Subway Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Yes, Subway's Broccoli Cheddar Soup is high in histamine. The cheddar in it is an aged cheese, and aging is what builds histamine, so the soup carries that even though the broccoli and milk in it are mild.

Why subway broccoli cheddar soup is rated high

Cheddar spends months ripening, and during that time bacteria work on the milk protein and leave histamine behind in the cheese. That histamine is already in the cheddar before it ever reaches a soup pot, and stirring it into a creamy broth does not undo it. The other dairy parts of this soup, the milk, nonfat milk, whey and milkfat, are fresh dairy and much milder, and broccoli is a plain vegetable. Sodium citrate is just there to keep the cheese melted smooth. So the aged cheddar is doing essentially all of the work here, which is why one cheesy ingredient can push a whole vegetable soup to high.

What changes your risk

• The cheddar carries it — aging is the process that made the histamine, so the cheese arrives high and nothing that happens at the counter changes that.
• Heat does not remove it — simmering and reheating kill bacteria but leave histamine that already formed in the cheese, so a piping hot cup is no gentler than a lukewarm one.
• Time in the warm well — this is a protein rich dairy soup, and a batch that has been held a long time can pick up more on top of what the cheddar already brings, depending on how it is held.
• A fresh batch starts lower, not low — soup ladled from a pot that just went out has had less holding time, but the aged cheese is in it from the first ladle.
• The vegetables are not the issue — broccoli, milk and whey are the mild parts, so swapping the ratio around in your head does not help; the cheese is the whole reason for the rating.

Lower-histamine alternatives

There is no lower histamine soup to point you to here. The items at Subway that sit lower are Cucumbers, Lettuce and Red Onions, and those are cold sandwich and salad components rather than anything that plays the role of a hot creamy soup. If you want something warm on a cold day, this is a case where the honest answer is that Subway's lower options are not a substitute for it.

How to lower the risk

Subway publishes what is in this soup, not a version without the cheddar, so ordering it means taking the aged cheese with it. If you are eating here with people who are getting soup, the practical move is to build your own order around the lower items on offer, which are Cucumbers, Lettuce and Red Onions. If you do order the soup anyway, a cup from a batch that has just been put out has spent less time in the warm well than one late in the day, though the cheddar is the part setting the level either way.

Common questions

Is it the broccoli that makes Subway's broccoli cheddar soup high in histamine?

No. Broccoli is a plain vegetable and is not what pushes this soup up. The cheddar cheese is aged, and aging is what builds the histamine.

Does it help if the soup was just made?

A freshly put out batch has spent less time being held warm, which matters a little for a protein rich dairy soup. But the histamine in the aged cheddar is there from the start, so a fresh batch is still a high histamine soup.

Can I order it without the cheese?

Subway does not publish a version of this soup without cheddar. The cheese is part of the recipe as listed, so treat the soup as a package deal.

Does reheating the soup at home lower the histamine?

No. Heat can kill bacteria, but histamine that already formed while the cheddar was aging survives cooking and reheating.