15 Hearty Winter Soups To Warm You Up

For many of us here at Serious Eats, making soup is a vital self-care strategy in the cold winter months. When sunlight is in short supply, winds are biting, and spirits are flagging, a batch of spicy khao soi or an eye-opening bowl of sopa de lima can provide a much-needed morale boost. Of course, when sickness strikes, the act of making a pot of chicken soup is one of the best ways we know of to nurse ourselves (and those we love) back to health. Keep reading for some of our favorite winter soup recipes to keep the cold at bay.

Homemade Chicken Soup

There is no better culinary cure for the winter chills than chicken soup. A flavorful broth and perfectly cooked chicken make this classic even better. Add fresh egg noodles to the bowl, or go all out with this recipe for the ultimate chicken noodle soup.

Shurabet el Eid (Holiday Soup)

Turn simple chicken broth into a full meal with the addition of white rice and easy meatballs.

The Best Potato-Leek Soup

This easy potato-leek soup takes no shortcuts to deliver the best flavor and texture possible. For a delicious vegan alternative, try Kenji’s recipe for fully-loaded baked potato soup.

Binakol na Manok (Filipino Chicken and Coconut Soup)

This brothy soup is made with chicken, coconut water, tender young coconut meat, fresh spinach, lemongrass, and ginger. The result is a subtly sweet and bitter soup that’s perfect in any weather.

Moroccan Egg Drop Harira (Vegetable and Legume Soup)

Harira is a soup enjoyed across Morocco. Though different regions and families have their own special way of making it, the soup typically contains tomatoes, celery, pulses such as chickpeas or lentils, spices, cilantro, and cornstarch. This version features both lentils and chickpeas, and is finished with a drizzle of beaten egg to form little wispy egg bits in the thickened soup.

Bún Bò Huê (Vietnamese Spicy Beef Noodle Soup)

This spicy, funky, and meaty noodle soup from the city of Huê in the central region of Vietnam is a labor of love to make, but well worth the effort. The combination of a rich lemongrass-scented broth, thick, supple noodles, and a heaping pile of spicy, astringent, and aromatic garnishes is deeply satisfying.

French Onion Soup (Soupe à l’Oignon Gratinée)

In the case of a simple dish like French onion soup, success or failure comes down to the onions and the broth. High-quality stock and caramelizing the onions slowly in butter until they’re rich golden brown produces the sweetest, most flavorful results.

Ham and Bean Soup

This recipe produces a rich, hearty, and undeniably satisfying soup loaded with navy beans, smoky ham, and lots of vegetables. If swapping out the smoked ham hock for some kielbasa sounds good to you, check out Kenji‘s recipe for kapusniak.

Simmered Frozen Tofu Soup With Pork and Cabbage

Freezing and thawing tofu transforms its texture, making it perfect for absorbing the simple flavors of the broth, which includes pork, cabbage, chicken stock, garlic, and ginger.

Hot and Numbing Shredded Lamb Noodle Soup

Aromatic lamb soup with a spicy, tingly shredded lamb topping, perfect for serving with hand-pulled noodles.

New England Clam Chowder

For this classic dish, Kenji starts by steaming fresh clams until they open, removes and chops the clam meat, and then builds a flavorful, creamy broth by adding milk and cream to the steaming liquid, along with salt pork, onion, celery, and bay leaf.

One-Pot Pozole Verde de Pollo (Green Mexican Hominy and Chicken Soup)

This one-pot weeknight version of the hearty Mexican classic leverages canned hominy but doesn’t skimp on flavor.

Gamja-tang (Korean Pork and Potato Stew)

Tender pork spareribs join large chunks of perfectly cooked potatoes and daikon in a broth flavored with doenjang, gochugaru, and perilla seeds. Consider this a superlative cold-weather stew.

Classic Butternut Squash Soup

Here, we take the classic winter squash purée and give it a few essential upgrades. Browning the butter adds a toasty, nutty flavor, while roasting butternut squash until deeply browned enhances its sweetness significantly and brings out its best possible flavor.

Caldo Verde (Portuguese Potato and Kale Soup With Sausage)

This quick and easy soup from northern Portugal is pure comfort in a bowl.

The Serious Eats Team

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