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Cold weather and soup is one of the greatest pairings in this universe, and now that we’re in the heart of winter, you may be wondering where to get some. But restaurants are expensive and often a big to-do; where’s the cheap soup?
Fast-food joints, that’s where. Here are 11 fast-food soups, ranked from best to worst. Yeah, they’re mostly from Panera, but not that many fast-food chains have soup, O.K.?
Prices and availability are subject to change.
Price: $6.79 cup / $8.89 bowl
For my highly specific personal bias, Panera’s broccoli cheddar soup is the gold standard for broccoli cheddar soup. Nobody does it better; not my mom and not your mom. Nobody.
It’s creamy and rich and manages both to be loaded with broccoli, yet also free from hundreds of floating green bits. To eat Panera’s broccoli cheddar soup out of a crusty bread bowl is a beautiful moment of decadence. I love it.
Price: $4.15 cup / $6.35 bowl
Chick-fil-A’s chicken noodle soup is leagues better than it has any right to be. There’s so much flavor in this broth, and the cup is loaded with tender noodles and somehow, even more tender chicken. This is probably the only mass-produced chicken noodle soup I’ve ever eaten where the chicken actually tastes good. Incredible work here.
Price: $6.79 cup / $8.89 bowl
It’s not the best soup at Panera, but this turkey chili scratches the itch when a chili craving comes your way. The best part of this chili, for me, is the edamame, which is a complete surprise. I wouldn’t expect an ingredient like that from Panera, but it’s absolutely perfect. It’s the best fast-food chili in the game.
Price: $2.69 cup / $3.59 bowl
Let’s address the elephant in the room, because it’s a story so damning for Wendy’s that even today in 2024, it made me hesitate to order this. The whole finger-in-the-chili incident.
As we all know by now, that whole thing was a big sham, but the haunting image remains. Wendy’s chili, which is quite good, has an unbearable stink on its name. There’s nothing Wendy can do about that, because it’s really not her fault.
It’s good, though! This chili is more tomato-forward than Panera or Firehouse. I like it quite a bit, but the biggest non-psychological issue with this chili is that it contains far too much ground beef. The beef itself tastes like somebody crumbled up a hamburger with their hands and dropped it into the chili vat. Panera’s turkey is better and tastier, and that makes the difference.
Price: $6.79 cup / $8.89 bowl
This is one of Panera’s most popular soups. It’s good, but it’s no broccoli cheddar. This is too much like rice pudding, and while I acknowledge I’m in the minority for people that don’t like rice pudding, that’s just how it goes for me. This is just fine.
Price: $6.79 cup / $8.89 bowl
You probably already know exactly what this is like just by looking at the photo. Just a classic, creamy tomato-basil soup. It’s the Old Reliable of soups. Panera’s is quite boring, but I have to assume you’re pairing this with a grilled cheese sandwich.
Price: $3.99 cup / $4.99 bowl
You don’t really want this. You may think a side cup of chili sounds good with your sandwich, but you’re wrong. It doesn’t go with a sandwich. It’s very hearty and chock-full of beans, but there’s not much flavor here. There is a weirdly large amount of fast-food chili options to choose from, so go with Panera or Wendy’s.
Price: $6.79 cup / $8.89 bowl
I have always wanted to love Panera’s Thai chicken soup, because I love Thai soups. It’s like a few classic Thai soups combined, but unfortunately, it’s way too watery. The flavor is alright, but as with Panera’s chicken noodle soup, the chicken here is crazy dry. If you normally like to dump a glass of water on top of a good Thai soup, you’ll like this.
Price: $6.79 cup / $8.89 bowl
This sucks. I don’t understand why. Panera’s soups are overall pretty great, and it feels like something as simple as chicken soup should be its ace in the hole. The broth here is a salt-bomb like you will not believe, and the chicken inside is dryer than a desert. If you want chicken noodle soup, turn around and go to Chick-fil-A.
Price: $6.79 cup / $8.89 bowl
Because Panera makes so many great soups, it’s easy to forget that they also make bad ones. This tastes like water, onions, and nothing more. They give you a little crouton packet and smattering of cheese, but that’s nothing. This whole soup is nothing.
Price: $3.99 cup / $4.99 bowl
Nope. No thanks. No way. This soup is both creamy and watery, but the central flavor profile is pure cream, followed by an afterwash of oniony, soupy seasoning. It’s wildly unpleasant. I love potato soup, but this is straight out of hell.
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