Christine GallaryFood Editor-at-Large
Christine graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France, and she has worked at Cook's Illustrated and CHOW.com. She lives in San Francisco and loves teaching cooking classes. Follow her latest culinary escapades on Instagram.
published Jan 12, 2015
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Soups are one of my favorite things to make and freeze. I love freezing soups because making a big batch to have both for dinner and to stash in the freezer is easy, and soups are healthy and filling. In fact, inspired by The Kitchn’s focus on soups this month, I made three in the last week!
Here’s what you need to know about which soups hold up well in the freezer so you can build up your own stash!
Soups That Don’t Freeze Well
Before we get into the types of soups that freeze well, let’s tackle the ones that don’t. Soups with a lot of dairy or potatoes will change in texture and possibly separate when thawed. Seafood soups can also develop some off flavors when frozen, and soups thickened with cornstarch or eggs might reheat thin and watery. Avoid freezing these types of soups.
Any toppings like tortilla chips, fresh herbs, cheese, or pestos should also be kept out of the soups and just added in when reheated and served.
More About Freezing Soups: Freezer Meals: 5 Simple Tips for Freezing Any Soup
So let’s move on to the good news — the soups that do freeze well!
The 5 Best Types of Soups to Freeze
1. Bean Soups
Bean and lentil soups freeze very well and are great protein-packed meals to have ready to go in the freezer. Whether broth-based or puréed, these soups can sometimes take a while to cook when made from dried beans, so making extra to freeze can be a real timesaver.
Bean Soup Recipes
2. Rice Soups
Rice-based soups are hearty and satisfying, with the rice acting as a natural thickener. Wild rice and brown rice, which have a more sturdy texture than white rice, hold up especially well in the freezer.
Rice Soup Recipes
3. Broth-Based Soups
Of all the soups, broth-based soups freeze the best since there’s no worry about the freezing process causing the soup to separate or change in texture. As long as you hold back noodles and just freeze the broth, vegetables, and meat, broth-based soups are satisfying and easy to doctor up when reheated — just throw the noodles or other toppings in when serving.
Broth-Based Soup Recipes
4. Meaty Soups
Meaty soups, stews, and chilis are great hearty meals to make for the freezer. These flavorful dishes are satisfying and so filling that they can stand alone as meals on their own.
Meaty Soup Recipes
5. Puréed Soups
As long as the puréed soup doesn’t contain a lot of dairy, it will freeze very well. Consider holding back on any dairy when making the soup and just adding it in when reheating the frozen soup. However, one secret trick is that any puréed soup that separates, even ones with dairy, can most likely be puréed back to a nice consistency after a minute in the blender.
