Morphy Richards Sauté & Soup Maker review: “a great mid-range soup maker”

Price at time of testing: £100 | Buy now from Amazon, Argos or Morphy Richards directly

My verdict

The Morphy Richards Sauté & Soup Maker sits in an interesting middle ground. It’s not the cheapest soup maker in the range, and it’s no longer the most advanced, but it remains a very capable option if your priority is flavour and feeding more than one person in one go. 

After using it regularly for a couple of months alongside Morphy Richards’ Compact and Total Control models, it’s clear why this was once our top-rated soup maker overall. It does exactly what it sets out to do, and it does it well.

Where it shines is in producing tasty, family-sized soup quickly, with very little effort once you understand how it behaves. The sauté function gives soups more depth than basic soup makers manage, and when everything goes smoothly, it feels like a clever shortcut to meals that would otherwise require a pan, a blender and more washing up. For busy families who rely on soup as an easy dinner or a lunch prep staple - that still counts for a lot.

The 1.6-litre jug is clearly marked and well sized for family portions

That said, living with it day to day highlights its limitations. It’s less forgiving than newer models, particularly during the sauté stage and the fixed jug makes cleaning more of a chore if anything catches. 

Compared directly with the Total Control, it feels a bit more rigid and a bit less thoughtful in its design. It’s still a good soup maker, but one that expects you to adapt to it rather than the other way around.

How I’ve tested the Morphy Richards Sauté and Soup Maker

I’ve had this soup maker since before Christmas (so roughly two months) and have been using it interchangeably with the Morphy Richards Compact and Total Control soup makers in our home for review purposes. 

The soup maker arrives well packaged, with clear instructions for first use

It’s been used for weekday dinners for our family of four, batch cooking for easy lunches for DH and I and quick “what can I make with what’s left in the fridge” soups when I’m trying to avoid a quick trip to the shop before “The Big Shop” is delivered. 

To make sure I’ve been testing things comparatively - a posh word for fairly - I’ve made my favourite with every gadget, including this sauté and soup version: potato and leek soup. 

Unboxing is straightforward, with everything you need ready to go out of the box

How easy is the Morphy Richards Sauté and Soup Maker to set up? 

This soup maker looks and feels like a solid mid-range kitchen appliance. The stainless steel body feels sturdy, the controls are clear and it doesn’t dominate our kitchen worktop.

One small but surprisingly useful feature is the power cable latch, which helps with storage and adds a bit of reassurance when it’s plugged in and while it’s being cleaned. It’s easy to lift, easy to store and doesn’t feel awkwardly heavy. That said, the handle does stick out and isn’t streamlined like the handle on the Total Control, but if you’ve a cupboard big enough, this shouldn’t be a problem. 

Setup is minimal: clean it, plug it in and you’re ready to go.

How easy is it to use the Morphy Richards Sauté and Soup Maker?

As it says on the box - soup is ready in under 25 minutes and the results are reliably good.

Smooth soups have come out smooth every time, not vaguely blended. Chunky soups retain texture without feeling undercooked. The flavour is noticeably richer than soup made in the Compact model, particularly for onion-based recipes, which I’m a fan of. 

It’s comfortably made enough soup for our family of four to eat for dinner on several occasions, often with leftovers for the next day.

The button for the sauté function can be found on the handle

In terms of settings, you can choose from the following four on top of the soup maker, using the main control panel:

• Smooth soup

• Chunky soup

• Blend only

• Juice

The sauté function, however, is separate and is a button on the handle. I was a bit confused about this placement at first - until it dawned on me that the jug is in fact, the place where food is sautéd, not the lid. Duh!

As far as ease of use goes on a daily basis, this soup maker is simple enough. The controls are easy to use, the programmes are clear and once you’ve used it once or twice, it’s very straightforward. 

During testing, there has been steam escaping near the end of the cooking cycle, enough to cause condensation on the cupboard above, which is a tad annoying. Plus, opening the lid releases a noticeable burst of steam. It’s not unusual for a hot appliance, but it does mean you need to be a bit mindful of where it’s placed and how you open it.

Steam does escape towards the end of the cooking cycle, which is worth bearing in mind if you keep it under wall cupboards

A closer look at the sauté function

This is the headline feature of this particular soup maker from Morphy Richards and the reason many people, I suspect, choose this model over the Compact.

The sauté function allows you to cook onions, garlic and other flavour bases directly in the jug before adding stock and vegetables. And when this works well, it really does lift the end result (confirmed by my eldest gobbling up his first bowl). 

The sauté function works quickly and adds real depth of flavour, but it does mean you need to stay close and keep things moving

What surprised me, though, was just how fast it works. The first time I used it, I assumed I’d have time to chop the rest of my ingredients while the onions softened. I didn’t. Despite the non-stick coating, the garlic burned onto the base of the jug before I could stop it - a lesson learned.

Once you know this, it’s manageable. Pre-chopping ingredients and adding a little oil or liquid makes a big difference. But it’s not especially forgiving, and if you’re distracted, things can catch on quickly so my advice would be to prep everything before you start cooking. 

The control panel is clear and simple, with preset programmes for smooth and chunky soup plus blend and juice options

How many servings does this soup maker make?

Morphy Richards suggests four servings, which feels accurate after testing. You can stretch it a bit further with bread or sides, but this is firmly a family-sized soup maker. 

If you regularly cook for one or two, it can feel like overkill - instead, the Compact version may be a better fit for you.

Smooth soups came out consistently smooth during testing, with enough for dinner and leftovers

Is the Morphy Richards Sauté and Soup Maker easy to clean? 

This is where the design shows its age in terms of design. Because the jug is fixed, cleaning means scrubbing inside the unit while avoiding the electrics. If everything goes smoothly, soaking (the inside) with hot water and washing-up liquid is fine.

If something burns on, it’s more of a chore. Compared with the removable inner pot of the Total Control, this feels unnecessarily awkward - which I learned the hard way after burning a bit of garlic in the bottom during the sauté phase. 

Cleaning is manageable, but the fixed jug means you need to be careful around the electrics

Who is the Morphy Richards Sauté and Soup Maker most suited for? 

For our family of four, it did the job - so I’d definitely recommend this to families who want to make several portions of soup at once without the faff. There’s no need to stretch your budget an extra £30 for the Total Control if soup is all you’re wanting to make.

And flavourful soup, at that. For anyone who cares about flavour and likes to “mix things up”, the sautéing function is a nice addition. 

Who is the soup maker not suitable for? 

For individuals, couples or families who are only in need of small portions, I’d steer you more towards the Compact model instead of this one. I’ve personally preferred the Total Control model as it’s much easier to clean, but if all you’re after is a soup maker that gets the job done - and saves some money - this Sauté and Soup Maker version is a good option. 

Side-by-side with the Compact and Total Control models, the Sauté & Soup Maker sits firmly in the middle of the range

Is the Morphy Richards Sauté and Soup Maker worth the price?

At £100, this is a great mid-range soup maker from Morphy Richards. It offers good value if you’ll use the sauté function regularly and you’re in need of larger portions. If not, the Compact is cheaper and simpler to use. Though, if you want easier cleaning and more flexibility in what you make, the Total Control is worth the extra spend IMO.

Which is the right Morphy Richards soup maker for you?

Final verdict

The Morphy Richards Sauté & Soup Maker was once our best soup maker overall for good reason. It makes tasty, flavourful soup quickly and in generous quantities.

However, after a few months of using it alongside the Compact and the Total Control, its limitations are clearer. The fast sauté can catch you out, cleaning is more awkward than it needs to be and the lack of flexibility feels restrictive. It hasn’t become a bad product. It’s just been overtaken by a more forgiving, more adaptable one.

If flavour is your priority and you’re happy to work around its quirks, this is still a strong choice. If ease of living matters more, the Total Control model has taken its place as our number one choice.

About the author

Rebecca Roberts (aka Beccy) is our resident lifestyle expert with a practical focus on sleep, wellness and everyday comfort. She’s equally at home tackling frank, NSFW‑adjacent topics as she is road‑testing kitchen appliances, mattresses and vacuums that work for real parents. A former editor of LJMU’s Looprevil Press, she cut her teeth in journalism in 2010, earned a post‑grad diploma in Journalism and later led editorial at ExpatWoman in Dubai before joining Mumsnet. As a mum of two, she writes with the time‑poor, sleep‑deprived in mind - honest product reviews, realistic routines and products that make parents’ lives easier.

When she’s not at her desk, she’s probably product‑testing with her two helpers, corralling a PTA or walking her two dogs up and down country lanes.

About Mumsnet reviews

All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real parents after weeks of hands-on testing. We never accept payment for coverage, and our verdicts are independent and honest. We may earn a small commission through affiliate links, which helps fund our work - but it never influences our opinions.

All prices are correct at the time of writing.

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