Our 29 Best Holiday Soup Recipes To Make This Season
Comforting soups to warm you up during the holidays
A comforting winter soup may not be your first instinct for a hearty meal, but with options ranging from warming mushroom soups to filling chicken and dumplings and Italian vegetable soups, it's important to remember that a good broth can turn just about anything into a one-bowl meal. Make broths ahead of time and throw in leftovers from your holiday feast to keep enjoying your meal from the night before. Make rich bean soups or purée your favorite winter root vegetables for silky smooth, thick holiday soups. Either way, our best holiday soup recipes are the perfect way to ward off the chill on Christmas Day. For more holiday inspiration check out our Holiday Guide.
In this traditional Lucchese soup, vegetables and beans are slow-cooked until little to no bite remains, making it a rustic, comforting dish. Be sure to give any tougher vegetables all the time they need to scompare, or disappear. The quantities are flexible, so use whatever you have on hand. Get the recipe for Italian Bean and Vegetable Soup »
A variety mushrooms gives nuance to this hearty vegetarian soup. Any assortment of fresh mushrooms will work and you can change those flavorful notes by switching up the combination each time you make it. Get the recipe for Onion Fennel and Mushroom Soup »
Swiss Cheese Soup
A traditional dish enjoyed year-round in the Alps of southern Switzerland, this homey soup takes its name from the mountain huts where it’s commonly made. Typically incorporating cheeses from the region, this version is fortified with L’Etivaz (which can be found at specialty cheese shops) and heavy cream. If you can’t find L’Etivaz, substitute Gruyère instead. Get the recipe for Swiss Cheese Soup »
A traditional dish enjoyed year-round in the Alps of southern Switzerland, this homey soup takes its name from the mountain huts where it's commonly made. Typically incorporating cheeses from the region, this version is fortified with L'Etivaz (which can be found at specialty cheese shops) and heavy cream. If you can't find L'Etivaz, substitute Gruyère instead. Get the recipe for Swiss Cheese Soup »
Flavored with wine and aromatics, this broth is similar to a nage or poaching liquid—you only need a shallow pool of it in each bowl. The broth features red yuzu kosho, a Japanese condiment made from citrus, yuzu, and chiles, which adds a round, tart flavor that is hard to replace. In a pinch, add a little more chile and lime zest. If head-on shrimp are hard to find—or you'd rather not fight with fish heads on New Year's Eve—nix them for more shelled shrimp. Get the recipe for Seafood Soup with Ginger and Yuzu Kosho »
Similar to an American lobster bisque, the broth for this warming Icelandic soup is reinforced with langoustine shells and reduced before being bolstered with cream and curry powder. Get the recipe for Creamy Langoustine Soup (Humarsúpa) »
It took chef Hooni Kim one year to perfect his recipe for dashi, which he uses as the base of this everyday Korean stew. Gochujang adds a subtle layer of heat to the broth, and doenjang boosts its richness and silkiness. Get the recipe for Fermented Soybean Stew (Doenjang Jjigae) »
Pungent raw garlic shines in this no-cook soup adapted from Claudia Roden's The Food of Spain (Ecco, 2011). Get the recipe for Almond and Garlic Soup (Ajo Blanco »
Fiskesuppe, as it's called in Norwegian, can be found at nearly every restaurant on the Lofoten Islands of northern Norway. Local cooks sometimes swap out cod for other seasonal fish, such as salmon, or add accents like red pepper, chunks of bacon, or chive oil. Get the recipe for Fiskekrogen's Fish Soup »
What do you make with a lot of leftover tortillas? Not just tortilla soup, but how about tortilla dumplings? These dumplings, from Mexican cooking sage Josefina Velázquez de León, get pan-seared, then simmered in a rich cream of tomato soup. Get the recipe for Masa Ball and Tomato Soup »
Meant to be a catchall for the day's available seafood, rundown showcases whatever's freshest at the fish market along with tubers in a slightly sweet coconut milk broth. Get the recipe for Nicaraguan "Rundown" Seafood Soup »
Broken pieces of spaghetti add body to this Roman soup, thickening the broth as it cooks. It's a great use for the dregs of a box of dried pasta. Get the recipe for Skate and Romanesco Soup »
A hefty dose of saffron perfumes this corn-studded chicken noodle soup. Get the recipe for Roasted Chicken, Corn, and Saffron Soup »
This rich, smooth soup balances the gentle flavor of fennel with spices and a bracing addition of Pernod. Get the recipe for Cream of Fennel Soup »
Smoked tomatoes add additional depth of flavor to a thick, tangy soup. Get the recipe for Smoked Tomato Soup »
This kind of luscious puréed bean soup is made all over Italy with either white or fava beans. Prepare the soup several days in advance, but sauté the broccoli rabe just before serving. Get the recipe for White Bean Soup with Fennel Seeds and Broccoli Rabe »
Caramelized roasted pumpkin gets an unorthodox hit of flavor from orange zest and juice, stirred in just before serving to brighten this wintry soup. Get the recipe for Pumpkin Soup with Orange and Parmigiano-Reggiano »
Pelmeni Dumplings in Chicken Broth
Ground pork-and-garlic-filled dumplings add soul-comforting richness to a simple chicken broth in this Siberian soup. Get the recipe for Pelmeni Dumplings in Chicken Broth »
Ground pork-and-garlic-filled dumplings add soul-comforting richness to a simple chicken broth in this Siberian soup. Get the recipe for Pelmeni Dumplings in Chicken Broth »
A simple onion–potato broth acts as the poaching liquid for tender turkey meatballs, the whole thing punched up with pungent, fermented dill, basil and parsley. Get the recipe for Frikadelki in Broth with Fermented Herbs »
A splash of Italian dessert wine brightens up this warming ham and grain soup. Get the recipe for Pearl Barley Soup with Moscato d'Asti »
This stew uses rendered duck fat in the roux instead of butter and quartered ducks in lieu of the classic chicken. Get the recipe for Duck and Andouille Gumbo »
After flavoring the beans for this creamy winter soup, smoked ham hock is shredded and pan-fried, rendering it crisp and intensifying its flavor. Get the recipe for White Bean and Lacinato Kale Soup with Smoked Ham Hock »
Winter Squash and Apple Soup
A garnish of fried mushrooms and a drizzle of spiced mint butter adds elegance to a simple pureed vegetable soup.
A garnish of fried mushrooms and a drizzle of spiced mint butter adds elegance to a simple pureed vegetable soup. Get the recipe for Winter Squash and Apple Soup »
As an apprentice in France, the first thing you learn to make is the beautifully translucent soup called consommé. It is the highest sophistication of stock, a pillar of French cuisine. Get the recipe for Consommé »
Borscht
When my parents emigrated from the Soviet Union to the U.S. in 1975, it didn’t take them long to assimilate, something they were eager to do. Among our Russian friends, they were always the most “American,” whether it came to their impressive command of English or the fresh, light way we ate at home. There were a few homeland favorites, however, that Mom kept in her repertoire. Perhaps the most beloved was borscht. Eaten hot or cold, vegetarian or with shreds of beef, enriched with a dollop of sour cream and wisps of dill, the beet-based soup is the quintessence of good Eastern European cooking. Hearty yet fine-tuned, dramatic in color yet humble in its ingredients, borscht, unlike my family, remains unapologetically Russian —Gabriella Gershenson
When my parents emigrated from the Soviet Union to the U.S. in 1975, it didn't take them long to assimilate, something they were eager to do. Among our Russian friends, they were always the most "American," whether it came to their impressive command of English or the fresh, light way we ate at home. There were a few homeland favorites, however, that Mom kept in her repertoire. Perhaps the most beloved was borscht. Eaten hot or cold, vegetarian or with shreds of beef, enriched with a dollop of sour cream and wisps of dill, the beet-based soup is the quintessence of good Eastern European cooking. Hearty yet fine-tuned, dramatic in color yet humble in its ingredients, borscht, unlike my family, remains unapologetically Russian. —Gabriella Gershenson Get the recipe for Consommé »
This simple bean soup is studded with ham. Get the recipe for Senate Bean Soup »
A hearty beef stock serves as the base for mushroom and barley soup, a more elegant (but no less satisfying) version of the New York deli staple, elevated with fresh thyme and a squeeze of lemon juice. Get the recipe for Mushroom-Barley Soup »
Creamy Garlic Soup
A rich soup heavy with garlic and shallots makes a hearty first course or light main dish. Serve it with plenty of crusty bread. Get the recipe for Creamy Garlic Soup »
A rich soup heavy with garlic and shallots makes a hearty first course or light main dish. Serve it with plenty of crusty bread. Get the recipe for Creamy Garlic Soup »
Michel Roux, the French-born chef of England's Le Gavroche, takes a Normandy spin on this classic soup with a splash of cider and a whole lot of subtlety. But the best part? It only takes an hour to make. Get the recipe for Normandy-Style French Onion Soup »
This creamy, rich soup is a favorite in Mexico City. In summer it's usually chilled like a vichyssoise, but it's also served hot, especially in the cooler months. Get the recipe for Chilled Mexican Potato and Leek Soup (Sopa de Poro y Papa) »
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