A cream soup is a soup prepared using cream, light cream, half and half, or milk as a key ingredient. Sometimes the dairy product is added at the end of the cooking process, such as after a cream soup has been puréed.

Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process is accelerated by using centrifuges called "separators". In many countries, it is sold in several grades depending on the total butterfat content. It can be dried to a powder for shipment to distant markets, and contains high levels of saturated fat.