There's nothing quite as soul-warming as a bowl of delicious, nutritious soup. Thankfully there's no need to endlessly chop and sweat in the kitchen to ensure flavour and trusted ingredients, as canned soup offerings have come on a long way. There is a wholesome soup out there to suit any taste - from a Campbell's creamy classic, to the healthiest low calorie soups to assist weight loss, from protein-packed chicken soups, to satisfying vegan and organic offerings from a number of big brands.
As the choice available now extends beyond the healthy soup classics of tomato, lentil and minestrone, it can be hard to figure out which soup is for you. So we've done the work for you, by creating a canned soup buying guide. Handpicked from reliable UK supermarket and online retailers, including Amazon, Tesco, ASDA and more, to create a a healthy, hearty, delicious ranking that is guaranteed to have you day-dreaming of a steaming bowl of comforting soup.
Quick List - Top Canned Soups
Amy's Kitchen
Gorgeously Thick French-Inspired Soup Made With Over 50% Veg
Amy's Kitchen
A Hearty Vegan Lentil Soup Brimming With Goodness
Crosse and Blackwell
Comforting All-British Chicken Soup With Extra Protein
mybest UK specialist Tara is a nutritionist and energy coach who helps clients lose weight, improve their eating habits, and get their energy back through their nutrition. Tara specialises in helping busy parents specifically improve their eating with ease and without overwhelm, and get back on track so the whole family can benefit.
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Tara is a nutritionist and energy coach who helps clients lose weight, improve their eating habits, and get their energy back through their nutrition. Tara specialises in helping busy parents specifically improve their eating with ease and without overwhelm, and get back on track so the whole family can benefit.
There's no denying that creamy soups taste unbelievably good. Their comforting nature, rich flavour and silky texture mean that we Brits love 'Cream Of' soups. In fact, Campbell's top four bestselling soups are all cream-based!
So if you're looking for a heartwarming soup to kick start a cosy night in, then look no further than one of the many creamy canned soup classics. Including cream of chicken, cream of celery, cream of mushroom and cream of tomato, there's a creamy soup to suit, ready and waiting on the shelf, just for you.
Creamy soups are popular for a reason, they are thick, comforting and delicious. However, what makes these creamy soups so decadent is the added heavy dairy products (like milk and cream) and often a lot of added sodium. They tend to be higher in calories and won’t fill you up quite the same as consuming an equal amount of calories from regular food.
As the name suggests these soups have good-sized chunks of meat and vegetables in them, typically swimming in a delicious rich gravy or stock. They are able to satisfy even the most ravenous, after a long day out in the elements.
There's a hearty soup out there for everyone, from beef broth to chicken and veg or vegan lentil, chickpea and stacked vegetable. Packed full of protein, carbs, nutrients and flavour, chunky soups are the obvious choice for a no-fuss kind of lunch or dinner, when time is of the essence and your belly needs filling.
If you're still hungry, then you might like to see our recommendations for instant soups, nutritionist-reviewed baked beans and frozen pizzas.
Chunky soups can be versatile and have lots of added nutrients, compared to those of a thinner-consistency. I’d recommend choosing soups that have added chicken rather than beef (as chicken is a leaner source of protein) and opting for soups that have added vegetables with the meat.
It's no secret that many people are turning to meat-free alternatives. The way we eat and view food is changing at a rapid rate and canned soups are keeping up with the changes. No longer are we limited to classic tomato or vegetable minestrone. Now, vegetarian and vegan soups, full of Italian- and French-inspired vegetables and wholesome carbs (such as chickpeas, lentils, brown rice and quinoa) are there to boost our vegetable intake too.
Choosing canned soup options that are meatless and still delicious and filling certainly has become much more manageable. So many vegan and vegetarian options are on the market, and many have loaded their recipes up with vegetables and beans.
I recommend beans in particular as they are a great source of protein, antioxidants and folate, and have been proven to reduce the risk of heart diseases.
Sugar makes food taste good. There's no doubt about it. The problem arises when companies overly rely sugar to enhance the flavour of their soup. Instead, the flavour should be layered-up by good quality ingredients in addition to herbs and spices. Any can of soup with over 2 g of sugar per 100 g can be considered to have a high sugar content.
The official recommendation from the UK government for an adult is less than 30 g of sugar per day. Considering most cans of soup are in the vicinity of 400 g, then any containing 2 g of sugar per 100 g equates to almost 1/3 of an adult's recommended daily sugar! So sugar is definitely one to watch out for, if aiming for the healthy option.
Overeating refined sugar in your diet can lead to many different diseases and an overall decrease in your health. When your diet is high in sugar, you are more at risk of developing diabetes, heart diseases, high blood pressure and inflammation.
Not only that, but you can gain weight, have low energy due to the constant sugar spikes, be increasingly irritable, and develop acne.
Protein is a vital part of a healthy diet, not least because it stimulates muscle growth and repairs damaged muscle fibres. If you're after a protein boost, then there are certain soups on the market to look out for - hearty or creamy meat soups and lentil and bean soups, provide high protein options to suit different dietary requirements. Crosse and Blackwell's chicken soup certainly delivers, with 3.8 g of protein per 100 g making it a high protein soup, plus it scores highly in the flavour stakes.
Canned soup can now be loaded with protein with all the meat and bean options, which is good news on the health front! Protein is an essential macronutrient for your body, as it aids in the proper recovery of muscle tissue, digestion, and hormonal balance.
Protein also makes you feel more satisfied and fuller, longer. And so, when you’re selecting a canned soup, you should be looking for high amounts of protein per serving, around 3g per 100g and higher.
Counting calories can be a tricky business, with many companies upping calories in the form of added sugar and fat. Through our research we've come to the consensus that any can of soup under 40 kcal per 100 g can be considered to be low in calories.
The NHS recommends as a general rule of thumb that no more than 600 calories should be consumed for either lunch or dinner. Our best low calorie picks are - Baxter's Vegetarian Country Garden soup at 36 kcal per 100 g and Baxter's Favourite Minestrone soup at 39 kcal per 100 g.
If you are on a restricted-calorie diet, canned soups can be an excellent option for meals because they are generally low in calories by nature and are still tasty to eat. You must read the nutritional label on all soups to know precisely how many calories are included and to measure the serving size accurately.
There can however be many hidden calories in canned soups like sugar and creams, and the indicated serving size on the label usually does not equal the size of the can of soup.
The Soil Association is the main organic certifier here in the UK and their mark guarantees 100% organic from farm to plate. Meaning no man-made fertilisers, pesticides, growth regulators and livestock feed additives will be found within the food or within the associated farming practices.
If organic matters to you then there are some excellent brands out there producing good quality, organic canned soup. Amy's Kitchen and Free and Easy specialise in wholesome organic fare, and Heinz has followed suit, by bringing out an organic cream of tomato soup. So if choosing organic is important to you, there are plenty of great options out there.
I always recommend buying organic products over non-organic ones. When you opt for organic, you are consuming fewer pesticides, fertilisers, and hard metals. The food itself usually tastes better because it has been less altered and modified and is closer to its original state.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Amy's Kitchen Hearty Organic French Country Vegetable Soup|Pack of 6 | ![]() | Gorgeously Thick French-Inspired Soup Made With Over 50% Veg | |
2 | Amy's Kitchen Hearty Organic Quinoa, Kale and Red Lentil Soup|Pack of 6 | ![]() | A Hearty Vegan Lentil Soup Brimming With Goodness | |
3 | Baxters Minestrone | ![]() | A Favourite Minestrone From Baxter's that's Low in Fat and Calories | |
4 | Crosse and Blackwell Cream of Roast Chicken Soup | ![]() | Comforting All-British Chicken Soup With Extra Protein | |
5 | Free and Easy Tomato Soup|Pack of 6 | ![]() | A Vegan-Friendly Creamy Tomato Soup With Big Flavour | |
6 | Heinz Beef Broth | ![]() | A Classic Beef Broth for When You Need Comfort in a Bowl | |
7 | Amy's Kitchen Hearty Organic Rustic Italian Vegetable Soup|Pack of 6 | ![]() | Satisfying Organic Soup Packed With 55% Veg | |
8 | Campbell's Cream of Celery|Pack of 6 | ![]() | A Classic Condensed Recipe You Can Use in Cooking Too | |
9 | Heinz Big Soup Chicken and Veg | ![]() | Perfect for Post-Workout With 3 Grams of Lean Protein | |
10 | Baxter's Country Garden Vegetarian | ![]() | A Low-Calorie Vegetarian Option Ideal for Weight Watchers |
This splendid soup is highly rated on Amazon - people are raving about its thick, filling, intensely flavoursome nature and its homemade taste. It contains French-style vegetables, filtered water, white beans, long grain red rice, olive oil, sea salt, herbs and spices - that's it! Exactly what you'd use cooking it from scratch at home, if you had a few hours to spare...
This plant-based soup has an impressive content of 55% vegetables. It's gluten-free, wheat-free, vegan and organic, making it clear why Amy's Kitchen is a market leader in the field of hearty-yet-wholesome soups.
Amy's Kitchen has done it yet again with a soup that's brimming to the edge of the tin with vegan organic goodness. It is high in fibre and carbs, so definitely a soup to keep you satisfied when you are on the go.
This soup doesn't skimp on the fat and calories, but when you look at the ingredients list you realise they are coming from the right places, with no additives of any kind. An exceptional soup that comes highly recommended on Amazon and although it's not the cheapest of soups, the organic ingredients speak for themselves and warrant the higher price.
This minestrone from Baxters is low in fat and calories, making it a great choice for people watching their weight. It contributes to 2 of your 5 a day of veg with a heavenly mix of carrot, onion, swede, cabbage, peas, potato, haricot Beans, leek, red pepper and tomato - the pasta guarantees it's a filling bowl of soup too.
Unbelievably it's one of the cheapest soups on the market - it is a classic soup, from a trusted long-standing brand, that comes highly recommended as one of the tastiest minestrone offerings out there.
Crosse & Blackwell have been using locally sourced British produce for over 200 years. They pride themselves on this fact and continually strive for great flavours and high-quality ingredients across their soup range.
Chicken soup is one of their most cherished recipes, with potato, leek, herbs, spices and of course succulent roast chicken. It's well priced for a delicious British product that is high in protein and flavour - one not to be missed!
This Tomato Soup has got vegans across the country raving about how good it tastes. It has a thick, creamy consistency - the coconut cream triumphs as a dairy alternative! They have certainly ensured that vegans and organic-food lovers have a go-to cream of tomato soup to adore.
The soup doesn't fare too well on the health spectrum, but Free and Easy has put more emphasis on flavour and trusted ingredients. It's a unique and intriguing tomato soup that deserves your attention, for times when a delicious and honest dish reigns supreme over worrying about calories.
This Classic Beef Broth from Heinz has been warming British hearts since 1910 and comes especially highly recommended for when you're feeling under the weather and in need of a nutritional boost.
It's a hearty soup consisting of beef, pearl barley, haricot beans and veg. At 42 kcal per 100 g, it's also a healthy low carb option and is affordable, making it a soup to come back to time and time again.
Amy's Kitchen has created a seriously veg-packed Italian-style soup, with vegetables making up 55% of the can. It's also gluten, wheat and dairy-free making it suitable for many dietary requirements, including those following a vegan lifestyle.
It is quite high in calories, but they are all from high-quality organic veg, chickpeas and brown rice. It's easy to see why reviewers are raving about this recipe. It's certainly not the cheapest soup on the market, but considering all the goodness that goes into each can, the price is more than justified.
This is another of Amazon's best selling soups and there's a good reason - it's been a staple classic of kitchens the world over for 60 years, with very few recipe changes in all that time. It is a rich, creamy condensed soup that can be used as a cooking sauce, or slurped straight from the spoon as intended.
It doesn't do well in the healthy eating department, with higher calories than some others on the list - but you don't choose a creamy condensed soup for health reasons do you? This is an occasional treat, and what a treat it is!
As the name suggests this soup is BIG! It is generously packed full of tender chicken, potato, carrots and peas, making it a very filling option for when a chunky, meaty and satisfying soup is called for.
It is a classic, no-nonsense, full of flavour soup that is high in protein and carbs, so would definitely suit those looking to load up before or after exercise. For a lean-protein packed can, it's an affordable option from the well-established Heinz Soup band.
This is a tasty vegetarian soup consisting of carrot, potato, peas, swede, tomato, red pepper, onion and white rice. It is also very low in fat and calories and fairly low on sugar, ensuring its stature as a healthy soup option.
The soup is apparently inspired by a Scottish country garden - you'll find seven types of vegetable (plus three herb varieties) in every can, making it easy to slurp your way to one of your 5-a-day! This is a less filling option than some in the top ten, so you may be tempted to snack after eating it.
Yes, they often provide at least one of your 5-a-day veg, plus vitamins, fibre and protein. However, always read the label, to check for calories, salt and sugar levels. These will be given per 100 g - so multiply each number by 4, to get a more realistic nutritional picture for a 400g can.
Often yes, as salt enhances the flavour. A high salt diet can cause raised blood pressure, heart disease and increased stroke risk. NHS guidelines state that adults should eat no more than 6g of salt a day (2.4g sodium) – around 1 teaspoon. Multiply the per 100 g salt figure by 4, for the whole 400g can.
Written and researched by Connor Macanally
No. 1: Amy's Kitchen|Hearty Organic French Country Vegetable Soup|Pack of 6
No. 2: Amy's Kitchen|Hearty Organic Quinoa, Kale and Red Lentil Soup|Pack of 6
No. 3: Baxters| Minestrone
No. 4: Crosse and Blackwell |Cream of Roast Chicken Soup
No. 5: Free and Easy|Tomato Soup|Pack of 6
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