Soup. It’s a simple, straightforward dish that comes together quickly and easily (or at least that’s how it seems before you start making it). But once you get cooking, the sheer number of ways in which a soup can go wrong can surprise you.
Since you’re reading this, your soup ended up thick enough to stand a spoon in — closer to stew or sauce than a soup, really — and now you’re looking for quick fixes. Well, I’m happy to report you’ve come to the right place. This guide will help you figure out what happened to your soup and how to salvage it.
The Reason Soup Turns Out Too Thick
If your soup turned out too thick, nine times out of ten, the culprit is overcooking.
When you simmer soup without a lid for too long, the water inside the pot evaporates and turns to steam. And as that steam escapes through your range hood, it leaves behind a thicker liquid.
While concentrated flavor can be good — or, as chefs say, it’s good for a soup to “have body” — too much reduction can leave you with soup that’s too thick to enjoy, which is probably what landed you here.
How to Thin Your Soup
If your soup has turned into more mud than liquid, the good news is that you can thin it out. Start by tasting your soup. Is it too salty, too bland, or just right? Although thickness is a matter of texture, your palate should help guide your next steps.
If the soup is too salty, consider adding water to dilute the salt and return it to a thinner consistency.
If the soup is too bland, stir in a flavorful broth or stock to boost the taste.
And if the soup is just right, add a little water, give it a stir, taste again, and adjust the seasoning as needed.
The key is to add liquid slowly and let the soup simmer over medium heat for a few minutes. Be careful not to add too much water at once — you don’t want to end up with soup that’s too thin and then have to reduce it again, which might lead to mushy ingredients. Patience is key!
How Not to Make Thick Soup in the First Place
Now that you know why your soup turned out stewy, let’s talk about how to prevent it from happening again.
Here’s the rule: boil your soup only as long as needed to cook the ingredients, and not any longer. Of course, the details matter. The heat level and whether you cook with the lid on or off can greatly affect how quickly the soup loses water.
For best results, simmer your soup over medium heat and keep the lid on. If you turn up the heat too high, the water evaporates quickly, leaving your soup too thick. Water won’t get any hotter than 212°F (100°C) under normal conditions, so your soup will cook effectively without boiling over.
Keeping the lid on does two things: it helps the soup cook evenly by raising the temperature inside the pot, and it traps moisture. The steam rises, hits the cooler lid, and returns as droplets, keeping the liquid in your soup instead of letting it escape.
That said, there are times when you’ll want to lift the lid—maybe to thicken the soup by letting some liquid evaporate, or simply to stir the ingredients. In those cases, go ahead and remove it as needed.
What to Remember
If your soup turns out too thick, it’s probably because it boiled for too long, at too high a heat, or without a lid (or any combo of the three).
The fix is simple: if it’s too salty, add water; if it’s bland, use broth; if it’s just right, stir in some water and adjust the salt. Then let the soup simmer for a few minutes to bring the flavors back together.