Whether we’re whipping up a creamy potato soup, toast-topped French onion, or a brothy blend like chicken noodle, compared to the canned competition, we are almost always far more satisfied with soups we make from scratch. Still, sometimes we find that the flavor falls short of “marry me” status, and leaves us wondering, “why doesn’t my soup taste as incredible as the kind I order at restaurants?”

All is not lost if you take a spoonful from your pot of soup and feel like it falls flat, the chefs we spoke to agree. Ahead, we’re dishing up the best tips to “rescue” your homemade soup and doctor it up so each bowl is overflowing with flavor.

Why Does My Soup Taste Bland?

The best way to “fix” bland soup is to prevent it before it happens. The most common soup mistake home cooks tend to make is waiting until the end to season it, our chef panelists confirm.

Add salt with each element as you incorporate it into the recipe, and “don’t wait until the last minute to taste and tweak,” suggests Erin Clarke, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based recipe developer and the author of Well Plated Every Day. “Give your soup time to develop flavors.”

Tasting as you go (once anything raw in the soup is cooked) can help you determine at that stage what you might want to add more or less of.

Besides under seasoning, there are a couple other common culprits that can result in sub-par soup:

• Opting for water instead of broth. Unless you’re making a super-flavorful soup like a miso-based one or are simmering meat in water to essentially make a broth as part of your soup recipe, “plain water is, well, plain. A high-quality broth or stock gives soup the depth that it needs,” Clarke says. Make your own broth or choose a low-sodium store-bought variety so you can have more control over the seasoning.
• Tossing all of the ingredients in the pot at once. “Is it a little annoying to wait for your onions, carrots, and celery to fully soften and brown before moving onto the next step? If you’re impatient like me, of course it is! However, this step is crucial,” Clarke explains. Allowing the aromatic and sturdy vegetables to caramelize and cook down a bit—and then seasoning them once they do—is vital to start the soup strong from the foundation.

7 Easy Ways to Make Any Soup Taste Better, According to Chefs

Even if you steer clear of those common soup mistakes, “it can end up falling flat,” even for the pros, admits Jacob Schroeder, chef/owner of Crafted Food Services and Moxie Kitchen + Events in Des Moines, Iowa. “While major adjustments at the end of the cooking process won’t yield as good of a result as one that has been properly seasoned each step of the way, you can still get a tasty soup.”

If a recipe tastes bland, it’s likely missing one of four things, says Lawrence Weeks, executive chef and owner at North of Bourbon in Louisville, Kentucky: salt, acidity, umami, or fat. Follow the steps below in order until your soup is singing.

• Reduce the base. Allow the liquid to simmer long enough so it reduces slightly in volume. Since there’s less liquid to thin things out, you’ll notice “more depth and intensity in terms of the flavor,” notes Gustavo Fuentes, executive sous chef at The Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City in Arlington, Virginia. Some soups just need time to work their magic, Clarke adds.
• Amp up the seasoning. If that reduction step still doesn’t deliver the flavor you’re after or you prefer a looser soup, adjust by adding more salt or MSG, recommends Lynn Pritchard, chef-owner of Table 128 and Hugo’s Wood-Fired Kitchen in Des Moines, Iowa. The latter infuses the recipe with a salty quality with less sodium than salt itself.
• Add some acid. When Yumna Jawad, the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based CEO and founder of Feel Good Foodie and the author of The Feel Good Foodie Cookbook: 125 Recipes Enhanced with Mediterranean Flavors, finds herself with a soup that’s lacking sass, “I usually turn to acid. A little acid like lemon juice, lemon zest, vinegar, or even a mustard added toward the end can brighten the soup.” Hot sauce is also a nice option to add acid and heat all at once. “Start with ½ teaspoon of an acidic ingredient and adjust from there. You’ll be amazed at the difference it makes,” Clarke adds.
• Include more oomph via umami. A stronger savory note might be what your soup is missing. A quick fix is a dash of soy sauce, a spoonful of miso, or a drizzle of Worcestershire sauce. “I also love keeping Parmesan rinds in my freezer, then simmering them in the pot for a deeply savory backbone,” Clarke says.
• Bolster it with more fat. A splash of heavy cream, half-and-half, or whole milk can help even things out if your soup tastes too acidic—or if it’s lacking a luscious quality. For a dairy-free option that still lends richness, as well as extra fruity flavor, “drizzle soup with extra virgin olive oil just before serving,” Jawad recommends. Compared to oil added with the aromatics, “it will taste completely different and will really elevate the soup,” she says.
• Stir in something sweet. This move might not work with every soup recipe, Jawad concedes, “but if you ever feel like the flavors are bland, a couple teaspoons of honey, maple syrup, or a sprinkle of sugar can help round things out,” she notes. This can be especially helpful in tomato-based, root vegetable, squash, or spicy soups. Go easy if you add a sweet element, Schroeder says: “there is a fine line to highlighting the natural sugars in a sweet vegetable [or taming the spice] and making a soup too sweet.”
• Finish with a fresh garnish. All out of ideas? Garnish like you mean it, Clarke urges. “Fresh herbs, a swirl of plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, or a sprinkle of cheese can bring a soup to life.” Candied nuts, crumbled crackers or chips, or a scoop of chili crisp can also provide satisfying textural contrast.