FIVE EASY WAYS TO THICKEN A SOUP
There are many ways to thicken soup. I usually use either the roux method or a combination of these tried and true methods. This cheesy cauliflower soup recipe uses three of the methods listed below.
Flour Slurry – whisk 4 tablespoons flour with 1 cup broth or water until smooth and lump free (for every two cups of soup). Then whisk into the soup mixture. I usually combine this with at least one other method, as you would need too much of it to really thicken a whole pot of soup. If you did that, it would leave the soup with too much flour taste.
Cornstarch Slurry – whisk 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of broth or water for every two cups of soup. Again I like to combine this with at least one other method. It can be combined with the flour method above, even though they are both slurries.
Roux – equal amounts of melted fat and flour are cooked over medium-low heat while whisking. Then the broth is slowly added while whisking, creating a creamy, thickened base for soup. This is one of my favorite tried and true methods, and because the flour taste is cooked off, it does not need to be combined with other methods.
Immersion Blender – use a handheld immersion blender or a stand blender to puree a portion of or all of your soup. Remember to remove the center cap from the top of your blender to allow steam to escape.
Heavy Cream – add a few tablespoons up to a cup to thicken the soup and make it more luxurious. Add the cream at the end on very low heat or off the heat. I usually combine this with another method listed above to thicken the soup.
