This post gathers easy homemade soups and stews from around the world—some familiar, others delightfully new. Each recipe offers comforting, flavorful meals perfect for lunch or dinner any day of the week.
Do you enjoy exploring global cuisine? From Italy, Croatia and Greece to Burma, Thailand and China, these homemade soups and stews showcase home-style flavors that travel well across seasons.
Scroll on for tips, common questions, and equipment suggestions to help you get the best results from each recipe.
Remember: “soup” is a broad term. Some dishes are brothy, others are hearty stews—and both are equally satisfying.
Alongside classics like soothing chicken soup, aromatic pumpkin or butternut squash soup, and the hearty barley-and-sausage soup, try new variations to broaden your repertoire.
📃 Why it Works
- Soups and stews are ideal in cold weather, but a warm bowl is comforting any time of year.
- The best part is that a single pot can be a complete meal: vegetables, proteins, grains or noodles, plus broth and optional thickeners like potatoes or barley.
- These dishes make excellent leftovers and usually keep in the refrigerator for several days without losing flavor.
- Beyond taste, soups and stews often deliver solid nutritional benefits depending on the ingredients you choose.
Nearly every cuisine offers its own versions: clear broths, creamy bisques, chunky chowders and rich goulashes. Below are 15 international recipes with approachable, home-style flavors.
Why eat hot foods on hot days?
Eating hot soups and stews in warm weather can be refreshing: hot foods can trigger sweating, which helps cool the body. In cooler seasons, these dishes are heartwarming and nourishing.
Things to consider when cooking soups
- Different ingredients require different cooking times—plan the order you add them to the pot accordingly.
- Start with items that need the longest time to soften, then add quicker-cooking ingredients later.
- Cut firm vegetables a bit smaller than tender ones so everything finishes at the same time without overcooking.
Tips and Tricks for soup & stew recipes
- If a soup is too thick, thin it with stock, warm cream or milk (heat the dairy before adding to avoid curdling) and re-season.
- For thin broths that need body, reduce a portion of stock into a concentrated broth. For thickened soups, a roux (butter and flour) can be used—cook it a bit longer and then season.
- To remove excess fat, briefly hang ice in a cloth over the surface so fat clings to it, or chill the soup until the fat solidifies and scoop it off.
- Coating the rim of a pot with a little oil can help prevent boiling over.
- If a stew begins to stick or burn, transfer the unburned portion carefully to another pan without scraping the sediment.
- Salt sparingly—it’s easy to add more later but hard to remove. See the FAQs for ways to fix overly salty soups.
- Serve soups and stews piping hot for best flavor and comfort.
🍴 Equipment Needed
Good cookware makes soup and stew preparation easier. Consider these versatile options:
- Dutch Oven – Ideal for long, slow cooking and forgiving for cheaper cuts of meat.
- Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker – Speeds up braising and stock-making while retaining nutrients.
- Slow Cooker (Crock-Pot) – Great for “set it and forget it” meals prepared ahead of time.
- Stock Pot – A quality, non-stick or heavy-bottomed stock pot helps prevent scorching when making large batches.
15 World’s best soup and stew recipes
These recipes are easy to make at home and adaptable to the ingredients you have on hand.
1. Italian Slow Cooker Lamb Ragu
Get this recipe
Tips: Choose tougher cuts like lamb shoulder or leg roast, and use broccoli stems in place of celery to reduce waste. Serve with wide pasta, gnocchi, or bread to soak up the sauce.
2. Croatian Lamb Peka
Get this recipe
Tip: You can prepare this at home using a cast-iron pan without needing the traditional bell lid or outdoor hearth.
Try a meatless Croatian roux soup for a lighter option.
3. Greek Stewed Chicken
Get this recipe
Tip: Season with sea salt, black pepper, cinnamon stick, allspice and bay leaf. Swap chicken for lamb, veal or beef if desired.
4. Bosnian Chicken Paprikash with Dumplings
Get this recipe
Tip: Balkan cuisine features many dough-based dishes—practicing thin phyllo or dumpling dough opens up many traditional recipes.
Try a hearty Bosnian cabbage stew with vegetables and tender meat for another regional favorite.
Or try a light Bosnian chicken soup made quickly in an Instant Pot.
5. West African Peanut Butter Soup
Get this recipe
Tip: If the soup needs bulk, serve with rice or add protein like chicken or tofu.
6. Nigerian Beef Stew
Get this recipe
Tip: Blend and reduce the tomato-pepper mixture to a paste-like consistency; roasting peppers first deepens the flavor. Swap beef for other proteins as needed.
7. Vietnamese Beef Pho
Get this recipe
Tip: Make a slow-simmered bone broth—the long cook time is what gives pho its signature depth of flavor.
8. Vietnamese Chicken & Shrimp Pho
Get this recipe
Tips: Adjust proteins and fish sauce to suit your taste or dietary needs. Omit shrimp if you prefer a pure chicken version.
9. Vietnamese Beef Stew
Get this recipe
Tip: Tenderize meat with a tenderizing agent like pineapple, kiwi or cola if you prefer—then adjust spices for a different regional twist.
10. Japanese Miso Soup
Get this recipe
Tips: Add miso paste at the end with the heat off or very low to avoid destroying its delicate flavor. Start with white miso if you’re new to it, and dissolve miso through a strainer to prevent clumps.
11. Chinese Spicy Hot Pot
Get this recipe
Tip: Slice proteins and vegetables very thin so they cook quickly. Add noodles at the end to avoid over-softening.
12. Burmese Khow Suey
Get this recipe
Tip: This recipe adapts well to one-pot Instant Pot cooking; precook and store fried onion garnish to save time.
13. Mexican Chicken Soup
Get this recipe
Tip: Chop ingredients in advance to speed assembly. Using whole chicken parts like drumsticks adds flavor and value.
For a spicy variation, try Mexican tortilla soup with chicken, beans and baked tortilla strips.
14. Jamaican Pumpkin Beef Soup
Get this recipe
Tip: Experiment with local produce—West Indian vegetables add authentic texture and flavor.
15. Brazilian Black Bean Stew
Get this recipe
Tip: Sauté onions and garlic at the start—this foundation step builds depth in many Brazilian dishes.
If you love South American flavors, try Colombian chicken stew with potatoes for another comforting, family-style option.
For a quick family favorite, try an easy Indian chicken tikka masala that can be ready in about 30 minutes.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Add cold water or unsalted stock and reheat, taking care not to overly dilute flavor. Alternatively, cook a few tablespoons of rice in a tea infuser or add small pieces of potato; the starch can help absorb excess salt. Remove the rice or potato before serving.
Transfer the unburned portion to a clean saucepan without scraping the pan bottom. Continue cooking gently and monitor to prevent further burning.
Cool uncovered until nearly room temperature, then cover and refrigerate. Most soups will keep well for up to three to five days depending on ingredients.
Many soups and stews freeze well for up to three months. Check individual recipes for best practices—creamy soups may separate after freezing and benefit from reheating gently and stirring to re-emulsify.
We hope you enjoy these international soups and stews. If you have favorite recipes not listed here, share them in the comments below.
- Mediterranean Okra Stew
- Beef and Vegetable Stew
- German Beer and Cheese Soup
- German Hunter Cabbage Stew
- Mexican Sopa de Pollo
- Healthy Beef Bone Broth
- Beef Soup with Semolina Dumplings
- Oven-Roasted Cauliflower Soup
Enjoyed this post? Leave a rating and a review—your feedback helps others discover these recipes. Follow the author on social platforms and sign up for the email list to get new recipes and tips.
15 International Soups and Stews
Print Recipe
Ingredients
- Croatian Roux Soup
- Mexican Tortilla Soup
- Colombian Chicken Stew
- German Hunter Stew
- Japanese Onion Soup
Instructions
-
Click on any recipe listed above to go directly to that full recipe page and detailed instructions.
Notes
Nutrition
Let us know how it was! Mention @AllThatsJas or tag #allthatsjas!