9 Popular Boxed Soups, Ranked
If there is someone out there who doesn't like soup, I don't want to know about it. Just about everyone I've come in contact with loves a good soup, with some of the favorites being creamy tomato soup, Italian wedding, or the chicken noodle. These comforting classic are especially welcomed when autumn rolls around and become a staple in the dead of winter. There's nothing like a hot bowl of soup topped with cheese that's served with toast on the side, or, ideally, paired with grilled cheese. Soup is just the ultimate comfort food.
Most ready-to-eat soups come in cans from recognizable names like Campbell's or Progresso. But soup also comes in boxes, though far less commonly. I set out to try some of the boxed soups from the few brands that offer them. My mission was to rank them from worst to best, so that you have a better idea of what to expect. I discovered some really good ones that any soup lover will want to try.
9. Kettle & Fire Lentil and Vegetable Soup
This soup comes in a little box resembling a milk carton, perfect for a single serving (or two when paired with a heavier meal). At first, it appears extremely unappetizing, with beige broth pouring out first and the lentils and vegetables stuck in a gelatinous clump. I love soup, but seeing this made me feel a little squeamish going into it — like I'd really rather not eat it, honestly. Also, it took some effort, smashing my spoon, to break up the clump. So, automatic points off.
As for the taste, it initially comes off as slightly sour. The gelatinous texture never goes away, which is a shame. It's all very mushy and too homogeneous. It does have some nice heat to it, not quite spice, but that's the only part I really enjoyed. I didn't like this soup, and it was by far my least favorite boxed soup that I tried for this ranking.
8. Imagine Tomato Basil
Okay, this is a slightly below-average tomato basil soup. It's definitely not fantastic, but also not abysmal. It's just kind of in the middle. By nature, tomato soup is typically simple, unless you're ordering it from some fine-dining establishment or making a standout homemade version of the tomato soup, but this one feels almost too simple. It's smooth but not really creamy, and it has no discernible texture. It's perfect for dipping grilled cheeses. After all, it's a tomato soup.
This soup also tastes a bit like a thinned, watery ketchup when, in my opinion, it should taste more like fresh fruits (yes, tomatoes are fruits, get over it). It also didn't taste much of basil at all, so if that's what you're looking for, I'd add some more dried or fresh herbs if you have some on hand. The soup doesn't have much flavor at all, but that doesn't make it bad. It just makes it mediocre. I've had much better, more texturally interesting, and far more flavorful tomato soups in my life. I can't exactly recommend this one, especially with better tomato-based soups to come.
7. Imagine Potato Leek
Soups that are just one homogeneous bisque can be a little less interesting than the ones laden with noodles, vegetables, meatballs, rice, or beans. But a good bisque should still be interesting and appetizing in its own right, but this potato leek soup from Imagine needs a little help. I found that it didn't really perform well on its own.
This is a very pleasant, even-keeled, no-frills kind of soup with a subtle potato flavor. But honestly, it's deeply dull, and I would never again crave it. It is, however, a great blank canvas that can be enriched with add-ins — some chicken and beans might work well. I was able to drastically improve it by just adding some herbs and spices like dried sage, mixed cracked pepper, and garlic. Another idea is to add some cheese — this soup, or any soup with such a simplistic and homey character, is practically begging for cheese. However, seeing how much time I've just spent trying to come up with ways to make this soup better, it's clearly not doing much on its own.
6. Pacific Foods Organic Butternut Squash Soup
I first got hooked on butternut squash soup as a teenager at Panera Bread. At the time, I thought it was the most chic cafe on the planet. Every fall, when the menu made some seasonal updates, I looked forward to their Autumn Squash soup (mostly butternut). So, I was also looking forward to trying Pacific Foods' version of this fall classic.
This butternut squash soup is very minimalist. It's a thinner broth, more like a creamy bisque, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The taste is very squash-like — if you've ever had roasted butternut squash, you know that slightly sour, slightly sweet flavor. There are some warm spices to offset it, but mostly, it tastes like someone scooped out the flesh of a butternut squash, pureed it, heated it, and made it into soup. It's very homestyle and earnest. Because it was a little too watery and one-note, I didn't love it, but if you really love the pure flavor of butternut squash, you'll want to try this one.
5. Kettle & Fire Italian-Style Wedding
I love Italian Wedding soup from brands such as Rao's or Progresso, so I was looking forward to trying this version even after being disappointed by the other Kettle and Fire soup. From the very start, this Kettle & Fire soup was much more promising than the lentil variety. The contents inside the box were less congealed and seemed much more natural, not so reminiscent of something you'd find in a tornado shelter. Still, there were a few clumps of pasta noodles that were hard to untangle and break.
The meat — though not quite meatballs — was really good, savory and deeply spiced. The broth was also nice. It was slightly creamy without being too thick, and it had a ton of flavor. It was a little too salty for my taste, which is somewhat of a red flag, but overall, I'd say this is a perfectly fine Italian Wedding soup (and astronomically better than the other Kettle & Fire soup). I wouldn't seek it out, because it didn't strike me as better than the version I usually buy, but I wouldn't turn it down if it was offered to me on a cold day. If you're a wine drinker, try pairing this soup with the perfect Italian wine for the full effect.
4. Maya Kaimal Creamy Chickpea & Kale
This was the second Maya Kaimal soup I tried, and since I very much enjoyed the option with butternut, I was looking forward to trying this one, too. But I have to admit, I was skeptical when I poured it out of the carton before I heated it up. It looked dismal, gray, sludgy, and completely unappetizing. Not a great start. Once it was heated up, it was more promising and smelled intriguing, both sweet and earthy.
This was probably the most challenging soup to rank. I wasn't quite sure how much I liked it at first spoonful, and I was still unsure at the second. The broth is thick and a bit creamy — you could barely call it a broth — and intensely flavored with onion, garlic, coriander, cumin, ginger, and cinnamon. This melange of spices creates a complex flavor profile. At first, it is warmly comforting, followed by rolling heat and finishing with a sweet and savory touch that lingers on your tongue. Eventually, I can say I loved this soup, down to the chunks of carrots and chickpeas. However, if you don't like spicy dishes or prefer simple soup versions, you probably won't like this. Me? This one is right up my alley.
3. Maya Kaimal Creamy Spiced Butternut Inspired Soup
This soup immediately looked beautiful. As I poured it out of the single-serve carton, it displayed a rich golden color,and you could tell it was incredibly creamy. It also smelled pretty great. The package states that Maya Kaimal soups are inspired by South Indian flavors, and as I tend to enjoy the cuisine and its flavors, I was ready to tackle this version.
I really enjoyed this soup. The broth is velvety, thick, and smooth without being heavy or overpowering. It is full of warm, autumnal flavors reminiscent of squash and pumpkin. But it's also lively, mostly due to spices like turmeric and coriander, which are very present, making the soup taste distinctly full-bodied. There are also chunks of squash and vegetables to cut through the bisque, as well as lovely, almost chic touches like curry leaves and fennel seeds. It's pretty delightful for more refined palates looking for something beyond the typical chicken noodle. It made me very confident in this brand and excited to try the other Maya Kaimal soup I picked up for this ranking. I would definitely buy this soup again.
2. Pacific Foods Organic Red Pepper & Tomato
This was my second tomato soup, and I liked this version way better than the Imagine Tomato Basil. True, they are two different soups — this one has roasted red pepper adding a necessary boost to plain tomatoes — but when comparing two tomato-based soups back to back, there was no contest; Pacific Foods won.
This soup has a rich, creamy, and almost frothy texture. It has this lovely levity to it by being creamy but not thick. There's also a ton of flavor, much more like a good Sunday sauce than ketchup or canned tomatoes. It tasted like it was slowly simmered over a long period of time until it was perfect. The red pepper clearly added layers of flavor and a more nuanced texture, so I appreciated this addition quite a bit. This is an excellent tomato soup, perfect for turning it into a sauce that would make a great base for crispy chicken Parmesan. It is also great for dipping and ideal for lazy or sick days. It's just really, really good — but not quite the best.
1. Trader Joe's Organic Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Trader Joe's has some of my favorite products, including many amazing snacks, seasonal items you can't find anywhere else, and some excellent desserts. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that their versions and products are always better than the competition, but in this case, it does. Trader Joe's organic tomato and roasted red pepper soup is my favorite boxed soup on the market. It's smooth and creamy without being too rich, thick, or cloying. It has tons of flavor, and it's everything a good, comfort food soup should be.
This soup has become a staple for me, especially in the colder months. I'll buy one nearly every time I go to Trader Joe's. One box gets me through a few meals for an easy, reliable, endlessly cozy dinner. The roasted red pepper perfectly lends its depth and a savory, vibrant flavor, perfectly complementing the tomatoes and their bright acidity. Trader Joe's balances the two nicely without one flavor overpowering the other. It is seasoned perfectly, though I'd still add a bit of whatever herbs I'm in the mood for, typically parsley, oregano, or sage. I'd also recommend a splash of balsamic vinegar. All in all, this is a versatile, homey, nuanced soup that I never get tired of.
Methodology
To create the ranking, I first looked into all the brands offering boxed soups. (Hint: It's not many.) I was mostly looking at Imagine, Pacific Foods, and two smaller-sized brands, Maya Kaimal, and Kettle & Fire, plus Trader Joe's. Other available brands mostly include various types of boxed broth but not many of them carry boxed soups, which narrowed down the options considerably. Then, I chose two from each brand, plus Trader Joe's again.
To rank the soups, I primarily considered taste as the dominant feature. As soups can often seem too salty, I looked for versions that didn't try to hide their flavor, or lack thereof, with salt. Instead, it was much better to see how brands used various herbs and spices with the underlying, natural vegetable flavor. Ideally, this flavor is fresh-tasting and full-bodied, not sour, stale, or weak. The texture is also a big deal for soup — no one wants their soup to have an oatmeal-like mouthfeel! I also considered other factors, such as aroma and visual aspect, to make the final ranking. When I combined all these elements, I was able to rank everything that was tasted, starting from the worst soup and ending with the best.