Much like George Costanza, we’re shifting into soup mode over here at Sporked. Yes, we’re in Southern California, where summer lasts until late November, but once Labor Day rolls around, we’ve got our can openers and big spoons ready for the best fall soups at the grocery store. We’ve rounded up some of the best canned soups we’ve tried in our taste tests, but focused on ones that have an element or ingredient that still says summer. Like a hoodie or a light pashmina, these are favorite fall-to-summer soups.
- Amy’s Kitchen Thai Coconut Soup
Can hot soup be refreshing? It can if it’s loaded with bright, tasty lemongrass, lime leaf, and coconut milk. Amy’s take on tom kha phak is so flavorful and satisfying that it ended up being among our favorite vegetarian soups (bonus: it’s actually vegan). Pour it over a scoop of white rice to make it a meal for that very first chilly night of the year (which is inevitably followed by several very hot days).
Read the full ranking of the best vegetarian soup
- Amy’s Organic Southwestern Fire Roasted Vegetable Soup
A fall soup with Southwestern flavors is perfect for that interminable span between Labor Day and Halloween. And this one from Amy’s happens to be one of our favorite vegetable soups. According to Sporked editor-in-chief Justine Sterling, this is like “the best vegetable soup you ever tasted had a baby with a perfectly spiced tortilla soup.” Scoop this vegan soup up with tortilla chips or top it with sour cream (or vegan sour cream) and shredded cheddar (or vegan shredded cheddar) .
Read the full ranking of the best vegetable soup
- Trader Joe’s Organic Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Bell peppers are obviously available at the grocery store year-round, but they’re technically a summer-to-fall veggie that’s in season from July through September. That makes this fall soup a perfect summer-to-fall soup. Trader Joe’s Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup is hearty and warming, but has a nice, vegetal brightness from the roasted red bell peppers. Grab that mug you bought on summer vacation and fill it with this perfect sipping soup.
Read the full ranking of the best tomato soup
- Bar Harbor New England Style Clam Chowder
Nothing says summer like a big ol’ clam bake—but nothing says fall like thick, creamy New England clam chowder. We especially love Bar Harbor’s version. In addition to cream, potatoes, and tender clams, this chowder includes clam juice, which gives it a little bit of that tasty, briny salinity you typically only find in restaurant clam chowder. It’s on the pricey side for condensed canned soup, but it’s worth it.
Read the full ranking of the best clam chowder
- Rao’s Sausage & Potato with Cannellini Beans
Potato soup is one of the best fall soups, but this one is a little bit different from the dense, creamy potato soups you might be used to. In fact, it’s light and brothy and perfect for those days when you’re ready for coziness, pumpkin spice coffee, and horror movies on the couch, even though it’s 85 degrees outside. Rao’s Homemade always blows us away, and this soup is no exception.
Read the full ranking of the best potato soup
I can’t find Amy’s Thai Coconut Soup in stock ANYWHERE, unless I wanna buy $40+! 🙁 Boo!