This post may contain paid links. See more info on my privacy page.
Stock your freezer for months of easy meals with my recipe guide to the best Soups for Freezing! This list of freezer-friendly soup recipes is perfect for meal prepping in big batches. There's a soup for everyone here!
Jump to:
Meal Prep Soups
I've always been a soup-lover, so ever since my kids were small I've been coming up with easy soup recipes for freezing to make meal prep simple. There is nothing easier, or more satisfying, than a good soup recipe for dinner!
Meal prep soups are honestly magical. Soup might be the perfect frozen dinner. It freezes well, thaws easily, and all you have to do to reheat leftovers is toss it in a bowl in the microwave.
My freezer is always stocked with jars of at least one of these tasty soup recipes, and with years of experience behind me, I'll give you all my best tips and tricks that will make your meal prepping life easier!
What soups shouldn't be frozen?
- Cream soups: If your soup has a lot of heavy cream or melted cheese, skip the freezing and eat it within the next week. This is because milk fat doesn't tend to freeze well, and splits badly when thawed!
- Noodle soups and Rice soups: Noodles and rice tend to keep soaking up water as they rest. If you've ever made soup with rice, you might have noticed how the broth disappears over time! To avoid mushy pasta, avoid freezing soup with noodles or rice.
- Chunky potato soups: While blended potato soup freezes very well, potato soup that uses whole large chunks can suffer the same fate as noodle soup, with the potato chunks getting soggy and mushy over time.
What soups are good for freezing?
- Blended soups: Any blended soup such as butternut squash, potato, or carrot will freeze and thaw beautifully. You can always just run them through the blender again once reheated too!
- Bean soups: Soups utilizing lots of beans, be they blended or whole, tend to freeze very well. The beans hold up well frozen and reheat nice and creamy.
- Brothy soups: Soup that's mostly broth tends to freeze, like, well, broth! This means they're perfect for freezing and can last a long time.
Homemade Broth Recipes
The heart of soup is in the broth! You can always use canned or carton broth, but I find that making my own saves on money, reduces food waste, and tastes a whole lot better! And all you need to do is store bones and vegetable scraps in the freezer until you're ready to cook.
When making your own broth or stock, the most important part is to chill the stock very quickly in an ice bath before freezing or using it right away. Check out my homemade stock recipes for detailed instructions!
Bean Soup Recipes
Beans are one of my favorite ingredients for soup! They're one of those perfect meal prep ingredients. High in fiber and with a shelf life of years, they can be blended up to make soups creamy without cream, soak up liquids to absorb flavor, and freeze amazingly! What better ingredient for meal prep soups could there be?
Brothy Soups for Freezing
Once you've got a good broth, the soup practically makes itself! Just add in all your favorite veggies and a protein and soup is ready to serve. These warm, cozy soups are especially great for saving for cold season and are perfect for getting sinuses cleared out fast!
For noodle soups, make the entire soup without adding the noodles, then freeze. Add in the cooked or uncooked noodles while reheating for fresh, tender pasta every time.
Blended Soup Recipes
Blended soups might be the ultimate in cozy weeknight dinners. They're comfort food through and through, packing tons of veggies into every creamy bite.
One of my favorite things about this kind of soup is that you can so easily swap out one vegetable for another! Butternut squash can be replaced with sweet potatoes or carrots for a warm carrot soup, and they'll cook up and blend the same. Get creative!
How to Freeze Soup
Once you've prepped the soup, it's time to store it! And with soup, that can be a little more complicated than you might expect. Here's the best way to store soup in the freezer!
- First, chill the soup quickly. Don't just let it come to room temperature on its own; it will sit at unsafe temperatures for too long. Instead, place the soup pot in an ice water bath in the sink to chill it quickly.
- Once room temperature or colder, pour the soup into freezer-safe containers or freezer bags. I prefer to use glass containers such as wide-mouth mason jars. Just make sure the mouth of the jar is as wide as the jar itself, to prevent the frozen soup from getting stuck.
- Important: Make sure to leave some room in the containers! Don't fill them to the brim. The soup will expand while freezing and can break containers.
- Label the containers with the date and what each soup is, then place in the freezer. Avoid placing it next to highly perishable frozen foods like raw meat until the soup is completely frozen.
How to Reheat Frozen Soup
You've got lots of options for reheating frozen soup depending on how quickly you prepare! My trick to thawing frozen soup is to first remove it from the container by running hot water over it. This will make the soup pop right out of its container!
- Microwave: Frozen soup can be thawed in the microwave using the defrost setting, or setting the microwave to 50% power. Stir thoroughly every minute and make sure to use a lid.
- Saucepan: My favorite way to reheat frozen soup is on the stovetop! Remove the soup from the container and place it in a pot on the stove. Turn the heat to medium low, then cover the pot with a lid. Let it slowly thaw while turning over the frozen soup frequently, and break it up once you can. Heat to bubbling, and serve!
- Fridge: A great way to have fast weeknight dinners is to thaw out soup in the refrigerator overnight. That way it'll be easy to reheat in minutes, making for perfect meals on the fly!
Isabel's Top Tip
Make big batches! I tend to double or even triple soup recipes so I have lots to freeze. There's nothing like stocking the freezer with stacked bottles of frozen soup that will keep you going for weeks!
Meal Prep Soups FAQ
Soup lasts a long time in the freezer- usually up to 4 months. However, it can and will eventually get freezer burn as the moisture gradually gets drawn out by the frozen air. To avoid that, label the containers with the date the soup was made to ensure it's eaten before it has the risk of getting freezer burn.
I prefer to use mason jars with screw-on caps and wide mouths. The wide mouth is critical, as this allows for the soup to be removed from the jar before being fully thawed. Freezer bags are also great for soup, as you can lay them flat and stack the frozen bags to save on freezer space!
More Meal Prep Guides
- Last Minute Dinner Ideas
- School Lunch Ideas for Picky Eaters
- Kid Friendly Easy Weeknight Dinners
- Cheap Meals for Big Families
And of course, you've got to check out my "What to Make With" series! It's all about how to make use of big-batch proteins and a great place to start when you're trying to figure out how to start meal prep!
If you enjoyed the recipe, leave a comment and a rating below!
Comments
No Comments