Can you freeze tomato soup? Tomato soup is a beloved classic that can be enjoyed any time of the day! Unlike other soups, traditional tomato soup does not contain thickeners so it freezes so well. This goes for store-bought and homemade tomato soup.
Adding cream, milk, or any type of thickener to the tomato soup may lead to the separation between the milk proteins and the liquids. Still, there are ways to tweak the soup in case this happens. One thing to remember when you’re freezing tomato soup, always wait until the soup has cooled completely. This will help extend the shelf life of the soup.
How to Freeze Tomato Soup?
Freezing Homemade Soup
Prepare the soup as you normally would and leave it to cool completely. Once the soup has cooled completely, prepare a rigid plastic container with an airtight lid. Pour the soup right into the container, leaving about 2 inches of space. This way, the soup has more room to expand as it freezes. Secure the airtight lid and write the storage date then stick in the freezer. Watch the video above for the step by step tutorial on freezing tomato soup.
Freezing Store-Bought Tomato Soup
If say, you bought tomato soup from your favorite resto and you’ve got leftovers or you used canned tomato soup, you can still freeze the rest to serve for later. Ideally, you want to separate the soup that you’d like to freeze from the rest of the soup that you will eat. But if this is not possible, make sure to use a serving spoon to reduce the risk of spoilage.
Wait until the soup has cooled completely then prepare a rigid plastic container with an airtight lid. Pour the soup into the container, making sure to leave 2 inches of space so the soup can expand as it freezes. Seal the container with the airtight lid, write the storage date then stick in the freezer.
Cooking and Freezing Tips
If you are making tomato soup from scratch and you want to add cream or milk, exclude this ingredient until you are ready to serve. Once the frozen tomato soup has been defrosted, you can add in the cream or milk as you reheat the soup.
To give the soup added depth and flavor, try roasting the vegetables first. That includes roasting the tomatoes first before making the soup. We also recommend using chicken or beef broth instead of vegetable broth for added flavor.
Is your tomato soup’s consistency too runny? Here’s a couple of tips to add body to thin tomato soups: roasted eggplants or croutons. Adding roasted eggplant helps thicken the soup while adding its own distinct flavor to the mix. Croutons can also add body to thin soups without adding flavor.
Careful reheating is needed if you are warming up creamy tomato soup. Improper reheating could cause the dairy ingredient to curdle, giving the soup an unpalatable appearance or a chunky consistency. To keep the consistency smooth, reheat the soup on low to medium heat. Stir the soup well to keep the consistency smooth. If the soup is runny, you can add a little more cream as you reheat it.
If you have some leftover tomato paste from cooking your tomato soup, you can freeze tomato paste too.
Shelf Life, Thawing, and Reheating Suggestions
When kept in the freezer, homemade tomato soup and store-bought tomato soup will keep for 4 to 6 months. Be sure to consume your supply within a month or less for optimal flavor. Thawed and reheated tomato soup will keep an additional 3 to 4 days in the fridge. We don’t recommend refreezing the leftovers, especially it’s creamy tomato soup.
To thaw the frozen tomato soup, just transfer the frozen soup to the fridge and leave it to defrost overnight. Once the tomato soup has been thawed completely, you can reheat it. To reheat the soup, you can either simmer it on a skillet over medium heat or microwave a bowl of it over high for 15 to 20 seconds.
If you excluded the cream or thickener prior to freezing the soup, you can add this ingredient, along with other ingredients, as the soup simmers.
Summary
Can you freeze tomato soup? Nothing is as comforting as a bowl of tomato soup and it’s great to know that this soup freezes so well. Now you can make a large batch of tomato soup and freeze a portion of it for later.