37 Holiday Soup Recipes to Start Your Feast Off in Delicious Style

By Karla Walsh
Updated September 22, 2020
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Credit: Brie Passano
From elegant soups for your grand holiday feast, to cozy soups for Christmas Eve, our festive soup recipes will have you covered all season long! Find hearty choices, like tortellini soup, beef-barley stew, and chili, along with stylish options, like butternut squash soup, pumpkin soup, and a luscious creamy Brie soup. You'll also find some great ham soup and turkey soup ideas that will help you serve up those holiday leftovers in all new ways.
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New Potato-Chicken Soup

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Don't sweat all day over your holiday soup. Bust out your slow cooker and get simmering! For this creamy potato soup, featuring caramelized onions and red potatoes, the set-and-forget appliance does nearly all of the work for you.

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Broccoli-Cheese Soup

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Cheesy. Creamy. Classic. There's no way this broccoli-cheese soup isn't hitting our special occasion menu. Bonus: It can be made with fresh or frozen veggies. Give the holiday soup recipe a cafe-worthy finish by serving it in homemade bread bowls.

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Chicken Pot Pie Soup

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Comfort food doesn’t come much comfier than pot pie. Give the classic recipe a creative twist with this hearty holiday soup recipe that’s stuffed with crunchy veggies and tasty chicken. Homemade biscuits (recipe included!) make the perfect topper.

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Spinach Artichoke Dip Soup

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All the flavors you know and love in the hot-dip recipe can now be savored by the bowl-full! It might sound too rich for a holiday meal appetizer but trust us. With a whole 10-ounce package of frozen spinach and a 14-ounce can of artichokes in the mix, this holiday soup is surprisingly well-balanced.

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Cider Pork-and-Apple Stew

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Bobbing for apples isn't hard to do when it comes to this pork-parsnip holiday stew recipe. It's infused with three sweet hits: apple cider, apple brandy, and Granny Smith apples. This makes it ideal to enjoy early and often all fall and winter long.

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Lemon Potato Soup with Feta

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No matter how heavy your holiday menu, this citrus-spiked starter will pair beautifully. Start your meal off fresh with a bowl of lemony, veggie-rich goodness. Did we mention this holiday soup recipe only takes 20 minutes of prep?

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Bone-In Chicken Noodle Soup

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Meaty pieces of browned, bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks make this hearty and traditional soup especially rich and comforting. Grandma would be so proud of you serving this elegant-tasting yet affordable holiday soup recipe. It’s a can’t-go-wrong option for a Christmas Eve soup supper—or any special occasion that could use a cozy addition!

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Sweet Onion Soup with Porcini Mushrooms

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Rich, woodsy porcini mushrooms and sweet ribbons of caramelized onions star in this company-worthy holiday soup recipe. The broth (flavored with fresh herbs, wine, and salty pancetta) deserves an award for best supporting role. Top with wedges of toasty bread for an unforgettable holiday starter.

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Beef-and-Barley Stew with Roasted Winter Vegetables

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If turkey’s on the menu for Christmas day, put beef on the menu for Christmas Eve. With roasted veggies, tender beef, and hearty barley this holiday stew will fill everyone around your table with the warmth of the season. Garnish with parsley for a bright and fresh finish.

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Cream of Roasted Fennel Soup with Homemade Croutons

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Festive soup recipes that can be made in advance are key to getting your holiday-entertaining game on. (And doing so without holding up the show or stressing over the stove as guests arrive.) Here’s a holiday soup recipe that showcases the sweetness of fennel in a rich, creamy base, with homemade croutons for a crunchy contrast.

Related: 35 Make-Ahead Holiday Side Dishes

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Turkey Peanut Stew

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Peanut butter isn’t just for cookies and chocolate cups. (Although it sure is delicious in dessert recipes!) A cup of PB lends a creamy texture and a rich, nutty flavor to this African turkey soup recipe. This holiday soup recipe a great way to use leftover turkey.

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Tortellini Florentine Soup

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Christmas soup recipes don’t come much easier than this version, which gets a headstart from jarred Alfredo sauce, leftover or deli chicken, and refrigerated cheese tortellini. To make it fitting and festive, dried tomatoes and spinach team up to infuse a little holiday color into this easy tortellini soup. Thanks to those shortcut ingredients, the holiday soup recipe is ready in under 30 minutes, making it perfect for those bustling Christmas Eve festivities.

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Clam Chowder with Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese

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This creamy classic, topped with crispy bacon and authentic Italian cheese, serves up to 10 people and can be made in under an hour.

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Creamy Brie Soup

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If you’re looking for Thanksgiving soup recipes that will kick off the feast with a real “wow” factor, flag this one! Brie and Chardonnay work some major magic in this luscious holiday soup recipe. For an extra festive touch, top each bowl with a crusty toast round, a thin slice of Brie, and dollop of jam (fig’s our top choice!).

Related: 23 Tasty Recipes With Wine

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Butternut Squash Bisque

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Chipotle peppers add just the right amount of heat to this slightly sweet version of butternut squash soup. And with crumbled bacon and shaved Gouda for toppings, what’s not to love? No wonder one BH&G home cook says this holiday soup is, “One of the family favorites. Definitely a winter staple!”

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Pumpkin Soup with Lentils

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Canned pumpkin takes a walk on the savory side in this hearty pumpkin soup recipe. Also, because it’s meatless, it will please the vegetarians around your table. The lentils make this holiday soup hearty enough to be a main in a big serving size, but the brothy consistency and heaps of veggies make a cup an ideal first course as part of a holiday feast.

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Creamy Vegetable and Tortellini Soup with Pesto

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Fairly new to cooking or hosting a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner? You’ve landed on the right holiday soup recipe. This colorful tortellini soup is beyond easy: Six ingredients. 25 minutes. Done.

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Christmas Chili

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Include this chili on your short list of festive soup recipes for Christmas Eve—especially if your crowd likes it hot! Ancho chiles, jalapeno pepper, and chili powder add a not-so-subtle kick to the recipe.

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Butternut Squash-and-Carrot Soup

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This creamy butternut squash soup calls on carrots for extra color and sweetness. While this holiday soup recipe is layered with flavor, it’s mildly spiced. That means this creamy soup is a great choice when you’re hosting a range of guests (with a range of spice preferences!) for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

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Butternut Squash Posole

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Warmly-spiced cumin and the bright flavor combos make this, “one of my favorite soups,” according to BH&G home chef Jill H. This butternut squash soup is patterned after posole, a Mexican dish seasoned with chili powder and chock full of hominy. We suggest serving the holiday soup as a hearty main course on Christmas Eve.

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Creamy Tortellini Soup

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If the more than 100 five-star ratings don’t convince you to make this holiday soup recipe, the convenience factor sure will. Coleslaw mix and refrigerated tortellini to make this a breeze to bring to the table during holiday crunch time. Smoked sausage and hearty veggies also star in the easy tortellini soup that will have everyone asking for seconds. 

Buy It: Crock-Pot Programmable 4-Quart Slow Cooker ($30, Target)

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Butternut Squash Soup

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Find out how to make your butternut squash soup great tasting and silky-smooth.

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Ham-and-Sweet Potato Soup

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Need the entire stovetop to prep your holiday meal? A little counter space is all this delectable slow cooker soup requires. Sweet potatoes, beans, ham, and onions simmer quietly while you're tending to sides, entrees, and guests. When you're ready to serve this holiday soup recipe, just add a healthy splash of half-and-half and mash gently!

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Bouillabaisse

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Four types of seafood, plenty of vegetables, and homemade garlic-parmesan croutons make this stylish South-of-France stew one of our most festive soup recipes ever. It’s a great way to welcome family home for the holidays.

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Butternut Squash Soup with Ravioli

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If you have 30 minutes and five ingredients (six, if you want to dress things up with a pretty swirl of molasses on top), you have everything you need to make this healthy holiday soup recipe. While butternut squash simmers away in a spiced-up broth mixture, you can boil the store-bought ravioli. Then all that’s left to do is blend the soup to creamy perfection, and top with the cheesy pasta pillows.

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Danish Green Kale Soup

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Go green with this five-star soup BH&G fans can’t stop raving about. Potatoes and carrots make this ham soup extra hearty, while kale cranks up the color and vitamin quotient. The classic Danish recipe combines tradition and great taste for a holiday soup that will bring extra warmth to your table. 

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Apple-Cheddar Soup

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Take charcuterie board flavors from board to bowl! Turn one of the most crowd-pleasing combos—apples and cheese—into one of the best holiday soup recipes you’ll ever serve. Garnish with slices of Granny Smith apples for tart flavor or Pacific Queen apples for a sweeter alternative.

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Butternut Squash Corn Chowder

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This recipe crosses two all-time favorites—butternut squash soup and corn chowder—for your new go-to holiday soup.

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Wild Rice-Ham Soup

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Whether you’re looking for a hearty main dish for Christmas Eve, or a clever way to disguise leftover holiday ham, this bright and colorful ham soup’s got you covered.

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Butternut Squash Soup with Thai Gremolata

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Go global with your next holiday menu. Coconut milk, Asian chili sauce, and other Southeast Asian touches add intrigue to this butternut squash holiday soup recipe. Bonus: It practically preps itself in your slow cooker so you can focus on the rest of the meal.

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Holiday Pumpkin Soup

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Little says, “Thanksgiving!” more than pumpkin. In this holiday soup recipe, curry, cumin, and coriander offer a spicy update on classic pumpkin soup. Still, both in color and flavor, the spotlight still shines on the undisputed star of the recipe: pumpkin, in all its seasonal glory.

Related: 53 Pumpkin Recipes You Can Make Every Day of Fall