An easy garlic soup recipe that you thicken using bread. It has a smooth rich flavor and will definitely keep the vampires away this Halloween!
If you’ve never had garlic soup before, it’s not harsh or pungent at all. The garlickiness reminds me of the onioniness of French Onion Soup, mellow and rich. If you’re a garlic lover like me, you’ll definitely enjoy this easy garlic soup that is ready in just 15 minutes thanks to a great tip.
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
Thicken Soup With Bread
Garlic Soup is popular in the South of France where they traditionally thicken it with bread. The way you do this is to chop up some bread into cubes and then add it to the soup as it’s simmering. The bread soaks up liquid and gets soft and kind of mushy. Then you purée the soup, bread and all, in the blender. The wet bread breaks up completely and spreads through the soup making a creamy texture.
Using bread as a thickener is the SouperTip for this soup. It’s what makes it so tasty so quickly. Anytime you’re planning to puree a soup, you can use bread as a thickener. Just cube it up, add it, and let it get really wet before blending. This is a great use for stale bread and for fresh or stale crusts that you aren’t planning to eat. Fresh bread works just as well as slightly stale bread does.
What Kind Of Bread To Use?
The first time I made this soup I used whole grain sandwich bread because that’s what I had on hand. I could detect a grainy flavor in the soup that I found wholesome and interesting.
The second time I tested it, I used white bread. It didn’t have the grain flavor but was equally good. Feel free to use what you have but know that a more flavorful bread will transfer that flavor to the soup.
Serving Garlic Soup
To serve the Easy Garlic Soup, I like to add a small scoop of sour cream on top. It’s not required but adds some extra richness and a tang that go well with the garlic flavor. Sour cream and garlic make a great team! But if you want to have this be a vegan soup recipe, skip the sour cream (or use a dairy-free version. And be sure to use vegetable broth and a vegan bread).
More Quick Soup Recipes
You can see all of my SOUPin15 recipes over here or try one of these favorites.
Podcast Episode: Making Garlic Soup
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make this soup, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
Print
Easy Garlic Soup Recipe
- Prep Time: 0 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: French
DESCRIPTION
An easy garlic soup recipe that you thicken using bread. It has a smooth rich flavor and will definitely keep the vampires away this Halloween!
To get this soup ready in under 15 minutes first read through the recipe. As you read, gather together all ingredients, pots, pans and tools that you will need. That way everything will be at your fingertips when you start. No need to prep any ingredients though. All the prep is in the instructions and contained within the 15 minute time. (For a vegan soup use vegetable broth, a bread that doesn’t contain eggs or dairy, and skip the sour cream or use a dairy-free version).
Yield 8 cups. Serves 6-8 as an appetizer.
Ingredients
- 7 cups no or low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 large onion
- 15 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. coarse black pepper
- 6 slices of bread (fresh or stale, white or whole wheat)
- 1 green onion
- 1/3 cup sour cream (optional)
Instructions
- Measure the broth into a large microwave-safe bowl and put it in the microwave for 7 minutes.
- Put a large pot or Dutch oven on medium heat with the olive oil. As it heats, peel and roughly chop the onion. Add it to the olive oil and stir.
- Stir the onion occasionally as you peel the garlic cloves. Arrange all the peeled garlic in a single layer on your cutting board and run a knife through it all several times to roughly chop it. Add it to the onions and cook stirring continuously for 1 minute. Season with the salt and pepper and stop the microwave (if it’s still going) and add the heated broth. Stir and cover. Increase heat to high.
- Chop the bread into 1/2 inch cubes. Add them to the soup and stir. Put the lid back on.
- Chop the greens of the green onion. Set aside.
- Once the soup is simmering and the bread is well-soaked, which it should be by now, transfer soup in batches to a blender and puree until very smooth. Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired.
- Ladle into bowls and top each with some of the sour cream, if using, and chopped green onions.
Love this recipe? I’d appreciate it if you could scroll down and add a *5 star rating* to help others know they’ll love it as well!
This post originally appeared in October 2014 and was revised and republished in September 2024.
Hi Christine,
I loved this soup, being a big garlic fan. I halved it using peeled cloves from a container from the store (made it easier). I also used thin slices of multi-grain bread and an immersion blender. It’s good comfort food and would be soothing when you’re under the weather. It will probably be better in a day or two. Thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Jean! Thanks for commenting, I think it’s very comforting too. :)
This garlic soup recipe is very good!
Thank you,
we like How nicely the bread thickens it,
it’s a feel good nutritious … delicious soup!
It’s a keeper.
Thank you for sharing it.
Terri
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Terri!
Very easy and tasty.
Thank you so much, Ed! Glad to hear you enjoyed.
Thank you for this recipe.
It really warms the belly on our cold winter days.
You’re welcome, Beverly! So happy you enjoyed.
I can’t believe how tasty this soup is, or how easy it is to make. I’ll be making this again for sure!
Connie, Yessss! I love this recipe too! Thank you for letting me know you liked it, and thank you for the 5 star rating!
Made this tonight and everyone loves it. I think I might add a few more garlic cloves next time. Thanks for the simple recipe.! ?
You’re welcome, Sandy! Feel free to add extra if you love garlic like me. :)
I made this tonight and it was a hit! The recipe was easy to follow and came together really fast! Will make this again!
That’s fantastic, Katt! So happy you enjoyed!
Can you use an immersion blender instead of a regular blender?
Absolutely, Emilie! The immersion blender is great for finishing soups!
Delicious and easy and this was the first time I ever made or tasted garlic soup. Great!
So happy to hear that, John! Hopefully it won’t be the last time you make it!
I had garlic soup for the first time in Pray, Czech Republic. I’ve been itching to make some and came across your recipe. I love the simplicity of it, though I did tweak it just a tad.
I doubled the garlic
Used 8 TBs of butter rather than Olive oil
Made a roux with 4 TBs of flour and 4 TBs of bacon fat.
Used 1/2 The amount of bread because I was using a roux as well.
So delighted with the results! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Miriam, that sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing your tweaks!
made soup for first time…roasted garlic cloves and used ciabatta with garlic in it. Delish and more flavor with roasting and bread.
Nancy, So happy you liked it!
Could you skip using bread?
Avey, The bread is the thickener for this soup. You could instead get a small bowl and whisk together 1/2 cup water or broth and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Stir it into the soup and then bring it to a simmer. That should thicken it.
I love this soup. Can you freeze it? Thanks.
Gayle, Yes, it can be frozen. Just don’t add the sour cream or green onions before freezing.
Do you think sourdough bread would work well in this recipe?
Hi Dianna, It should. It might give it a mild tang. You might end up wanting to leave out the sour cream if there is a lot of flavor from the bread. But I’m guessing that it won’t flavor the soup that strongly. And I love sour cream so I would probably scoop it on whether the soup was already tangy or not! Have a great day! -Christine
Yes please!! vampires don’t stand a chance!
Garlic soup!? Yes please!
We are all about soup these days. Looks delish!!
I love your 15 minute soups…and I love garlic! It’s so good for you. I bet this is delicious.
I’m making this tonight, can’t wait.
I am not afraid! Laughing. I love garlic. Was fascinated that it was thickened by bread. Loved the post.