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When the weather turns cold, a pot of soup is about the best dinner there is, and cheap soup recipes are some of the easiest to make. It’s warm, it’s filling, and it usually makes enough for lunch the next day.
Soup is also one of the kindest meals to a grocery budget. A little meat, a few vegetables and a can of beans or a handful of pasta turn into dinner for six. In a season when the food bill is hard to ignore, that kind of stretch is worth a lot.
Here are 19 of our favorite cheap soups, stews and chilis. Most are made in one pot, many freeze well, and all of them use everyday ingredients.
Jump to a recipe
- Soups
- Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Easy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
- One-Pot Tomato Basil Soup
- Creamy Pumpkin Soup
- Budget Minestrone Soup
- Sausage, Potato and Kale Soup
- Creamy Ham and Potato Soup
- Chicken & Rice Soup
- One-Pot Creamy Tuscan White Bean Soup
- Easy Vegetable Soup
- One-Pot Vegetable Lentil Soup
- Stews
- Chilis
- Tips for Cheaper, Better Soup
- How to Freeze Soup
- Cheap Soup Recipes: Your Questions
Prices are from Walmart’s and ALDI’s websites for stores in Columbus, Ohio, checked in October 2026. Ohio’s grocery prices are within about 1% of the national average, so you may pay more or less depending on where you live, and prices change often. Here’s how we price our recipes.
Soups
1. Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Thick and creamy, with bacon, cheddar, sour cream and green onions on top. No heavy cream needed.
Why it’s budget-friendly: A bag of russet potatoes does most of the work.
Time: 45 minutes · Serves: 6
Cost: Ingredients – $8.47 from Walmart, $7.47 from ALDI · Per Serving – $1.24 to $1.41
2. Chicken Tortilla Soup
Shredded chicken, black beans, corn and tomatoes in a seasoned broth, finished with lime and crunchy tortilla chips.
Why it’s budget-friendly: One pound of chicken and a few cans feed six.
Time: 40 minutes · Serves: 6
Cost: Ingredients – $9.31 from Walmart, $8.62 from ALDI · Per Serving – $1.44 to $1.55
3. Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Creamy and cheesy, with fresh broccoli and carrots, and ready in 30 minutes.
Why it’s budget-friendly: The shopping list is short: broccoli, carrots, milk, butter and a block of cheddar.
Time: 30 minutes · Serves: 4
Cost: Ingredients – $6.16 from Walmart, $5.73 from ALDI · Per Serving – $1.43 to $1.54
4. Easy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Tender shredded chicken, carrots, celery and egg noodles in a simple broth. It’s the one to make when someone is under the weather.
Why it’s budget-friendly: Two chicken breasts stretch across a whole pot.
Time: 45 minutes · Serves: 6
Cost: Ingredients – $10.26 from Walmart, $9.15 from ALDI · Per Serving – $1.53 to $1.71
5. One-Pot Tomato Basil Soup
Canned tomatoes, garlic and basil turned into a creamy soup that’s made for dunking a grilled cheese.
Why it’s budget-friendly: It’s made almost entirely from pantry cans.
Time: 30 minutes · Serves: 4
Cost: Ingredients – $4.73 from Walmart, $4.49 from ALDI · Per Serving – $1.12 to $1.18
6. Creamy Pumpkin Soup
Canned pumpkin simmered with onion, garlic, broth and a little cinnamon and smoked paprika, then finished with a splash of cream.
Why it’s budget-friendly: Two cans of pumpkin do most of the work, and it’s ready in 35 minutes.
Time: 35 minutes · Serves: 6
Cost: Ingredients – $7.34 from Walmart, $5.97 from ALDI · Per Serving – $1.00 to $1.22
7. Budget Minestrone Soup
Vegetables, white beans and small pasta in a tomato broth. Use whatever vegetables you have.
Why it’s budget-friendly: Beans and pasta do the filling, and it clears out the crisper drawer.
Time: 45 minutes · Serves: 6
Cost: Ingredients – $7.66 from Walmart, $7.17 from ALDI · Per Serving – $1.20 to $1.28
8. Sausage, Potato and Kale Soup
Crumbled Italian sausage, sliced potatoes and kale in a creamy, savory broth.
Why it’s budget-friendly: One pound of sausage flavors the whole pot.
Time: 45 minutes · Serves: 6
Cost: Ingredients – $10.20 from Walmart, $8.94 from ALDI · Per Serving – $1.49 to $1.70
9. Creamy Ham and Potato Soup
Leftover ham, potatoes, carrots and celery in a creamy broth made without heavy cream.
Why it’s budget-friendly: It turns two cups of leftover ham into dinner for six.
Time: 45 minutes · Serves: 6
Cost: Ingredients – $8.77 from Walmart, $7.95 from ALDI · Per Serving – $1.32 to $1.46
10. Chicken & Rice Soup
Chicken, rice, carrots and celery in a savory herb broth, with a squeeze of lemon at the end.
Why it’s budget-friendly: Rice is one of the least expensive ways to make a soup filling.
Time: 50 minutes · Serves: 6
Cost: Ingredients – $9.96 from Walmart, $8.88 from ALDI · Per Serving – $1.48 to $1.66
11. One-Pot Creamy Tuscan White Bean Soup
White beans, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach in a creamy herb broth.
Why it’s budget-friendly: Canned beans stand in for meat.
Time: 40 minutes · Serves: 6
Cost: Ingredients – $8.59 from Walmart, $7.99 from ALDI · Per Serving – $1.33 to $1.43
12. Easy Vegetable Soup
Potatoes, carrots, canned tomatoes and frozen mixed vegetables in a simple, meatless soup.
Why it’s budget-friendly: Frozen vegetables keep both the cost and the chopping down.
Time: 45 minutes · Serves: 6
Cost: Ingredients – $6.71 from Walmart, $6.81 from ALDI · Per Serving – $1.12 to $1.14
13. One-Pot Vegetable Lentil Soup
A thick lentil soup with carrots and potato, seasoned with cumin and thyme.
Why it’s budget-friendly: Dried lentils are filling, keep for months and cost very little.
Time: 50 minutes · Serves: 6
Cost: Ingredients – $4.75 from Walmart, $4.79 from ALDI · Per Serving – $0.79 to $0.80
Stews
14. Hearty Beef Stew
Chuck roast, potatoes, carrots and peas simmered in a rich broth until fork-tender.
Why it’s budget-friendly: A slow simmer turns a tough, budget-minded cut into something special.
Time: 2 hours 20 minutes (20 minutes of prep) · Serves: 6
Cost: Ingredients – $22.66 from Walmart, $23.14 from ALDI · Per Serving – $3.78 to $3.86
15. One-Pot Mediterranean Chickpea Stew
A plant-based stew of chickpeas and tomatoes seasoned with cumin.
Why it’s budget-friendly: It’s built on two cans from the pantry.
Time: 40 minutes · Serves: 6
Cost: Ingredients – $4.42 from Walmart, $4.79 from ALDI · Per Serving – $0.74 to $0.80
Chilis
16. White Chicken Chili
Creamy and mildly spiced, with shredded chicken, white beans, corn and green chiles.
Why it’s budget-friendly: Beans stretch a few cups of chicken to feed six.
Time: 35 minutes · Serves: 6
Cost: Ingredients – $10.47 from Walmart, $9.69 from ALDI · Per Serving – $1.62 to $1.75
17. Hearty Turkey Chili
Ground turkey, two kinds of beans and smoky spices in one pot.
Why it’s budget-friendly: It makes a big batch and freezes well.
Time: 50 minutes · Serves: 6
Cost: Ingredients – $8.66 from Walmart, $8.78 from ALDI · Per Serving – $1.44 to $1.46
18. Slow Cooker Chili
Ground beef, beans and tomatoes left to simmer in the slow cooker all day.
Why it’s budget-friendly: Pantry cans and one pound of beef, with almost no hands-on time.
Time: 6 hours 10 minutes (10 minutes of prep) · Serves: 6
Cost: Ingredients – $11.12 from Walmart, $10.53 from ALDI · Per Serving – $1.76 to $1.85
19. Game Day Chili
A bold beef and bean chili with smoked paprika and a little cayenne, made for a crowd.
Why it’s budget-friendly: Beans and canned tomatoes stretch it to feed a group.
Time: 1 hour (15 minutes of prep) · Serves: 8
Cost: Ingredients – $10.58 from Walmart, $10.05 from ALDI · Per Serving – $1.26 to $1.32
20. Cozy Lentil & Vegetable Chili
A meatless chili with lentils, black beans and vegetables in smoky spices.
Why it’s budget-friendly: There’s no meat at all, and it’s still thick and filling.
Time: 55 minutes · Serves: 6
Cost: Ingredients – $8.02 from Walmart, $7.53 from ALDI · Per Serving – $1.26 to $1.34
Tips for Cheaper, Better Soup
- Let beans, potatoes and pasta do the filling. A small amount of meat goes a long way when it shares the pot.
- Use frozen vegetables. They’re already chopped, they keep for months and nothing gets wasted.
- Save your scraps. Onion ends, carrot peels and celery tops make a free pot of stock. See more ideas in 12 ways to reduce food waste at home.
- Use a heavy pot. A Dutch oven browns meat well and holds a steady simmer. For chili and stew you can walk away from, a slow cooker does the job.
- Salt at the end. Broth, canned tomatoes, ham and sausage all bring salt of their own.
- Make a double batch. Most of these cost very little more to double, and the second half becomes a dinner you don’t have to cook.
How to Freeze Soup
- Cool the soup quickly by dividing it into shallow containers, and refrigerate it within 2 hours of cooking.
- Freeze in meal-size portions. Quart freezer bags laid flat stack neatly and thaw fast.
- Leave a little room at the top, since soup expands as it freezes, and label each one with the name and date.
- Broth-based soups, bean soups, stews and chilis freeze best. Soups made with milk, cheese or potatoes can turn grainy, and pasta goes soft, so freeze those without the dairy or pasta when you can.
- For the best quality, use frozen soup within 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stove.
Cheap Soup Recipes: Your Questions
What is the cheapest soup to make?
The lentil soup and the chickpea stew, at under $1 a serving at our Walmart and ALDI prices. Both are built on dried lentils or canned chickpeas, plus vegetables and spices you likely have.
Which soups freeze best?
The chilis, bean soups, lentil soup and minestrone (freeze it before the pasta goes in). Soups made with milk, cheese or potatoes can change texture after freezing, so those are best eaten within a few days.
How can I make soup more filling?
Add a can of beans, a handful of pasta or rice, or a diced potato. Serve it with bread, a grilled cheese or cornbread to turn a bowl into a full dinner.
How long does homemade soup last in the fridge?
About 3 to 4 days. Freeze anything you won’t eat by then.
More ways to save: How to Set a Weekly Grocery Budget and The Best Freezer Meals to Make Ahead.
