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The 11 Best Canned Chicken Noodle Soups, Whether You Like ’Em Meaty, Creamy or Vegan

editor@purewow.com (PureWow)
·11 min read

Sure, canned chicken noodle soup is the elixir to end all colds and winter blues. But it’s so much more than that, too. We consider it one of the easiest office lunches of all time, a low-maintenance, kid-friendly meal and a last-minute dinner for busy weeknights. But which ones are the tastiest? We tested a slew of ’em to figure out which reigned supreme. Read on for the 11 best canned chicken noodle soups, along with some of our favorite instant and jarred varieties. (There are even a few chicken-less options for vegans and vegetarians.)

RELATED: 50 Soups You Can Make in 30 Minutes

The Best Canned Chicken Noodle Soups, At a Glance

Scroll down for in-depth reviews of each.

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The Methodology

Before we get into our top picks, here’s how we determined the best canned chicken noodle soups for every need.

  • Value: Is the canned chicken noodle soup worth the money for how it tastes and what’s in it?

  • Quality: Are the ingredients in the canned chicken noodle soup high quality? Does it contain any weird preservatives or fillers?

  • Soup-to-Stuff Ratio: Is there enough chicken and pasta in the soup? Do you get chicken and noodles in every spoonful? Or is it mostly broth and vegetables?

  • Texture: Does the meat in the canned chicken noodle soup feel tender and juicy or rubbery and mealy? Are the noodles toothsome or overcooked? Are the vegetables intact or mushy? If the soup is supposed to be creamy, is it?

  • Flavor: Does the canned chicken noodle soup taste good and how the packaging suggests it should?

1. Rao’s Slow Simmered Chicken Noodle Soup

Best canned chicken noodle soup overall

  • Value: 18/20

  • Quality: 19/20

  • Soup-to-Stuff Ratio: 20/20

  • Texture: 19/20

  • Flavor: 19/20

TOTAL: 95/100

This brand is beloved for its tomato sauce, but we’d argue their chicken noodle soup rivals it in deliciousness. Made with antibiotic-free chicken and without artificial colors, flavors and preservatives, the soup tastes like even your Nonna would be impressed. Garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, Italian seasonings and Parmesan cheese in the mix make the broth savory, flavorful and unlike its competitors in the best way. Our one critique is that most of the chicken was sort of shredded throughout the soup instead of in large pieces, although the texture was just right. We’d say it also strikes the ideal soup-to-stuff ratio, meaning you’ll get pieces of veggies, pasta and chicken in every bite, along with a dose of cheesy, impeccably seasoned broth. Rao’s is a bit pricier than others on this list (it’s about identical to Whole Foods’ and Pacific’s soups, but contains one less serving, according to the label), but once you taste it, you’ll see it’s well worth the extra cents.

Buy it ($4)

2. Progresso Traditional Hearty Chicken & Rotini

Best chicken noodle soup for noodle lovers

  • Value: 19/20

  • Quality: 18/20

  • Soup-to-Stuff Ratio: 18/20

  • Texture: 19/20

  • Flavor: 18/20

TOTAL: 92/100

Loaded with white meat chicken, garlic powder and egg yolk for thickening, Progresso’s offering is as cozy as it is satisfying. It was a little brothier than we’d hoped (though it’s silky and pleasantly fatty, BTW), but the texture was pretty solid. The large, vibrant pieces of carrot are tender but not mushy, while the chicken is bountiful and in sizeable chunks. The real star is the rotini though; the tight, curled noodles stay fairly firm, offering a more toothsome bite than looser egg noodles. Another perk? Progresso is a big brand, so it’s one of the most affordable picks on our list.

Buy it ($2)

3. Campbell’s CHUNKY Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

Best creamy canned chicken noodle soup

  • Value: 19/20

  • Quality: 17/20

  • Soup-to-Stuff Ratio: 18/20

  • Texture: 18/20

  • Flavor: 18/20

TOTAL: 90/100

This soul-soothing soup from Campbell’s is just the antidote for a long, exhausting day. It’s made with broth that’s extra thick and doubly comforting, thanks to a dash of cream. The soup—loaded with carrots, chicken, celery and egg noodles—boasts 15 grams of protein per can (although that’s technically two servings). The broth texture is just as creamy as you’d hope, sort of like a chowder. We appreciated the rustic size of the noodles and vegetables but felt there could have been more chicken.

Buy it ($2)

4. Pacific Foods Organic Chicken Noodle Soup

Most rustic canned chicken noodle soup

  • Value: 18/20

  • Quality: 20/20

  • Soup-to-Stuff Ratio: 17/20

  • Texture: 18/20

  • Flavor: 18/20

TOTAL: 91/100

Organic chicken, produce and egg noodles come together in a savory broth that’s classically spiced and soothing. In other words, if you had a bad day and are craving something from Mom’s magic kitchen, Pacific’s offering should hold you over. Our main complaint is that we wish the chicken pieces were bigger and less uniform, but the noodles are wholesome and tender without being mushy. We also feel like the unique addition of green peas not only offers another textural element, but it also makes the soup feel homier.

Buy it ($4)

5. Healthy Choice Chicken Noodle Soup

Best low-calorie canned chicken noodle soup

  • Value: 19/20

  • Quality: 18/20

  • Soup-to-Stuff Ratio: 16/20

  • Texture: 17/20

  • Flavor: 17/20

TOTAL: 87/100

Some other soups on our list may be slightly lower in calories per serving than Healthy Choice’s offering, but this one is significantly lower in sodium than them all. It’s also low in fat and boasts solid amounts of protein and potassium (7 grams and 15 percent of your daily recommended, respectively), along with 1 gram of fiber per serving. Our main bone to pick is that it’s mostly broth; while the vegetables are decently sized and the noodles have a nice texture, there simply isn’t enough of either, if you ask us. As for the chicken, there were only a few sizeable chunks, and a lot of it was sort of shredded in tiny pieces.

$38/12-pack at Amazon

6. 365 Whole Foods Market Organic Chicken Noodle Soup

Best organic canned chicken noodle soup

  • Value: 18/20

  • Quality: 20/20

  • Soup-to-Stuff Ratio: 17/20

  • Texture: 19/20

  • Flavor: 18/20

TOTAL: 92/100

Ingredients don’t get much simpler than Whole Foods’ chicken noodle soup. We’re talking water, organic carrots and celery, organic egg noodles, organic chicken meat and stock and a slew of organic seasonings, like turmeric, onion powder, garlic powder and white pepper. The broth is well seasoned and savory in all the right ways to satisfy your chicken noodle soup craving. The only downside? We thought there was way too much broth, and we wish that there were more significant pieces of chicken throughout (though the texture of both the noodles and the meat was enjoyable).

$3 at Amazon

7. Annie’s Organic Chicken Noodle Soup

Most kid-friendly canned chicken noodle soup

  • Value: 17/20

  • Quality: 20/20

  • Soup-to-Stuff Ratio: 19/20

  • Texture: 19/20

  • Flavor: 16/20

TOTAL: 91/100

When it comes to store-bought soup for the kids, lean on this beloved bunny-bearing brand. Each can is packed with lots of soft pasta (aka your picky eater’s favorite part) and easy-to-chew, bite-size pieces of chicken. The broth and meat were a tad on the bland side, but that’s part of what makes it such a safe bet for little ones. We’ll also note that it’s more expensive than other organic options on this list, despite not being the tastiest of them all. Nevertheless, it’ll be an easy home run with your fam if you’re pressed for time. Tell them they can have Bunny Grahams for dessert if they clean their bowls.

Buy it ($5)

8. Amy’s No Chicken Noodle Soup

Best vegan canned chicken noodle soup

  • Value: 19/20

  • Quality: 20/20

  • Soup-to-Stuff Ratio: 19/20

  • Texture: 18/20

  • Flavor: 18/20

TOTAL: 94/100

Organic? Check. Plant-based? Check. Loaded with semolina noodles, quality produce and satiating tofu? You bet. Amy’s is a stellar alternative for those seeking the comfort of chicken noodle soup minus the meat. And thanks to the soy, each can contains 9 grams of satisfying protein. The broth is pleasantly oniony and the ratio to diced carrots, celery and leeks is spot on. The noodles were less al dente than is ideal, but the tofu pieces act as a chewy, toothsome foil. It’s also pretty darn affordable, given the ingredients, at 23 cents per ounce.

Buy it ($3)

9. Maruchan Roast Chicken Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup

Best ramen chicken noodle soup

  • Value: 19/20

  • Quality: 17/20

  • Soup-to-Stuff Ratio: 17/20

  • Texture: 19/20

  • Flavor: 18/20

TOTAL: 90/100

You won’t find any chicken or vegetable pieces here, but the ramen still delivers plenty of savory flavor, courtesy of a seasoning packet made with MSG, chicken fat, dehydrated soy sauce, dehydrated vegetables, powdered cooked chicken and spices. It’s a little fussier to prepare, since you’ll ideally need to use the stove to cook it (although we managed to prep plenty of ramen noodles in the microwave in our college days), but we love that they’re easy to zhuzh up with vegetables, hot sauce, tofu or fresh chicken. When cooked according to package instructions, the noodles are long, hearty and toothsome, but if you’re all about chunky soup with lots of stuff in it, you’ll want to supplement add-ins of your choice.

Buy it ($6/24-pack)

10. Knorr Sopa Pasta Soup Mix with Chicken Flavor

Best powdered chicken noodle soup

  • Value: 19/20

  • Quality: 17/20

  • Soup-to-Stuff Ratio: 18/20

  • Texture: 18/20

  • Flavor: 19/20

TOTAL: 91/100

Instant soups are great to have on hand for last-minute meals, especially if you’re feeding a crowd. (Canned soups usually contain up to two servings, while powdered soups typically make between four and six servings per packet.) Our go-to is Knorr’s chicken-flavored soup mix, since the pasta is toasted, which offers the broth a dose of warm, unexpected earthiness and nuttiness. Onion powder, egg and powdered cooked chicken in the seasoning mix deliver cozy, savory flavor without any vegetables or chicken pieces in the mix. Despite it not having as much “stuff” as other options on this list, the noodles are plentiful and make this pick a great choice for pasta lovers (and lazy cooks).

$19/12-pack at Amazon

11. ALDI Chef’s Cupboard Chunky Chicken Noodle Soup

Best value chicken noodle soup

  • Value: 20/20

  • Quality: 17/20

  • Soup-to-Stuff Ratio: 18/20

  • Texture: 17/20

  • Flavor: 16/20

TOTAL: 88/100

This soup from ALDI costs about 9 cents per ounce, or about 84 cents per serving. Does it get cheaper than that? We think not. At 15 grams of protein per can plus 2 grams of fiber, it’s sure to keep you full until dinnertime (or dessert). It’s packed with large egg noodles, decent-sized chunks of chicken and pieces of carrot and celery that we wish were a tad bigger. As for the flavor, the broth has unexpected nuance but something about the taste of the chicken sort of put us off. But if you’re looking for a bargain, this one can’t be topped.

Buy it ($2)

The PureWow100 is a scale our editors use to vet new products and services, so you know what’s worth the spend—and what’s total hype. Learn more about our process here.

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