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    Home » Soups

    Simple Bratwurst Soup

    Published: Apr 27, 2020 / Updated: Oct 3, 2022 / 41 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my affiliate disclosure for more details.

    Jump to Recipe

    This bratwurst soup is loaded with potatoes, veggies, and a flavorful broth. It's simple to make, and you can definitely clean out the fridge with this recipe!

    You might also enjoy this Ultimate Beer Cheese Soup recipe for another cozy soup.

    close-up of bratwurst soup

    This bratwurst sausage soup is very forgiving. You could throw in other veggies that you need to use up. Kale or spinach would be delicious in this soup too. If you wanted to give it a bit of a German feel, throw in some sauerkraut! 

    I love brats, and I often buy them. These days I keep some in my freezer as well. I find sausages so comforting, and you can use them in everything from pasta to soups. If you're looking for an easy soup with bratwurst sausages, I'd give this a try. You could even use leftover brats that you've grilled. Just cut them up and throw them in the soup.

    I like to brown the sausage pieces as much as I can (without burning them of course) to eke out as much flavor as possible.  

    Recipe notes & tips:

    • I love the richness the beef broth gives to this soup, but you can replace with chicken broth if needed.
    • Don't have brats? Try using Italian sausages or another kind of sausage instead. 
    • I suggest using Russet potatoes, but any potato you have will be fine.
    • I love Johnsonville brand brats.

    bratwurst soup in a yellow Le Creuset pot

    This soup is actually fairly healthy, but it's also nice and filling and cozy and warming.

    Other delicious sausage recipes to try:

    • Sausage and Sweet Potato Soup
    • Easy Sausage Rigatoni
    • Kielbasa Soup
    • One Pan Tortellini with Sausage
    • Sausage and Vegetable Soup
    • Spicy Italian Sausage Pasta

    bratwurst soup in two white bowls

    Will you make this brat soup?

    Questions? Let me know in the comments below! Made this recipe? Tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram.

    close-up of bratwurst soup

    Simple Bratwurst Soup

    This bratwurst soup is loaded with potatoes, veggies, and a flavorful broth. It's simple to make, and you can definitely clean out the fridge with this recipe!
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 35 mins
    Total Time 45 mins
    Course Soup
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6
    Calories 398 kcal
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    Ingredients
     

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 pound bratwurst sausages crumbled (see note)
    • 1/2 medium onion chopped
    • 2 medium carrots peeled & chopped
    • 3 sticks celery chopped
    • 3 cloves garlic minced
    • 4 cups beef broth
    • 1 cup water
    • 2 large Russet potatoes peeled & diced
    • Salt & pepper to taste

    Instructions
     

    • Add the olive oil to a soup pot. Take the sausage meat out of the casings and crumble it into the pot. Cook it, over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has been released and the sausages start to brown/crisp up (took me about 8 minutes). You may need to turn the heat down a bit towards the end.
    • If there's a lot of excess oil in the pan, spoon it out (you should have about a tablespoon or so of fat in there). Stir in the onion, celery, and carrots. Sauté for 5 minutes or so.
    • Stir in the garlic and let it cook for about 30 seconds, then add the broth and water. Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
    • Add in the potatoes and increase the heat to high. Bring the soup to a boil, then cover the pan with the lid slightly ajar and reduce the heat so it's simmering. Cook for 20 minutes or until the potatoes and veggies are tender.
    • Season with salt & pepper if needed.

    Notes

    • Served 4-6 depending on how much people eat (and if you serve something like bread with it). 
    • Anything around a pound of sausages will work. Here in Canada Johnsonville brats come in 500g packages, so I will typically just use the whole pack.
    • Use low-sodium broth if you're sensitive to salt.
    • Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 398kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 15gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 1274mgPotassium: 999mgFiber: 3gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 3493IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 67mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword brat soup, bratwurst potato soup, bratwurst soup, bratwurst vegetable soup
    Author Natasha Bull
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    1. Sophie says

      February 12, 2023 at 12:24 PM

      Hi do you add the garlic with the onion and celery and carrot? Guessing so but don't see it mentioned, thanks!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        February 12, 2023 at 12:27 PM

        Hi! Garlic is mentioned in step 3.

        Reply
    2. Linda Davis says

      January 28, 2023 at 4:59 PM

      5 stars
      I made this on 01-27-2023. I had a 5 lb bag of sliced pre-cooked brats in my freezer and 2 qts of home canned beef broth. It was easy to put together. Next time I may add some sauerkraut and caraway seed. Thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        January 28, 2023 at 9:43 PM

        You're very welcome!!

        Reply
    3. HomeCookDave says

      November 19, 2022 at 2:37 AM

      5 stars
      I made this with a few modifications: keep a few chicken bouillon cubes on stand by in case you need some extra flavor

      5 mins after putting in the potatoes I put in some southern style drop dumplings (easy recipe)

      It’s amazing. Remember to build a fond with the meat and deglaze with the water before the beef stock so that you can see that you lifted all the fond up.

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        November 19, 2022 at 10:47 AM

        Love the dumplings idea, Dave!!

        Reply
    4. PG says

      November 15, 2022 at 5:32 PM

      Great recipe. Very much like another soup recipe I use w/ sausage - but I’d never used brats & beef broth in mine - loved it! Also, I sprinkled in some caraway seeds as the meat was coming to the point it’s cooked through. Thank you for posting this.

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        November 15, 2022 at 5:35 PM

        I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your comment!

        Reply
      • Diane Huntley says

        February 14, 2023 at 11:25 AM

        I use a morter and pestel on seeds like caraway or rosemary... you can add flavor without the seeds or hard pieces...

        Reply
    5. Cheryl says

      November 13, 2022 at 9:35 AM

      This is absolutely delicious and so easy to make!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        November 13, 2022 at 12:46 PM

        So glad you liked it, Cheryl!!

        Reply
    6. Emma says

      October 24, 2022 at 12:13 AM

      5 stars
      So easy and so so adaptable. I used chorizo sausages and what a HIT !!!!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        October 24, 2022 at 10:09 AM

        Yay!! That's great!

        Reply
    7. Carol says

      August 22, 2022 at 8:33 AM

      Made this soup. Son ate it for supper and had it for lunch the next. Granddaughter tried it ,liked it and asked for some to take home. I doubled the recipe because I knew it would be eaten. Will be trying your other recipes as fast as I can. So glad I happened up on your site. It's like a book I know from the first paragraph if it is going to be interesting or not. I bookmarked your site and shared it also. Thank you

      Reply
      • Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says

        August 22, 2022 at 12:25 PM

        Hi Carol! Natasha and I are thrilled to hear you and your family enjoyed the soup. Thank you so much for sharing our site, and please let us know what else you try! 🙂

        Reply
    8. Kristy Hoffschwelle says

      April 2, 2022 at 3:58 PM

      I’m a little confused… are you supposed to use bratwurst, as is indicated in the title, or Italian Sausage, as listed in the ingredients? The two have very different flavor profiles.

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        April 2, 2022 at 4:27 PM

        Oh gosh... I can't believe I/no one else noticed that error before. *facepalm* Yes, it should be brats and I will update the recipe card. You could use Italian sausage as this is a pretty basic soup and would work with either, but yeah, it should be brats. My apologies!

        Reply
    9. Kathy says

      January 31, 2021 at 3:00 PM

      5 stars
      This soup has great flavor. It was a big hit with everyone.

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        January 31, 2021 at 3:05 PM

        Fab!! Glad to hear it, Kathy.

        Reply
    10. Gemma says

      November 9, 2020 at 6:49 PM

      A sensational soup! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
      We live in Australia and it was unseasonably cold last weekend and this was the perfect dish for a cold/rainy evening by the fireplace.
      It was so good in fact I am making it again as we speak! Our house smells incredible (-:

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        November 9, 2020 at 9:25 PM

        You're welcome!! I'm so happy that it was a hit! 🙂

        Reply
    11. Zue307 says

      November 5, 2020 at 3:08 AM

      I am.cooking it right this very moment and in the final stage of simmering for 20 minutes. It already smelt good from the beginnimg, and I had a quick sip. This is so good, thank you very much!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        November 5, 2020 at 9:02 AM

        Awesome!! You're very welcome!

        Reply
    12. Amanda says

      November 4, 2020 at 5:49 PM

      Did you take the brat out of the casing

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        November 4, 2020 at 8:32 PM

        Yes

        Reply
    13. Katherine says

      October 20, 2020 at 4:46 PM

      Hi! I’d like to make this in my InstantPot, but my brats are frozen - should I cook the brats first and then add to the soup, of just defrost them first?
      thanks!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        October 20, 2020 at 4:55 PM

        I think you could probably add them in frozen, just give it a bit of extra time. Otherwise I'd probably just defrost them.

        Reply
    14. Lisa C says

      September 21, 2020 at 10:52 AM

      I made this soup last night because I'm SO ready for fall to get here.
      It was so simple, but delicious!! I will make again.
      Last week I made your creamy mushroom chicken. It was so amazing!!
      The sauce was the BOMB!! I couldn't stop eating it.
      I just recently found your blog and loving it.
      Thank you.

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        September 21, 2020 at 12:31 PM

        Yay!! I'm so happy you found me and are enjoying the recipes, Lisa! XO

        Reply
    15. Althea says

      May 10, 2020 at 4:53 PM

      5 stars
      This Soup went down very nicely during this wintery Sunday in May! It is very nutritious - I had a burst of energy after eating this. Easy, peasy. It's a keeper.
      Thanks Natasha!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        May 10, 2020 at 5:19 PM

        I'm so happy to hear that!! Hope it warms up for you soon! Thanks for leaving me a comment, Althea. 🙂

        Reply
    16. mcclainra says

      May 3, 2020 at 5:48 PM

      How long would you cook in an Instant Pot?

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        May 3, 2020 at 5:58 PM

        I do similar soups for 8 minutes.

        Reply
        • Glenda Carrara says

          January 4, 2021 at 11:04 AM

          I cook this in the instapot on the rice setting it came out perfect.

          Reply
          • Natasha says

            January 4, 2021 at 1:51 PM

            Excellent! The rice setting is simply a pre-set time. Do you recall how many minutes that is?

            Reply
    17. Ashlyn @ F5 Method says

      April 30, 2020 at 9:25 AM

      I love a good soup, but have never thought of putting bratwurst in! Such a clever idea, looks delicious!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        April 30, 2020 at 10:04 AM

        Thanks!!

        Reply
    18. Bob Reid says

      April 28, 2020 at 12:00 PM

      A side question: Do you use store bought beef broth? If so,, which brand do you prefer? There are so many different ones and the few I have tried have not been very flavorful. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        April 28, 2020 at 12:10 PM

        Hi Bob! I do. I buy Campbell's brand (it's the most readily available here in Canada and I don't mind it at all). Homemade is certainly more flavorful, but also time-consuming.

        Reply
        • Bob Reid says

          April 28, 2020 at 1:07 PM

          Thanks!

          Reply
      • Micheddy says

        November 2, 2022 at 2:18 PM

        I love better than bouillon flavor, makes a lot from the little jar and less space wasted on big containers of broth.

        Reply

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