Love it or hate it, soup has been doing the rounds since 20,000BC. It’s a versatile dish that makes a tempting appetiser to a main course, or a cost-effective meal in itself, and it can always be stretched to feed more mouths. However, few of us have time to endlessly chop vegetables or stand over a pan to prevent our broth from burning – and that’s where buying a brilliant soup maker can make all the difference.
Soup makers take all the hassle out of the process – simply pop your ingredients in, sear if required, add stock and the soup maker will do the rest. Steer clear of creamy blends and a soup maker makes for a dieter’s dream – you really couldn’t ask for a quicker, easier route towards getting your five-a-day.
If that sounds like just what you’ve been looking for, then it pays to make sure that your soup maker has really earned its place on the worktop. The best soup makers need to be simple to clean, and easy enough to operate that you don’t have to pore over an instruction manual every time you’re in the mood for chowder. Not sure what to look for? You’ll discover all the key features to look for in our guide below, followed by our picks of the best soup makers from £50 to £150.
How to buy the best soup maker for you
What’s the difference between a soup maker and a blender?
While some may resemble blenders (and others look a bit more like a kettle), soup makers have a heating element so they can cook soup in around 20-30 minutes. They’re not to be confused with blenders that will make soup using the friction of the spinning blades to cook the soup such as the Nutribullet Rx or Vitamix.
Soup makers may also allow you to sauté food, such as onions or meat, before adding the rest of your ingredients. You can then set the time and temperature (or use a preset programme) and get on with something else. Some will require meat to be cooked beforehand, so there may still be some preparation involved. During or after your soup is cooked, the maker will blend it to the required consistency.
How much should I spend?
A good guide is to consider how much you’d spend on a blender and add a bit on. Basic soup makers can be picked up for around £40 while the more feature-packed models cost up to £140.
What sort of capacity do I need?
A litre of soup is around three servings, so a soup maker that can accommodate over this should make a good batch. If you plan to make a lot of soup, opt for 1.4 litres or more.
What other features should I look for?
The amount of functions tends to correspond to price but a few specific ones will help you get the most of out of your machine. Preset programmes are ideal for taking the guesswork out of recipes while a sauté function that enables frying at the start of cooking will result in more flavourful soup. Blending options allow you to choose your preferred consistency, plus for extra convenience, look for an appliance with a keep warm function. For more control, you can find soup makers with pause buttons that allow you to add ingredients, and stir functions so you can prevent ingredients from being overcooked. For fuss-free soup, look for makers are easily cleaned. Most need to be washed by hand or have a dedicated cleaning programme but a non-stick base, and a glass jug rather than plastic, will make life easier.
The best soup makers to buy from £50
1. Andrew James Premium Soup Maker and Blender: The best budget soup maker
Price when reviewed:£58
Look past the ugly array of buttons and you’ll find a machine with great features for the price. A delay start of up to 12 hours means it’s useful for whipping up a hot meal to come home to, while its ice crushing and blender functions allow it to double up as a smoothie maker. You can opt for a preset smooth or chunky soup or use the manual time and temp settings. The one downside is that there isn’t a sauté option so you may still need to do some prep beforehand. A glass jug makes it a better buy than cheaper plastic alternatives and it’ll self-clean with water and washing up liquid on the high setting followed by a blitz.
Key specs – Capacity: 1.75 litre jug, makes max 1.4 litres of soup; Programmes: Smooth, chunky; Functions: 3 blending speeds, high, medium and low temps, delay start, ice; Power: 900W heating 450W motor
2. Tefal BL841140 Easy Soup: The best soup maker under £100
Price when reviewed:£80
The Tefal Easy Soup resembles a kettle, with clearly labelled buttons on top and blades extending downwards from the lid, and its compact design means that it takes up minimal worktop space. On the minus side, you can’t see your soup as it’s being made and there’s no sauté function, so you may need to brown some ingredients in advance. There’s only one temperature for cooking – 100C – and no option to toggle cooking time. However, if ease of use and cleaning is on your wishlist, this appliance can create an endless supply of soup or compote in two clicks and without any mess. A detachable power cord makes for simple storage while a self-cleaning programme removes the need for scrubbing.
Key specs – Capacity: 1.2 litres; Programmes: Smooth, chunky, compote; Functions: 1 blending speed, 40-min keep warm, self-cleaning; Power: 1,000W
3. Morphy Richards 501020 Total Control Soup Maker: A feature-packed soup maker
Price when reviewed:£110
This kettle-style soup maker will make leftover soup a thing of the past thanks to its innovative portion control – instead of having measurements on the inside of the appliance, they’re on the outside. Simply fill to the level required, select the 2, 3, or 4 portion size using the dedicated button and it’ll adapt the cooking time to suit the volume. An auto keep warm after cooking is handy but even cleverer is the option to reheat, so it’ll work around a busy lifestyle. There are three options for the smoothness, unlike the standard two, plus a self-cleaning programme and the ability to blend drinks. Even better is having recipes on the brand’s Cook and Create app.
Key specs – Capacity: 1.6 litres; Programmes: Smooth, medium, chunky, drinks; Functions: 1 blending speed, sauté, reheat, pre-clean, 30-min keep warm, portion setting; Power: 1,160W
4. Lakeland Touchscreen Soup Maker: A versatile high end soup maker
Price when reviewed:£125
As one of the more expensive soup makers on the market, you’d expect to find features such as sauté or reheat, but this machine has neither. However, what it does have to justify its price is a sleek touchscreen; four automatic cooking programmes; and the choice to cook manually by varying time and temperature, and a slow blending function that means you won’t accidentally get purée when you wanted chunky and rustic. As well as soup programmes, it makes sauces, taking the effort out of béchamel and cooked dips, while its ice-crushing programme can be adapted for fresh lemonade and other drinks.
Key specs – Capacity: 2 litre jug, makes max 1.4 litres of soup; Programmes: Smooth, chunky, sauce; Functions: 3 blending speeds, low and high temp settings, 60-min timer, 20-min keep warm, ice, auto clean; Power: 1,000W heating 500W motor
5. Cuisinart Soup Maker Plus SSB3U: The best soup maker under £150
Price when reviewed:£140
Cuisinart have been making soup makers for some time, so it’s no surprise to find that the Soup Maker Plus has evolved into more than just a blender with a heating element. As well as the supremely useful carrying handles at the side and a sauté function for browning ingredients, a slow stir function means you can use it to make risotto and curries. The lack of any preset programmes means that it’s more of a hands-on soup maker than some models here, but on the plus side this allows keen cooks to get a bit more creative. It can also be used like a standard blender for sauces, smoothies and crushing ice, plus it comes with a recipe booklet. A glass jar and non-stick base make clean-up simple.
Buy the Cuisinart Soup Maker Plus SSB3U now from John Lewis
Key specs – Capacity: 1.75 litre jug, makes max 1.4 litres of soup; Programmes: None; Functions: 4 blending speeds plus pulse, simmer, sauté and high heat temps, slow stir, 30-min timer; Power: 1,000W heating 500W motor