8 Ways to Make Any Soup Creamier (2024)

FAQs

8 Ways to Make Any Soup Creamier? ›

Method 3: Add dairy

Dairy works well if it has a high-fat content, says Broussard. The best options for thickening soup are cream or half and half. Plain yogurt or even freshly grated cheese works well and adds an extra layer of tangy, salty flavor.

Method 3: Add dairy

Dairy works well if it has a high-fat content, says Broussard. The best options for thickening soup are cream or half and half. Plain yogurt or even freshly grated cheese works well and adds an extra layer of tangy, salty flavor.

Greek yogurt and milk

Blend together equal parts Greek yogurt and whole milk and use it in place of the same amount of heavy cream. Note that this substitute can add thickness to dishes like soups or sauces, but it shouldn't be used in recipes that require whipping.

Stabilize with a Starch

Starches like flour or cornstarch help stabilize the milk emulsion. This will prevent it from separating. A common technique is to thicken your sauce or soup with roux before adding the milk. This changes the makeup of the liquid and prevents curdling.

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute. For the best results, never add flour or cornstarch directly to your soup. If you do, it will clump up on top. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool.

Yes, you can definitely add cream to your soup. Whether you use a few tablespoons or a few cups, cream gives soup a silky mouthfeel and rich flavor. You can definitely add milk or other dairy as well, though it will taste gradually less creamy as you go down in percent.

With some starches like bread or rice, it may also help to put your soup in a blender for a quick spin to further break down the ingredients and make it extra creamy. If you don't want to blend your soup, you can also break down some starchy ingredients in other ways to help thicken your broth.

Tempering is a heat-treating technique that cooks use to prevent curdling. In this case, you'll need to gradually whisk the hot broth into the cold milk to bring both to the same temperature.

"The majority of issues with a creamy soup come from undercooking the vegetables," explains Rick Martinez, associate food editor at BA. They should be uniformly soft, with no resistance or "bite"—otherwise, they will not stand up to the blender. You'll be left with a soup that's watery in portions and lumpy in others.

The thing to do when thickening soups without dairy is to add a type of starch. Starch molecules thicken and take on water when exposed to heat, which can take any liquid from runny to thick and creamy. Bread and wheat are starches, but so are rice and potatoes, cornmeal, and other cereal grains.

What 2 ingredients are used to thicken the soup? ›

Add flour or cornflour

You can also use flour or cornflour to thicken a soup. Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer.

"If your broth is lacking in savory richness, try adding roasted onion, tomato paste, mushrooms, seaweed, soy sauce, or miso. These ingredients add umami flavor and depth to broth," she says. The choice of ingredient depends on the recipe, though.

Thicken with Dairy

Heavy Cream. If you're not a fan of slurries or roux, dairy is your next best method. Dairy adds a velvety texture that results in rich and creamy soups. Dairy can curdle your soup, so make sure to stick to higher-fat content products (coconut milk, heavy cream, sour cream) instead of milks.

For virtually anything but the brothy bois, like chicken noodle soup or Italian minestrone, you could also stir in some coconut milk, warmed cream, or crème fraîche to add body and richness.

Yes. In fact, a dollop of sour cream in beef vegetable and tomato vegetable soups can work wonders. If you like sour cream, try Lebne yogurt.