The best soup makers according to the GHI (2024)

This article was updated in March to reflect the latest prices and deals.

It’s winter and that means delicious soups and stews are very much back on the menu. While soup makers aren’t necessarily a kitchen essential, they can save a great deal of time and fuss when whipping up a nourishing bowl of goodness.

The best soup makers will cut, blend, puree and sauté your food in a flash. Not to mention, they're easy to use and create minimal washing up, as everything happens in one appliance, making them a handy gadget to have around.

To find out which brands have the best blending capabilities, we put them to the test at the Good Housekeeping Institute.

After trying a range of soup makers from top brands such as Lakeland, Ninja, and Morphy Richards, here are our best performers at a glance, but scroll on for our detailed reviews.

If you’re replacing an existing soup maker, there are plenty of places for you to safely recycle your old one. Find your nearest electrical recycling point, or read our guide on how to donate or dispose of your appliances and tech for extra guidance.

What's the difference between a blender and a soup maker?

A soup maker is essentially a blender with a heating element in its base. There are two main types: those that look like a traditional blender; and those that have a blade suspended from their lid. Both types perform well but the former offers more versatility, as you can use it as a blender too. Most models can also blend cold foods.

As well as cooking your ingredients, soup makers can blend them into a smooth or chunky soup, so you can get just the texture you like. Plus, with no need for multiple pots and pans, they are a helpful, space-saving option.

What makes a good soup maker?

A good soup maker should be able to blend up any ingredients until smooth, helping you create delicious, hearty soups with ease. However, the best model for you will depend on personal preference.

If you’re a chunky-soup lover, look for machines that have a “chunky” setting; but if you’re after a soup with lots of depth and flavour, you may want to consider one with a sauté function so you can brown off your onions first.

Things to consider when buying a soup maker

Size

Think about how many people you’re likely to be serving. Generally speaking, 400ml is enough for one portion of soup. All the models on our list have a maximum capacity of 1.6L or above, meaning you can make enough for at least four people.

Settings

Most models come with the option to make smooth or chunky soups. The soup maker will cook the ingredients first, then either blend until smooth or leave for a chunkier finish . Other pre-programmed settings to look out for include:

• Jam – this setting cooks and reduces the sugar and fruit to make textured fruit jam.
• Sauce – use this to make sweet and savoury sauces, such as a bechamel or chocolate sauce.
• Smoothie – whip up thick smoothies with either fresh or frozen ingredients.
• Frozen drinks – this setting will crush ice and frozen fruit for slushy drinks.
• Dessert – a great mode for summer, this uses frozen fruits to make sorbets and ice creams.
• Milkshake – blend milk with powder or fresh fruits for a refreshing milkshake.
• Ice – crush ice for co*cktails or other drinks.
• Steam – models with this setting come with a basket that fits into the bowl. Fill it partway with water to produce steam for cooking vegetables, fish, or potatoes.
• Sous vide – water is heated and maintained at a controlled temperature to cook fish or meat consistently.

Cooking time

Speed isn’t always best; on test, we found that some of the faster soup makers left some fresh ingredients raw at the end of a program. Generally, it will take half an hour or more to cook ingredients thoroughly.

If you're making chunky soup, cut ingredients into one centimetre cubes so they cook thoroughly.

Cleaning

Some models have dedicated cleaning programs. You simply add water and a few drops of washing up liquid and it will heat and mix the solution to clean the inside of the jug. However, this may not remove burned-on food.

We also recommend wiping the inside of the jug with a warm soapy cloth – but keep your fingers clear of the blades.

What are the best recipes to make in a soup-maker?

The world is your oyster here. These are some of Good Housekeeping’s most popular winter soup recipes if you want to experiment with your new device:

• Spicy butternut squash soup
• Leek and potato soup
• Tofu satay noodle soup
• Carrot and coriander soup
• Broccoli and stilton soup
• Pea and ham minestrone

How we test

At the GHI, we test each machine by making a bowl of tomato soup using the standard smooth soup setting, followed by Thai butternut squash soup on the standard chunky setting. We taste each soup to make sure all the ingredients are well-cooked and take a temperature reading to ensure it's hot enough to serve.

We also test each model’s blending ability, to see if they can blend without using the heating element. We run every test twice to check consistency.

Every soup maker is scored according to its design, ease of use, instructions and, of course, its performance.

These are our best buys.