Reuben soup

Reuben Soup brings all the classic flavors of a Reuben sandwich together in one cozy, comforting bowl. With melty cheese, tangy sauerkraut, savory corned beef, and crispy toasted bread on top, it’s hearty enough to satisfy the whole family. Perfect for chilly nights, it’s like your favorite deli sandwich transformed into the ultimate comfort food.

Love More Soup Recipes? Try My Creamy Chicken Potato Soup or this Cheeseburger Soup next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Rich, hearty, and so flavorful you’ll be scraping the bowl clean. The melty cheese, tangy sauerkraut, and tender corned beef create the perfect balance of comfort and indulgence. It’s the kind of soup that has friends texting you for the recipe long after dinner is over.

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Ingredient List

For the Soup Base:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ¼ cup chopped celery
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups water
• 4 cubes beef bouillon
• 3 cups half-and-half cream

For the Reuben Flavors:

• 3 cups shredded Swiss cheese, divided
• 8 ounces shredded corned beef
• 1 cup sauerkraut, drained

For the Topping:

• 8 slices rye bread, toasted and cut into triangles

No shredded corned beef? Just hack up some deli meat. Want it lighter? Fine, use milk, but don’t come crying to me when it’s not as good. And seriously, buy real Swiss cheese. The pre-shredded stuff is garbage.

Why These Ingredients Work

Butter makes everything better, period. Onions and celery smell amazing when they’re cooking and make your kitchen feel like home. Flour keeps it from being watery disaster soup.

The bouillon cubes pack a punch – they’re like flavor bombs. Half-and-half is the sweet spot between milk and heavy cream. Swiss cheese melts like butter and doesn’t turn into rubber bands like some cheeses do. Sauerkraut’s the star here – cuts through all that richness so you don’t feel sick after.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• Big pot (seriously, don’t use a tiny one unless you want soup all over your stove)
• Wooden spoon
• Sharp knife that actually cuts things
• Measuring cups
• 8 bowls that can go under the broiler (this is NOT optional)
• Whisk
• Ladle
• Toaster or whatever you use for bread

How To Make Reuben Soup

Step 1: Build Your Base

Melt the butter in your large saucepan over medium-high heat. Toss in the onion and celery, stirring until they get soft and smell amazing – about 5 minutes. Mix in that flour until everything’s smooth and no lumps remain.

Step 2: Add the Liquid

Here’s where patience pays off – slowly pour in the water while whisking like crazy to avoid lumps. Drop in those bouillon cubes and bring everything to a boil. Once it’s bubbling, turn the heat way down and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

Step 3: Make it Creamy

Stir in the half-and-half, then add 1 cup of Swiss cheese (save the rest for later). Add your corned beef and drained sauerkraut. Keep stirring gently as everything melts together – this takes about 30 minutes until it gets nice and thick.

Step 4: Prep for the Finale

While your soup’s doing its thing, fire up your broiler and toast those rye bread slices. Cut them into triangles because they look fancy and fit better in the bowls.

Step 5: The Grand Finale

Ladle that beautiful soup into oven-safe bowls. Top each one with a piece of toasted rye, then pile on the remaining Swiss cheese. Slide them under the broiler for 2-3 minutes until the cheese gets all bubbly and golden.

You Must Know

Never, and I mean NEVER, add cream to boiling soup. You’ll get chunky gross soup that looks like it went bad. Keep that heat low once the dairy goes in.

I always rinse my sauerkraut because some brands are way too salty. You want tangy, not “holy crap my face is puckering.”

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

Low heat is your friend. High heat will ruin everything and you’ll be scraping burnt cheese off your pot for hours.

Fresh cheese beats bagged cheese every single time. The bagged stuff has weird powdery coating that doesn’t melt right.

Cook that flour for at least a minute or your soup will taste like paste. Nobody wants paste soup.

Add liquid super slowly or you’ll get lumpy soup and have to start over. Been there, done that, learned the hard way.

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

Want it more like a real Reuben? Stir in some Thousand Island dressing right at the end. Spicy version? Add hot sauce or jalapeños when you cook the veggies.

Vegetarian? Skip the corned beef and use mushrooms. Still tastes great. More sauerkraut? Do it. I won’t judge.

Make-Ahead Options

This soup gets better overnight. The flavors marry and it tastes even more amazing. Make it, let it cool, fridge it for 3 days max. Just heat it up slowly when you want more.

You can freeze the base without the cream and cheese for months. Thaw it, then add the good stuff when you reheat.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

Want thicker? Let it bubble away longer without a lid. Too thick? Add more cream or some chicken broth until it’s how you like it.

Don’t cheap out on the corned beef. Crappy corned beef makes crappy soup. I get mine from the deli counter when it’s on sale.

Refrigerated sauerkraut beats canned every time. It’s crunchier and tastes fresher.

Serving Suggestions

This IS dinner. Seriously. Maybe throw together a quick salad if you’re feeling fancy, but this soup will fill you up good.

Goes amazing with chips for dunking, dill pickles on the side, and a cold beer. Wine works too if that’s your thing.

Perfect for crappy weather days, when you’re feeling lazy, or when you need to impress someone without actually trying too hard.

How to Store Your Reuben Soup

Stick it in the fridge covered for 4 days max. It’ll get thick when cold but that’s normal. Just thin it out when you reheat.

Freezer storage: Only freeze the base before you add cream and cheese. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

Reheat slowly on low heat and stir constantly. Don’t microwave on high unless you want it to look like it exploded.

Allergy Information

This has dairy everywhere and gluten in the flour and bread.

No dairy? Use olive oil instead of butter, cashew cream for the half-and-half, and nutritional yeast instead of cheese. It’s different but still good.

Gluten issues? Mix cornstarch with cold water instead of flour and use gluten-free bread.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I use leftover corned beef?

That’s literally how this recipe was born. Just chop it up and throw it in.

No oven-safe bowls?

Toast the cheesy bread on a cookie sheet then plop it on top of the soup in regular bowls.

Slow cooker version?

Cook the veggies first, dump everything except cream and cheese in the slow cooker. Low for 4-6 hours, add dairy stuff last 30 minutes.

Cheese getting weird and stringy?

You’re cooking it too hot. Turn down the heat and be gentle.

Can I make more?

Sure, just use a bigger pot and don’t crank up the heat when you add the cream.

💬 Made this soup? Tell me how it went! Did your family freak out over how good it was too?