It's Easy To Make Thin, Watery Canned Soup So Much Richer

Canned soup gets high marks for convenience, but I think we can all agree that sometimes it's not exactly the most flavor-packed product you can buy. Fortunately, canned soup is an easy thing to fortify to your liking, so if you've come across one that needs more body or personality, we've got some suggestions for you. We spoke to Katie Vine, cook and recipe blogger at Dinners Done Quick, for some of her personal solutions to improve a thin or otherwise bland soup. 

Vine said she likes adding dairy to some soups, where the flavor pairing is appropriate. "Adding fat-free half and half is my favorite, making it richer without adding a ton more fat. I also like cream cheese (especially herb and garlic flavor), as it thickens the soup as well, while making it richer and adding flavor," she shared. Store-bought soups like tomato, chicken and wild rice, chowders, chicken noodle, lentil, and any creamy number tend to work well with dairy additions.

You should be mindful of when you add your creamy component, though. Rather than stir cream, half and half, cream cheese, or other dairy products in prior to heating the soup, Vine said she takes the opposite approach by mixing it in after the soup is hot. "This keeps it from breaking, helps to cool the soup down to a temperature where I can eat it, and of course adds a smooth creamy richness which elevates the canned soup," she said.

In order to make a canned soup feel more homemade, Katie Vine will do things like add fresh herbs or alliums like onion, garlic, or shallots to the mix. Diced cooked bacon will also give the soup a more homespun feel as well, along with a bit of extra heartiness. If you're not necessarily seeking to add dairy, there are other ways to enrich thin canned soup, too. One secret ingredient for thickening soup is instant potato flakes, which is a technique Jacques Pépin endorses. This adds body to the broth, thanks to the starch. Other quick fixes include adding ingredients like coconut milk (be sure to use the unsweetened kind) or another favorite non-dairy alternative.

Garnishing options include things like a drizzle of olive oil, croutons, and more (we've even compiled a list of 12 ways to upgrade your usual canned soup game). Depending on which additions you choose, you can make the texture of your soup more interesting without a creamy component. But provided you're not lactose intolerant, or if you've got a vegan substitute on hand, adding something creamy is a quick way to make your watery canned soup a little richer — which goes a long way in making that plain spoonful so much better.