How to thicken soup (2024)

FAQs

How to thicken soup? ›

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.

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.

Cornstarch is a great option as it is a natural thickening agent, but you'll want to be careful about how much you use. Start with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch whisked together with cold water to create a slurry. Then, gradually add the slurry to the soup, letting it boil for one to two minutes before adding more.

It's important to note that cornstarch has twice the thickening power of flour. If you need to substitute cornstarch to thicken liquid in a recipe that calls for ¼ cup (four tablespoons) flour, you only need two tablespoons cornstarch.

Rice, beans, lentils and other grains– Starch molecules thicken and take on water when exposed to heat, creating a thicker texture. You will get some creaminess from this- not like a dairy creaminess, but it certainly changes a broth to something more velvety.

Add flour or cornflour

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. Cook for a few minutes to allow the starch granules to burst to thicken, and to cook out any flour flavour.

If a soup is tasting bland in the bowl, consider adding acid rather than salt. A squeeze of lemon or lime, or a dash of yogurt or sour cream can add brightness to the bowl.

The most classic and surefire way to thicken a broth-based soup is with a cornstarch slurry. Whisk together equal parts cornstarch (or arrowroot) and water or broth, then whisk it into the pot of soup. A good ratio to get to a pleasant thickness without your soup tasting goopy or heavy is one tablespoon.

Does soup thicken as it cools? Soup that contains some amount of starch, whether it be potatoes, rice, pasta, or an added thickener like cornstarch or flour will definitely thicken once it cools.

The ratio of flour to butter varies, but it's often 2-to-1—for most soups, ½ cup of flour and ¼ cup of butter should do it.

What is a good substitute for flour to thicken soup? ›

Alternative Starches

If you'd like a roux but want to experiment with something other than wheat flour, give tapioca starch, rice flour, or almond flour a whirl. Mix these with an oil to make a roux and add it when your dish is almost done cooking.

Mix one teaspoon cornflour with a tablespoon of room temperature water and add to your stew. Then bring to the boil and cook until desired thickness is reached. Cornflour is a great gluten-free thickener. It has a slightly more gelatinous texture, so only add a teaspoon at time or your sauce may become a bit goopy.

I thicken all my sauces and gravies with another method. I put a tablespoon of flour into a tea strainer and sprinkle it in a little at a time while whisking constantly. Almost immediately the flour cooks in and thickens any sauce or gravy while adding no additional liquid.

Add extra water as it cooks if the soup seems too thick. 5) Add ingredients that don't need much cooking time such as canned beans, diced cooked meats, shellfish, pasta or cooked rice; about a cup of such addition usually suffices.

However, sometimes too much water is accidentally added or the slow cooker fails to evaporate enough water during the cooking process, leaving the sauce or soup a little runnier than you'd like.