Making Soup with OXO Plus 3 Recipes

OXO cubes make genuinely great soup. They pack enough flavour into a small amount that you barely need anything else to build a rich, tasty base. These three recipes, French onion, spicy butternut squash and carrot and beetroot, all use OXO as the backbone and come together quickly on a weeknight.

Along with a few other great bloggers, I was invited to an OXO Disco Soup event. I have used OXO for years, it’s the cube my mum and Nana always had in their cupboards. So hearing more from OXO about using leftovers, making soup and listening to some disco music seemed a pretty perfect event for me.

Who can really turn down making soup with OXO on a Thursday night?

Dean Edwards, a TV Chef known for being Digger Dean on Masterchef, regular appearances on Lorraine and his Feelgood Family Food book, was there to guide us in our soup making endeavours.

The idea was that we made three soups to test out the OXO and see that little portions of OXO’s best ever concentrated stock add depth and richness to our soup, and would work for pretty much any other meal you wanted to make.

For the soup, we made French Onion, Spicy Butternut Squash and Carrot and Beetroot.

Something else we heard about while there: 4.2 million tonnes of avoidable food waste in the UK each year. Not only does it cost each household £470 a year but imagine all the good stuff we could be cooking with the leftovers. OXO is encouraging us all to start souping up our leftovers and unwanted veggies.

The First Soup

My finished French Onion Soup was super easy to make, although I would have liked to brown my onions a bit more for that deep colour so integral to the flavour. I really enjoyed having minimal herbs and spices to think about. It was sweet, herby, oniony and delicious.

The Second Soup

Spicy Butternut Squash. I left the chilli out of mine, and although I usually like the warmth of chilli I already had an idea about this soup being a sweet winter warmer. Making soup with OXO cubes was soup-er easy. Onions, ginger, roasted butternut squash, stock and then whiz into a smooth consistency.

The Third Soup

Last of the evening was a Carrot and Beetroot soup with Mint. Very chunky, the amount of time needed to blend it down was much more than we had. It’s one I am looking forward to trying again.

French Onion Soup

• 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 350g Onions (Peeled and Thinly Sliced)
• 10g Unsalted Butter
• 1 Tbsp Plain Flour
• 100ml White Wine
• 20ml Brandy (Optional)
• 1 OXO Beef Stock Pot
• 500ml Boiling Water
• Cracked Black Pepper to Taste

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based pan over medium heat.
2. Add the sliced onions and cook for 10 to 15 minutes until nicely browned, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the butter and flour, stirring for a few minutes.
4. Pour in the white wine and brandy and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Add the OXO Beef Stock Pot and water and bring to the boil.
6. Turn down the heat and gently simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
7. Finish with cracked black pepper.

Spicy Butternut Squash Soup

• Glug of Oil
• 1 Large Onion, roughly chopped
• A small thumb of ginger, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 red chilli, finely chopped
• 900g Butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into 1cm cubes
• 1 x Garden Vegetables with Parsley and Bay Stock Pot, made up with 500ml
• 400ml Coconut milk
• 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh coriander to serve

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan.
2. Add the chopped onions, chilli and ginger and fry for 5 minutes.
3. Pop in the squash and OXO stock.
4. Add almost all of the coconut milk, leave 4 tablespoons behind.
5. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat for 15 minutes.
6. Blend using a hand-held blender or food processor.
7. Finish with a swirl of coconut milk and top with coriander.

Carrot and Beetroot Soup

• 20g butter
• A glug of oil
• 3 fresh thyme sprigs
• 325g carrots, grated
• 300g raw beetroot, peeled and grated
• 2 x OXO Garden Vegetables with Parsley and Bay Stock Pots, made up with 850ml boiling water
• Large handful of fresh mint leaves, plus extra sprigs to serve
• A squeeze of lemon juice, to taste
• Sea salt and black pepper
• 4 dollops of Greek yoghurt, to serve

1. Heat the butter and the olive oil together.
2. Add the thyme and fry for a few seconds, until you can smell it.
3. Pop the carrots and beetroot in, stir well and cover for 15 minutes.
4. Add the OXO stock and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Remove any woody thyme sprigs.
6. Blitz until smooth using a hand-held blender or food processor.
7. Add a little more OXO stock if you need to.
8. Add a squeeze of lemon juice, pinch of salt and grind of pepper to taste.
9. Serve in cups or bowls, add a dollop of Greek yoghurt and a sprig of mint.

So there you have it, making soup with OXO cubes couldn’t be easier. If you are partial to soup, you might like this cheap soup recipe too. For something with a bit more of a kick, my chorizo soup is another quick weeknight winner.

OXO as a Food Company: A Quick Evaluation

A lot of GCSE and iGCSE food technology students land on this page looking to evaluate OXO as a food company for coursework, so here is a straight, useful summary you can actually use.

OXO is one of the most recognised stock and bouillon brands in the UK. It is owned by Premier Foods, a major British food manufacturer, and the OXO cube has been around since 1910. That heritage matters when you are evaluating a brand: it has strong consumer trust, very high brand recognition, and a reputation for affordability and consistency.

Evaluating OXO Stock Cubes and Stock Pots

Strengths:

• Affordable. A pack of OXO cubes is one of the cheapest ways to add flavour to a dish, which makes it accessible to families on a budget.
• Consistent flavour. Every cube delivers the same taste, which is reliable for recipe development.
• Long shelf life. Dried cubes store for months, reducing food waste.
• Range. OXO offers beef, chicken, vegetable, and reduced-salt options, plus the more concentrated stock pots, so they suit different dietary needs.
• Vegetarian and vegan options. The Garden Vegetables range is suitable for vegetarian and vegan cooking.

Weaknesses to consider:

• Salt content. Standard stock cubes are high in salt, which is a nutritional drawback. OXO does offer reduced-salt versions to address this.
• Processing. They are an ultra-processed product, which is worth noting in any nutritional evaluation.
• Additives. Some varieties contain flavour enhancers and palm oil, which may be a concern for ethical or health-focused evaluations.

Evaluating OXO for Soup Mixes and Recipes

For soup specifically, OXO performs well as a base ingredient. A single cube or stock pot dissolved in boiling water gives a soup its savoury backbone for pennies. The three recipes above (French onion, spicy butternut squash, and carrot and beetroot) all use OXO as the foundation and show how versatile it is across different flavour profiles: sweet, savoury, and earthy.

If you are evaluating OXO on its suitability for quick, easy, family soup recipes, the verdict is straightforward: it is cheap, reliable, widely available in every UK supermarket, and flexible enough to work in almost any soup. The main point to flag in a balanced evaluation is the salt content, which can be managed by choosing reduced-salt cubes or using less.

OXO Evaluation Summary

Criterion	Rating	Notes
Cost	Excellent	One of the cheapest flavour bases available
Availability	Excellent	Stocked in every UK supermarket
Flavour	Very good	Rich, savoury, consistent every time
Versatility	Very good	Works in soups, stews, gravies, risottos
Nutrition	Fair	High in salt; reduced-salt options available
Shelf life	Excellent	Dried cubes last months, reducing waste

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you evaluate OXO as a food company?

To evaluate OXO as a food company, look at brand heritage (the cube dates back to 1910 and it is owned by Premier Foods), affordability, consumer trust, product range, and nutritional profile. Its strengths are low cost, consistency, wide availability and a broad range including vegetarian and reduced-salt options. The main weaknesses are high salt content in standard cubes and the fact that the product is ultra-processed.

Can I use OXO cubes instead of stock in soup?

Yes, absolutely. Dissolve one OXO cube in the amount of boiling water your recipe calls for and it works exactly like stock. OXO stock pots are even better for soup as they dissolve directly into the liquid and give a slightly richer flavour.

How long does homemade OXO cube soup last in the fridge?

Homemade soup keeps well in the fridge for three to four days in a sealed container. Make sure it is fully cooled before putting it in the fridge and reheat until piping hot before serving.

Can you freeze soup made with OXO cubes?

Yes, all three of these soups freeze well. Pour into freezer bags or containers once cooled, label with the date and freeze for up to three months. The butternut squash soup freezes particularly well.

Which OXO cube is best for vegetable soup?

The OXO Garden Vegetables with Parsley and Bay stock pot works brilliantly in vegetable soups and gives a lovely herby depth. For a heartier flavour, the beef stock pot adds richness even to vegetable-based recipes.