Yes, with care: let it cool a few minutes, fill the jar halfway at most, take out the center cap, cover the hole with a folded towel and start on low. Steam is the whole problem, and venting is the whole answer.
The safe routine
- Let the soup cool 5 to 10 minutes off the heat.
- Fill the jar halfway at most — a third is safer.
- Remove the small center cap from the lid, so steam can escape.
- Hold a folded kitchen towel over the opening, with your hand on the lid.
- Start on the lowest speed, then raise it gradually.
- Blend in batches, pouring each into a clean pot.
Why it matters
Steam expands. In a sealed jar with nowhere to go, it pushes — and the blade releases it all at once when it starts. That is what throws a lid off and burns hands. The cap, the towel and the low start are each a way of letting it out slowly.
Which jars can take it
Check your manual. Glass jars usually can. Many plastic jars are rated only for warm contents. Personal blenders with a sealed cup must not be used for hot soup — the cup has no vent at all. If the manual is silent, let the soup cool to warm before blending.
The capacity trap
A jar’s stated size is measured to the rim, and the usable line is lower. With hot contents, headroom is not optional: a 64-ounce jar is a 32-ounce jar for soup.
The way round the question
A stick blender, used in the pot the soup was cooked in. Nothing is transferred, nothing is sealed, and the question does not arise. See can I blend hot soup with a stick blender and the immersion blenders page.
Smoother soup
Cook the vegetables until truly soft, blend longer at a moderate speed, and strain for a silky finish. See can I blend cooked vegetables into a sauce and the countertop blenders page.
What readers want to know
Why can hot soup explode in a blender?
Steam expands under a sealed lid. When the blade starts, it whips hot liquid and releases a burst of steam that can push the lid off and throw soup out of the jar. Venting the lid, filling less and starting slowly are what stop it.
How full should the blender be with hot soup?
No more than halfway, and a third is safer — well below the jar's maximum line. Hot liquid needs headroom for the steam and the vortex. Blend in batches and pour each into a clean pot as you go.
Can every blender jar take hot liquid?
No — check the manual. Glass jars usually can; many plastic jars are rated for warm but not boiling contents, and some personal blenders with sealed cups must never be used with hot liquid at all, because the cup has no vent. If the manual says nothing, let the soup cool to warm first.
Last reviewed 18 October 2026