.
Spring has arrived! With it comes a variety of spring vegetables to toss into the soup pot. Enjoy this Spring Vegetable Soup for a delicious meatless meal.
Doesn’t Broccoli Cauliflower Soup sound delicious? This easy homemade version is full of vegetables and cheese for ultimate comfort in a bowl.
Reminiscent of canned bean with bacon soup — without the bacon or the can! — this Smoky Bean Soup is economical and filling, without much fuss.
Enjoy your favorite cafe-style Broccoli Cheese Soup at home for less money. I’ll show you how easy it is with both stovetop and Instant Pot directions!
This recipe for Cheddar Cheese Soup is creamy and comforting. Filled with bits of zucchini, broccoli, and carrots, it’s perfect comfort food.
Enjoy an easy dinner with Thursday Night Soup. It makes good use of whatever you have in the kitchen so that you waste less and eat well.
Enjoy a chilly day a bit more by mixing up a pot of this delicious homemade soup, chocked full of vegetables, beef, and barley. It’ll do your body good.
Homemade pureed soups can be a delicious and economical way to get enough vegetables in your diet. They are also a great way to use up leftover vegetables. This creamy vegetable soup is blended so it’s creamy without adding any cream!
This easy chicken minestrone soup mixes up in minutes with just five basic ingredients. It’s delicious and filling without feeling heavy, perfect any time of year for lunch or dinner.
Want a dinner you can set and forget? Stir up a batch of this Mushroom Beef Stew with Kalamata Olives for a hearty, flavorful supper any night of the week.
Come home to the amazing aroma of this Spicy Beef & Bean Stew that cooked in the slow cooker while you did other things. It’s hot and spicy and utterly delicious!
This Easy Slow Cooker Chili really is easy. Cook up meat and onions, open some cans, dump some spices, and walk away. The slow cooker does all the work for you!
This easy white bean chicken chili comes together quickly but is packed with flavor.
This Spicy Pork Chili with Pumpkin will wow everyone at your table. Tender chunks of pork simmer in a pumpkin-tomato sauce redolent with chile.
Soups for Cooking
These soup recipes are excellent to use in casseroles and other dinner recipes. Having a few cups of them on hand in the freezer can make your meal prep quick and easy.
Homemade Cream of Celery Soup is so much better than the canned variety. Make a bulk batch this week to have your casserole and eat more healthfully, too.
Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup is a wonderful, flavorful, healthy alternative to commercial canned cream soups. It’s easy to make and freezes beautifully.
This basic white sauce is the building block of great recipes like homemade mac and cheese or lasagna. It comes together quickly and easily on the stove in 15 minutes!
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This post was originally published on April 4, 2011. It has been updated for content and clarity.
