Whether you believe in garlic’s legendary flu-fighting reputation or simply love its flavour, this creamy French Garlic Soup made with 50 cloves of garlic is pure comfort in a bowl!
Nagi's Notes
I know – 50 cloves of garlic sounds INSANE!!! But you will be so amazed, the garlic flavour in the soup is incredibly mild and mellow, sweetened from sautéing until golden in butter. There is no hint of harsh raw garlic flavour at all. It’s completely addictive and I swear it has worked wonders to cure my cold!!
PS While we don’t always use pre-peeled garlic, if there was ever a recipe where it’s encouraged, it would be this one! 🙂
50 Clove Garlic Soup
French Garlic Soup is a traditional rustic soup made by simmering a generous amount of garlic clove in a broth until it becomes sweet and mellow, without any trace of the harshness of raw garlic. There is no single way to make it, though there are some well known regional styles such as in South West France where garlic soup is finished with egg ribbons (tourin) and in Provence which is heavy on herbs and finished with a dollop of aoili.
The version I’m sharing today is a simple homestyle one that is my take on this French classic. I created it because the cold days are here in Australia and everyone seems to be getting unwell. Garlic is known for its “good-for-you” reputation, and though I can’t promise that a bowl of this soup will cure your cold, I can promise that there is no better way to consume five whole heads of garlic. And it will keep the vampires away!!
What Goes in Garlic Soup
Here is what you need. As Nagi mentioned above, you can use pre-peeled cloves to save time. However, I forbid you to use garlic in jar or tube form for this recipe!
1. the soup
Garlic – The star of the show. Fresh garlic only! This is one recipe where there’s really no substitute. Garlic pastes from jars or tubes have a noticeably different flavour because of the preservatives, often with a slightly sour taste. So don’t even think about it. (That’s the part when you’re supposed to say “Oui chef!”)
Onion – Essential flavour base, don’t skip it!
Potatoes – What makes the soup velvety. As they simmer, they break down and blend into a naturally creamy soup. Use the starchy kind:
– Australia – Sebago (dirty brushed / common washed potatoes), you can get it at any supermarket. Do not use the waxy kind (red potatoes, new potatoes) because they are low in starch and will not break down as much when boiling to create a creamy soup.
– US – Russet, Yukon Gold.
– UK – Maris Piper, King Edward.Vegetable stock / broth – The liquid for the soup. Tastier than water! Use low sodium, though if you’ve only got regular salted stock, just reduce the salt listed in the ingredients 1/2 teaspoon.
If you can make your own homemade vegetable stock, please do! You’ll have to increase the salt quantity by 1/2 teaspoon.
Cream – Thickened cream / heavy cream. Just enough to add richness and round out the flavours.
Butter – Unsalted, for sautéing the vegetables.
Salt – The usual cooking salt / kosher salt, for seasoning.
White pepper – I prefer white pepper here because it blends seamlessly into the soup, keeping the beautiful pale creamy colour free from little black speckles.
2. Crispy Panko Topping
Panko breadcrumbs – Japanese-style breadcrumbs, lighter and crispier than regular breadcrumbs, they give a beautifully golden, crunchy finish. You’ll find them at most big supermarkets in the Asian foods section, or at Asian grocery stores.
Parsley – Adds a touch of fresh colour and a light, herby lift. Flat-leaf (Italian) parsley is my preference, it has a cleaner flavour than the curly kind.
Salt – Cooking salt / kosher salt, the one we use in almost all RTE recipes. If you’ve only got table salt, halve the amount, for salt flakes, increase by 50%.
Olive oil – Used here to toast the panko in the pan, it’s what helps the breadcrumbs turn golden and crispy.
How To Make Garlic Soup
This is a very simple soup and if you’ve survived peeling five heads of garlic, you’ve already conquered the hardest part of this recipe. All you have left to do is gently cook the garlic until golden, simmer everything until the potatoes are tender, then blitz until silky smooth. It doesn’t get much easier than this!
Sauté the garlic in butter until light golden, stirring regularly to prevent it catching on the bottom of the pot. At this stage it should smell sweet and fragrant rather than sharp.
Add onion and cook for 2 minutes until softened. By then, the garlic should be golden.
Stir in potato and cook for 1 minute, to coat all pieces in the buttery garlic mixture.
Simmer – Add the stock, water, salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes until the potatoes are soft (check with a knife).
Cream – Add the cream and simmer for another 1 minute.
Blitz and serve – Blitz with a stick blender until completely smooth. Taste, adjust the seasoning and thickness if needed or add more cream if you want a richer finish. Then ladle into bowls and I encourage you to garnish the soup with a crunchy topping – see next section.
Garnish options for Garlic Soup
I always like to garnish creamy soups with something that will bring a bit of texture. Croutons is the obvious choice (see here for recipe), or for an out-of-the-packet options, crispy fried shallots is convenient.
I’ve used panko breadcrumbs that I toasted with olive oil to make it golden and crunchy with a little pinch of salt and finely chopped parsley for a bit of colour. I like the way it can be sprinkled all across the surface of the soup so you get a bit of crunch in every spoonful – because there never seems to be enough croutons!
I’d love to hear what you think if you give it a try. And if you have any questions, please drop them below – I keep a close eye on questions for the first few days after publishing new recipes so I will be sure to answer them. Bon appétit! – JB
FAQ – 50 Clove Garlic Soup
Not at all! Raw garlic is sharp, but slowly cooking it in butter mellows it dramatically, bringing out its natural sweetness. The finished soup has a rich garlic flavour that’s delicate rather than overpowering.
Yes! Pre-peeled garlic works perfectly well and will save you a lot of peeling. The flavour is usually a little milder than freshly peeled garlic because it’s been washed and exposed to air, but the soup will still be delicious.
I don’t recommend using garlic from jars or squeeze tubes, though. They contain preservatives that give the garlic a slightly sour, artificial flavour, which really stands out in a recipe like this where garlic is the star.
Absolutely. It tastes also great the next day once the flavours have had time to develop. Reheat gently over a medium-low heat stirring regularly until hot.
Yes! Let the soup cool completely before freezing in airtight containers for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat gently on the stove. The panko garnish is best made fresh.
Watch How To Make It
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
50 Clove Garlic Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp / 50g unsalted butter
- 1 2/3 cups / 250g (50 – 60 cloves) peeled garlic cloves, roughly chopped (5 medium bulbs ~ 60g / 2oz each before peeling) (Note 1 & 2)
- 1 small brown or yellow onion (or 1/2 large), diced small
- 1.5 kg / 3.3 lbs starchy potato , peeled and cut into 2.5cm / 1" cubes (Note 3)
- 3 cups vegetable stock / broth , salt-reduced (Note 4)
- 3 cups water
- 2 tsp cooking / kosher salt , halve for table salt
- 1/8 tsp white pepper powder
- 1/2 cup thickened cream (heavy cream)
Soup Garnish
- 2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs (Note 5)
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/8 tsp cooking / kosher salt , halve for table salt
- 2 tsp finely chopped parsley
Instructions
ABBREVIATED RECIPE:
- Cook garlic 5 minutes in butter. Onion 2 minutes, potato 1 minute then add stock, water, salt and pepper. Simmer 15 minutes. Add cream, cook 1 minute. Blitz and serve hot with garnish.
FULL RECIPE:
- Sauté – Heat butter in a large heavy base pot over medium high heat until melted. Add garlic and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. The garlic should be nicely golden on the edges. Don't let it brown too deeply or it can become bitter.
- Add onion and cook for 2 minutes until softened.
- Add potato and cook for 1 minute, stirring regularly.
- Simmer 15 minutes – Turn the stove up to high. Pour in stock and water. Season with salt and pepper. Stir, then once it comes to a simmer, lower the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes (no lid) until the potatoes are soft (check with a knife). (Note 6)
- Stir in cream, simmer for 1 minute.
- Blitz – Remove from the heat and use a stick blender to blitz until fully smooth. Or puree in batches in a blender. Adjust to taste – Add water if it's too thick, salt and pepper if needed, extra cream if you want it richer.
- Serve hot in bowls with toasted panko garnish, a drizzle of olive oil and warm crusty bread. 😋
Garnish (to make while the soup is cooking):
- Mix panko, olive oil and salt in a small bowl until all combined. Heat up a small frying pan over medium high heat. Place the panko into the pan and cook stirring constantly for 3 minutes until nicely golden all over. Remove from stove, toss in the parsley and set aside.
Recipe Notes:
- Australia – Sebago (dirty brushed / common washed potatoes you can get at any supermarket. Do not use red potatoes or new potatoes. The waxy kind that you use for potato salad because they are low in starch so will not break down as much when boiling to create a creamy soup).
- US – Russet, Yukon Gold
- UK – Maris Piper, King Edward
Nutrition Information:
Life Of Jaffle
Winter soups and Jaffle seem to go together very well! He spent the whole shoot sitting patiently in the studio with us, watching every bowl of garlic soup being photographed as if he was supervising the whole operation.
By the end of the shoot, all he wanted was a few pats and a cuddle, which, of course, he got. Life is exhausting when you’re the official RecipeTin Eats taste tester in training… even if you’re not allowed anywhere near the garlic!
It’s beginning to feel like autumn here in Vancouver and my garden garlic is now cured, so I made this soup. It’s fabulous! And thanks for the very helpful tip on peeling garlic, JB!
Thank you for the feedback Dalyce!
This was literally the best soup I ever made. The kids weren’t sold but my husband and I are obsessed and it was exactly the nourishing meal we needed after a rough Melbourne winter! I will try and source elephant garlic next time as I think it took me about forty minutes to peel all that garlic 😂 but it was definitely worth it, a labour of love! Merci.
Hi Stephanie, thank you for taking the time to make this and for the feedback! I’ve actually read that people put garlic cloves 10 seconds in the microwave and be a big help for the peeling part. I haven’t tried it but if it’s true, I should add it to the recipe. maybe you can try it next time? 🙂
Fantastic soup loved it. 3 meals. my wife said it should have chorizo in it!!! could add I guess but its so good without
Hi Greg, thank you for making the soup! Tell you wife I love the chorizo idea, you should do it!
A very delicious and wholesome soup that makes peeling 50 cloves of garlic with it. However, I didn’t realize garlic could be so hard on a sensitive stomach (especially after having taken a round of antibiotics), as I discovered when eating a too big bowl of it. I absolutely loved the taste, but will definitely have to be more mindful of my portion next time. Maybe in smaller amounts. 😂
Hi Sarah, so glad you loved the flavour, and that peeling all those cloves was worth it! Thanks for giving it a try 🙂
Vahhh ha haaa I HATED this recipe!!
Made the count very sick! 🧛🤮🧄
Hahaha! That’s gold! So sorry Count..
Oh, my! What if the weather in Europe is hotter then ever? You said the dish is perfect for cold days. I shall definitely cook it and I have a feeling it’ll be great. 🍀
Thank you Adri, I hope you get to try soon!
If you’re thinking that this is a worrying amount of garlic, it’s worth trying.
Made a small batch for 2 people. Topped with crispy bacon imstead of panko. Came out great, house smells amazing.
Thank you Andrew, sounds like you really enjoyed it 🙂
So delicious. Easy to make.
Thank you for the nice report Narelle 🙂
I just made this soup, all I can say is wow!. It is absolutely delicious!
Great! Thank you Sharon 🙂
This soup is soooo good! It’s quick, easy, and beautifully velvety. I love that only a few ingredients are so delicious.
The longest part is peeling the garlic but once that’s done it’s very quick. To help peel the garlic I pop them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to loosen the skins.
I added a few sprigs of thyme while cooking as well. Will definitely make this recipe again, thanks JB!
Thanks for the garlic trick Michelle, glad you loved it!
Hi All, just wondering if anyone has any advice on how this one translates to a slow cooker? Obviously will saute garlics in frying pan but was hoping to dump the rest overnight. The busy mums get me!!!
Hi Jorgia, this should work in a slow cooker! I’d still sauté the garlic and onion in butter first for the best flavour, then add everything except the cream to the slow cooker. Cook on low until the potatoes are completely soft, then blitz and stir in the cream at the end. You may need a little less liquid as there’s much less evaporation in a slow cooker.
This soup recipe looks hearty and easy to follow. I especially like how the ingredients come together for a flavorful, comforting meal. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
[Austin web designer]
Thank you!!
A very glossy looking, uniform soup – the white pepper is a clever idea so you keep the pure creamy colour.
The garlic flavour was just a warm hum throughout the soup which was was comforting and nourishing.
This is definitely (for me) a special occasion soup as the prep takes forever! All the peeling and chopping of the cloves and potatoes BUT well worth it if you want to impress family or friends. Nice one Chef JB!
What a perfect summary! Thank you Kelly!
If I was to make this again, I would roast/confit the garlic first. Garlic flavour was a bit sharp. Made a lot. Will freeze and use in pasta bakes and other recipes as a resource.
Hi Leonie, roasting the garlic first would definitely give you a sweeter, mellower garlic flavour, so worth trying if you found it a little sharp! And great idea using the leftovers in pasta bakes. Thank you for giving it a go. 😊
I loved the short summary of instructions on top!
This is amazing soup! Feels so warming and healthy. I would definitely serve this as a starter for a dinner but enjoying it for lunch today
Thank you for the lovely comment Ulrika, I’m happy you loved it!
Wanted to make this as soon as I saw it on social media! Not surprised it tastes amazing!! Could not stop reaching for an extra spoonful 😅☺️. Thanks JB 😊
Thanks Anika!!
Truly decadent and comforting. A family member commented that it felt like a starter soup at a restaurant.
We added some crispy bacon to the topping of panko as well. And I just need to watch the cooking of the garlic a little more as we did get a hint of bitter like was warned about.
Thank you for your comment Jaelynn! Like a restaurant, you’re a true chef!
Just like anything I seem to make in my “big pot” this soup gets better with age. I used chicken stock because that’s what I had, added some cheese and nutmeg bc why not! Also messed around with different panko combinations the next day – strongly recommend adding some aleppo pepper!
That sounds amazingly good! Thanks Krystal!
Have not made this recipe BUT. Could I ask the obvious question. Wouldn’t this soup be so garlicy in taste. Or does the frying in butter ease it.
Just made this for lunch. I just knew it it would be fantastic as I often roast whole bulbs of garlic for other things (eg. Yoghurt marinade for lamb with cumin and corriander). I wasn’t disappointed. Added bonus was I had all the ingredients on hand, and always have loads of garlic as the local Asian supermarket sell large nets of garlic for just a few AU dollars. I didn’t tell my other half what was in it (made it while she was out) as I knew she would be wary of the ’50’ cloves. She loved it. Thanks so much for yet another great recipe x
Hi Andrew, yes it does. Roasting the garlic in butter gives you a milder and sweeter taste. The soup is not garlicky at all. 🙂
EVERYONE loves the soup. It is just perfect for this cold night.
Thank you for this easy to follow recipe. Very yummy 😋
Just made this for lunch. I just knew it it would be fantastic as I often roast whole bulbs of garlic for other things (eg. Yoghurt marinade for lamb with cumin and corriander). I wasn’t disappointed. Added bonus was I had all the ingredients on hand, and always have loads of garlic as the local Asian supermarket sell large nets of garlic for just a few AU dollars. I didn’t tell my other half what was in it (made it while she was out) as I knew she would be wary of the ’50’ cloves. She loved it. Thanks so much for yet another great recipe x
You are welcome! Thank you for the feedback ♥️
Thank you Bonnie!