Jamaican soups are hearty, flavorful, and often served as full meals. They are a regular part of home cooking, especially on Saturdays. Most combine ground provisions like yellow yam, green banana, and pumpkin with meats or seafood, plus fresh thyme, scallion, pimento, and Scotch bonnet for heat. Use this hub to learn what makes each soup special, then visit the full recipe pages for ingredients, step by step prep, and serving tips.
A classic Saturday pot made with bone in chicken, pumpkin, carrots, yellow yam, dumplings, and Scotch bonnet. It is warming and nourishing. The broth is rich from the chicken bones and the pumpkin gives it body. See the full recipe.
Creamy and rich, made with red kidney beans, coconut milk, pimento, and salted pig’s tail or beef. It fits both midweek meals and weekend gatherings. The beans thicken the soup naturally and the coconut milk adds a soft finish. See the full recipe.
A full bodied soup built on beef bones or stewing beef with green bananas, yellow yam, dumplings, and pumpkin. Long simmering pulls out deep flavor from the marrow and spices. See the full recipe.
Made with pigeon peas and coconut milk, plus salted meat or chicken for depth. Popular at Christmas when gungo is fresh, but enjoyed all year. The peas give a nutty taste and the coconut rounds it out. See the full recipe.
A light but spicy soup using whole fish along with green bananas, okra, and Scotch bonnet. Thinner than most soups but big on flavor. Often served as an appetizer or at beach and yard gatherings. Fresh fish bones build a clean, bright stock. See the full recipe.
Built on gelatin rich chicken feet that create a silky, sticky broth. With carrots, pumpkin, and dumplings, it is flavorful and well loved. The texture holds heat and spice nicely. See the full recipe.
A traditional goat soup made from the head, tripe, and belly, long simmered with green banana, hot pepper, and herbs. Served at parties, weddings, and wakes. Bold and peppery. See the full recipe.
Each soup listed here has a full recipe page with ingredients, instructions, and notes on substitutions and serving. Slow cook for best flavor, taste for salt and heat near the end, and add extra dumplings if you want a fuller meal.