Ginger Garlic Soup for Colds: A Simple Warming Bowl
A light, fragrant broth with plenty of fresh ginger and garlic, ready in about half an hour. It will not shorten your cold, but it is an easy way to get warm fluids and a little food in when you feel run down.
Almost every kitchen in the world has a soup for the days when you feel run down. In China and across East Asia, ginger is simmered into clear broths. In Spain, sopa de ajo is a humble garlic and bread soup. Jewish families have chicken soup, Mexican cooks make caldo, and in Greece lemon and egg soup is the classic.
This version borrows from several of those traditions. It is a clear, fragrant broth with a generous amount of fresh ginger and garlic, a few vegetables and some noodles or rice. It is quick and easy to eat when you have little appetite.
Why a bowl of soup makes sense with a cold
The NHS advice for a cold is simple: rest, drink plenty of fluids and eat healthily. Most people start to feel better within one to two weeks. A broth-based soup ticks two of those boxes at once, because it is mostly warm liquid and it brings some food with it.
Warm, steamy food is also comforting when your nose is blocked and your throat feels scratchy.
Ginger Garlic Soup
You need
- olive oil or another neutral oil1 tbsp
- small onion, finely chopped1
- garlic cloves, thinly sliced (2 kept back, finely chopped, optional)6
- piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced5 cm (2 inches)
- vegetable or chicken stock, low salt if possible1.25 liters (5 cups)
- carrots, thinly sliced2
- thin noodles or 70 g (1/3 cup) rice60 g (2 oz)
- spinach or chopped greens2 large handfuls
- spring onions, sliced2
- lemon, juiced, or soy sauce to taste1/2
Method
- Warm the oil in a large pan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft but not brown.
- Add the sliced garlic and ginger and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. Do not let the garlic brown, or it will taste bitter.
- Pour in the stock, add the carrots and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 15 minutes.
- Add the noodles or rice and cook until tender, usually 4 to 5 minutes for thin noodles or 12 to 15 minutes for rice. Add a splash of water if it gets too thick.
- Stir in the greens and the reserved chopped garlic, if using, and cook for 2 minutes more.
- Lift out the ginger slices if you prefer. Season with lemon juice or a little soy sauce, top with spring onions and serve hot but not scalding.
Tips
- To store, cool the soup and put it in the fridge within 2 hours of cooking. Divide a large pot into shallow containers so it chills quickly. It keeps for 3 to 4 days in the fridge.
- For longer storage, freeze it in portions. The USDA notes that frozen leftovers stay safe indefinitely, though the quality is best within a few months. Noodles soften when frozen, so you may prefer to freeze the broth alone.
- Reheat only the amount you will eat, and bring it to a rolling boil, or to 74 °C (165 °F) on a food thermometer.
- For a more filling bowl, add cooked chicken, tofu or an egg.
What the evidence says
Garlic has a long reputation as a cold food. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) says very little research has been done on garlic for colds. A 2022 review it describes found only two studies suggesting a possible benefit, and both were small and not well designed. Those studies used garlic supplements, not garlic cooked in soup.
Ginger is best studied for nausea. NCCIH says research suggests it may help nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, and it does not list colds among the uses with evidence. So the honest answer is that neither ginger nor garlic has been shown to prevent or shorten a cold.
What this soup can do is help you drink and eat while you recover, which is exactly what the NHS recommends. Enjoy it for its flavor and warmth, not as a medicine.
Getting the most flavor from ginger and garlic
Slice the ginger thinly or cut it into matchsticks rather than grating it all. Slices give a clean, warming heat to the broth and can be lifted out before serving. Grated ginger is stronger and stays in every spoonful.
For garlic, a gentle fry in a little oil at the start gives a sweeter, rounder taste. If you like a sharper kick, keep a couple of cloves back and stir them in, finely chopped, for the last two minutes of cooking.
Questions people ask
Does garlic soup cure a cold?
No. There is very little research on garlic for colds, and the few studies used supplements. The soup helps you get fluids and food while your body recovers on its own.
Can I use ground ginger or garlic powder?
Yes, in a pinch. Use about 1/2 teaspoon of each, added with the stock. The flavor is flatter than with fresh.
Is it fine to eat this soup every day while I am ill?
For most adults, yes. The ginger and garlic are in normal food amounts. If ginger gives you heartburn, cut the amount in half.
Sources
- Garlic: Usefulness and Safety — NCCIH
- Ginger: Usefulness and Safety — NCCIH
- Common cold — NHS
- Leftovers and Food Safety — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. Herbs can interact with medicines and health conditions. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before trying a herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, giving it to a child, or taking any medication.
