Homemade soup in winter is a wonderfully warm and comforting meal, so we regularly cook up a pot ready for easy dinners or workday lunches. While it is great to have soup sitting in the fridge ready to heat and eat, do you know how long it can be safely kept in the fridge or freezer? And how should you reheat it? Let’s take a look at how to store and reheat soup safely.
Generally soup can be kept for three days, but it depends on what ingredients are in the soup. Creamy soups will last three days, while clear, vegetable-based soups will last longer. Seafood soups should be used within two or three days, while chicken soup can last up to five days. You should always use your nose to smell, and your mouth to taste, before reheating. If the soup smells bad or tastes sour, it should not be eaten. Soup can be frozen in portions to suit your family and lifestyle whether that’s as single serve portions, or for two, three, or more. Soup can be stored for up to three months in the freezer.
You should always defrost frozen soup in the fridge or the microwave. You can then reheat it in a saucepan on the stove, or in a bowl in the microwave. Soup should not be reheated more than once, so only heat up as much soup as you will eat each time. When reheating broths or clear soups, bring them to the boil for three minutes. It is trickier with soups that contain thickeners like cream or flour, or with seafood soups as boiling these can change the flavour and make them too thick. Instead, bring these to the boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer, and stir while simmering for three minutes.
FAQs
Creamy soups will last three days, while clear, vegetable-based soups will last longer. Seafood soups should be used within two or three days, while chicken soup can last up to five days. You should always use your nose to smell, and your mouth to taste, before reheating.
How do you store and reheat soup? ›
Refrigerating & Reheating Soup
Store soup in shallow containers for rapid cooling. Cover and refrigerate soups for up to 3 days. Soups made with fish or shellfish should be refrigerated no longer than 1 day. Heat broth-based soups over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until hot; or reheat in the microwave.
What are the rules for reheating soup? ›
Reheat leftovers thoroughly to at least 165 °F. Reheat sauces, soups, and gravies to a boil. On stove top: Place food in pan and heat thoroughly. The food should reach at least 165 °F on a food thermometer when safely reheated.
Can you eat homemade soup after 7 days? ›
A general rule of thumb is that soup can be stored in the refrigerator for about three days, but you should always taste your dish before deciding to reheat.
How do you store soups and how long can they be stored? ›
When refrigerated, soup that contains vegetables or meat will stay good for 3–4 days. If you're freezing soup containing vegetables or meat, you can expect that to last for 2–3 months in the freezer.
How many times can you reheat the same soup? ›
If food has been hygienically prepared, cooled quickly after cooking (or reheating) and stored cold, reheating more than once should not increase the risk of illness. However, prolonged storage and repeated reheating will affect the taste, texture, and sometimes the nutritional quality of foods.
Can you leave soup out overnight and reheat? ›
If you do decide that you want to leave soup out overnight, it's recommended that you boil the soup for 10 minutes to kill any active bacteria. The logic behind leaving stock out for extended periods of time is that because the liquid was boiled, any bacteria in it has been killed.
Can I put reheated soup back in the fridge? ›
YES! Not only can you put hot food in the fridge, but you should, as long as you do so correctly. In matters of food safety, cooling food down quickly is the name of the game.
How long can I leave soup on the stove? ›
Food should not be at room temperature for more than two hours. Shallow containers or small amounts of hot food can be placed directly in the refrigerator or rapidly chilled in an ice or cold water bath before refrigerating. Cover foods to retain moisture and prevent them from picking up odors from other foods.
How long can you keep homemade soup in the fridge? ›
For best safety and quality, plan to eat refrigerated soup within 3 to 4 days or freeze it. And avoid letting soup set at room temperature for more than TWO hours. Don't put a large pot of hot soup directly into your refrigerator.
Leftovers can be kept for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. After that, the risk of food poisoning goes up. If you don't think you'll be able to eat leftovers within four days, freeze them right away. Frozen leftovers will stay safe for a long time.
How to know if soup is spoiled? ›
Look for mold: If you see any mold growing on the surface of the soup, it's definitely time to throw it out. Check the texture: If the soup has become slimy or has a strange texture, it's a sign that it's gone bad. Taste a small amount: If you're still not sure, you can taste a small amount of the soup.
Can I eat soup after 4 days in the fridge? ›
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), soups and stews containing meat and vegetables will be safe to eat for three to four days if refrigerated. The Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety (CFS) recommends setting your fridge temperature at 4 degrees Celsius (39 degrees Fahrenheit) or below.
Can I freeze soup in Ziploc bags? ›
Package, label, and date a gallon- or quart-size zip-top plastic freezer bag, place it in a bowl and cuff the bag over the edge. Ladle soup into each bag, leaving a bit of extra space, then let out any excess air and seal. Freeze and lay bags flat in a single layer in the freezer.
Can you store soup in mason jars in the fridge? ›
Avoid Rapid Temperature Changes
Filling room temp jars with hot liquid is fine. But don't put hot liquids into cold jars, nor should you take piping hot just-filled jars and pop them immediately in the freezer. Let them cool a tad on the counter, then chill in the fridge, and pop them in the freezer the next day.
Where is the best place to store soup? ›
The simplest way to store soups and stews (if you're planning to use them within a few days) is in the fridge. Refrigerating soups and stews is mostly a matter of transferring it to some sort of container with a tight-fitting lid and getting it into the fridge within two hours.
What is the best way to store hot soup? ›
Shallow containers or small amounts of hot food can be placed directly in the refrigerator or rapidly chilled in an ice or cold water bath before refrigerating. Cover foods to retain moisture and prevent them from picking up odors from other foods.
Should you put leftover soup in the fridge? ›
For best safety and quality, plan to eat refrigerated soup within 3 to 4 days or freeze it. And avoid letting soup set at room temperature for more than TWO hours.
How long to let soup cool before putting it in the fridge? ›
The food danger zone is that place between 40 and 140 °F where pathogens grow most quickly. It can take a long time to get through the danger zone when cooling a large batch of chili, soup or stew. The soup must cool from 140 to 70 °F in 2 hours and from 70 to 40 °F in no more than 4 hours.
