I Tasted All the Soups at Whole Foods and Found the Best 6

Allow me to pull back the curtain a bit: We decide which foods to taste and rank, in part, from SEO research. That is to say, we look for foods and drinks that lots of people are searching for, and then we taste and rank them. But sometimes we allow our own curiosity to guide our tastings. Such was the case with this one. When we visited Whole Foods to taste and rank the Whole Foods hot bar items, my curiosity was piqued by the wall of refrigerated, proprietary Whole Foods soups. 

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I’ve never really had a reason to taste any of these large, not cheap, 24oz soups. But I wanted to. So I did. Because that is one perk of my job. I sat down to a feast of all the Whole Foods soups that were available with my colleagues. We tasted soup after soup in search of the best soups at Whole Foods. We found some real duds (don’t get the Plant Based Chicken Noodle Soup, whatever you do) and we also found some true gems that I’ll be buying again. Here are the six best soups at Whole Foods. 

Best Whole Foods Soups, Ranked

Best Vegetarian

Whole Foods Double Cheddar Broccoli Soup

Whole Foods

While it didn’t crack our ranking of the best broccoli cheddar soup when we first tasted it, we enjoyed Whole Foods’ Double Cheddar Broccoli Soup this go round. It’s really creamy and it has a super sharp cheddar flavor—which might be a turn-off for some folks, but personally I enjoy the sharpness. It gives it some dimension. Plus, it has big chunks of broccoli, not just little bits, which somehow makes it feel like you’re not just eating melted cheese. You’re eating soup.

Credit: Liv Averett / Whole Foods

Rating:

7/10

Sporks

Best for Plussing Up

Whole Foods Chicken Tortilla Soup

Whole Foods

This is a fairly standard tortilla soup—albeit with a heavy oregano flavor. It’s super savory and a great base for plussing up. Add some crispy tortilla strips (they’re in there already but they’re far from crisp by the time you eat it), a squeeze of lime, a dollop of sour cream, maybe a sprig of cilantro, and you’re in business.

Credit: Liv Averett / Whole Foods

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Best When You’re Sick

Whole Foods Carrot Ginger Soup

Whole Foods

Whole Foods’ Carrot Ginger Soup goes hard on the ginger. That stops it from being too sweet and one-note. It’s super soothing and perfect for an upset tummy. Like, if you had a rough night but were ready to start digesting food again, this is the perfect way to reintroduce your system to solids. It also happens to be vegan, which is impressive considering how extremely creamy it is. 

Credit: Liv Averett / Whole Foods

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best Vegan

Whole Foods Pumpkin Curry Soup

Whole Foods

Skip Whole Foods’ Butternut Squash Soup and opt for this one instead. It’s super earthy and creamy and surprisingly complex. It’s made with pumpkin puree, coconut milk, sweet potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, apples, curry powder, and a couple other things because it’s not exactly homemade. The coconut is subtle—just present enough to give it a little tropical sweetness—and don’t worry about the curry, it mostly just adds some complexity. This is the best Whole Foods soup to warm up for fall.

Credit: Liv Averett / Whole Foods

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Best Bisque

Whole Foods Lobster Bisque

Whole Foods

Whole Foods’ Lobster Bisque made our ranking of the best lobster bisque to buy and I stand by that ranking. It’s so creamy. So. So. Creamy. The lobster flavor leans into the sweetness of the shellfish, which is enhanced by a touch of nutty sherry flavor (there is actual sherry in this soup). It’s smooth and indulgent. You can eat this as it or plus it up with some actual lobster meat or a couple of shrimp. Or you could use it as a pasta sauce. It’s definitely one of the best soups at Whole Foods—especially if you’re in the mood for a creamy bisque.

Credit: Liv Averett / Whole Foods

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

Whole Foods Corn & Shrimp Chowder

Whole Foods

Out of all the Whole Foods soups we tasted this was by far the best and the decision was unanimous. It’s so satisfying and really has its own personality. It goes heavy on the corn and potato rather than the shrimp, which is fine because the shrimp are kind of the low point of this soup. It’s filling and creamy and it has this kick of smoke from a good hit of paprika that really keeps you coming back. I’ll be buying this Whole Foods soup again—it’s actually worth the price tag.

Credit: Liv Averett / Whole Foods

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

Other Whole Foods Soups we tried: 

Minestrone, Butternut Squash, Red Lentil Dal with Spinach, Tomato Parmesan, Italian Wedding, Old School Vegetable, Split Pea, Andouille Sausage & Shrimp, Plant Based Chicken Noodle, Coconut Chicken Curry, Chile Verde Chicken