This homemade tomato soup recipe is rich, flavorful, and easy to make with basic ingredients. Just add a grilled cheese for a delicious, comforting meal!
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This homemade tomato soup recipe is creamy, comforting, and flavorful. It’s made with simple ingredients like diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, and carrots, and it comes together in under an hour.
Easy and delicious, this soup is one of my favorite meals for a chilly night, and it just so happens to be fully kid-approved. Try it the next time you’re in the mood for something quick and cozy. Paired with a gooey grilled cheese sandwich, it’s guaranteed to hit the spot!
Why You’ll Love This Tomato Soup Recipe
- It’s easy to make with basic ingredients. This tomato soup recipe calls for canned tomatoes and other pantry staples. I love that I can make it without a trip to the store!
- It has a perfectly balanced flavor. Because this recipe calls for canned tomatoes, it’s delicious even when fresh tomatoes aren’t in season. The tangy tomatoes play off sweet carrots and balsamic vinegar, and heavy cream adds richness to round it all out. (Find a dairy-free option below!)
- You can make it ahead. It keeps well in the fridge for several days and freezes well too. I love keeping a stash in the freezer for a quick and easy dinner!
Tomato Soup Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this tomato soup recipe:
- Canned tomatoes – Diced tomatoes are my go-to for this soup because I like to blend some and leave the rest whole for texture. Whole peeled tomatoes work too, but you’ll need to crush them with your hands before using them.
- 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.
- Onion and garlic – For savory depth of flavor.
- Carrots and balsamic vinegar – If you ask me, the secret to making the best tomato soup is adding something sweet to balance the acidic tomatoes. The carrots and balsamic vinegar do that in this recipe.
- Vegetable broth or water – I’ve had great results using both! I just find the soup needs an extra pinch of salt when I make it with water.
- Heavy cream – It perfects the soup’s creamy texture and adds rich flavor. To make this soup dairy-free, use full-fat coconut milk instead. I promise, you can’t taste it!
- Dried thyme – For warm, earthy flavor. Feel free to substitute fresh thyme if you have it on hand. I like to bundle 3 sprigs and simmer them in the soup, then remove the bundle before blending.
- Red pepper flakes – For heat.
- Fresh basil leaves – I love sprinkling a few leaves over my bowl for a fresh finishing touch.
- And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Best Tomatoes for Tomato Soup
Canned tomatoes and fresh tomatoes both work well in soup, but I don’t use them interchangeably.
- This recipe is best with canned tomatoes. They make it quick and easy to prepare because they have a concentrated sweet and tangy flavor straight out of the can.
- For a fabulous fresh tomato soup, check out my tomato basil soup instead! In that recipe, I roast the tomatoes first to concentrate their flavor.
Tip: In late fall, winter, and spring, I recommend sticking with canned tomatoes. They actually have a better flavor when fresh tomatoes aren’t in season!
How to Make Tomato Soup
This homemade tomato soup recipe is so simple to make! Here’s how it goes:
First, sauté the veggies. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, minced garlic, and a pinch of salt, and cook until the veggies soften, about 8 minutes.
Stir in the vinegar.
Next, add the remaining ingredients and simmer until the carrots are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
Then, blend part of the soup to create its creamy texture. 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 regular 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!
What to Serve with Tomato Soup
This easy tomato soup recipe pairs perfectly with crusty bread or a grilled cheese sandwich for dipping.
I also love it with toppings like these:
- Basil leaves – For fresh flavor.
- Homemade croutons – For crunchy contrast.
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese – For a salty, nutty pop.
- A drizzle of olive oil or heavy cream – For extra richness.
How do you like to serve tomato soup? Let me know in the comments!
How to Store and Freeze
To store: Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
To freeze: This soup also freezes well. Allow it to cool to room temperature, then seal it in airtight containers, leaving an inch of space for it to expand at the top. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat: Warm in the microwave or over low heat on the stovetop.
More Favorite Soup Recipes
If you love this creamy tomato soup recipe, try one of these homemade soups next:
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Minestrone Soup
- Tortellini Soup
- Or any of these 35 Best Soup Recipes!
Homemade Tomato Soup Recipe
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, and their juices
- 3 cups water or vegetable broth
- 1⅓ cups 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, cream, 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 cream, 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!