Labels Deserve a Second Look
Canned soup can be cozy and convenient, an easily-prepared dish when we need something quickly heated on the stove. The thing is, those cans are also surprisingly easy to underestimate when it comes to sodium. Before you dump a hearty soup into your pot, it’s time you learned which ones are actually good for your ticker, and which ones will only make things worse.
1. Campbell’s Chunky Chicken Corn Chowder
Corn chowder isn’t great on the best of days, but Campbell’s version clocks in at 1,850 milligrams of sodium per can, which is 80% of the daily value listed on the brand’s nutrition panel. We won’t lie, the soup’s built to be filling, boasting things like a creamy base with chicken, corn, potatoes, carrots, and seasonings—but it’ll cost you.
2. Campbell’s Chunky OLD BAY Seasoned Clam Chowder
Campbell’s strikes again, this time with its Chunky OLD BAY Seasoned Clam Chowder! It comes in at 1,820 milligrams of sodium per can, mainly thanks to the OLD BAY seasoning, which brings a classic seafood-style kick. If you’re watching sodium, this one might be worth skipping.
3. Campbell’s Chunky Split Pea Soup With Ham
Hey, we all like peas and ham in our bowls, but Campbell’s version contains a whopping 1,740 milligrams of sodium per can, which is 76% of the daily value on the label. Its hearty mix of split peas, carrots, and ham makes it pretty obvious where the salty splash comes from.
4. Pacific Foods Organic Hearty Vegetable Soup
Campbell’s isn’t the only culprit on this list! Pacific Foods Organic Hearty Vegetable Soup contains 1,210 milligrams of sodium per container, despite being a vegan soup. Even with all those vegetables tossed in, the sodium just shows that plant-based canned soups also deserve a closer label check.
5. Habitant Vegetable Soup
With 2,432 milligrams of sodium per 796-gram can, Habitant Vegetable Soup works out to about 101% of the daily value. What does that mean for you? It means that this can brings more than a full day’s worth of sodium before you add anything on the side.
6. Campbell’s Chunky Hearty Bean Soup With Ham
Campbell’s Chunky options may fill your belly, but it doesn’t always do it in the healthiest way. Take the Hearty Bean Soup With Ham, which lands at 1,720 milligrams of sodium per can. It may sound like a simple pantry staple, but the sodium might make you reconsider—even if it is loaded with tasty ingredients.
7. Progresso Rich & Hearty Loaded Potato With Bacon
The more you look at what’s included, the less surprised you’ll be! With potatoes, bacon, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and seasonings, this delicious soup is rich and convenient, yes, but it’s not shy on salt, either. In just one little can, you’re looking at 1,600 milligrams of sodium.
8. Habitant French-Canadian Pea Soup
Habitant French-Canadian Pea Soup blessedly comes in a little lower than others on this list, but it still clocks in around 739.2 milligrams of sodium per 1-cup serving. It’s hard to deny the yellow peas, onions, and flavoring, too, which means you might just have more than one serving.
9. Campbell’s Chunky Hearty Beef and Barley Soup
Chunky’s at it again! This time, it contains 1,710 milligrams of sodium per can, which isn’t much better than the cluster of 1,720-milligram alternatives. Though, of course, it isn’t since it’s just a mix of beef stock, seasoned beef, carrots, potatoes, peas, and corn (among other things).
10. Campbell’s Chunky Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup
Don’t fool yourself into thinking every chicken soup is made equally. Campbell’s Chunky Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup rounds out the list with 1,700 milligrams of sodium per container. It has all the classic ingredients, like chicken stock and meat, carrots, and egg noodles—but it also has a few others that make the label worth checking before the spoon comes out.
Canned soup has a reputation for bringing a lot of sodium to the table, but some supermarket options keep the number more reasonable. With some of the heart-stoppers out of the way, let’s dive into a few that taste great without all the salt.
1. Health Valley Organic Tomato Soup With No Salt Added
Health Valley Organic Tomato Soup With No Salt Added is one of the lowest-sodium canned soups around! It only has about 25 milligrams of sodium per 1-cup serving, which is a tiny number for canned tomato soup. It’s even more impressive when you remember that tomato varieties can easily lean salty.
2. Health Valley Organic Lentil Soup With No Salt Added
Health Valley Organic Lentil Soup With No Salt Added comes in at 30 milligrams of sodium per serving, so you can indulge without feeling guilty. It also brings a bunch of other goodies, like fiber and a heartier texture, so you’re not just getting warm liquid in a can.
3. Great Value Cream of Chicken Condensed Soup
This one’s a mouthful, but try and say it with us: Great Value 98% Fat Free and 50% Less Sodium Cream of Chicken Condensed Soup. Phew, there we go! It’s a reduced-sodium canned soup option, with 50% less sodium than regular cream of chicken soup. It still comes in around 390 milligrams of sodium per 1/2-cup serving, so it’s not ultra-low, but it is lighter than the standard version.
4. Health Valley Organic Minestrone Soup With No Salt Added
Whose mouth doesn’t water at the thought of minestrone? Now, you can enjoy it all you want! This option lists 45 milligrams of sodium per 1-cup serving, and it still carries the familiar minestrone idea of vegetables and pasta—just without the usual sodium rush that can come with canned versions.
5. Campbell’s Condensed Unsalted Tomato Soup
What? Campbell’s has a low-sodium option? They have a few, actually! The unsalted tomato soup only has about 50 milligrams of sodium per 1/2-cup condensed serving. Best of all, it’s still the familiar Campbell’s tomato soup style, just with the salt dialed down.
6. Campbell’s Condensed Unsalted Cream of Mushroom Soup
Well, since we’re on the topic of Campbell’s soup, we might as well not lose momentum! Its Condensed Unsalted Cream of Mushroom Soup has 50 milligrams of sodium per 1/2-cup condensed serving. This alternative is a great no-salt-added cooking staple, making it perfect for casseroles, sauces, and other normally salty recipes.
7. Swanson Unsalted Beef Cooking Stock
Swanson Unsalted Beef Cooking Stock comes in at 150 milligrams of sodium per cup, which can be a double-edged sword for some. It’s technically above the FDA-style “low sodium” cutoff of 140 milligrams, but it’s also far lighter than many canned soups. It can work well when you want a beefy base and don’t mind that it’s just a touch higher than the strict low-sodium range.
8. Great Value Unsalted Chicken Broth
Sometimes, we just need a good base for our own soups, and you’ll get it with the Great Value Unsalted Chicken Broth. It’s a useful low-sodium soup base, with 45 milligrams of it per 1-cup serving. This one opens all kinds of doors, too; you can turn it into a quick chicken, rice, or vegetable soup while keeping the salt under control.
9. Great Value Unsalted Beef Broth
Chicken not your thing? Don’t you worry—Great Value Unsalted Beef Broth only has about 70 milligrams of sodium per 1-cup serving, staying comfortably low compared with most options. It’s also a solid starting point for a vegetable, barley, or mushroom soup when you want more control over seasoning.
10. Campbell’s Condensed Unsalted Cream of Chicken Soup
We round the list with another condensed Campbell’s classic, this time with the Unsalted Cream of Chicken Soup! It only has 60 milligrams of sodium per 1/2-cup condensed serving, so you can not only get your fill on rainy days, but you can also use it for chicken stock, roasted chicken, and cream.
