I Tried 8 Fast Food Soups And Ranked Them Worst To Best

The best part about the onset of cold weather is the soup that comes with it. Warm, inviting bowls of slowly simmered broth become the normal way to eat meat, vegetables, and even grains come wintertime, when the weather outside begs for hearty bowls of food. The only problem with soup — if there ever was one — is that it isn't known for being a fast food item, even though it famously stores, freezes, reheats, and travels well. It could be because soup is so often associated with artisanal, slow cooking, or because it simply doesn't make sense on the menu (it's hard to imagine a McDonald's soup). For those of us who do want soup on the go, though, there are still options — but how do they compare, and which is the best one?

Though soup is most likely to be found in smaller, local restaurants and cafés, there are a few national chains that have the warm, brothy option on the menu. Known for its expansive soup offerings, Panera Bread is the first restaurant on the list, with Potbelly and Chick-fil-A filling out the rest of the review. I chose the three most popular soups from the Panera and Potbelly menus and the two soups offered on Chick-fil-A's menu and tried each side by side, ranking by taste, texture, and value from worst to best. To make this soup review as clear as possible, we excluded chili, which isn't really a soup, from the ranking — so no, you won't see Wendy's famously good chili on this one.

As one of my favorite sandwich shops and a restaurant I rank highly for its Italian sub, I assumed I'd feel strongly about the soup selection, as well. After all, I grew up enjoying the soup of the day with my warm, toasted sandwiches, and felt familiar enough to rank them without even tasting them again. Thankfully, I did, and the problem was twofold: Not only are the soups not as good as I remembered, but they also fall way behind a certain chicken shop with a hidden talent for soup.

Broccoli cheddar is a popular soup that consists of soft, tender broccoli pieces in a creamy cheddar-based broth. How creamy the broth is can make or break the soup, and in Potbelly's case, the creaminess is the soup's downfall. Though the flavor is slightly different and possibly even a little better than Panera's version, the texture was — for lack of a better term — gloopy. The cause is hidden within the soup's own description, which describes the soup as a cross between broccoli cheddar soup and cheddar mac-and-cheese; hence, the rich texture and overly thick broth. Though this explains the soup's unusual texture, it doesn't sell it for me, leading to its ranking at the bottom of the list.

Like any ranking, some soups have to end up at the bottom of the list even if they aren't particularly bad. Chicken noodle soup is about as classic as it gets, and Panera offers a perfectly suitable option, especially when served between the crusty confines of a house-made bread bowl. Brothy, with plenty of curly egg noodles and large pieces of pulled chicken, it's the chicken noodle you'd expect to get when ordering a bowl, which isn't bad, but as such, falls a little short when compared to the other, more flavorful options on the list. It isn't much more flavorful than a can of Campbell's, and is about three times as expensive — making it a worse value than other options, as well.

The problem with chicken noodle soup is that there are vast amounts of options out there that are delicious, and it isn't very hard to make at home. The Panera version doesn't have the slow-simmered, rich depth that a homemade chicken noodle would have, and for nearly $7 a cup, I'd expect a higher value than what I can buy for just $1 or $2 at the grocery store. A solid option for sick days and low appetites, but a worse value than most others, I had to rank the Homestyle Chicken Noodle nearer to last.

It's really hard to be excited about vegetable soup. The brothy combination of softened vegetables always seems more like an obligation than a choice: a soup you add to your meal to sneak a few extra vegetables into your day. For a vegetable soup to rank highly, it would have to be outstanding — unique in flavor or texture, or perhaps just particularly well done. The Potbelly Garden Vegetable Soup isn't exactly outstanding, but it is good, leading to its ranking a little higher on the list.

What makes the Potbelly Garden Vegetable Soup rank above Panera's Homestyle Chicken Noodle is not only the better flavor, but also the better value — for a few dollars less, you get a medley of healthy vegetables that will keep you full for a long time. It's a soup you can eat without needing a sandwich to fill the appetite gaps, and you can feel good about eating it long after finishing (unlike the many cream-filled options on the list).

Potbelly's Chicken Pot Pie is a soup version of the casserole classic, complete with a biscuit-like crumbled topping meant to mimic the pie crust of a real chicken pot pie. This soup is flavorful, cozy, and full of texture, which makes it a good soup and an excellent value. Why it doesn't rank higher than fifth is because, like the broccoli cheddar, the broth is incredibly thick — almost too much so, though the thickness works well in the context of the soup. Chicken pot pie is, after all, a thick mixture of cream, chicken, and veggies, and this soup is a slightly more brothy version of that.

Many of the top soups on the list are actually similar in texture to Potbelly's Chicken Pot Pie, but because the pot pie comes prepared with pie crust crumble already, the thickness can't be stirred into a better texture like the Chicken Wild Rice or Chicken Tortilla soups can. The topping itself is also a little dry, lacking the buttery, flaky quality of a real pot pie. It's a good, cozy soup, but not the first I'd choose, leading to its ranking nearer the middle of the list.

It's hard to prove whether my tastes changed or the soup did: Once upon a time, Panera's Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice soup was my favorite fast food soup of all time. A flavorful soup with earthy wild rice, savory chicken, and rich cream, it takes the concept of chicken noodle and strengthens it with elements that complement each other's strong flavors. Best of all, it never felt gluey or overly thick, instead becoming a perfect texture somewhere in between. Lately, however, the soup is thicker than usual, which I can only speculate as being caused by a change in thickening agents or in preparation. Because of this, I had to rank Panera's Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice in the middle of the list.

For some, the Panera Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice ranks even lower than I'm giving it credit for — which causes me to question whether my past biases are still affecting my current inclinations. With all of the soups side by side, though, the Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice really does taste better, with more flavor than many, the only downfall being its thick and gluey texture. Combined with the price, I'd likely opt for a few different soups instead, returning to this one when in need of something flavorful and very cozy.

A soup so popular it's sold in large containers at Costco, the broccoli cheddar deserves its flowers. It's creamy but not overly thick, cheesy but not too rich, and perfectly textured with small pieces of tender broccoli. While not as richly flavorful as Potbelly's version of the same, the Panera Broccoli Cheddar is much smoother, with a velvety texture with none of the gluey thickness of the mac-and-cheese hybrid. It's easy, delicious, and not overdone, making it a firm third on the list.

This soup may be your number one for the reasons outlined above, but I ranked it just lower for two reasons: It isn't as flavorful as the top two, and it costs a little bit more. The broccoli can be a bit sparse, making this soup less filling than the two loaded with chicken, beans, and vegetables. For a side soup that costs the same as an entire sandwich, drink, and fries at Chick-fil-A, the broccoli cheddar isn't exactly filling, and for that reason, it falls just behind the top two.

While Chick-fil-A's most ordered menu items are also unsurprisingly the chain's most well-known, the restaurant also has a few lesser-known items that are secretly some of its best. On such a focused menu, each item is thoughtfully developed to be a high-quality option; still, I wouldn't think to order soup at a chicken sandwich shop, much less expect it to be any good. Surprisingly, the soups are excellent, so much so that I ranked them first and second.

Chick-fil-A's Chicken Tortilla Soup is a uniquely thick tortilla soup, similar in consistency to that of stew or chili. Though thicker than I prefer soups to be, the flavor is undeniably delicious, packed with both heat and a savory richness. It's also not lacking in value, packing 25 grams of protein into just one cup-sized, 350-calorie option for less than $6. Thickness aside, this is a soup I'd happily order again, leading to its ranking at second place on my list.

Chick-fil-A's chicken noodle soup might be fast food's best-kept secret. Filled with tender chicken, chopped vegetables, and a uniquely gelatinous broth, the soup is both comforting and delicious in a way no other soup comes close to being. The broth, which is thickened to a creamy consistency, tastes homemade in the same way a really good pot pie does. It's a deeply savory flavor that truly tastes like it's been simmering for hours — an impressive feat for a fast food restaurant.

Chick-fil-A's thick and creamy chicken noodle redefines the meaning of homestyle, giving new comfort to the word. Not only is the soup thicker than average chicken noodles, but it also uses a wide, thick egg noodle somewhat resembling the noodles used in lasagna. The silky, tender pieces of noodle enhance the soup without overpowering it, leaving plenty of room for the roast chicken flavor to shine. A delicious flavor with an equally good value, the Chick-fil-A Chicken Noodle wins first place among fast food soups, proving that sometimes the best things come from unexpected places.

To select soups, I searched for the national chains near me offering soups and chose each restaurant's most classic, or non-seasonal, offerings. From there, I tried each side-by-side, evaluating each for taste, texture, mouthfeel, and value. The best soups were not just flavorful, but also tasted fresher and homemade, with smooth broths that were neither gluey nor overly thick. For soups that ranked closely to other soups, I also considered value, evaluating whether the soup was worth the price, especially compared to other options on the list. Finally, I considered which soups I'd most recommend to a friend, ranking my highest recommendations accordingly on the list.