Can soup be frozen in a tupperware?

The best thing about making soup is cooking a big batch, enough to feed an army, and having leftovers to feed you for days. However, you may not want to eat soup three times a day for the next week, so freezing is a great alternative.

In most kitchens, you’ll find a wide variety of Tupperware shapes and sizes. Is it a suitable container to freeze the soup?

Yes absolutely.

There are just a few handy tricks you’ll want to put into practice to make sure your soups freeze safely and reheat perfectly.

7 steps to freeze soup in tupperware

1. Freeze the soup the same day you cook it.

If you think you’ll want some leftovers for the next few days, save the amount you want to store in the fridge, but the rest should go in the freezer the same day to maintain freshness. The longer the soup sits, the more liquid the vegetables and meats will absorb.

That’s great for flavor, but not so great for consistency. If you freeze it right after cooking (and chilling), all the individual components of your delicious dish will better maintain their integrity. When you’re ready to eat it, it’ll be like you just made a completely fresh batch!

2. Store your soup in individual meal sizes.

You can save in individual servings or in the amount you would reheat for a single meal for your family. Don’t just pour a whole pot of soup into a huge bowl and hope for the best.

The smaller the size of the container, the more evenly the soup will freeze and reheat. Also, once your soup has been frozen and thawed once, you don’t want to refreeze the leftovers, so you want to keep the rest frozen from the start.

3. Make sure you use freezer-safe Tupperware.

The manufacturer makes it easy for you by placing a snowflake icon on its containers that will hold up well to being frozen and thawed regularly.

Not all plastic containers are created equal, and many crack when they get cold. Look for the snowflake!

4. Make sure the soup has completely cooled before putting it in the container.

Most people know that it’s important not to put hot food directly into the freezer to avoid the risk of bacterial growth, but it’s also important not to put hot food directly into the plastic Tupperware containers.

Most manufactured plastic food containers today are BPA-free, but to be safe, it’s good practice not to heat plastic containers and put food at risk of chemical leaching.

5. Make sure there is room to grow.

Foods tend to expand when frozen because water changes state. Going from liquid to crystalline to solid, it gets bigger. Soup expands more than most foods because it has a lot of water.

This is completely normal, but you need to make sure there is enough space in your container to support this expansion without breaking the container or popping off the lid.

6. Cover with plastic wrap.

For a protective seal that allows for natural expansion, place some plastic wrap on top of the soup. It doesn’t have to be a perfect seal, but it will protect the top layer from being exposed to air in the extra headroom of your container.

7. A special note about the noodles

Noodles don’t hold up very well to freezing and reheating, so if you’re making a noodle soup that you plan to freeze, it’s a good idea to cook the noodles separately.

Cook just the amount you need for immediate meals, freeze the soup without the noodles, and make a new batch when you’re ready to reheat.

How to reheat frozen soup in a tupperware

Broth-based meat and vegetable soups are fairly easy to reheat, and you have many methods to choose from, depending on your preferences and time constraints. Regardless of how you reheat it, you’ll need to remove it from the container first.

Microwave oven

Empty the frozen soup into a large, microwave-safe container. If time allows, let it thaw first on the counter or in the fridge. This will heat more evenly and meat and vegetables will stay fresher.

Once defrosted, cover it with plastic wrap or a microwavable cover to prevent the soup from decorating the inside of the appliance. Work slowly and steadily, in 30-45 second bursts, stirring in between.

Soup heats up quickly and it’s best not to overheat it and let vegetables get soft or meats get rubbery.

If you’re short on time, you can heat straight from the frozen. Start with 1 minute in the microwave and stir as best you can. If it’s still completely frozen, put in another minute.

As soon as it’s almost defrosted, decrease the burst time to 30 seconds to prevent overheating. Remember to mix after each burst to achieve even heat.

Stove

The kitchen is very easy. Simply pour the frozen soup into a pot and add about an inch of water to the bottom to prevent the frozen soup from burning as it heats up. Put a lid on and heat over medium-low heat. Stir periodically as it thaws and when it’s hot enough, serve!

Instant pot

This is probably the fastest and easiest way to reheat soup. Put it frozen, use the pressure cooker setting and run it for 5 minutes. voila! The only downside is that the Instant Pot is not a good solution for cream soups.

Reheating cream-based soups requires special care. Milk thickens when it freezes, but patience can get it right again. It’s a good idea to let the soups de nata thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat over low heat, slowly, stirring well and often until you reach your desired temperature and consistency.

Mistakes to Avoid When Freezing and Reheating Soup

The first mistake people make is to freeze a soup and forget about it. If you leave a soup in the freezer for too long, tiny ice crystals will form on top of the soup and also, tiny, on the fibers of the food itself.

When you thaw it, this will affect the flavor and texture, so make sure you consume the soup within 3 months of freezing.

We’ve mentioned that you have to be careful not to overfill your containers, but don’t underfill them either. The more air there is inside the container, the more it can burn in the freezer. Covering the top of the soup with plastic wrap will help, but otherwise try to leave about an inch between the soup and the top of the bowl.

You also shouldn’t use a slow cooker to reheat frozen soups.

They are magic for creating slow cooker meals where prepared vegetables and meat are frozen uncooked, then cooked together in the slow cooker. But once cooked, frozen, and thawed, the slow cooker doesn’t heat everything fast enough, leaving too much time for bacteria to survive and thrive.

Related questions

Are there soups that cannot be frozen?

Yes. Noodles don’t freeze well, and cream soups have to be thawed and reheated very carefully or they separate and don’t have a very nice texture. It can be done, but slowly.

Vegetables that are high in water (like zucchini) will change in consistency, as will vegetables with a lot of starch (like potatoes). That doesn’t mean you can’t freeze these soups, just be prepared for a slightly different texture.

How do you prepare and freeze soup for meals in the slow cooker?

The fastest and easiest way is to simply chop up all the vegetables, put them in a bag and freeze them.

The best way to do this would be to chop up the veggies and quick freeze (line them nicely on a cookie sheet and freeze so they stay in individual pieces), then put it all together in a freezer bag and freeze. You can even include raw meat, as long as you freeze it right away and cook it all together.

Can soup be frozen in mason jars?

Yes, you can, but you need to make sure the soup has completely cooled before putting it in the freezer. You also want to make sure there is room for the soup to expand without breaking or popping the glass.