8 Whole Foods Prepared Soups, Ranked

As its name suggests, Whole Foods is home to an abundance of, well, whole foods. But for those who don't have the time to throw ingredients together and make an entire dish from scratch, the grocery store also has an entire aisle dedicated to prepared foods. Here you'll find pizza, pasta, sandwiches, fish, and much more. Perhaps most notably, you'll also find more types of soups than you'd know what to do with.

These soups come in ready-to-heat, 24-ounce tubs. Pop them either onto the stovetop or in the microwave, and you'll quickly have a meal that can stretch to a couple of servings. The flavors offered span a range of cuisines and styles, all the way from Thai-Inspired Chicken Soup to Italian Wedding Soup. But just because there's truly something for everyone, that doesn't mean they're all equally good. That's why we put eight Whole Foods prepared soups to the taste test, so we could share which ones are worth buying.

The Turkey & Wild Rice soup tastes a little too "wild" for my liking. I must be too used to the bland goodness that is white rice, as the carbs in this soup were too toasty and earthy-tasting for me. Even its texture, which is very firm, was a jarring contrast against the otherwise soft components of the soup, such as the carrots, celery, and onion.

Though this was a nice, chunky soup and definitely didn't skimp on the aforementioned vegetables, the turkey was the only real flavor of note (as it should be, considering it's part of the product's name). The soup contained both white turkey breast and dark thigh meat. But as far as overall flavor goes, between the turkey tasting like a drier, more crumbly version of chicken and the overall unpleasantness of the rice, I'm not upset that this is a limited-time offering and probably won't be around for long. Maybe I'd have better luck with wild rice if I tried it in a walnut-stuffed acorn squash recipe.

The Italian Wedding Soup might not have come in dead last, but it wasn't too far off for me. A lot of readers might be in disbelief that this soup ranked at No. 7, but first, just know I at least did my due diligence and researched the meaning behind the dish's name to get a better understanding of what it is and how it should taste. In doing so, I learned that the use of the word "wedding" refers to what's supposed to be a beautiful marriage between the soup's ingredients – namely, the veggies and meat. Might I suggest filing for divorce? (Sorry, if I didn't speak now, I in fact would not be able to forever hold my peace.)

All jokes aside, this soup was not my favorite of the bunch. After the first few spoonfuls, I had to force myself to finish the remainder of the small bowl just so I wouldn't waste it. Upon first taste, you're actually greeted by a lightly bitter flavor (probably from the escarole); it's not overpowering or unpleasant, but it so quickly fades to nothingness. Once the liquid is gone, you're left chewing on some very bland acini de pepe and greens. The mini meatballs thankfully have a deep, savory flavor, but there aren't enough of them to help the soup out.

This ranking has really taken me on a trip down memory lane, as the Cream of Mushroom Soup brought back fond memories of the way I used to enjoy it as a teen: mixed into a green bean casserole. But for that dish, we usually used a can of Campbell's.

Whole Foods' take on the soup is not nearly as chunky, nor as pale. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, though I do have to give the win to Campbell's. The Whole Foods version is much darker and runnier, with a very liquidy base. Still, it's creamy, comforting, and most importantly, has bits of chewy mushroom in every bite. It's a very warming soup with a deeply savory, umami, and subtly earthy profile, likely on account of the mushrooms as well as bay leaf and thyme. These are all fine and good qualities, but having tried a canned, more affordable alternative that I like better, it's hard to justify placing this any higher on the list.

Though the Chicken, Artichoke & Lemon Soup finds itself in the bottom half of the ranking, it's really just because I can see myself reaching for the higher-ranked soups more frequently. This is still a solid option that I actually enjoyed — it just caught me off guard on my first few bites. Even with "lemon" being right in its name, I truly was not expecting this soup to be as sour as it is. It's not exactly a flavor that's clearly identifiable as lemon, but it's certainly got a tangy quality that wakes you up with every bite.

The soup itself was teeming with ingredients, from soft artichoke chunks to a plethora of green stalks. However, the chicken was very much lacking — so much so that I don't even think it's fair to throw "chicken" into the product's name. Sure, there's enough to mention the protein on the label's subtitle, but nothing more than that. For reference: Almost all of the chicken in the tub went into the bowl you see pictured above (a shame, knowing how savory and flavorful it was). 

Then, there were very small grains of rice. They were pretty scarce, so it honestly felt pointless to have added them at all, as they do nothing to improve the experience. Still, the dish as a whole is similar to a starter soup you'd get before the main course at a restaurant; it's substantial and comforting yet offers a zingy taste to keep your taste buds on alert.

My methodology for assessing the New England Style Clam Chowder is slightly different from the rest of the items here; I tried it and judged it based on whether it would be good enough to feed to my boyfriend, who is a retired clam chowder enthusiast. But even after getting through two small bowls of it, I'm still not sure exactly what the right answer is, hence it landing toward the middle of the ranking.

We'll start with the positives. This base itself, which is made with milk, fish stock, heavy cream, and a wide variety of seasonings, is absolutely delicious and oh-so creamy. The potato pieces are also very tender, so they don't take away from the comfort-meal feel of the dish, and you can taste the seasoning on them even when eaten on their own.

This chowder is also rife with clams. I didn't go one bite without pieces of shellfish, and that's not something you can always say about clam chowder. However, there are many tips to keep in mind when cooking this type of soup, and it seems Whole Foods failed to follow one of them. That would be to avoid overcooking the clams before throwing them into the base. If heated too much, the clams become chewy as they cook in the broth, and I'd assume that's what went wrong in this case. We can all applaud how generous the amount of clams is, but they are so meaty and rubbery that the soup left me chomping for a while — it felt like too much work by the end. The verdict? Give this a try, but prepare to be chewing into tomorrow.

In my previous ranking of Whole Foods prepared foods, the Double Cheddar Broccoli soup found itself smack dab in the middle. But in a list focused solely on the store's soups, it breaches the top three. I wouldn't say my opinion on this soup has changed much since my assessment in the summer of 2024, but if the recipe is slightly different, it's thankfully for the better.

What stood out to me back then was the soup's lack of the titular veggie. It was mostly just flecks of broccoli buds floating around in the tub, whereas this time, I actually managed to find a decent amount of stalks, too. And, just as before, it's got a creamy, relatively runny (though not watery) texture and a milky taste that helps balance out the sharp cheddar that shines through as well. So don't let its pale color fool you. While it might not have the bright yellow hue of Panera's fan-favorite Broccoli Cheddar Soup, the cheese in Whole Foods' version is still unmistakably rich.

Whether or not pho is considered a soup is debated, but I'd have to say Whole Foods' Thai-Inspired Chicken Soup reminds me a whole lot of it. These dishes are rooted in different cultures, but, like traditional pho, Whole Foods' Thai-Inspired Chicken soup contains an abundance of vermicelli noodles swimming in a hot, savory broth.

This soup appeals to all your senses at once. Right from the start, it entices you with its deep red-orange hue, and when you pop the lid off, the aroma is equally bold. Both its fiery appearance and mouthwatering scent are on par with how it tastes: spicier than you'd expect from a Whole Foods soup (and that's coming from someone with a high tolerance). This product no doubt has a kick to it. One spoonful is all you need for your mouth to fill with a heat that ends up lingering pleasantly in the back of your throat. The flavorful broth, characterized by its use of red curry paste and fish sauce, warms your body right up, making this soup especially good for sipping on a chilly evening.

Picking between the Thai-Inspired Chicken Soup and the Tortellini, Kale & Parmesan for first place was a challenge — maybe as much of a challenge as trying to finish off the last-ranked Turkey & Wild Rice. Ultimately, though, the Tortellini, Kale & Parmesan won out, thanks to how satiating and complex it is.

The contents of the tub, which is all vegetarian by the way, include plenty of kale (rightfully so), along with tomato pieces, and a good amount of tortellini. The tortellini is the star of the show here, each piece of course containing cheese. They're not fully stuffed, but it's enough that you notice while still really enjoying the pasta's soft, somewhat chunky filling. While tortellini tends to be a hit or miss for me, the flavor of this particular product is actually a bit more akin to ravioli, and I was absolutely loving it (and am already very excited for my next bowl). This is the "marriage" of ingredients Whole Foods' Italian Wedding Soup wished it could have.

All of Whole Foods' prepared soups can be heated either on the stove or in the microwave, but I took the latter route, transferring some from the tub into a small bowl before warming through. From there, I gave each of the products a taste test, focusing largely on flavor and how well the ingredients worked together. I also considered how much of a particular ingredient the soups contained based on the packaging, such as the amount of broccoli in the Double Cheddar Broccoli or how many clams were in the New England Style Clam Chowder. The soups that lined up best with how they were advertised, while still having a pleasant flavor and mix of ingredients, were ranked higher in the list.