Soup is good for weight loss. It leaves you feeling full and satisfied very quickly. On top of that, you’ll likely use up far fewer calories in your day than if you ate a standard meal. That is if you avoid the bread and crackers that you can also fill up on with soup!
But you can also maximize your weight loss potential thanks to certain ingredients. By adding the right types of ingredients, you will improve your metabolic rate and create a better fat burning system within your body.
It’s not that difficult. In fact, you’re likely already making some of the most common fat burning recipes already – or you’ve considered them without really thinking about it. If you need a little help, here are 10 fat burning soup recipes that you should try from today. It doesn’t matter what season it is; these recipes are worth trying.
Cabbage Soup
Have you ever heard of the Cabbage Soup Diet? This is one of those highly restrictive crash diets that people tried over and over again in the 80s and 90s. Celebrities followed it over and over again, sharing that they only ate cabbage soup for days at a time and lost 10-20lbs within a few short weeks.
Well, we’re not asking you to follow the restrictive and somewhat dangerous cabbage soup diet. What we are asking you to do is add a cabbage soup recipe to your list of fat burning soups. This recipe is the best one.
Ingredients:
- 5 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 3 onions, chopped
- 2 cans of whole tomatoes
- 1 cabbage head, chopped
- 1oz of dry onion soup mix
- 1 can of green beans, chopped and drained
- 2qts of tomato juice
- 2 bell peppers, diced (green is best for this)
- 10 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 can of beef or vegetable broth
Method:
- Place all the vegetables in a large pot and then add in all the liquids
- Simmer the soup until the vegetables are just tender
This is delicious when all the veg remains chunky. If you want to blend it, try only blending half of the mixture and keeping the rest chunky. You’ll get a better taste, and it will help to burn more fat. The chewing process helps to tell the body it’s time to eat and gets the metabolism working properly.
You can keep the recipe in the fridge for two or three days. It’s delicious reheated for lunch the next day!
Slow-Cooked Black-Eye Peas Soup
Why not put your slow cooker to some good use. The downside is that your mouth will be watering throughout the whole day as it cooks unless you’re lucky enough to be out at work the whole time.
This is a completely vegan and fat-free recipe to follow. You’ll add more protein to your diet through the black-eyed peas, which is an area that many vegans suffer to get. The protein helps to build muscle to encourage the metabolism to take the calories from the stored fat.
Ingredients:
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 sweet potato, chopped
- 3 cups of black eyed peas, frozen will be easier or you’ll need to soak dried ones overnight
- 1 cup of tomato puree/paste
- 1tsp sage
- 2tsp cumin
- 1tsp chili powder
- 1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, chopped very finely
- 4 cups of vegetable stock
Method:
- Place everything into your slow cooker, combining well; season to taste if you wish
- Cook on a high setting for 4 hours or approximately double the time if cooking on low, until all the vegetables are tender
Serve with some quinoa or brown rice to help support the energy levels and improve the fat burning process even more. It has to be brown rice, as white rice doesn’t give you the right amount of fiber to help with the digestion and metabolism processes.
Cabbage and Broccoli Soup
I know that I promised only one cabbage soup recipe, but this isn’t just cabbage soup. This focuses on a range of vegetables that will help you get all the nutrients your body needs. You’ll also get the fiber needed to keep your metabolism supported and avoided problems within the digestive system.
This recipe is sometimes referred to as the Poor Man’s Soup. It tends to use cheap vegetables that will last for a week or so in the fridge.
Ingredients:
- ½ a cabbage head, sliced
- ½ a spinach bundle
- ½ a broccoli head, chopped
- 2 sticks of celery, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 onion, diced
- 5 garlic cloves, diced
- 1 courgette, chopped
- 1lt or broth – beef, chicken, or vegetable are fine
Method:
- Add some oil to the bottom of a large soup pot over a medium heat
- Add the onions and garlic, cooking for 5 minutes until fragrant
- Pour all the broth in and allow to boil
- Add in all the vegetables and season with some salt and pepper
- Add herbs in if you’d like, but you don’t have to
- Simmer for about 20 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender
The best way to enjoy this is with chunky vegetables. You can blend some of the mixtures if you’d like. As the first recipe, the chewing process helps with the fat burning in the body.
Seaweed and Egg Soup
Seaweed has become a popular option for dieters. It is certainly good for weight loss since it contains virtually no calories. It’s also full of nutrients – far more than the likes of kale and spinach. You will need to make sure that the seaweed is genuine seaweed, though. You may want to look out for Wakame seaweed especially, just to make sure you’re getting the real deal.
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups of water
- 1tsp dashi
- 1/2tsp soy sauce
- 2tsp sake
- 1 egg
- 1tsp dried seaweed
Method:
- Beat the egg lightly
- Boil the water in a pot and then add the dashi, soy sauce, seaweed, and sake
- Allow to simmer and then add some salt to taste
- Add in the egg in a circular motion, quickly swirling just the once
- Remove from the heat immediately and serve
This is one of the trickiest fat burning soup recipes on the list. You’ll need to make sure you follow the instructions perfectly from the egg drop – although this can take some getting used to. Don’t worry about getting it wrong the first time. It doesn’t change the fat burning properties. All it does is leave the soup not quite as light as you would have liked.
Cabbage Soup with a Hot and Sour Twist
Rather than having normal cabbage soup, why not add a slightly hot and sour twist. The benefit of spicy food is that it increases the body temperature. This helps to boost the metabolism, as the body needs to work to get the temperature down. It’s why spicy foods are considered good for weight loss. You can change the spicy levels of this by limiting the amount of spice you add if you’d like.
Ingredients:
- 2tbsp oil of choice
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 2 cups of cabbage, chopped
- Jalapeno peppers to taste, seeded and chopped
- 1 can of chopped tomatoes
- 2tbsp brown sugar
- 3tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 4 cups of vegetable broth
- 2 cups of rotisserie chicken breast
Method:
- Heat the oil in a large soup pot and then add in the onion, cabbage, carrot, and peppers, cooking for 5-7 minutes
- Add the tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, and chicken, with some salt and black pepper for seasoning, and combine fully
- Allow simmering for around 20 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender
This is a recipe that you want to keep chunky. Blending any of it will get rid of the tasty chicken qualities. You can remove the chicken if you want a vegan or vegetarian soup, but you want to replace it with something else full of protein. Chickpeas tend to be a good option. The protein adds to the muscles, so your boosted metabolism burns the fat instead.
Miso Kale and Creamy Cannellini Soup
A white bean soup is an excellent way to lose weight. It’s low in calories and high in protein and fiber. This can get a little boring after a while, which is where this recipe comes into play. The miso kale is made into a paste that adds a savory and sweet taste at the same time. You’ll reduce your sugar cravings instantly, improving your weight loss efforts.
Ingredients for the Soup:
- 1tbsp oil of choice
- 2onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2tsp rosemary
- 2 cans of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 5 cups of vegetable stock
Ingredients for the Miso Kale Paste:
- 1 tbsp oil of choice
- 2tbsp miso paste
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 bunch of kale, stems removed and chopped
Method:
- Start with the soup by adding the oil to a soup pot and then adding the carrot, garlic, onion, and rosemary
- Cook for 5-7 minutes to soften and then add the stock and beans
- Simmer for 20 minutes, occasionally stirring and seasoning with salt and black pepper to taste
- Puree the soup until it’s all smooth and then reheat in the pot over a low, simmering heat
- Now make the kale paste by heating the oil in a skillet over a medium to high heat
- Add the miso and cook for 3-4 minutes
- Add in the flakes and garlic, cooking for another minute
- Add the kale and cook for 5 minutes, until wilted
Divide the soup among your bowls and top with some of the miso kale in the middle. You can store the soup if you’d like, but the miso kale will need making fresh to get the best possible taste.
Hummus Soup
I know your thoughts when you first see the title. Hummus is traditionally eaten cold with some vegetable sticks when you’re losing weight, right? Well, you can make it as soup. You’ll need to make the hummus from scratch, which is extremely easy to make.
The base of this broth is tahini. This is unusual, but it’s full of proteins that will boost your metabolism. Of course, the chickpeas will certainly help!
Ingredients:
- 1tbsp oil of choice
- 2tsp cumin seeds
- 1 onion, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 2 cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup of tahini
- 4 cups of vegetable broth
- 3tbsp lemon juice
Method:
- Add the oil to a large soup pot over a medium heat and then add the cumin seed, cooking for about a minute
- Add the garlic and onion, cooking for another 5-7 minutes, until the onion softens
- Add the vegetable broth, chickpeas, and tahini, stirring to combine
- Avoid boiling the liquid – you want to simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring now and then
- Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice, seasoning if you wish
This is one of those recipes that are vegan-friendly. If you do decide you want to add some meat for extra protein, opt for chicken, turkey, or fish. It doesn’t need anything, though.
Chicken Soup
We keep saying that protein is a necessity when you want to burn more fat. If the metabolism gets a boost, but you don’t help build the muscles, the metabolism will take calories from anywhere – and the muscle calories are the easiest. This recipe is perfect for weight loss, even if it isn’t vegetarian-friendly.
Ingredients:
- 500ml chicken broth
- 112g of dry broth and soup mix, cooking according to the package instructions
- Half a tin of chopped tomatoes
- 100g of roast chicken (this could be leftovers from your Sunday roast)
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 2tsp oil of choice
- 2tsp mixed herbs
Method:
- Heat the oil in a soup pan and then add in the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, cooking until soft
- Add the broth and soup mix and cook for another 2-3 minutes
- Add the broth, tomatoes, herbs, and any seasoning (including salt and black pepper)
- Stir in the chicken and allow to simmer for 30 minutes
If you find the liquid is too thick, you can add some water or extra chicken broth. It depends on how thick you prefer your soup.
Salmon Chowder
Fish is good for weight loss. It’s low in calories but full of healthy fats that will give the ketones in the body a boost. Ketones help to boost the energy, meaning you burn more calories as you do more. It’s time to opt for a fish soup, and this salmon chowder is worth starting with.
You may raise eyebrows at the use of mashed potato in this recipe. The benefit with mash is that you get a creamy texture without extra fat. Potatoes are good for weight loss because they offer starchy, energy boosting carbs. You can omit them completely if you’d like.
Ingredients:
- 1tbsp oil of choice
- 1/3 cup of carrot, chopped
- 1/3 cup of celery, chopped
- 4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 ½ cups of water
- 1 salmon fillet, skinned
- 2 ½ cups of cauliflower florets, chopped
- 3tbsp scallions, chopped
- 2 cups of mashed potatoes (you can use a little over a cup of instant potato flakes if you’d like)
- 2tsp dried dill
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Method:
- Heat the oil in a soup pan over a medium heat
- Add the celery and carrots and cook for about 4 minutes
- Add the salmon, broth, water, scallions, and cauliflower and then simmer, covered, for 5-8 minutes; the salmon will be just cooked
- Take the salmon out and put it on a clean cutting board and flake with a fork
- Add the remaining ingredients into the soup and then blend fully to create a creamy mixture
- Return to a pot and put the salmon back in, heating through again
- Season with some salt and black pepper if you’d wish and taste the other herbs to make sure you have enough
You won’t need anything to accompany this recipe. It’s the perfect balance of all your nutrients and food groups to feel full and satisfied at the end.
Paleo Friendly Vegetable and Beef Soup
There is one benefit of the paleo diet: it works. There are people around the world living on a diet of their ancestors without any health problems. If you don’t want to do the full Paleo diet just yet but want a taste of the lifestyle, this beef and vegetable soup is one that you want to give a go. It’s a fat-burning recipe thanks to all the protein and fiber that is packed into it.
Ingredients:
- 2lbs of beef, cubed
- 1 can of tomatoes, any type but chop them before using
- 1 onion
- 2 sticks of celery, divided
- 6 carrots, divided
- 4qts of beef broth/homemade stock
- 1 turnip, cubed
- 4 cups of green beans
- ½ a head of cabbage, chopped
- 1 bunch of kale leaves, ribs removed and torn
- 2 bay leaves
- Sprigs of thyme, to taste
Method:
- Add some oil to a soup pot over a medium heat
- Add in the beef cubes, seasoning with some salt and black pepper, and cook until browned
- Chop ½ the onion, a celery stick, and a carrot and add them to the beef broth; make sure the vegetables are in large chunks
- Cook for an hour and then remove and discard the vegetables
- Add the tomatoes with the juice, along with the thyme and bay leaves
- Season with salt and black pepper and cook for 30 minutes
- Chop the remaining vegetables into small, bite-sized pieces
- Add the carrots, celery, and turnips and cook for 20 minutes
- Add the kale and cabbage, cooking for another 30 minutes
Serve this recipe with the chunky vegetables. Not only will it taste better, but you improve the fat burning qualities of the soup.
Use Soup to Boost Your Weight Loss Efforts
You’ll be surprised at the types of foods that will help you improve your weight loss efforts – and the ways that they can be used. Soups are powerful, and they can be kept in the fridge for a few days. You can keep them in the freezer for longer! Batch make your soups and have easy to grab meals for those evenings when you’ve had bad days at work.
It’s time to boost your weight loss efforts by using soup. Follow these recipes, and you’ll burn the fat in no time.