Creative Ways to Serve Soup: 9 Interesting Ideas

When you are making soup for yourself at home, you are probably happy to simply serve the soup in any bowl out of your cupboard. However, if you are having friends or family over for a dinner party and you plan to serve soup, then you might want to try different ways of serving this dish to impress your guests. The following are some ideas to give you inspiration for creative ways to serve soup that will impress any guest to your home.

9 Creative Ways to Serve Soup

1. Tureen

When you serve soup into cold bowls in the kitchen, the soup is often lukewarm by the time you have carried the bowls through to your guests at the dinner table. A solution to this is to serve the soup in a tureen on the table, as it will stay warm. There are several further benefits of choosing this as a way of serving soup.

First, the tureen makes a fantastic centrepiece in the middle of the table. It also adds a sense of grandeur to the meal and elevates the soup from a simple dish to something that looks impressive. Finally, guests have the option to help themselves to a second portion from the tureen rather than being limited by what is in their soup bowl.

There are some fantastic soup tureens available in all sorts of styles. Ornate metal tureens are excellent if you prefer a traditional style, while ceramic tureens with patterns are ideal if you prefer a vintage look. There are also contemporary tureens in classy styles, and you can buy tureens as part of the matching dinner service.

2. Teacups

Serving soup in teacups will create a talking point at a dinner party and instantly make your soup seem more interesting. If you serve the soup this way, diners can eat it with a spoon or sip it from a teacup. This is a fantastic option if you want to add a vintage theme to your dinner party.

3. Cup-a-Soup

A similar idea is to serve your soup in a mug or cup. This is a fun way to present this dish at an informal dinner party with friends. It works best if every diner uses the same cup or mug to eat their soup from, and the style you choose is entirely your choice.

4. Shot Glasses

When you are serving soup as an amuse-bouche, before the meal or between courses, then a fun way to serve it is in a shot glass. This works particularly well if you are serving a cold soup, such as a borsch or a gazpacho.

5. Plant Pots

An unusual way of serving plant-based soups is in a ceramic plant pot. The first point to note is to use only plant pots you have not used in the garden yet. Another point to note is that you should only use plant pots without drainage holes at the bottom, for obvious reasons. If you plan to use these pots to serve food regularly, you may wish to decorate them on the outside. Choose a design that reflects your preferred style or coordinates with your home’s décor.

6. Soup in a Roll

You have heard of soup and a roll, but have you heard of soup in a roll? Bread rolls are often served as an accompaniment to soup. You can turn this concept on its head, using bread as a vessel for soup as a creative way of serving the food.

The best types of bread for this are round loaves, such as a cob or farmhouse loaf, as these are the perfect shape. It is best if the bread is hard and crusty on the outside and soft in the middle. The soup’s juices soak into the bread, and many people enjoy this part most. Diners can also break off the top parts of the loaf to dip into the soup. It is best if you use a bread bowl for thick or hearty soups.

To make a bread bowl, simply cut off the top of the loaf and scoop out the inside. Fill with the soup when you are ready to serve, and then put the top back on the loaf to retain the heat, so diners can lift the lid on their bread bowl themselves.

TIP: Save the bread from the inside of the loaf to make breadcrumbs you can freeze for later use.

TIP: After scooping out the inside of the loaf, bake the bread for 5 minutes before filling it with soup. This will dry the bread out a little and prevent it from absorbing too much liquid from the soup.

7. Vegetable Bowls: One of the Most Creative Ways of Serving Soup

An impressive way of presenting soup to your guests is in a bowl crafted from a vegetable. You should preferably choose one that is an ingredient of the soup you are serving.

This works best with vegetables that have a firm exterior and an easy-to-scoop centre. Examples include butternut squash, pumpkin, marrow, and bell peppers. Cut the vegetable in half, remove any seeds, and scoop out some of the flesh to use in your soup, but leave the exterior intact to use as your bowl. You can only use the vegetables as a bowl once.

TIP: If you use a rounded vegetable, such as a squash or marrow, it will roll around the table. This will cause the soup to spill everywhere. To prevent this from happening, cut a thin slice off the bottom of the vegetable to create a flat surface.

8. Decorated Cans and Jars: Creative Ways of Serving Soup to Kids

Those who have a creative streak and enjoy making items, recycling, and upcycling should consider making their own vessels for serving soup. You can easily use empty metal cans or glass jars. Thoroughly wash them when you have removed the original contents. Then paint them with glass or enamel paint on the outside only. You can then reuse them every time you serve soup or any other food you wish to serve in them.

9. Serve in a Karahi

If you are serving a spiced soup or one influenced by the flavours of Indian cuisine, a great option is a karahi. This is a traditional Indian bowl or cooking pot with handles on either side. When you have eaten out in an Indian restaurant, you may have received your meal in one of these vessels.

Creative Ways to Serve Soup- The Final Verdict

If you are hosting a dinner party and have chosen to serve soup as one of the courses, you are not limited to serving it in bowls. There are plenty of other creative ways to serve soup that are fun or interesting. Use any of the ideas from this list for inspiration. Alternatively, come up with your own innovations for serving soup in unusual ways.