There are few things more reassuring than knowing you've got homemade soup waiting for you at home on a cold winter day. Making soup can be somewhat meditative; assembling and chopping the ingredients, then standing over the pot while the onions soften in butter or the spices sizzle and bloom in oil. Once the liquid (stock or water) has been added and the cooking is underway, you can step aside and go about your other business, but the delicious aromas of the meal you've been preparing will begin wafting throughout the house.
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Why Homemade Is Best
The benefits of homemade soup are many: You control the ingredient list, using just what you like and leaving out what you don't, and you can use ingredients you know are good for you. Of course, it's also more economical than buying pre-made soup. And just think how satisfied you'll feel once you've eaten your bowlful and put some away in the refrigerator for later in the week, or the freezer for a day, further down the road, when you need a little bit of extra comfort.
Whether you're making stock from scratch or using store-bought (of course, we'd vote in favor of homemade stock any day), it's well worth the effort to make your own soup, and just getting into the kitchen and preparing it might make you feel good. Portions for one, two, or many can be put away in the fridge or freezer for a rainy day. The trick is knowing how to pack it away for reheating in the most efficient and safe way.
How Long Can You Store Soup?
You might be surprised to know that some soups will keep almost one week in the fridge. Assuming that your refrigerator is kept at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below, the storage length really depends on two things: what's in the soup, and how efficiently it was cooled down. Many recipes will give you a conservative length of time for storage, so the best thing to do is learn to trust your nose and taste buds, and always be on alert for funky smells and sourness.
In the refrigerator
A general rule of thumb is that soup can be stored in the refrigerator for about three days, but you should always taste your dish before deciding to reheat. A clear, vegetable-based soup with some acidity, such as tomatoes, may last longer. Chicken soup usually lasts three to five days. Creamy soups will most likely last three days, and seafood soup two or three days.
In the freezer
Depending on the ingredients in your soup, a frozen batch can last you up to three months, assuming your freezer is the appropriate temperature, 0 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal, according to the USDA. As with refrigerated soups, trust your gut after defrosting. If the soup seems questionable, you're better off tossing it.
Cooling and Preparing Soup for Storage
The key to cooling and reheating foods safely is speed. This is easier to achieve when working with small amounts. The larger the vat of soup, the longer it takes to cool down—and therein lies the risk of spoilage.
Professional kitchens use an ice bath: Place a container of soup in a larger container and fill it with ice water to come up to the same level as the soup. Stir from time to time as it cools to speed things up. Once it is at room temperature the soup can be divided, covered, and refrigerated or frozen. Don't cover it until then, that would only slow down the cooling time.
Freezing and Defrosting Soup
Not all types of soup should be frozen. Those made with cream or milk, such as chowders and bisques, separate and become grainy if frozen. If you want to freeze a soup that contains pasta, rice, or other grains, wait to add these ingredients until you reheat and serve the soup, otherwise the texture of the pasta and rice will become mushy with freezing and thawing.
Be sure not to overfill the container as the soup will expand as it freezes. Leave about an inch of space between the soup and the top of the container. And always label! That way you'll know which is the soup you want to defrost rather than trying to guess between two similar looking pots in the freezer.
Defrosting should always happen in the refrigerator or in the microwave. Remember that a large pot of soup might take longer than overnight to defrost in the refrigerator. Never defrost soup by leaving it on the counter. Also, don't reheat a portion more than once—just take out what you will eat and keep the rest of it cold.
Reheating Soup
Soup is easy to reheat, whether on the stovetop or in the microwave. A handy rule to remember is that if you are reheating a chicken or meat broth or clear soup, bring it to a boil for three minutes to be sure of killing off any possible harmful bacterial growth. Soups are, in a way, the most flexible of foods when it comes to storage and reuse because they can be brought to a boil without risk of scorching. This is harder to do with soups that are thickened with flour or cream, or those that are mainly seafood; they might over-reduce, becoming too salty, thick, or cloudy. As long as you trust that the soup doesn't smell or taste "off" when you take it out of the refrigerator, bring it just to a boil and then lower the heat and stir as it simmers gently for three more minutes.
FAQs
We let the soup cool down to room temperature before putting it in the fridge for a maximum of three days. This will prevent the formation of condensation, which can make the soup watery and affect its flavor. It's essential to note that soups that contain milk or cream don't generally hold up well in the freezer.
How do you store leftover homemade soup? ›
We let the soup cool down to room temperature before putting it in the fridge for a maximum of three days. This will prevent the formation of condensation, which can make the soup watery and affect its flavor. It's essential to note that soups that contain milk or cream don't generally hold up well in the freezer.
Is it safe to reheat homemade soup? ›
Soup can be stored for up to three months in the freezer. You should always defrost frozen soup in the fridge or the microwave. You can then reheat it in a saucepan on the stove, or in a bowl in the microwave. Soup should not be reheated more than once, so only heat up as much soup as you will eat each time.
What is the proper way to reheat a soup prepared a day ahead? ›
Reheat leftovers thoroughly to at least 165 °F. Reheat sauces, soups, and gravies to a boil. On stove top: Place food in pan and heat thoroughly. The food should reach at least 165 °F on a food thermometer when safely reheated.
What is the safest way to store soup? ›
The simplest way to store soups and stews (if you're planning to use them within a few days) is in the fridge. Refrigerating soups and stews is mostly a matter of transferring it to some sort of container with a tight-fitting lid and getting it into the fridge within two hours.
How long will homemade soup last in the refrigerator? ›
A general rule of thumb is that soup can be stored in the refrigerator for about three days, but you should always taste your dish before deciding to reheat. A clear, vegetable-based soup with some acidity, such as tomatoes, may last longer. Chicken soup usually lasts three to five days.
How do you refrigerate soup after cooking? ›
A large pot of food like soup, chili or stew should be divided into small portions and put in shallow containers before being refrigerated. A large cut of meat or whole poultry should be divided into smaller pieces and wrapped separately or placed in shallow containers before refrigerating.
Why shouldn't you reheat soup more than once? ›
Each time food is cooled, stored and reheated, the likelihood of harmful bacteria multiplying increases. If you do end up with leftovers, it is much safer to either freeze them or reheat them just once.
Is 5 day old soup ok to eat? ›
Most soups can only last in a refrigerator for 3 to 4 days until they risk going bad, so make sure you place your cooled vegetable soup promptly in the freezer before this point. Make sure your soup lasts well by placing it in an airtight freezer-safe container.
How to preserve homemade soup? ›
There are two ways to preserve soups: canning or freezing. The best soups to can or freeze are vegetable, chili, stock, bean, seafood, tomato or split pea soups. Soups that cannot be canned are cream soups and soups with the following ingredients: pasta, rice, flour, cream, milk and other thickening agents.
Along with that there is also "super bacteria", that is a bacteria that can develop to not be affected by high temperatures because you have heated and cooled it so much. And in this example your food went from Cooked to Frozen to Heated to Cooled to Reheated so it could have developed.
Can I put reheated soup back in the fridge? ›
After each reheating, leftovers will be safe in the fridge for an additional three to four days. Because the quality decreases each time food is reheated, it is best to reheat only the amount needed. Cooked foods that cannot be used within four days should be frozen for longer, safe storage.
Is it better to make soup the day before? ›
"Soups and stews really need to simmer for long periods to allow the ingredients to meld together. Taking that a step further, most soups and stews are better if you prepare them the day before serving.
How do you store homemade soup? ›
The golden rule you must remember is that soup can be stored in the refrigerator for about three days. However, we advise that you should always taste your soup before deciding to reheat it. Clear, vegetable-based soup with some acidity, like tomatoes, will last longer.
Can I leave soup out overnight? ›
On most occasions, you shouldn't leave soup out overnight. This is because when the stock in the soup cools below 130°F, dangerous bacteria can multiply. If you do decide that you want to leave soup out overnight, it's recommended that you boil the soup for 10 minutes to kill any active bacteria.
Can I put hot soup in the fridge? ›
Refrigerators should register 40°F or below, so adding hot soup or stock with a significantly higher temperature can cause the overall temperature to rise, creating a breeding ground for spoilage. The USDA also does not recommend leaving hot or cold food out at a temperature within the danger zone for over two hours.
Can I eat soup that has been in the fridge for a week? ›
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), soups and stews containing meat and vegetables will be safe to eat for three to four days if refrigerated. The Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety (CFS) recommends setting your fridge temperature at 4 degrees Celsius (39 degrees Fahrenheit) or below.
Can you store homemade soup in jars? ›
Glass containers: You can use glass containers like mason jars to store soup so long as you protect their contents with plastic wrap. Keep in mind that the sturdiness and inflexibility of glass containers can quickly add up in a way that isn't true of other alternatives.
Can you store soup in plastic containers? ›
It is safe to freeze your soup in plastic containers, so long as they're the right containers. Not all plastics are made equal. Always store food in containers that are made from safe plastics and do not contain polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonate, or polystyrene.
