The BEST tomato soup recipe! It's rich, flavorful, and made with pantry ingredients. Pair it with a grilled cheese for a delicious, comforting meal!
Homemade tomato soup is like a hug in a bowl, which, when the weather is as gray as it has been here lately, is exactly what I need.
This tomato soup recipe is a cold weather staple in our house. It couldn’t be simpler to make, and the ingredients are largely pantry basics that I always keep on hand. But more importantly, this tomato soup is creamy, comforting, and full of rich flavor. The tomatoes make it tangy, balsamic vinegar adds sweetness, and red pepper flakes give it a warming kick of heat. You could serve it on its own, topped with a swirl of olive oil, black pepper, and fresh basil leaves…or you could pair it with a grilled cheese sandwich. If you’re craving cozy comfort food as much as I have been recently, I definitely vote for the latter.
Tomato Soup Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this homemade tomato soup recipe:
- Tomatoes, of course! Canned diced tomatoes, to be exact. If you’d prefer to make a tomato soup recipe that calls for fresh tomatoes, check out this tomato basil soup recipe instead.
- Olive oil and butter – They create the soup’s rich base. To make this recipe dairy-free, feel free to use additional olive oil instead of the butter.
- Carrots, onion, and garlic – These aromatic veggies give the soup savory depth of flavor.
- Balsamic vinegar – It adds sweetness and tang.
- Vegetable broth – Use store-bought, or make your own. Water works here too!
- Full-fat coconut milk or heavy cream – Honestly, both are fantastic! They make the soup equally creamy. If you go the dairy-free route, I promise, you won’t taste the coconut one bit!
- Dried thyme – For warm, earthy flavor.
- Red pepper flakes – For heat.
- Fresh basil leaves – You can’t beat the combination of tomatoes and basil! I shower the basil over the soup to add bursts of fresh flavor.
- And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Tomato Soup
This homemade tomato soup recipe is so simple to make! Here’s how it goes:
First, sauté the veggies. Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, and add the olive oil. Add the onion, carrots, garlic, and a pinch of salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies soften, about 8 minutes.
Stir in the vinegar.
Next, add the remaining ingredients and simmer. Add the canned tomatoes, water, coconut milk or heavy cream, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt, and several grinds of pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
Then, blend part of the soup. This step makes it sooo creamy! Scoop 4 cups of the soup out of the pot and set aside. Transfer the remaining soup to a blender, and blend until smooth. If you like, you could use an immersion blender for this step, though I prefer the smoother texture I get when I use my upright blender. Return the pureed soup to the pot, along with the 4 cups of chunky soup. Stir to combine.
Finally, season to taste and serve. That’s it!
Homemade Tomato Soup Serving Suggestions
When you’re ready to eat, top your bowl with a swirl of olive oil, a drizzle of coconut milk or heavy cream, lots of fresh black pepper, and fresh basil. Enjoy the soup with a side of crusty bread, or top it with homemade croutons for crunch. And of course, you can’t beat pairing it with a grilled cheese sandwich.
Want something lighter on the side? A cup of this tomato soup is delicious with a simple green salad, my kale Caesar salad, or a classic Caesar salad.
Leftovers keep well for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For longer storage, freeze the tomato soup for up to 3 months!
More Favorite Soup Recipes
If you love this tomato soup recipe, try one of these homemade soups next:
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Minestrone Soup
- Tortellini Soup
- Best Lentil Soup
- Cabbage Soup
- Many-Veggie Vegetable Soup
- Or any of these 35 Best Soup Recipes!
Tomato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, or an additional 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
- 3 cups water or vegetable broth
- 1â…“ cups full-fat coconut milk or heavy cream, plus more for drizzling
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh basil leaves, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, garlic, and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes, or until softened.
- Stir in the vinegar, then add the tomatoes, water, coconut milk, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt, and several grinds of pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the carrots are tender.
- Scoop 4 cups of the soup out of the pot and set aside. Transfer the remaining soup to a blender. Puree until smooth. Return the pureed soup to the pot with the reserved 4 cups of chunky soup. Stir to combine and season to taste.
- Ladle into bowls and serve with a drizzle of coconut milk, a drizzle of olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, and fresh basil leaves for garnish.
The most delicious tomato soup recipe ever! I think the carrots and balsamic vinegar help to bring out the tomato flavor. So good, especially with a grilled cheese!
Hi Christine, I’m so glad you loved it!
I’ve never made tomato soup, it’s just always been one of those items I’ve purchased packaged. Well, after making this recipe, I am a convert. So easy and much tastier than any store bought tomato soup. Highly recommend with a fancy grilled cheese–I like mine with fig jam.
Oh yum, I love a grilled cheese with fig jam. I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup!
Our whole family loved this recipe! Thanks for sharing.
This was a phenomenal tomato soup recipe! I reduced the amount of cream in half and increased the amount of vegetable broth in order to make the recipe a little lighter, and it was DELICIOUS. I found that the soup was rich, well-balanced, and perfect for the winter season.
I also love that soups freeze well, so I went ahead and froze 2 portions so that I can enjoy this recipe later too!
Best tomato soup ever! I’m not usually a big fan of soup, but this recipe is amazing! Easy and delicious, and your whole house will smell amazing while you cook it. I definitely recommend pairing it with the grilled cheese recipe one night this winter!
This soup is so delicious and so easy to make!
This soup is easy to make and delicious!
Very easy and yummy! We fully blended the soup.
Love this recipe! It came together so quickly and tasted so good. I used fresh tomatoes since they’re in season now, and snuck in a bit of eggplant and red pepper, all fresh ingredients from my local farmer’s market. I didn’t have coconut milk so I subbed in cashew cream which was a great pairing. Also added some homegrown sissoo spinach. This recipe is a hit!
This recipe was DELICIOUS. Super flavorful and comforting – and very easy to whip up.
So yummy! Delicious way to get lots of veggies!
So glad you loved it!
This was so delicious! I will definitely be making it again!
So glad you loved it!
This recipe had a wonderful medley of flavors! The soup had such a great balance of texture and the acidity of the balsamic vinegar really complimented the whole dish!
Added a grilled cheese and *chef kiss*.
Definitely will make again!
I’m so glad you loved it!
This was a hit. I love the use of coconut milk and for fun I topped it off with hemp seeds and fresh italian flat leaf parsley since I didn’t have any basil!
So glad you loved it!
10/10 so easy and delicious!!!
I’m so glad you loved the soup!
Delicious recipe! The grilled cheese on the side made it even better. Perfect for eating by the fireplace on a cold day.
Hi Rachael, so glad you loved it!
Perfect winter dinner. I am so pleased you chose a pantry type meal for this month’s cooking club. Living in Ontario’s rural cottage country, winter conditions can make it challenging to get fresh ingredients.
I’m so glad you loved the soup! We love pantry recipes in the winter too. 🙂
I have recently started making recipes from this blog, and I’ve been so impressed by the recipes I’ve made so far. This tomato soup was the best I’ve ever had! I paired it with your grilled cheese recipe which was also a winner. Thank you!
Forgot to rate this recipe. Definitely 5 stars!!
Hi Anna, I’m so glad you’re loving the recipes!
I took the challenge of using coconut milk and it was perfect. Thanks for your assurance that it wouldn’t have a coconut taste! I added a bit of sugar after tasting the finished soup as it was a little too sour for my taste. Maybe it was the brand of diced tomatoes I used.
Hi Susan, I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup! It’s kind of unbelievable how the coconut flavor disappears, isn’t it?
Hello!
It was a delicious recipe. Like pizza in a bowl!
Thank you.
I’m so glad you loved it!