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
- 1⅓ 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.
great recipe
I usually don’t go for tomato soup because I always thought of it as kind of boring. Definitely not this one, though! The balsamic vinegar gives it some great depth and it has just the right amount of chunky texture. Such a great cozy lunch option!
Not your traditional tomato soup- a little spicy and sweet. (It had a curry soup feel to me). I really liked it but my husband not as much. I made grilled cheese sandwiches in the air-fryer to eat with it. Thinking that I will add a salad as well when I eat my leftovers later today.
Hi Amy, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Super tasty! The balsamic was such a good addition! And I love that it is made primarily with pantry staples so we didn’t even need to go out to the store to make it
I’m so glad you loved it!
This soup was great. Loved using the coconut so the soup would be dairy free.
So glad you loved it!
Delicious! Made this on a snowy Canadian day with some grilled cheese. I substituted smoked paprika for the red pepper chili flakes so it was less spicy for my little one, and he loved it!
Aww so glad it was a hit!
So good and easy! Took a mental health day because of a Wisconsin ice storm… made this with grilled cheese!
The perfect meal for a snow/ice day! So glad you enjoyed it.
This soup is delicious and I’m happy to have some in the freezer to break out when I need more deliciousness in my life. Yum!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Was really delicious!!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
What a delicious and wholesome soup for the cold winter months. My family (toddlers included!) loved this soup with a grilled cheese for dinner.
Aww so glad it was a hit!
Tomato soup NOT from a can?!! This recipe was so easy to put together, and with a winter storm looming, it was perfect for dinner, paired with vegan grilled cheese on sourdough. The carrots made for a lovely orange hue, & the red pepper flakes gave it some nice heat. I can hardly wait for the leftovers!!! Thank you for curing me from canned tomato soup!
I’m so glad you loved the soup!
I made this over the weekend and served with a pepper jack cheese and apple grilled cheese. I used coconut milk which added the perfect amount of creaminess. I will definitely be making this tomato soup on repeat!
So glad you loved the soup! That grilled cheese combo sounds delicious!
I absolutely loved this tomato soup and I’m not even a real big tomato soup fan. The flavor is so good and I really enjoyed that it was a little chunky. I used coconut milk which made it very tasty. I much prefer to use that instead of cream. It was also quick and easy to make. Once the onions and carrots were chopped up, it all came together pretty fast.
Hi Annika, I’m so glad you loved the soup!
I am a soupaholic, and one of my favorites is this tomato soup. I have always loved tomato soup since I was a child. Most of my favorites as an adult are more brothy, but this one is on my list as an absolute must. Thank you for this superb rendition.
Hi Denise, I’m so glad you loved the recipe!
Made it tonight and loved it! Coconut Milk, who knew?!
Haha so glad you loved it!
There are a lot of things to love about this soup! I liked the chunky aspect, since I don’t care for creamy soup. We also loved the flavor and the fact that it used coconut milk, since we don’t use dairy milk in our cooking.
We doubled the recipe, so it took a long time to finally come to a simmer, but we cut our carrots very small, so it didn’t have to simmer long before it was done.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This soup was so tasty and healthy! Really loved the part puree and part chunky- perfect blend. We paired it with your pesto pizza but we grilled it – very tasty!
Shannon M
Oh yum! I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup and the pizza!
This was enjoyed by all. It is a simple and delicious tomato soup recipe.
Delicious on a winter night! Hearty and comforting. Goes great with grilled cheese!
I’m so glad you loved it!
I recommend this tomato soup recipe to everyone. It’s a great meal for a cold winter day, and pairs well with grilled cheese or crackers.
I’m so glad you loved it!