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.
Oh, friends, this soup has been a favorite for years. We’ve tweaked the recipe a bit here and there, and eventually realized it was now a dairy free (vegan) soup recipe. The previous photos were (I’ll just say it) pretty awful. 2009 was not a great year for food photography for me, but this recipe was and is a favorite.
It’s the soup 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.
We puree it in our 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.
This recipe 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.
To change things up:
- You can stir in a bit of cooked rice or orzo right before serving.
- Add a bit of crumbled, cooked sausage on top (obviously, this is not vegan)
- Try swapping your usual grilled cheese for quesadillas (vegetarian)
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)
Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: about 8 cups 1x
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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
- 3lbs tomatoes, halved or quartered if large
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp coarse salt (or 1 tsp regular)
- 1 1/2tsp black pepper
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
- 2c vegetable broth (you can also use chicken or beef broth)
- 2c lightly packed fresh basil leaves
- olive oil
Instructions
- Toss roma tomatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place on a baking sheet lined with foil and spread into a single layer (I placed mine cut side up).
- Roast at 400 degrees for 45-50 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large soup pot, saute onion in a drizzle of olive oil until transluscent and soft. Add red pepper flakes and garlic and saute 1-2 minutes or till fragrant. Add broth and about 2/3 of the basil.
- Add the roasted tomatoes to the soup pot and break them up with your spoon. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender or food processor till smooth, or use an immersion blender and puree in your soup pot.
- Garnish with the remaining basil.
- 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
Kristin says
January 17, 2011 at 12:09 pmHi 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!
emily says
January 17, 2011 at 12:48 pmIf 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!
Kristin says
January 17, 2011 at 12:50 pmGreat, 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!
Annette Perkins says
May 8, 2013 at 7:56 amHi 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!!
emily says
May 8, 2013 at 10:13 amAnnette – Veggie stock would work great! I’ve done it that way myself a few times.
Annette Perkins says
May 8, 2013 at 7:57 amPS what is floating in the soup?
emily says
May 8, 2013 at 10:14 amAnnette – it’s a cheese gougere. The recipe is in my index. They’re yummy!
Paige says
August 17, 2015 at 9:32 amThis 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
Elizabeth says
August 23, 2015 at 4:21 pmHi Emily- have you tried freezing this?
emily says
August 23, 2015 at 7:18 pmElizabeth – 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!
elizabeth in ma says
August 24, 2015 at 7:26 amthanks!
Lisa DaBell says
January 28, 2016 at 7:57 pmI 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!
Emily says
January 28, 2016 at 8:08 pmI’m so glad you enjoyed it! It’s been our saving grace!
Barb says
September 26, 2017 at 4:37 pmHow many does it serve ? About how many ounces in each bowl?