The Best Soup Maker Recipes

Looking for the best recipes for your soup maker? Here are my top recipes for this versatile machine which makes making soup a breeze – you will never need to buy canned or shop soup again!

Love soup? Love your soup maker!

Soup makers are so popular, and rightly so. They are the perfect gadget for anyone who enjoy soup, but prefers not to cook, or is too busy.

I use (and love) the Ninja Soup Maker (Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender)

I’ve been using mine for well over a year now, and have probably made around 100 batches of soup in it, and every single time I find myself saying “gosh – I LOVE my soup maker!”

See Also

• Make delicious soup with ease, time after time with my soup maker hints and tips
• How to thicken soup (and how to make the perfect texture of soup every time)
• Made a big batch? How to freeze soup

Why make homemade soup

• The soup maker makes making soup at home really easy!
• It is an easy way to get several extra portions of vegetables.
• Homemade soup is cheaper than store bought, is adaptable, and won’t have flavourings and additives.
• Homemade soup is UPF free!

Weekday lunch!

Soup is a perfect weekday lunch – and with more and more of us working from home these days the soup maker is the perfect gadget.

Load it up during your morning coffee break – take 30 seconds to press go half an hour before lunch, and find a batch of freshly made soup waiting for you, with no need to spend your lunch break cooking.

Is a soup maker worth it?

I am going to fess up and say that I originally thought that a soup maker really was a waste of time and counter space. Why on earth would you need one when a pan and a cheap stick blender would do the job just as well?

On the other hand my friend Sue has long raved about hers. She’s given it such heavy use she has had to replace it several times over the years.

I eventually gave in and bought one, and after much research I bought a Ninja Soup Maker (the Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender) and you know what? I LOVE it! It was expensive but has replaced my even more expensive power blender. I have found it to be worth every penny.

I use mine nearly every time I make soup, and am writing soup maker recipes for all the classic soups I used to make on the stove top.

Why I love my soup maker (and so will you)

• It makes soup easy – we eat soup for lunch nearly every day during the winter and the machine makes soup even easier (and helps us to eat several extra portions of veggies a day)

• It is huge. It will make 1.7 litres of hot soup and even more of a cold liquid, making it perfect for batch cooking. I generally cook for two – the Ninja soup maker will make 6 generous portions – so that is 3 days worth for us. Serve on the day, the next day, and then two portions in the freezer for another day.

• It is so powerful and comes to the boil in a few minutes, even when full.

• The blending is amazing. Soups are velvet smooth (ideal for anyone who is sensitive to texture) and it is as good as a power blender costing 3 or 4 times the price. It is also great for crushing ice (hello, cocktails!).

• It has a sauté function so will fry onions, which means you get a better flavoured soup.

• It is adaptable with programmes for chunky soup, smooth soup, hot and cold drinks, sauces and dips. You can even make jam in it!

• It has a self-clean cycle. You rinse it, add warm water and a little washing-up liquid, and let it do its thing. I then give it another rinse, wipe down the outside and leave upside down to dry.

• Once you have started the cycle, it is fully automated and it will turn itself off, or keep warm. There is no need to set a kitchen timer or risk forgetting about a pan on the stove. This is great if you are easily distracted. This is especially handy for older teens who, if they’re anything like the ones I know, might wander off and forget about it.

Best Soup Maker Recipes

Soup maker hints and tips

For ideas about getting the best out of these great machines, see all my soup maker hints and tips.

• The sauté function is handy but not fool proof; it’s best when using no more than 1 onion.

• Leave out the central bung out when sautéing so the steam can vent more easily.
  
• However NEVER leave the bung out of the lid when the main soup maker program is running.
  
• Working from home? Add ingredients mid-morning, then press go 30 mins before you want your lunch? Perfect hot soup, freshly made and ready just when you want it.
  
• They can be noisy, so don’t use if you work in the kitchen!

• For the perfect texture of soup always add less liquid than you think you need. A good rule of thumb is to have the waterline 1-2 inches (2.5 – 5cm) BELOW the vegetables.

• Empty the jug when the soup is still hot.

• Rinse, and clean (or at least soak) immediately. Remember the jug can’t be immersed in water or go in the dishwasher.

• Fresh soup will keep for several days in the fridge – and nearly all soups can be frozen – see all my tips on how to freeze soup.

• Soup made in a powerful soup maker can separate, especially after freezing and defrosting. This is normal. Do not worry, a good stir as you reheat it will bring it back to freshly made perfection.