Soup is a meal that most people love. There are so many different ingredients that can be put into a hearty soup and so many different soup dishes to be made, that it would be hard to find anyone who has any complaints about this wonderful, warming meal.
However, it can be a struggle to cook the perfect soup that’ll get everyone desperate for seconds.
It is often the case that something will go wrong during the cooking process and the soup we make is too thin and watery, which can curb people’s enjoyment of it.
In this article, we will detail the various ways you can thicken the soup, using ingredients that are likely to already be in your kitchen!
Ingredients That Can Help Thicken Your Soup
If you want nice, thick bowls of soup, then a great way to achieve them is by adding some extra ingredients that can act as thickening agents (and some add some amazing flavors, too!) Here are a few examples:
Tip 1: Add Some Dairy (Or Vegan Alternative)
If you don’t have any ingredients to blend, then you can always add some dairy to thicken your soup. We recommend using either yogurt or cream. All you need to do is pour your dairy product of choice into the soup and stir well.
However, please note that you should not boil the soup after adding your yogurt or cream, because this may cause it to split. Adding yogurt or cream make for the creamiest soups that you definitely don’t want to miss out on. And if you’re vegan then we have good news! Using a vegan alternative to yogurt and cream will still work when it comes to thickening soup.
Tip 2: Add Butter And Oil
You can use butter or oil to thicken your soup, but be careful not to overdo it. The more fat you put in your soup, the thicker it becomes. So, for example, if you were to add one tablespoon of butter to a cup of water, it would turn out quite thin. But if you added two tablespoons of butter, it would become very thick.
Try adding half a teaspoon at first, and see how it turns out. If it’s too thick, then add another half a teaspoon.
Take it slow, you can always add more, but you can’t really take it out once it’s mixed in!
Tip 3: Add Curry Powder
Another way to thicken your soup is to use curry powder. Just mix a little bit of curry powder into your soup, and voila! It really is that simple! And not to mention…absolutely delicious!
Tip 4: Add Sugar
Did you know that you can also use sugar to help thicken your soup? All you need to do is add one tablespoon of sugar to a cup of water and let it dissolve completely before adding it to your soup.
Then, add the rest of your ingredients, and stir them thoroughly. However, please take note of some important information regarding using sugar to thicken soup:
It is good to remember that using sugar can take longer than using other methods. For example, if you add one tablespoon of sugar to four cups of water, it will take about 20 minutes to get the right consistency.
However, there is a way around this. If you add one tablespoon to a cup of water that has already been boiled, it will only take 10 minutes.
Tip 5: Add Flour
Another great way to thicken your soup is to use flour. You can choose between using regular flour or cornflour since both types make for an excellent thickening agent. Follow these steps to learn how to use flour to thicken soup:
– Take a tablespoon of flour (or cornflour) into a bowl
– Mix two to three tablespoons of soup until you make a smooth mixture
– Then, stir this mixture into the soup and bring the pot to a simmer
– Make sure you allow the soup to cook for a few minutes more to allow the soup time to thicken and remove any flavor the flour may leave behind.
Cooking Tips To Thicken Your Soup
If you don’t want to add any food or ingredients to thicken your soup, then here are some cooking tips that can help you thicken your soup.
Stirring Is Important
When you are stirring your soup, you want to keep an eye on it while it cooks. As soon as it starts to look thick enough, stop stirring.
Blend The Soup
Sometimes, all you need to do to thicken a soup is to blend it. This is a very common method to thicken soup. You can choose between blending all of the soup or just part of it.
This tip works well if you have made a soup with vegetable chunks in it, like minestrone. It also works well if you are making a soup with particularly starchy ingredients, such as beans, pasta, or potatoes.
You can even blend soup that contains meat, as long as it does not contain any bones.
The following steps will teach you how to thicken soup via blending.
– Pour the soup through a sieve.
– Take about a third of the ingredients and blend the soup
– Stir the remaining ingredients back into the soup
– If you do not have a blender, then you can do this with a potato masher instead!
Conclusion
A bowl of soup is a wonderful dish to enjoy during the winter months. Whether you prefer to eat it warm or cold, it is always tasty.
However, if you are new to cooking then you may find you make many mistakes in the kitchen, especially when it comes to soup.
One complaint we see a lot is the thinness of the soup. No one wants watery, runny soup on a cold day! Luckily, there are many ways to thicken the soup.
For example, you can use extra ingredients like flour, cream, or yogurt. Or by following cooking tips such as blending it or stirring it well. We hope that our tips above helped you out in achieving a thicker soup. Happy eating!
