Is it cheaper to make or buy Cream of Chicken Soup?

It seems like lately that you cannot find a quick and easy recipe for dinner without it using Cream of Chicken soup lately. I love a good convenience meal, but Cream of Chicken soup has gotten a little pricey lately.

So, I am going to figure out if it is cheaper to make your own Cream of Chicken soup, or if buying it actually costs less. This way next time I make a chicken pot pie or crockpot chicken dish, I can make sure I am using the cheapest option!

How much does cream of chicken soup cost to make?

Since Cream of Chicken soup is really a base for crockpot meals and casseroles, we really just need a simple recipe. This recipe is from Pinch of Yum, and you can see the whole recipe here.

Homemade Cream of Chicken Ingredients	Cost
2.5 cups of chicken broth	$0.67
1.5 cups of milk	$0.35
3/4 cup of flour	$0.08
Total Cost of Cream of Chicken: $1.10 (makes 3 cups)	Cost per ounce: 4.5 cents

All prices are based on my local Walmart, so your total may vary depending on where you shop.

Please don’t be intimidated by making your own Cream of Chicken Soup. The process is actually pretty easy and can be made ahead of time.

All you need to do is put the chicken broth and 1/2 a cup of milk into a saucepan and bring to a low boil. In a small bowl you will mix the flour and the rest of milk with a whisk until smooth.

Depending on what kind of seasonings you like, you can add them to your flour and milk mixture. Since this is mainly used as a base sauce, I would stick with the basics like salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, etc.

If you like a strong chicken flavor, you can add some chicken seasoning or poultry seasoning.

Now it is time to pour the flour/milk mixture into the pan and continue to stir with your whisk. You will continue to cook this over a low heat until your soup base is creamy and thick. This part usually takes about 10-15 minutes.

This recipe makes a total of 3 cups, which is equivalent to about 2 cans of Cream of Chicken Soup. If you only need one can of Cream of Chicken Soup for your recipe, you can easily half this recipe and just use 1 1/4 cups of chicken broth, 3/4 cup of milk (1/4 cup gets mixed with the broth, and 1/2 cup gets mixed with the flour), and 6 tablespoons of flour.

We can also lower this overall cost by making our own chicken broth by buying a whole chicken. For more information, check out “Is it more cost effective to buy a whole chicken?“

How much does cream of chicken cost at the grocery store?

Now let’s head to the grocery store and see how much it costs to buy Cream of Chicken soup.

Brand & Size of Cream of Chicken Soup	Store & Price	Cost per Ounce
Kroger 10.5oz can	Kroger, $1.25	11.9 cents
Publix 10.5oz can	Publix, $1.29	12.2 cents
Chef’s Cupboard 10.5oz can	Aldi, $0.75	7.1 cents
Campbell’s 10.75oz can	Target, $1.59	14.7 cents
Campbell’s 10.75 oz can	Dollar Tree, $1.25	11.6 cents
Bowl & Basket 10.5oz can	Shop Rite, $1.10	10.4 cents
SB Soup 10.5oz can	Stop & Ship, $1.39	13.2 cents
Great Value 10.5oz can	Walmart, $0.68	6.4 cents
Signature Select 10.5oz can	ACME Markets, $1.59	15.1 cents
Campbells 8-10.5oz cans	BJ’s, $12.49	14.8 cents
Chestnut Hill 10.5oz can	Family Dollar, $1.29	12.2 cents
	Average Cost per Can: $1.24	Average Cost per Ounce: 10.6 cents

We compared the price and cost per ounce for 11 different store brands and name brands of Cream of Chicken Soup.

The average price for one can of soup came out to $1.24. The average cost per ounce came out to 10.6 cents.

This means it is cheaper to make Cream of Chicken Soup at home with a cost of 4.5 cents per ounce.

Is making homemade cream of chicken soup worth it?

If we only wanted to save money, then hands down it is cheaper to make your own Cream of Chicken Soup. There are some extra benefits of making it yourself too!

1.Less Sodium

The average can of Cream of Chicken Soup contains a whopping 2,175mg of sodium in it. Per the FDA, the Daily Value of sodium in your diet each day should not exceed 2,300mg.

By making your own Cream of Chicken Soup, you can cut this sodium down dramatically. 2 cups of regular chicken broth have about 1660mg of sodium, but if you go with unsalted or reduced sodium you can lower this even more.

The Great Value brand of unsalted chicken broth only has 90mg of sodium. If you make your own chicken broth without salt, you can expect the amount of sodium to be similar to this.

2.Better Taste

Since you are controlling the seasoning of your Cream of Chicken Soup, you can completely control the seasoning and the taste.

If you want to add Lemon Pepper, or Jerk Seasoning, or even a Curry seasoning, you can do that! Depending on what casserole or crockpot dish you are making, you can really make it flavorful with fresh herbs, dried herbs, and spices.

3.Easy Ingredients

Since all you really need is chicken broth, milk, and flour it is super easy to make your own Cream of Chicken Soup. Whenever I open chicken broth and have leftovers, I like to freeze my broth in an ice cube tray for super easy storage in the freezer.

Depending on your ice cube trays, each cube is usually about 1 ounce. So, you could pull enough to make your soup at any time.

I have found that the cartons of broth tend to be priced better per ounce than the small cans, but you will have to check that for yourself at your local stores.

Don’t have chicken broth handy? No worries, you can also make Cream of Chicken Soup with a chicken bouillon cube! (Please note that bouillon cubes do have a lot of sodium, so this isn’t a great option if you are on a low sodium diet.)

Conclusion

I think it is a slam dunk, that not only does making your own Cream of Chicken Soup cost less, but it is also definitely worth the time and effort!

Some people have mentioned that they make large batches and freeze it for later. I have not tried this yet, so I cannot confirm that the texture is good after it is defrosted.

For more price comparisons between making and buying, check out “Is it cheaper to make or buy Cranberry Sauce?” and “Is it Cheaper to make or buy Gluten Free Bread?“