Creamy Tomato Basil Soup – You’d never guess that this creamy roasted tomato soup is vegan! It’s full of deep, rich tomato basil flavor and a gorgeous velvety texture you’ll fall for over and over again. (Vegan, Paleo + Whole30)
Oh, friends, this creamy tomato basil soup has been a favorite at our house for ten(!!!) years.
It’s the tomato soup recipe that made Michael a tomato soup convert. He always thought he hated tomato soup, but it was really just the canned, condensed stuff he was never a fan of. He requests this several times a year and loves bringing the leftovers with him to work for lunches. I really–REALLY–miss a gooey grilled cheese (especially a nice fancy one like this) to dip into this soup, but I must say, there are few things cozier than tucking your legs up under you with a steaming mug of this soup on a chilly day.
Tomato basil soup is perfect for the abundance of those end-of-the-season tomatoes in summer, but is also a great way to revive some of the sad winter tomatoes you can find in November and December. Slow-roasting the tomatoes really plays to their strengths–caramelizing the edges, developing the rich natural sweetness, and softening some of the tang. Paired with lots of fresh basil and blitzed to velvety perfection, this soup is something special.
Here’s how we make it (it’s SUPER easy)…
HERE’S WHAT WE PUT IN OUR VEGAN TOMATO BASIL SOUP
HALVED TOMATOES. We’re slow-roasting the tomatoes for our tomato basil soup, so it’s okay if they’re only average getting started. Even a winter tomato will get a delicious, deep roasted flavor that’ll taste amazing. You can use whatever tomatoes look best–vine-ripened, campari, Roma, etc.
ONION. Along with the halved tomatoes, we roast an onion to go into the soup. I love the sweetness that develops and the gorgeous caramelized edges that come from the roasting process. I usually use a sweet onion, but white onions also work.
SOME SIMPLE SEASONINGS. To help our veggies roast, I add some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Once the tomatoes and onion are roasted and tender, we’ll add a clove of minced garlic for a little depth. Then, we really kick things up a notch with…
FRESH BASIL. Lots of fresh basil goes into this tomato basil soup recipe. It’s bright and adds so much flavor to keep this from feeling too heavy. You’ll puree most of it directly into the soup, but I like to save a little bit out to garnish at the end.
BROTH. We most often use veggie broth (this is my favorite), but if you’re not vegan/vegetarian, you can feel free to use a good chicken broth or bone broth.
FAQ + TIPS FOR PERFECT CREAMY TOMATO BASIL SOUP
HOW TO GET THE SMOOTHEST TOMATO BASIL SOUP. For an extra smooth tomato soup, I like using my Blendtec so it’s flawlessly smooth, but we also sometimes make it with an immersion blender, which also does the trick. I love how wonderfully rich and smooth it feels, and Sophie and Milo really appreciate not seeing any mysterious pieces floating about.
CAN I USE DRIED BASIL? I *much* prefer fresh basil for tomato basil soup, but recognize you may not always be able to find it. If you need to use dried, you’ll only want to add a few teaspoons (start with 2). Or, you can add basil flavor if you…
TRY FLAVORED OLIVE OIL! I love kicking this up a notch by using basil olive oil. This one is my absolute favorite. (use code “onelovelylife” for 10% off your first order)
CAN YOU FREEZE TOMATO SOUP? Yes! This tomato basil soup can be frozen. Simply put it into an airtight freezer safe container or bag and freeze. I prefer using freezer bags and pressing any extra air out so I can store them flat in my freezer. If you use a bowl/food storage container instead of a bag, be sure to leave at least 1″ of room at the top to allow for expansion.
I’M NOT VEGAN. CAN I ADD CREAM? You can. In our dairy-eating days, I’d add 1/2-1 cup of cream to this soup when pureeing. For a dairy free version, you can also use a bit of cashew cream if you like.
ADD SOME KICK. If you like a little heat, you can also add a pinch of red pepper flakes or a few drops of chili oil to the tomato basil soup when pureeing or heating it.
CHANGE IT UP! HERE ARE A FEW FUN WAYS TO SERVE TOMATO BASIL SOUP:
WITH A YUMMY SANDWICH. Classic grilled cheese (or grilled vegan cheese) or something a bit more fun like this Pesto Grilled Sandwich.
ADD SOME ORZO, RICE, OR PASTA! It’s fun to stir in a bit of cooked orzo (this kind’s gluten free!), small cooked pasta, or cooked rice for a change of pace.
PAIR WITH A YUMMY SALAD! Soup + salad are best friends. I love this Fall Chopped Salad, BLT Salad, or Italian Chopped Salad.
ADD SOME WARM BREAD. I love this gluten free rosemary focaccia. It’s a delicious pairing next to a warm cup of tomato basil soup!
Craving More Soup? You Might Love…
- Sun Dried Tomato White Bean Soup (Vegan, Gluten Free)
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup (Vegan, Gluten Free, Paleo)
- Simple Vegetable Minestrone (Vegan, Gluten Free)
HELPFUL FOR THIS RECIPE:
Creamy Tomato Basil Soup (Vegan & Paleo!)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: about 8 cups 1x
Description
Creamy Tomato Basil Soup – You’d never guess that this creamy tomato soup is 100% vegan. No dairy, just deep, rich tomato basil flavor and a gorgeous velvety texture you’ll fall for over and over again.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. tomatoes, halved or quartered if large
- 1 medium sweet or white onion, cut into large cubes
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp coarse salt (or 1 tsp regular)
- 1 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
- 2 cups vegetable broth (you can also use chicken or beef broth)
- 1–1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves (reserve some for garnish, if desired)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment (to prevent sticking).
- Add tomatoes and onion to the baking sheet. (I put my tomatoes cut side up so they maintain their juices).
- Drizzle tomatoes and onion with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Roast tomatoes and onion at 400 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until starting to caramelize and very tender.
- Let the veggies cool for a few minutes before transferring about half of the mixture to a blender.*
- Add 1 clove garlic, 1 cup of the veggie broth, about half the basil to the veggies in the blender and puree until completely smooth. (Please work carefully and cover the top of your blender with a kitchen towel to prevent splatters).
- Pour pureed soup into a large pot or Dutch oven and repeat the pureeing step with the second half of the veggies, basil, and broth.
- Once all the soup is pureed and poured into the Dutch oven, warm the soup (if needed) over medium heat until heated through. Taste and add additional salt, pepper, or basil, as desired.
- Garnish with a little fresh basil and enjoy!
*Alternatively, you can put all the roasted veggies, garlic, broth, and basil directly into the Dutch oven/soup pot and use an immersion blender to puree the soup.
- Category: Soup, Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: vegan tomato soup, vegan tomato basil soup, vegan creamy tomato soup, vegan creamy tomato basil soup, creamy tomato basil soup, tomato basil soup, tomato soup, dairy free tomato soup
Hi Emily! I was planning on making this soup for dinner tonight; however, I just went to the market and could only find about 1/4 c. of fresh basil! I do have dried basil, but do you think dried basil would be an appropriate sub in this dish? Thanks for your advice!
If you bought the basil you could find, I think you can use that and then make up the rest with dried basil as you see fit (taste and add). Your best bet if you are relying on dried only is to taste and add according to your taste, since dried basil has a slightly different flavor, and you wouldn’t want to overpower the soup.
The good news is it will still taste like great tomato soup no matter what–it’s just better with that basil flavor 🙂 Hope it works out for you!
Great, thank you! I did buy the fresh basil that I found, so I’ll add that to the soup and sub dried basil for the rest. Can’t wait to give this soup a try! And thanks for the advice!
Hi Emily
I tried the honey lime tilapia and got rave reviews across the board-( never happens!)
Planning to make tomato soup tonight – do you think it would Orkney with vegetable stock?
Thanks
Your recipes are beautiful!!
Annette – Veggie stock would work great! I’ve done it that way myself a few times.
PS what is floating in the soup?
Annette – it’s a cheese gougere. The recipe is in my index. They’re yummy!
This looks super yummy! Tomato soup is one of my favorites for the fall! We’ll have to try your recipe this year!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Hi Emily- have you tried freezing this?
Elizabeth – YES! It works GREAT since there’s no dairy. I’ve found there’s little to no separation during thawing, and certainly nothing that a quick stir won’t pull back together. It’s a great soup to freeze!
thanks!
I made this tonight and it was great! We’ve recently had to cut out a bunch of foods due to my son’s food allergies, so I was so happy to find a dairy-free, creamy soup. Thanks for the recipe! The only problem was that there wasn’t enough of it!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It’s been our saving grace!
How many does it serve ? About how many ounces in each bowl?
This soup looks amazing! I totally need to make this for lunch for the week!
It’s AWESOME for lunch! Hope it’s a huge hit!
I made the Cubby’s copy cat salad recipe for dinner earlier this week and LOVED it! I just made this Creamy Tomato Soup for our dinner tonight. It is SO yummy! (I might have to have it for lunch too!)
Thank you!!
★★★★★
We loved this soup! It felt soothing and hardy and is healthy comfort food! 💗
★★★★★
I’m SO GLAD! We love it so much, especially on cold or cloudy days. Thank you for sharing! 🙂