Can You Freeze Tomato Soup?

Tomato soup is one of the best soups to have on a cold winter’s night. It warms you right through and is delicious served with a chunk of fresh bread or garlic bread. However, is it possible to freeze it? You might want to make a big pot of it for future use.

Why just make a small pot of it for just one meal? The good news is that, yes, you can freeze tomato soup (see also Freezing Tomato Juice). The only problem is if you have added milk or cream. They could make the soup separate when defrosted. The best scenario is to freeze it without any dairy products and then add them while you are reheating the soup.

It is also important to remember that you must cool the soup down completely before freezing (see also Freezing French Onion Soup). If you don’t, the temperature in your freezer will rise and this can mean that other food in the freezer will start defrosting. This can lead to bacteria forming and causing food poisoning.

In this article, we will take a look at how to freeze tomato soup (see also Freezing Tomato Paste), how to defrost it, and how to reheat it.

Freezing Tomato Soup

How to Freeze Homemade Tomato Soup

You probably have your favorite recipe for tomato soup so make it as you normally would but without any dairy products. Then leave it to cool down completely. Get an airtight container and pour in the soup.

Make sure that you leave two inches spare at the top of the soup. Soup can expand and you don’t want your container to explode, leaving a mess in the freezer. Once you have secured the lid, put a label on the container with the date you put it in the freezer. It’s too easy to forget when you have put it in the freezer especially if you freeze a lot of different items. 

How to Freeze Store-Bought Tomato Soup

It isn’t that much different freezing store-bought tomato soup than homemade. There could be a sale of tomato soup in the store. If it’s in cans, then you can store it in your pantry for a long while. However, if it’s refrigerated, it won’t have such a long shelf life.

Perhaps you’ve gone to your favorite restaurant and asked for a take-out of tomato soup. In either case, what you need to do is to separate the soup you intend to freeze from what you are going to eat that night otherwise you will have to wait for the soup to cool down completely before you can freeze it. The next step is to get an airtight container and pour in the soup with two inches spare at the top. Put on the lid and label the container. It’s as simple as that. 

Tips for Cooking and Freezing Tomato Soup

If you are making homemade tomato soup and want it to be creamy, wait until you have defrosted it. Add the milk or cream when you are reheating it. This way, the soup shouldn’t curdle, especially if you heat it on low. 

Tomato soup is great as it is, but if you want to add extra depth and flavor, roast the tomatoes first in olive oil. You can also put in any herbs and spices you want. Chili adds an extra kick to tomato soup. Chicken or beef stock is more flavorsome than vegetable stock, but of course, this is not for vegetarians or vegans. 

If your tomato soup seems a bit watery, add roasted eggplant which will both thicken it and give it a distinct flavor. You can also add croutons which take away the lack of body in the soup. You could also make a roux first with butter and flour and then add the soup. 

The Shelf Life of Frozen Tomato Soup

Tomato soup has a shelf life of four to six months when kept in the freezer. However, the flavor of the soup may not be as good if you keep it for this long. We recommend eating it within a month or so. If you have some left over, put it in the fridge and eat it within a few days. It’s not a good idea to refreeze it as it may develop bacteria. 

Defrosting Tomato Soup

It’s easy to thaw frozen tomato soup. Just put the container in the fridge overnight and then it will be ready to reheat for lunch. 

Reheating Frozen Tomato Soup

Once the frozen tomato soup has defrosted, it’s time to reheat it. Put the soup in a pot and reheat it on a low heat so that you get even heat all the way through the soup. It is even more important to keep the soup on a low heat if you want to add cream, creme fraiche or milk. Reheating the soup slowly will keep it from curdling. If it looks a little runny, add some more cream. 

You can reheat the soup in a microwave although it’s best not to do this if you are adding dairy products as they may curdle or separate. Otherwise, heat it on high for 15 seconds. You may have to stir the soup after microwaving it and heat it for a few more seconds. 

Conclusion

We hope that this article has given you the confidence to freeze tomato soup (see also Is it A Good Idea To Freeze Tomatoes?). There’s nothing stopping you from making a big batch of the soup and then freezing it. In this way, you can enjoy the soup for longer.   

Leave a Comment