I make a lot of soups and stews for the family, especially from September through May. I know many of you have been freezing your buns off on the East Coast and Midwest lately and are likely craving a bowl of steamy, thick, rich soup to warm your body and soul. I love all types of soups from brothy to substantial and hearty, but I always try to keep them nutritious and clean. Fortunately, I have learned a few tricks for making soups and stews richer or creamier without using the old-fashioned techniques of a roux, heavy cream, flour or cornstarch. Actually, my mom taught me to thicken my stews by mashing softened butter with equal parts all-purpose flour and stir that in the pot towards the end of cooking which works just fine, but these days many people are dairy and/or gluten-intolerant or looking to save a few calories wherever possible without sacrificing flavor and nutrition. Why add unnecessary fat, non-nutritive calories, and/or hard-to-digest ingredients if you can achieve the same result more naturally?
Here are my favorite tricks for thickening soups and stews:
pureeing cooked vegetables and stock — this is the method I use most often. I like to take a cup of vegetables and stock (leave any pieces of animal protein in the pot) from the cooked soup and blend them in a blender or mini food processor and then add it back to the pot.
white beans— cooked Cannellini or Great Northern beans have a bland, neutral flavor and fantastic creaminess when they are pureed. Take a can of beans with a cup of hot stock from the soup and blend together until smooth, then add back to pot. Or cook beans with soup and puree the entire soup, beans included. Beans add great fiber and protein, as well! I love this recipe for Potato and White Bean Soup and this post for how to cook your beans from scratch. Otherwise, Eden is my favorite BPA-free, organic brand.
Yukon Gold potatoes— potatoes add a lovely richness and neutral flavor to soups, especially if you can puree some or all of them. Use same technique above, either cook potatoes separately, puree with hot stock and add to the soup or cook potatoes with the soup and puree in the pot. The Yukon Gold variety has a nice buttery flavor and you get the benefits of a whole food. Check out Potato and White Bean Soup, as well as Cauliflower and Roasted Garlic Soup.
rolled oats— sounds weird, I know. But if you plan on a pureed soup, you won’t detect any oatmeal. The rolled oats not only thicken the soup and add great fiber, but add an amazing silkiness. I use rolled oats in my Puree of Asparagus Soup which I can post this Spring. Several manufacturers sell gluten-free rolled oats, such as Bob’s Red Mill
coconut milk instead of cream — okay, you won’t be saving many calories using coconut milk, but I am a huge fan of unrefined coconut products and their myriad health benefits. And generally speaking unrefined coconut products are easier to digest than pasteurized cow dairy. I love coconut milk in my Sweet Potato Soup, Chicken Tikka Masala, Thai Coconut Chicken Soup (to be posted soon!), as well as any soups with winter squash. It’s so smooth and rich with a subtle sweetness and it won’t make your soup taste like a piñacolada — promise! My favorite brand is Native Forest which supposedly doesn’t contain BPA in their can liners.
ground nuts, like almonds or cashews — I’ve seen this in some Spanish or North African soups. The nuts add some high quality protein, as well. I use cashew butter or ground cashews in my Chicken and Vegetable Curry.
immersion blender — sure you can puree with a standard blender, but you have to do it in batches and veeerrrry carefully so that you don’t create a heat explosion. Then you need to pour the puree into another container and puree what’s left in the pot. Too much work for me and I don’t love the extra dishwashing involved. Stick an immersion blender directly in the pot and puree as much or as little as you like. Rinse the immersion blender in the sink and put it away. I have the Breville immersion blender which I love, but some of my students bought the Cusinart which they think is great.
What are your tried and true methods of thickening soups?
FAQs
pureeing cooked vegetables and stock — this is the method I use most often. I like to take a cup of vegetables and stock (leave any pieces of animal protein in the pot) from the cooked soup and blend them in a blender or mini food processor and then add it back to the pot.
How do you thicken soup without milk or cream? ›
Add rice. Take a page from comforting porridges like jook or congee, and add ¼–½ cup rice to your soup for starchiness that fortifies the broth and clings to your spoon. Give the grains a quick rinse, then stir in while the soup is simmering, cooking until the rice is tender all the way through, about 15–20 minutes.
How do you make soup thicker without flour or cornstarch? ›
And it's one that is equal parts delicious, nutritious, and functional. So what's the trick to thickening on the quick? A handful of uncooked rice. That's all folks, just a handful of white rice.
How do you thicken stew naturally? ›
Whisk a teaspoon of flour in a little cold water to make a slurry, then stir into the stew as it's cooking. Don't add dry flour directly to the stew as it may clump. After adding the slurry, bring the stew to boil. This will cook out the flour taste and allow the starch to swell.
What 2 ingredients are used to thicken the soup? ›
Add flour or cornflour
You can also use flour or cornflour to thicken a soup. Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer.
How do you thicken sauce without flour or cream? ›
instead of a roux or flour use cornstarch or arrowroot . equal parts water to cornstarch and arrowroot. mix that up and then you add it to simmering sauce or whatever. you're trying to thicken, it's called a slurry.
How do you thicken soup naturally? ›
Mash beans, lentils, rice, or bread.
Rice, lentils, and beans release a lot of starch and naturally thicken soups simply from simmering, but you can also mash half the cooked rice/lentils/beans before adding to the soup for a simple way to thicken your dish.
What to do if stew is too watery? ›
Use cornflour or cornstarch.
Stir them together to make a paste, then add the paste to the stew. Stir the stew until the paste is fully mixed. Cook for 2 minutes over medium heat to allow the cornstarch to mix into the soup. Check the consistency of the stew and add more paste if necessary.
What is a good substitute for stew thickener? ›
How can you thicken beef stew without flour? You can use a cornstarch slurry or instant mashed potatoes to thicken your stew. I prefer the potatoes for the added flavor, but the cornstarch will give it a smoother texture.
What is the best thickening agent for stew? ›
The three main thickening agents for gravies are flour, cornflour and arrowroot. The first two are normally used in savoury dishes while arrowroot tends to be used in sweet dishes – that said, arrowroot will work in a savoury dish as it has no flavour.
How To Make Any Soup Thicker
- Cook It Longer.
- Add Flour Or Cornstarch.
- Blend Your Soup.
- Add Something Creamy.
- Add A Starch.
Mix mix 1 tablespoon of arrowroot starch with 2 tablespoons of cold water until smooth then stir into the soup. May need to double or triple that depending on how much soup you have. Simmer gently to thicken. The advantage of arrowroot starch over cornstarch is that it does not break down as quickly when heated.
Can you thicken soup with flour and water? ›
First, you can create a slurry by whisking 2 tablespoons of flour with cold water and adding it gradually to the soup. Another method of using flour to thicken soup is by making a roux on the stovetop. A roux, which is a mixture of fat and flour, is often used as a base for sauces and is an easy way to add starch.
What is the best thickener for soup? ›
Add Flour Or Cornstarch
You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute. For the best results, never add flour or cornstarch directly to your soup. If you do, it will clump up on top. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool.
What are the 4 ways to thicken a sauce or soup? ›
Ways To Thicken Sauce
- Tomato Paste. If your soup or stew is watery, adding tomato paste may help! ...
- Arrowroot. You might prefer to avoid gluten in your recipes. ...
- Flour. ...
- Reduce Your Liquid. ...
- Puréed Vegetables. ...
- Egg Yolk. ...
- Yogurt. ...
- Rice.
The best milk for cooking really depends on the flavor you're looking for. For example, if you're cooking a savory dish, you can try soy milk or hemp milk. If you're cooking a sweeter dish, try alternatives such as oat milk. This option lends a sweet flavor to everything from soups to curries and beyond.
