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This soup takes all of the Reuben flavors you love and combines them in a steaming hot bowl of soup, perfect for these chilly nights.

creamy Reuben soup in a pottery mug with rye toast

Reuben Soup

Years ago, I ran across a recipe for Reuben Soup over at Closet Cooking. I mentioned it to my husband at the time and he did not let me forget it.

His all-time favorite sandwich is a classic Reuben; rye bread piled high with corned beef, sauerkraut, and melting Swiss cheese.

The idea of a soup for winter that delivers everything we love about Reuben sandwiches? There is no resisting that combination. Don’t skip the rye bread for serving with the soup, it adds the perfect final touch.

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Creamy Reuben Soup in pottery mug with toasted rye bread

Creamy Reuben Soup

The first time I made this soup, my husband and I really enjoyed it and my kids were less than impressed. But now? This soup disappears crazy fast every time I make it.

Fortunately, most of my boys have grown to love Reuben sandwiches and that’s made this recipe a HUGE favorite for most of the family.

This soup has had a place in our regular winter menu rotation for over ten years now.

creamy soup in enamel pot with ladle

Did you know you can buy corned beef in most stores year-round? I didn’t until I wanted to make this soup and decided to check the deli.

I’ve brined my own in the past, but this time, I was happy to pick up a ready-to-cook brined corned beef and toss it in the crock-pot. Now that I’ve remembered how much I like corned beef, there is an awesome breakfast skillet in our near future as well!

Reuben ingredients in a hearty soup

Reuben Soup Ingredients

Don’t be intimidated by the length of this ingredient list. This recipe is very simple to make and all of these ingredients? They add up to an incredible flavor combination in a hearty bowl of soup.

  • butter
  • onion
  • garlic
  • red pepper flakes
  • flour
  • chicken broth
  • sauerkraut
  • potatoes
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • pickling spices
  • caraway seeds
  • bay leaves
  • heavy cream
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • corned beef
  • Swiss cheese
creamy soup with corned beef, sauerkraut, and potatoes

Reuben Soup Recipe

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and red pepper and saute an additional minute. Sprinkle the onions with flour, stir to coat, and continue stirring while the flour cooks with the onion for about 3 minutes.

floured onions in soup pot

Add the broth and stir to scrape up any bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the potatoes, sauerkraut, Worcestershire sauce, pickling spices, caraway seeds, and bay leaves.

Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 12-15 minutes, just until the potatoes are tender. Remove from the heat and remove the bay leaves and any large pieces from the pickling spices.

Stir in the cream. Add the corned beef. Taste and add salt (only if needed) and pepper as needed. Scoop into bowls and top with cheese. Serve with rye bread, if desired.

white enamel pot with creamy corned beef sauerkraut soup and wooden spoon

I make extra corned beef every year now, just so I can enjoy the leftovers for an additional day or two. I picked up three corned beef briskets from the grocery store the other day, just to stash a couple of them in the freezer for later this year.

I have the last two slices from this Baked Honey Mustard Corned Beef stashed away now for my lunch tomorrow, along with the last of the Colcannon. I’m looking forward to it!

creamy soup with corned beef and potatoes, topped with Swiss cheese

Crispy hot potatoes and cabbage are combined with bites of tender, salty, corned beef to create the corned beef and cabbage hash of your dreams.

Corned beef dip is a creamy, cheesy, slightly tangy dip generously filled with chunks of corned beef along with a bit of sauerkraut and caraway to give it that unmistakable Reuben flavor.

Tender, salty, corned beef, bite-size chunks of potatoes, and shredded green cabbage are combined in a savory stew for a dinner that never fails to make everyone in my family happy.

4.73 from 11 votes

Reuben Soup

Avatar photoMary Younkin
This soup takes all of the Reuben flavors we love and combines them in a steaming hot bowl of soup, perfect for chilly nights.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
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Ingredients 

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 medium size onion diced into ½" pieces
  • 2 large cloves garlic minced
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 40 ounces chicken broth about 5 cups
  • 1 cup sauerkraut drained
  • 3 medium Yukon gold potatoes peeled and diced into ½" pieces, about 4 cups
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon pickling spices
  • ¼ teaspoon caraway seeds
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • kosher salt to taste, ONLY as needed
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper adjust to taste
  • 2 cups cooked corned beef chopped into bite-size pieces
  • 1 cup Swiss cheese shredded
  • toasted rye bread for serving OPTIONAL

Instructions 

  • Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the garlic and red pepper and saute an additional minute. Sprinkle the onions with flour, stir to coat, and continue stirring while the flour cooks with the onion for about 3 minutes.
  • Add the broth and stir to scrape up any bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the potatoes, sauerkraut, Worcestershire sauce, pickling spices, caraway seeds and bay leaves.
  • Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 12-15 minutes, just until the potatoes are tender. Remove from the heat and remove the bay leaves and any large pieces from the pickling spices.
  • Stir in the cream. Add the corned beef. Taste and add salt (only if needed) and pepper as needed. Scoop into bowls and top with cheese. Serve with rye bread, if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

Adjust the salt depending on whether the broth is homemade or store-bought. Taste the soup before adding any salt.

Nutrition

Calories: 287 kcal | Carbohydrates: 8 g | Protein: 13 g | Fat: 23 g | Saturated Fat: 12 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7 g | Trans Fat: 0.2 g | Cholesterol: 73 mg | Sodium: 1425 mg | Potassium: 261 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 2 g | Vitamin A: 622 IU | Vitamin C: 15 mg | Calcium: 202 mg | Iron: 2 mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

{originally published 12/6/13 – recipe notes and photos updated 2/8/23}

pot of Creamy Reuben Soup with ladle
creamy soup with corned beef and sauerkraut

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Rating




44 Comments

  1. Su says:

    Sooo looking forward to doing these recipes thank you 😋5 stars

    1. Mary Younkin says:

      I hope you love the soup, Su.

  2. Teresa says:

    This sounds amazing. I have a corned beef in my freezer. I just need to pick up a few other items and I am definitely going to give this recipe a go. Thank you for your amazing recipes.5 stars

    1. Mary Younkin says:

      I hope that you love the soup as much as we do, Teresa!

  3. Mark Stega says:

    Awesome soup! Will make it often. I was all set to make reubens last July when a medical mishap forced me to freeze my prepared corned beef & sauerkraut. I saw this recipe and thawed everything (who knew that you could successfully freeze/thaw sauerkraut).5 stars

    1. Mary Younkin says:

      Glad it was a hit, Mark!

  4. Kraz-e- k8 says:

    Had this for dinner tonight. Our left over corned beef was a bit dry but putting it in the soup definitely helped. The soup was a last ditch effort and it worked. Reuben on a spoon. Had some carrots left over so sliced and threw them in too. Our only problem was the salt. Don’t add any salt without tasting first. I didn’t taste along the way. I think my chicken broth must have had a high sodium content. Looking forward to my leftover soup for lunch tomorrow.5 stars

    1. Mary Younkin says:

      Good call on the salt. When using leftover corned beef, definitely taste and adjust as you go.

  5. Danielle Cenci says:

    How did you cook the corned beef , you mention above the recipe about a crock pot , but do not mention in the recipe itself . I’m not familiar with cooking corned beef .
    Thank you Danielle

    1. Mary Younkin says:

      You can actually buy cooked corned beef in the deli of most grocery stores. (That’s the way I typically make this soup, as I don’t always have enough leftover.) You can also make a very easy corned beef brisket in the crockpot: https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/crock-pot-corned-beef/ I hope that helps!

  6. Amy Hannan says:

    I am super excited to try this ! Making it for a soup cook off !

    1. Mary Younkin says:

      I hope that you enjoy it as much as we do.

  7. Ahmad says:

    Amazing soup! This will be a regular in my kitchen. I had prepped corned beef and sauerkraut for Reubens last July but had to freeze them due to a medical mishap. When I found this recipe, I thawed everything—who knew sauerkraut freezes so well?5 stars

    1. Mary Younkin says:

      I’m so glad you like the soup!

  8. Barbar says:

    Can this be frozen?

    1. Mary Younkin says:

      While I haven’t tried it myself, I’m guessing it will freeze fine. I usually test a portion overnight before freezing the rest of it when it’s a new soup for the freezer.

  9. Nanajee Travels says:

    Sounds absolutely delicious! 🥣🔥 All the classic Reuben flavors in a cozy bowl—perfect for chilly nights! 🥪❤️

    1. Mary Younkin says:

      I hope you love it as much as we do!

  10. Sharon Dale says:

    This is amazing !! My family goes crazy over this soup. THey all but lick the bowl5 stars

    1. Mary Younkin says:

      YAY! I’m so glad you like it.