23 Thanksgiving Soups to Kick Off Your Feast

These Thanksgiving soups may not be as popular as the big bird. But they’re a terrific way to start your holiday dinner.

Better yet, they’re ideal for picky eaters, or for anyone who wants a lighter meal.

When most people think of Thanksgiving dinner, they picture turkey, dressing, pumpkin pies, and more.

But let’s not forget about the soup!

You can serve them as a starter or light lunch. And in most cases, you can make them ahead and simply reheat on the day.

So if you’re on the hunt for easy Turkey Day recipes, try one of these Thanksgiving soups.

20+ Thanksgiving Soup Recipes for the Festive Season

1. Pumpkin Soup

For most people, Thanksgiving (and fall in general) means pumpkins – lots and lots of pumpkins.

And while I’m a sucker for a slice of pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling, this soup is my next must-make recipe.

It’s warm, comforting, a lovely orange color, and full of pumpkin and herb yumminess. 

2. Clam Chowder

Clam chowder is a fun fall alternative to the usual pumpkin and squash recipes.

But with all those plump clams and the rich, creamy broth, it’s worthy of a spot on your holiday table.

Seriously, you might not think it’s a Thanksgiving soup, but I promise, your friends and family will gobble it up!

3. Potato Soup

Of all the Thanksgiving soups on this list, I bet this is the one you’ll crave all year round.

It takes only 10 minutes to prepare, and the comforting flavors might just make it more popular than the turkey!

Top it off with cheese, bacon, and green onions, and it’s sure to please.

4. Autumn Wild Rice Soup

This wild rice soup is perfect for those of us who like to cook for the season.

You’ll fill it with seasonal veggies, tender mushrooms, and a generous portion of Old Bay seasoning. 

It’s a herby, earthy delight that tastes fantastic, especially when served with a thick chunk of crusty bread. 

5. Turnip Soup

What do turnips, Granny Smith apples, potatoes, curry powder, and light cream have in common? They’re all ingredients in this delectable turnip soup! 

You’ll also use olive oil, onions, chicken (or veggie) broth, and salt, but that’s all it takes to make this creamy, 30-minute soup. 

It has a mild but delicious taste, and you can jazz it up by adding well-seasoned croutons and a handful of your favorite herbs. 

6. French Onion Soup

French onion soup is pretty delicious no matter how you prepare it. But this French onion soup is no ordinary dish.

This is Julia Child’s French onion soup, and that woman gets everything right.

The caramelized onions are on point, and the beef broth is hearty and filling and not nearly as thin as most French onion soups. 

And it’s one of my favorite Thanksgiving soup recipes ever!

7. Raspberry Cranberry Soup

If you prefer colorful and chilled soups, this raspberry cranberry soup is probably more your speed. 

I fix it more often in the summer, but my family enjoys it in the fall because of its light cranberry flavor and tangy kick. 

That’s fine with me, too, because it only takes 35 minutes to make, and I’m all about Thanksgiving dishes I can cook in a flash. 

8. Butternut Squash Soup

If you’re looking for a soup that feels like a hug from the person you love most, you can’t beat butternut squash soup.

It takes a little prep work (about 25 minutes) but is relatively simple to make.

Plus, you’ll make it with feel-good ingredients like butter, carrots, potatoes, onions, celery, butternut squash, chicken stock, salt, and pepper. 

9. Homemade Corn Chowder

Corn chowder is the perfect mixture of sweet and savory, creamy and crunchy, and fresh and herby.

As you might’ve guessed, it features plenty of corn, plus garlic, bacon, onions, potatoes, and more. 

And where most of these Thanksgiving soup recipes are best served as starters, I think this one is great with your meal.

10. Cream of Celery Soup

If the only cream of celery soup you’ve ever had came from a Campbell’s can, then you’re missing out on something great. 

This homemade version has all the creamy flavor of Campbell’s recipe, but it tastes even better.

It takes a little longer to make, of course, but you can’t rush perfection. 

And anyway, it only takes half an hour from start to finish, so it’s not all that bad, anyway. 

11. Lentil Soup

Lentil soup is a fall and winter favorite because of how chunky and hearty it is. 

Packed with filling lentils, onions, carrots, tomatoes, plenty of herbs and spices, and more, it’s a tough soup to beat. 

It has a spectacular flavor that combines herbs, tomatoes, and all your favorite veggies.

It’s a bit like vegetable soup, but it’s much more filling, and there’s a more intricate depth of flavor, as well.

12. Spinach Artichoke Soup

This scrumptious soup is creamy and delicious; it’s like spinach and artichoke dip, but it’s not quite as thick and is a bit more buttery. 

Even so, if you’re a fan of the dip, you’ll love this soup just as much. 

13. Autumn Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup

Your Thanksgiving dessert might make you choose between carrots and sweet potatoes, but your Thanksgiving soup says, why not have both? 

This ten-ingredient soup features onions, carrots, sweet potatoes, chicken broth, honey, apples, butter, curry powder, salt, and pepper for a sweet and savory dish that’s unbelievably good. 

14. Chestnut Soup with Bacon and Chives

This nutty, earthy, bacon-packed soup isn’t something you knew you needed in your life, but once you try it, you’ll want to make it again and again. 

With chestnuts, chives, leeks, shallots, nutmeg, and more, you’ll manage to pack a lot of flavor into a single bowl.

It also has a tan, almost pink color that’s really lovely.

15. Fall Vegetable Quinoa Soup

Fall vegetable quinoa soup is precisely what it sounds like – vegetable soup made with fall veggies and quinoa. It tastes a lot like traditional vegetable soup.

It has a vegetable broth and tomato base, but instead of summer veggies – corn, peppers, greens, etc. – you’ll use squash, carrots, celery, sweet potato, and lots of fresh herbs. 

16. Easy Tomato Soup

If you’re somewhat addicted to tomato soup like I am, then you’ll appreciate this simple, four-ingredient (plus salt) recipe that’ll allow you to make it any time. 

All you’ll need is butter, an onion, water, and a large can of tomatoes (and salt to suit your tastes). It takes less than an hour to whip up two hearty servings. 

17. Roasted Cauliflower Soup

If you’re looking for a relatively low-carb Thanksgiving soup option, consider making roasted cauliflower soup.

It’s tasty and garlicky and has just a hint of zestiness. 

Best of all, you can make it with fewer than ten ingredients with only 15 minutes of prep work.

18. Cream of Mushroom Soup

Cream of mushroom soup is another of those delectable soup options that taste so much better when you make them from scratch. 

Not only do you get the rich, creamy, mushroom-flavored broth, but you’ll also get actual chunks of mushrooms, some diced onions, and fresh parsley and thyme. 

It knocks the canned stuff right out of the water! 

19. Thanksgiving Leftover Soup

Thanksgiving leftover soup is more of a day after Thanksgiving kind of soup.

But it gives you one more way to enjoy all that incredible holiday food, so it deserves a spot on the list. 

To make it, you’ll use all the best of your Thanksgiving leftovers – shredded turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, chicken broth, and frozen mixed veggies. 

It’s almost like a turkey pot pie, only in soup form instead of inside a flaky, golden crust. 

20. Acorn Squash Soup

If you’re looking for a vegetarian option that’ll wow your Thanksgiving crowd, this acorn squash soup is just the thing.

It’s thick and creamy, and the caramelized acorn squash gives it the most fantastic, almost sweet taste.

Even your most staunch meat-loving friends won’t be able to get enough of it. 

21. Borscht

I’m not sure I’ve ever known a soup more polarizing than borscht. People either love it or really, really hate it.

Then again, most people feel the same way about the beets you use to make it. 

If you’re a fan of beets and cabbage, borscht is probably something you’ll enjoy. If not, you might want to give it a pass. 

22. Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Although there’s nothing particularly Thanksgiving-like about broccoli cheddar soup, it’s one of my all-time favorites, so I made an executive decision and added it, anyway. 

And when it comes to restaurant-bought broccoli cheddar soup, Panera and Chili’s have the best, which is why I love this recipe for copycat Panera soup so much. 

If you really want to go all out, serve it in a copycat Panera bread bowl, as well. 

23. Curried Cauliflower Apple Soup

The author of this recipe refers to this soup as “seductive” and claims that the cauliflower-apple-curry combo is “a magical flavor combination.” 

Well, with praise like that, I certainly had to give this recipe a try. I have to say, she wasn’t far off the mark.

It’s spicy, nutty, and tartly sweet, and there’s no other soup like it that I’ve tried. 

Just be sure to let it simmer long enough, otherwise, it’ll be a little too thin.