How to Freeze Soup
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Today will share how to freeze soup. There are several different methods for freezing soups including using freezer bags and using mason jars. We show you how to do it all in this tutorial.
Soups make some of the best freezer meals because they are frugal, can easily be doubled or tripled, and they freeze well. We also love how versatile soup can be. They please people with all different types of diets because you can include or exclude whatever you like. And most soups freezer really well! Make sure you also read our post on how to freezer casseroles and how to freeze cookie dough.
How to freeze soup
- Fully cook soup.
- Remove from heat.
- Let soup cool to room temperature.
- Pour soup into a desired freezer-safe container(s) (see below for instructions for specific containers).
- Store soup in the freezer for up to 2-3 months.
How to freeze soup in bags
Freezing soup in zip-top freezer bags is a total space saver! Simply pour your (cooled) soup into the freezer bag, squeeze as much air out as possible, and lie flat in your freezer.
Once it is frozen solid, it will be frozen in a thin layer, making it easy to store in freezers that are tight on space. Freezer bags are also the fastest defrost method. To defrost quickly, run the bag under hot water. You can also pull out a freezer bag of soup the night before and pop it in your fridge for overnight defrosting. Make sure to store it on top of a plate in case of leakage.
If you are planning to store your soup in the freezer for longer than a couple of months, you may want to consider a Food Saver system (this is the one we have). We have one and it works great for keeping foods fresh in the freezer for long periods of time, without freezer burn.
How to freeze soup in plastic or glass storage containers
Storage containers are a great way to store soup in the freezer. Most products are freezer friendly, and they make it really easy to save the extra soup for another day. I have found the Rubbermaid Brilliance Food Storage Containers work really well because they are totally leak-proof.
To defrost, you can pull it out 24 hours before you plan on eating it and defrost in the refrigerator (larger containers will take longer to defrost), pulling it out on the same day and letting it defrost on your counter, or filling a baking dish with warm water and placing the storage container in the water. If your container is glass, you will need to start with tepid water so the glass doesn’t break.
How to freeze soup in mason jars
Glass jars are another wonderful way to freeze soup. You can use mason jars or old clean spaghetti jars, they both work well. Pint-sized jars make the perfect individual serving and quart sized jars (or two) are better suited for a family meal. The trick with using jars is to leave at least 1-inch headspace on top. If you don’t your jar is in danger of breaking as the soup expands in the freezer.
What I love about using jars, is I get them for free whenever I make spaghetti and I have a lot left over now that I have burned through a good portion of my strawberry jam and tomato sauce. You can defrost the jars overnight in the fridge or soak in tepid water and then warmer water until defrosted.
How to reheat frozen soup
With all three of these methods, you can partially defrost in the container and reheat in a bot on the stove or reheat in the microwave once the soup is loose enough to pour from the container (it can still be icy). Just stir will until it is nice and steamy.
If you are defrosting the soup for a brown bag lunch, reheat the soup in the morning and pour it in a thermos. It should stay nice and warm until lunchtime.
When to add pasta to frozen soup
If you are making a soup that requires pasta like slow cooker chicken noodle soup, you will want to omit it from the original recipe and add it into your soup as you are reheating it. You can freeze pasta, but the texture will be better if you add it in as you reheat the soup.
Well, that’s all I have for you in our Soup Week Series. Thank you so much for coming along for the ride! If you have questions or any other soup tips, please feel free to leave them in the comments or send me an email.
Soup Recipe Lineup:
- How to Make Soup From Scratch
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Pressure Cooker Vegetable Beef Soup
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Instant Pot Potato Soup
We hope this post helped you learn how to freeze soup and to fill your freezer with some delicious meals!
3 Comments