Avoid the heartache of freezer burn and mushy leftovers by learning how to freeze soup.
Soup is the ultimate make-ahead freezer meal. Because most soups can be stored in the freezer for at least three months, it’s a great dish to make on Sundays and enjoy for weeks to come.
What’s the Best Way to Freeze Soup?
It’s simple to learn how to freeze soup, follow along for our best tips.
- Prepare and let the soup cool completely.
- Next, pour soup into freezer-safe containers or bags. Make sure to remove as much air as possible from the container. If you are using a container instead of a bag, I recommend lining the top of your soup with a piece of plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn.
- Label each container with the name of the recipe and an ‘eat by’ (three months from the day the soup is made) and place soup in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheat Soup
When you are ready to reheat the soup, you have a couple of options!
Thaw in the refrigerator. If you have time to thaw the soup in the refrigerator, I suggest taking the soup out of the freezer and letting it thaw out on its own in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
After the soup has thawed out, place the soup in a saucepan. Sometimes the ingredients in the soup will soak up a lot of the liquid in the soup when you freeze it.
If you thaw out your soup and it is lacking in the liquid department, add a half cup of liquid to the saucepan at a time until it reaches your desired liquid level.
Heat soup over medium/high heat. Bring to a boil then let simmer until you add additional ingredients (noodles and protein) and serve.
Thaw in a water bath. If you need to expedite the thawing process, place your bag or container in a warm water bath until soup loosens from the side of the container. Pour soup (which might still be an ice block) into a large saucepan.
Heat over low/medium heat until soup thaws completely. Add additional liquid and then bring to a boil and serve.
Microwave. We do not recommend defrosting any soup container in a microwave EXCEPT for a glass mason jar. Remove the metal lid from a mason jar and place soup into the microwave.
Use the defrost setting or set power to low and microwave soup for 5-10 minutes or until soup has thawed.
Heat soup in the microwave on high until soup reaches the desired temperature.
Don’t forget to add protein + noodles!
Pick up where you left off in your original recipe for adding cream or protein. As for noodles, boil noodles in a separate saucepan and add noodles to your soup before serving.
How Long Does Homemade Soup Last in the Freezer?
For best quality, soups will last about 3 months in the freezer, though certain vegetable-based broth soups can be safely enjoyed 6 months or more out. If you don’t like pushing your luck with that guideline, use the classic test: when in doubt, throw it out. If it smells and looks funky, give it the toss.