15 Fall Soup Recipes for Cosy Nights (Plus a Freezer Chart)

These fall soup recipes are the pots I put on the hob the moment the evenings draw in: creamy potato soup, a smoky pumpkin chili, proper beef stew and a golden chicken broth that makes itself. All fifteen come from my own kitchen, so every one below is a recipe I have cooked, photographed and ladled out to my family more times than I can count.

I have sorted them by mood rather than by ingredient. First come the creamy bowls, then the chilis and stews, then the lighter brothy soups, and finally two vegetarian pots. After that you will find my freezer chart, a week of soup suppers, the toppings and bread I reach for, and the questions readers ask me every autumn.

Why I Love Fall Soup Recipes

Honestly, soup is the most forgiving thing you can cook once the weather turns. It welcomes the odds and ends in the vegetable drawer, it tastes better the next day, and most of it freezes beautifully. That is why these fall soup recipes lean on a few easy habits rather than long shopping lists.

• One pot: nearly every soup here is made in a single pan, slow cooker or pressure cooker, so the washing up stays small.
• Cheap staples: potatoes, lentils, tinned tomatoes, beans and carrots do most of the work.
• Batch friendly: fourteen of the fifteen freeze well, so one big pot can cover several suppers.
• Flexible timing: some are ready in 35 minutes, while others simmer away in the slow cooker all day.

Creamy Fall Soup Recipes

When it is properly cold and grey outside, these are the bowls my family asks for first. Each one gets its silky texture in a slightly different way, so you will learn a trick or two as you go.

1. Potato Soup

This is the soup I make when the cupboard is nearly bare, because it needs just seven ingredients. Instead of flour, I blend about half the pot and leave the rest chunky, so it is thick and velvety with proper bites of potato. Then everyone piles on their own bacon, cheddar and spring onions, which my children treat as the best part.

Get the Potato Soup recipe →

2. Creamy Tomato Soup

Two tins of chopped tomatoes, butter and a soft onion turn into something far better than the carton stuff. I simmer it gently, blend it until it is completely smooth, and stir the cream in off the heat so it never splits. With a grilled cheese sandwich alongside, it is my favourite rainy Saturday lunch.

Get the Creamy Tomato Soup recipe →

3. Creamy Chicken Vegetable Soup

Here is the clever one. There is no cream at all; the carrots and onion are blended until silky, and a knob of butter at the end makes it taste rich. Meanwhile the chicken is lifted out before blending and stirred back in shredded, so you get a smooth soup with tender pieces running through it.

Get the Creamy Chicken Vegetable Soup recipe →

4. Easy Ham and Corn Chowder

Chowder is what I make with leftover ham, and this one is thick, sweet with corn and studded with crispy bacon. The bacon fat becomes the base for the onion and celery, which gives the whole pot a gentle smokiness. Of course, a soft bread roll for dunking is not optional in our house.

Get the Easy Ham and Corn Chowder recipe →

5. Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

Think of classic chicken noodle soup wearing a cosy jumper. A quick roux of butter, flour and milk turns the broth creamy, and the egg noodles go in right at the end so they stay springy. It is the bowl I take round to friends who are under the weather.

Get the Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup recipe →

Hearty Chilis and Stews

These are thick enough to stand a spoon in, which is exactly what you want after a long day or a muddy walk. Most are built on ground beef or chuck, and every one of them freezes well.

6. Pumpkin Chili

Pumpkin puree is the secret here, and you would never guess it was in there. It thickens the chili instead of beans and adds a gentle, earthy sweetness that suits the season perfectly. With six ingredients and one pot, it has become our Halloween night supper before the trick or treating starts.

Get the Pumpkin Chili recipe →

7. Instant Pot Chili

When I want chili that tastes like it simmered all afternoon but I only have half an hour, this is the one. I toast the spices and tomato paste in the beef fat first, then twelve minutes at pressure does the rest. As a result, it is deep, rich and properly thick.

Get the Instant Pot Chili recipe →

8. Crockpot White Chicken Chili

Everything goes into the slow cooker in the morning, and by teatime you have tender chicken to shred straight back into the pot. A little cream cheese melts in at the end for a mild, creamy finish that even my fussiest eater adores. Better yet, the green chillies are gentle rather than fiery.

Get the Crockpot White Chicken Chili recipe →

9. Instant Pot Beef Stew

Proper beef stew used to be a Sunday job, but the pressure cooker has changed that for good. I brown the chuck in batches so it sears rather than steams, then 25 minutes at pressure makes it fall apart tender. It genuinely tastes even better the next day.

Get the Instant Pot Beef Stew recipe →

10. Texas Cowboy Stew

This is a gloriously generous pot with ground beef, smoky kielbasa, potatoes, pinto beans, corn and tomatoes with green chillies. It is the one I make when we have a crowd coming for bonfire night, because it feeds everyone and happily sits on a low heat while people wander in.

Get the Texas Cowboy Stew recipe →

Brothy Chicken and Meatball Soups

Not every autumn evening calls for something heavy. These three are light, clear and restorative, and they are what I make the minute anyone in the house starts sniffling.

11. Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

Four minutes at pressure, and yes, the pasta cooks right in the pot. The trick is slicing the chicken thighs thinly so they cook in the same time as the fusilli. Then you quick release the second the timer ends, and you have a steaming bowl of comfort in about 25 minutes.

Get the Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup recipe →

12. Chinese Chicken Soup

This one amazes everyone who tries it. A whole chicken sits on a bed of carrots, apples and napa cabbage with ginger and spring onions, and you add no water at all. Instead, over a low heat the pot fills with its own pure, golden broth. Keep the lid shut; every peek costs you broth.

Get the Chinese Chicken Soup recipe →

13. Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup

Frozen mini meatballs make this a proper store cupboard rescue. They poach gently in the broth with carrots and celery, then the orzo and spinach go in at the end. Meanwhile, the kitchen smells wonderful all afternoon, and it is light enough for a midweek supper.

Get the Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup recipe →

Vegetarian Fall Soup Recipes

Both of these are naturally meat free and packed with beans, lentils and vegetables, so they are filling enough for a main meal. They also freeze perfectly because there is no dairy to worry about.

14. Vegetarian Lentil Soup

Brown lentils, a soft base of onion, carrot and celery, and warming cumin and paprika make this soup cheap, hearty and good for you. The splash of vinegar at the end is not optional, because that little bit of acid wakes the whole pot up. I take it to work in a flask all winter.

Get the Vegetarian Lentil Soup recipe →

15. Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup

This is a brothy, naturally vegan minestrone that starts with a proper soffritto in a frying pan before it goes into the slow cooker. That five minute step gives it far more depth than tipping everything in raw. After that, small pasta, greens and a squeeze of lemon finish it beautifully.

Get the Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup recipe →

Fall Soup Recipes Freezer Chart

I freeze soup in flat bags so they stack like books and thaw in minutes. This chart covers every soup above that freezes well, with the times from each recipe card. The only one I would not freeze is the creamy chicken noodle, which is best eaten on the day it is made.

Cool every pot quickly before it goes in the fridge or freezer. The National Center for Home Food Preservation guide to freezing soup explains cooling, containers and headspace clearly.

A Week of Soup Suppers

Every October I cook my way through a soup week, and it saves me a fortune. Here is how I would use the fall soup recipes above to cover five weeknights with very little effort.

• Sunday: make the Instant Pot beef stew, and freeze half for later in the month.
• Monday: start the white chicken chili in the slow cooker before work.
• Tuesday: creamy tomato soup with grilled cheese, on the table in 35 minutes.
• Wednesday: vegetarian lentil soup, with enough left for Thursday’s lunches.
• Thursday: potato soup with a toppings bar, which the children love.
• Friday: pumpkin chili with tortilla chips in front of a film.

Toppings and Bread to Serve With Soup

A good topping turns a simple bowl into a proper supper. For the creamy soups I go for crispy bacon, sharp cheddar, chives or a swirl of cream. Meanwhile the chilis want soured cream, grated cheese, sliced jalapenos and crushed tortilla chips.

For bread, a crusty loaf or soft dinner rolls suit almost everything, and cornbread is perfect next to any chili. In addition, a toasted cheese sandwich is the classic partner for tomato soup. For brothy soups, I keep it simple with buttered toast for dunking.

Tips for Better Soup

These are the small habits that made the biggest difference to my cooking, and they apply to almost all of the fall soup recipes in this list.

• Soften the base slowly: five to seven minutes for the onion, carrot and celery builds the flavour every other ingredient leans on.
• Season at the end: soups reduce as they cook, so taste and adjust salt only once they are done.
• Finish with acid: a splash of vinegar or lemon wakes up lentils, beans and tomato.
• Treat dairy gently: add cream and cheese off the boil, because hard heat splits them.
• Cook pasta late: noodles and orzo keep drinking broth, so add them near the end or cook them fresh.

Frequently Asked Questions