Campbell’s is the Kleenex of soups. That is to say, you buy it when your nose is running, it makes a product that’s so synonymous with a brand name that you don’t even have to say “tissues” or “soup,” and both Campbell’s and Kleenex have almost certainly been inside artist Andy Warhol’s house at some point in his lifetime. Now, I wouldn’t consider myself a Campbell’s connoisseur by any means, but I have had my fair share of the good ol’ red, white, and soup on various occasions, so I was intrigued when, earlier this month, Campbell’s turned up the heat and released three new fiery soups that are not for the weak of heart (or the temporarily weak of heart due to seasonal viruses). That’s right, there are three new flavors of spicy Campbell’s soup vying for space in your pantry. The new Campbell’s soups, all of them condensed, are Campbell’s Spicy Chicken Noodle, Spicy Buffalo-Style Cream of Chicken, and Spicy Tomato, and and we tried them all so you can know if Campbell’s spicy soup can bring the heat, or if these cans simply cannot.
- Campbell’s Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup
Pros: Campbell’s Spicy Chicken Noodle soup tastes like chicken noodle soup and has a fun, bright orange layer of chili oil on top. If you love Campbell’s classic, condensed chicken noodle soup, you will like this.
Cons: I was skeptical about this soup because I couldn’t imagine chicken noodle soup with cooked pepper flavor or jalapeño-esque vegetal notes added in. Turns out Campbell’s couldn’t imagine that either, because this stuff tastes like straight-up chicken noodle soup with just the slightest hint of spice. Even when I actively tried to get some chili oil on my spoon, the result wasn’t really spicy at all. This is basically an ever-so-slightly spicy Campbell’s Chicken Noodle soup—no change to the flavor profile.
Read our ranking of the best chicken noodle soup
- Campbell’s Spicy Tomato Soup
Pros: If you have ever had regular Campbell’s Tomato soup, you know exactly what this tastes like, because Campbell’s Spicy Tomato soup tastes like regular Campbell’s Tomato soup with a dash of cayenne pepper. It is sweet, tomatoey, and thick, with a spice that hits you right in the back of the throat. If you are looking for literally just “tomato soup plus spicy” and regular Campbell’s tomato soup is your jam, this new Campbell’s spicy soup will do the trick.
Cons: This is just regular tomato soup that is medium spicy. If you are looking for some fancy tomato bisque with Calabrian chilis and basil, this is not your scene. It doesn’t really taste like pepper and has no detectable aromatics beyond what is normally in Campbell’s tomato soup.
Read our ranking of the best tomato soup
- Campbell’s Spicy Buffalo-Style Cream of Chicken Soup
Pros: This soup tastes like Cream of Chicken soup (if you are unfamiliar, it’s like chicken pot pie, minus the peas and carrots and whatnot) mixed with a very spicy Buffalo sauce. I actually had to chase this one with some dairy and water so I could try the others—Campbell’s did not mess around with this one! Also, unlike the other two soups, this is not spice without flavor. You can definitely taste the acidic, peppery Buffalo sauce in the soup and you know, it’s not half bad! And like Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup, this one would be great as an ingredient in other dishes instead of a soup to eat on its own—the label even has a “make buffalo dip” serving suggestion and link to a recipe, so it seems the good folks over at Campbell’s know this, too.
Cons: This Campbell’s spicy soup is very one note. Consuming this whole can would be like eating a whole can of chicken pot pie filling mixed with equal parts Buffalo sauce. It isn’t bad, but it is one texture and one singular flavor, and I was done after just a few bites.
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Rating:
5/10
Sporks
New Product!
Rating:
6/10
Sporks
Spicy Tomato
Pros: If you have ever had regular Campbell’s Tomato soup, you know exactly what this tastes like because Campbell’s Spicy Tomato tastes like regular Campbell’s Tomato plus cayenne pepper. It is sweet, tomato-y, and thick, with a spice that hits you right in the back of the throat. If you are looking for literally just “tomato soup plus spicy” and regular Campbell’s tomato soup is your jam, this will do the trick.
Cons: This is just regular tomato soup that is medium spicy. If you are looking for some fancy tomato bisque with Calabrian chilis and basil this is not your scene. It doesn’t taste like pepper flavor and has no detectable aromatics beyond what is normally in Campbell’s tomato soup.
5/10 Sporks
Spicy Chicken Noodle
Pros: This tastes like chicken noodle soup and has a fun bright orange chili oil on top. If you love Campbell’s chicken noodel soup you will like this.
Cons: I was skeptical about this one because I couldn’t imagine chicken noodle soup with any sort of cooked pepper flavor or jalapeño-esque vegetal notes added in. Turns out Campbell’s couldn’t imagine that either because this stuff tastes like straight-up chicken noodle soup with just the slightest hint of spice. Even when I actively tried to get some chili oil on my spoon, the result wasn’t really spicy at all. This is basically an ever-so-slightly spicy Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup – no change to the flavor profile.
4/10 Sporks
Spicy Buffalo-Style Cream of Chicken
Pros: This soup tasted like Cream of Chicken soup (if you are unfamiliar, this on its own is similar to the filling of a chicken pot pie) mixed with a very spicy buffalo sauce. I actually had to chase this one with some dairy and water so I could try the others because unlike the other two soups’ spice levels, on this one Campbell’s did not mess around. Also unlike the other two soups, this is not spice without flavor. You can definitely taste the acidic, peppery, buffalo sauce in the soup and you know, it’s not half bad! I also think much like the Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup so many people use for casseroles, this one could be a great ingredient instead of soup – the packaging even had a “make buffalo dip” serving suggestion and link to a recipe so it seems like the good folks over at Campbell’s know this too.
Cons: It is very one note. Consuming this whole thing would be like eating a whole can of chicken pot pie filling (just the liquid, and occasional chicken chunks, no veggies) mixed with equal parts buffalo sauce. It isn’t bad, but it is one texture and one singular flavor and I was done after just a few bites.
6/10 Sporks
