For ultimate comfort, try my creamy Homemade Tomato Soup. Ready in just 30 minutes this soup is a classic that will warm your soul.
This Homemade Tomato Soup recipe is a cozy, comforting classic that highlights the natural sweetness and tang of ripe tomatoes. Simmered with onions, carrots, and garlic, the soup develops a rich, velvety flavor that canned versions can’t match. A splash of heavy cream adds in smoothness to make everyone keep coming back for more.
Of course, we always think of grilled cheese sandwiches when thinking of what to pair our tomato soup with, but I also love to serve it with my Cheesy Garlic Bread, No-Knead Artisan Bread, or a large tossed salad!
Table of Contents
Why We Love Tomato Soup
- This Homemade Tomato Soup is quick to throw together on busy nights.
- You can modify this recipe to use your favorite herbs and spices.
- This simple Tomato Soup recipe is easy on the wallet and big on flavor.
Recipe Ingredients
- Tomatoes: You can use either fresh or canned tomatoes. The best tomatoes to use are whole tomatoes because they are the highest quality of canned tomatoes. My favorite brand to use is Cento San Marzano Peeled Whole Tomatoes!
- Carrot: Grated carrot adds a natural sweetness to the soup.
- Garlic: Minced garlic brings a bright flavor to the overall taste of the soup.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
Toppings – Classic choices for the toppings include a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese or a dollop of sour cream for added richness. For a crunchy contrast, try adding homemade croutons or a handful of toasted nuts.
Additional Flavors – Fresh herbs like chopped basil, parsley, or chives can provide a burst of color and freshness. If you enjoy a bit of heat, a few red pepper flakes or a drizzle of hot sauce can spice things up nicely.
How to Make Homemade Tomato Soup
Step 1: Set a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and melt. Once melted, add the onion. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until soft. Add the carrot and garlic, and continue cooking for an additional minute.
Step 2: Add tomatoes, broth, sugar, salt, pepper, and basil (if desired). Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the beans and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Step 3: Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining butter and cream (if desired). Carefully pour into a high-speed blender (or use an immersion blender). Blend soup until creamy and smooth.
Step 4: Serve hot.
Other Methods to Cook This Tomato Soup
- Slow Cooker: Place all ingredients except the cream in the slow cooker. Cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. Blend with a blender or immersion blender. Add the cream and mix until completely blended.
- Instant Pot: Sauté onions and garlic in the Instant Pot. Add tomatoes, broth, carrots, basil, and seasonings. Set to high pressure for 15 minutes, then natural pressure release for 10 minutes. Blend, add cream, and mix thoroughly.
FAQs
You can use an immersion blender or a regular blender instead. When using a blender, work in smaller batches, and don’t fill it too high – hot soup expands! For safety, remove the lid’s center insert and cover the opening with a kitchen towel while blending to release steam and prevent messy splatters.
To make the soup creamier, add heavy cream or coconut milk after blending the soup. Stir well until fully incorporated for a richer texture.
Storage Info
To STORE Homemade Tomato Soup, place it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To FREEZE, transfer the soup to a freezer-safe container, leaving an inch of space at the top for expansion.
Note that soups with cream don’t freeze well, so blend your tomato soup base and remove the portion you want to freeze before adding cream. It can last up to 6 months in the freezer.
To REHEAT, thaw the soup in the refrigerator overnight. Warm it on the stove over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through. You can also reheat individual portions in the microwave, covered, on medium power for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through. Add cream after reheating if needed.
More Creamy Soup Recipes to Try
Homemade Tomato Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp butter - divided
- 1 medium yellow onion - thinly sliced
- 1 medium carrot - peeled and grated
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 (28) ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth - or vegetable broth
- 1 ½ tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp kosher sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2-3 fresh basil leaves - (optional)
- 2/3 cup cooked cannellini beans - rinsed and drained
- 1/3 cup heavy cream - (optional)
Instructions
- Set a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and melt. Once melted, add the onion. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until soft. Add the carrot and garlic, and continue cooking for an additional minute.
- Add tomatoes, broth, sugar, salt, pepper, and basil (if desired). Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the beans and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining butter and cream (if desired). Carefully pour into a high-speed blender (or use an immersion blender). Blend soup until creamy and smooth.
- Serve hot.
Ive made a ton of tomato soup recipes looking for “the one” and I finally found it! This is delicious!!
I am so happy this is “the one.” Thank you for letting me know what you thought!
Can I make this without the beans?? Thank you
You sure could 🙂 Enjoy!!
Hi Natalie It’s me again: I confess I actually didn’t finish the soup last night partly because it was pretty late and I was tired and too hungry, and partly because I live in a multi-family house and it would’ve been much too late to use my immersion blender as it was after 10 pm. But I finally completed it and am waiting to serve it until all the soup-agitation -from the blender- gets settled. Of course I’ve been tasting it all this time and it is WONDERFUL, soo delicious and perfectly balanced in seasonings! I admit I was tempted to add some further dried herbs (I actually had to sub for the fresh basil with ‘basil in a tube’ paste – so tacky, uugh! -since i was out of real thing ) but I decided to just go with the whole recipe as you wrote it- and it was the right decision. This is one tasty and beautiful soup! It’s gonna go into my regular rotation for sure!
Thank you for letting me know! That makes me so happy!
Hi Natalie It’s me again: I confess I actually didn’t finish the soup last night partly because it was pretty late and I was tired and too hungry, and partly because I live in a multi-family house and it would’ve been much too late to use my immersion blender as it was after 10 pm. But I finally completed it and am waiting to serve it until all the soup-agitation -from the blender- gets settled. Of course I’ve been tasting it all this time and it is WONDERFUL, soo delicious and perfectly balanced in seasonings! I admit I was tempted to add some further dried herbs (I actually had to sub for the fresh basil with ‘basil in a tube’ paste – so tacky, uugh! -since i was out of real thing ) but I decided to just go with the whole recipe as you wrote it- and it was the right decision. This is one tasty and beautiful soup! It’s gonna go into my regular rotation for sure.
Last thing, I’m not a big fan of whole cream, so I used half-n-half instead. Still creamy w/o as much indulgence…
Awe, you are so nice to let me know! I am so glad you were able to finish it & liked it! Thank you so much!
Hi Natalie,
I am making this soup right now and I can’t wait to eat it..But in the mean time I wanted to tell you this: I am a total picky ‘Recipe-shopper’, going to several familiar blogs and sometimes trying my luck withjust doing a Bing search, I often find 2 recipes that are my ‘besties’ and try to take the best parts of each to make a whole awesome meal..Guess where I got the 2 Tomato soup ‘finalists’ so to speak : Your blog and Cookie +Kate!! Which is such a neat coincidence since I saw at the very bottom of your recipe that your tomato soup was ‘INSPIRED” by Cookie & Kate’s recipe blog soup. Amazing coincidence or just damn good tast in recipes?? Anyway, gotta go back to the kitchen, just thought I’d share that with ya’. I’ll write another time to give you the scoop on how it went, meanwhile thanks much, Natalie, for this yummy looking tomato soup!
Awe, you are very welcome!! Must be good taste in recipes 😉 I sure hope you like this..you’ll have to let me know! Thank you!