Is There Milk in Soup?

Soup usually isn’t the first dish you think of when trying to rule out foods containing milk. But surprisingly enough, certain soup recipes use milk and dairy ingredients as a base.

Most clear-broth soups do not contain milk, although they might contain other dairy products like butter. But cream-based soups like potato soup, cream of vegetable soup, and soups with cheese have quite a bit of dairy.

Vegans and people with lactose allergies: keep reading as we dive into the specifics of when you’ll find milk in your soup.

I’ll show you the types of dairy used as soup ingredients and how to substitute dairy-free milk without sacrificing flavor.

Is There Milk In Soup?

If you have milk in your soup, the recipe may call for it in the traditional liquid form, or you may have a dry soup mix containing dry milk powder.

It’s more common than you might think to have milk products in soup dishes, especially when it’s a creamy soup or dairy curry dish.

Types of Soup with Milk or Dairy

Some of the most common types of soup containing milk or some other dairy product include the following:

• Cream of mushroom soup - contains cream and whey (milk protein)
• Cream of potato soup - contains whole milk and butter
• Broccoli and cheddar soup - contains heavy cream, butter, cheddar cheese, and milk
• Cream of tomato soup - contains heavy cream
• Curries - usually use coconut milk or water but sometimes use milk
• Italian wedding soup - contains parmesan cheese
• Zuppa Toscana - contains heavy whipping cream and (sometimes) parmesan cheese
• Cream of vegetable soup - contains half-n-half, butter, and milk (sometimes evaporated milk)

Making Soup Without Dairy or Milk

You can use plant-based milk products for a dairy-free take on any of the above soups containing milk, butter, etc.

Your options for soups range from coconut milk to rice milk, soy milk, almond milk, cashew milk, and more, depending on how sweet or savory you want the flavors to be.

Furthermore, different plant-based milks vary in fat content, which is essential when thickening cream-based soups.

You can also find dairy-free alternatives to butter, such as vegan butter and dairy-free substitutes for cheese.

This way, you can enjoy cream-based soups even if you’re vegan or have lactose intolerance.

A quick search on YouTube will give you endless recipe ideas for creamy soup without milk or dairy. Here's a great one from Feelgoodfoodie that I love!

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, this article has been informative for you if you’ve wondered is there milk in soup?

Although soup may not seem like a likely milk source at first, certain recipes contain cream bases, feature butter, and are topped with cheese.

Cream of mushroom, cream of vegetable, cream of potato, broccoli and cheddar, wedding soup, and certain curries contain varying amounts of dairy ingredients.

To avoid dairy ingredients in your soup recipes, substitute with one of several effective dairy-free milks. Coconut milk, almond milk, soy milk, rice milk, and others all make great options.