The best soup makers

Chop the veg, pour in the stock and press one button: it heats and blends in the same stainless jug, so there’s no pan or stick blender to wash afterwards.

• 1.6 litres, up to 6 portions
• Smooth and chunky settings
• Soup in under 25 minutes
• 1000W, stainless steel body
• LED display shows progress

What owners say: Owners say it makes lovely soup in about 21 minutes with hardly any washing up, and think it well worth the money.

Heads up: Some owners say theirs cut out mid-cycle or stopped working early on.

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A closer look: Fill between the min and max lines marked inside the jug, and chop the veg into small, even pieces so the chunky setting cooks it through. Six portions is enough to batch cook a week of lunches or fill the freezer. Rinse the jug as soon as it’s empty, before anything dries on.

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It softens onions and garlic in the jug before the stock goes in, which is where much of a good soup’s flavour comes from, and the glass lid lets you watch it happen.

• 1.6 litres
• Sauté function
• Smooth, chunky, juice and blend settings
• Soup in about 21 minutes
• Non-stick pot goes in the dishwasher

What owners say: Owners rate the sauté function highly, find it easy to clean because only the jug needs washing, and reckon it soon pays for itself.

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A closer look: Sauté the onions, garlic or spices for a few minutes, then add everything else and pick a setting. The pause button lets you check the texture before it finishes blending. The pot is non-stick and dishwasher-safe, which makes cleaning up after a thick lentil soup far easier.

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Tefal takes its name from Teflon and aluminium, the non-stick pans it started with in 1956. Its soup maker has just two buttons and keeps the soup warm once it’s done.

• 1.2 litres, up to 4 servings
• 5 programmes, incl. smoothie and compote
• Soup in under 25 minutes
• Keep-warm setting
• Easy-clean programme

What owners say: Owners find it simple to use and quick, say it makes creamy soup without any cream, and like the self-cleaning setting.

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A closer look: Two buttons make it one of the easiest to hand to someone who doesn’t like gadgets. At 1.2 litres it makes about four bowls, so it suits couples and small families more than big batch cooks. Run the cleaning programme straight after use so nothing sets on the blades in the lid.

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A full-size blender with a heater built into the glass jug: it does cold smoothies as well as hot soup, and chops and sautés before it cooks.

• 1.7L cold, 1.4L hot, glass jug
• 10 Auto-iQ programmes and 6 manual settings
• Soup in about 20 minutes
• Chop, sauté, blend and cook
• Auto-stir and cleaning programme

What owners say: Owners call it one of the best kitchen gadgets they’ve bought, say it makes silky soup with no effort, and find it easy to clean.

Heads up: It’s very heavy, so it’s not one to lift in and out of a cupboard.

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A closer look: Worth it if you’d use the blender side for smoothies and sauces too; if it’s only ever soup, a simpler machine does the job. It’s tall and heavy, so give it a permanent spot on the worktop. The hot limit is 1.4 litres, less than the cold one, so check the markings before starting a soup.

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A smaller jug for one or two people: about three bowls at a time, and it takes up little more room than a kettle.

• 1 litre, up to 3 servings
• Smooth in under 19 min, chunky in under 31
• 4 programmes, incl. smoothies
• 900W
• Touch LED countdown

What owners say: Owners like its size for one or two bowls and say it makes tasty soup in 19 minutes with little washing up.

Heads up: Some owners report it stopping mid-cycle or failing after a few uses.

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A closer look: Good for a weekday lunch for one or two: smooth soup in under 20 minutes, with a countdown so you know when to get the bowls out. The chunky setting takes longer, about half an hour. For a family or batch cooking, the 1.6-litre Classic makes twice as much.

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