This Creamy Tomato Soup is easy, comforting, and has a rich flavor profile. Watch the easy video tutorial and you’ll be craving a bowl of tomato soup paired with a gooey Grilled Cheese Sandwich.
You can make this tomato soup creamy or chunky if you prefer, but we love creamy soup recipes from Creamy Sweet Potato Soup to our velvety Carrot Soup and definitely Creamy Potato Soup.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
My husband never loved tomato soup until he tried this Creamy Tomato Soup. The addition of parmesan and just 1/2 cup of cream makes it so satisfying. It’s also a quick and easy 30-minute soup that keeps well in the fridge. We love it all year round and whip up a batch any time we are craving Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.
Tomato Soup Video Tutorial
If you enjoyed this video for Tomato Soup, please subscribe to our Youtube Channel (P.S. Click the BELL icon so you can be the first to know when we post a new video).
Ingredients for Tomato Basil Soup
Since this is a tomato-based soup, it is important to offset the acidity with some key ingredients. We use a combination of cream, parmesan, and a little sugar to balance the soup.
- Butter – use unsalted butter to sautee onions
- Yellow onion – it seems like a ton of onion but it dissapears into the soup adding a balanced sweetness
- Garlic – you’ll need 1 Tbsp minced from about 3 cloves
- Crushed tomatoes – with their juice, preferably San Marzano tomatoes
- Chicken stock – for the best flavor use homemade chicken broth
- Basil – chop and add 1/4 cup fresh basil, plus more to serve. Basil leaves are easily bruised so chop by stacking a bunch of leaves then roll them into a log and cut into thin strips.
- Sugar – It’s just 1 Tbsp, but necessary to combat the tomato acidity.
- Black pepper – start with 1/2 tsp and add more to taste
- Whipping cream – adds a creaminess to the soup and offsets acidity.
- Parmesan cheese – adds saltiness to the soup and balances acidity. Adding parmesan adds enough salt and I usually don’t add more.
How to Make Tomato Soup
- Saute Aromatics – heat a non-reactive pot over medium heat. Melt in 4 Tbsp butter then sautee onions until softened and golden (10-12 min). Add minced garlic and saute another minute.
- Make the tomato soup base – stir in two 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes with their juice, your chicken stock, chopped basil, sugar and black pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, partially cover and simmer 10 minutes.
- Blend if desired – use an immersion blender in the pot or blend in batches using a blender (be careful not to overfill the blender with hot liquid) and return soup to the pot.
- Add cream and parmesan – stir in the heavy cream and shredded parmesan. Return to a simmer and season to taste if needed.
- Serve – ladle into warm bowls and garnish with more parmesan and basil.
Pro Tip: If you prefer a chunky soup with bits of tomato (like our Broccoli Cheese Soup), you can skip the blending step and proceed with adding cream and parmesan then season to taste.
Important: Use a Non-Reactive Pot
Since this soup is tomato-based it is important to use a non-reactive pot. Avoid aluminum, cast iron, and copper which are all made of metals that can react with tomatoes and make the soup taste metallic.
Non-reactive pots that work well include: Stainless steel, enamel-coated cast iron, ceramic, and glass. We used our 5 1/2 Qt enamel-coated dutch oven pot.
Common Questions
You can use canned whole peeled tomatoes, but crush them by pulsing in a food processor before adding to the pot. Be sure to season to taste if substituting.
You can substitute the fresh basil with about 1 Tbsp of dried basil for the soup. I suggest adding dried basil when you add the crushed tomatoes to give them a chance to soften. Dried herbs work great in soups, but should not be used for garnish.
You’ll need to make your own crushed tomatoes which can be a time-consuming process. We find it is much simpler to buy crushed tomatoes.
We love chicken bone broth because it has a great depth of flavor, but you can substitute it with vegetable broth to keep this a vegetarian soup.
Make sure you aren’t using a reactive pot (see above) and add more sugar and cream to taste to balance the acidity.
How to Serve Tomato Soup
- Grilled Cheese – tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches are the perfect match (try dipping the sandwich into the soup).
- Parmesan – add shredded parmesan while the soup is hot so it melts over the top.
- Fresh Basil – sprinkle the top with thinly sliced basil.
- Croutons – sprinkle crunchy croutons over the soup.
- Toast – simple toasted bread or crostini (like we made for Bruschetta) are great for dunking into the soup.
More Comforting Soups
If you love this Tomato Soup, then you won’t want to miss these cozy soup recipes from our easy Chicken Noodle Soup to luxurious Beef Stew. There’s something here for everyone.
Creamy Tomato Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 yellow onions, (3 cups finely chopped)
- 3 garlic cloves, (1 Tbsp minced)
- 56 oz crushed tomatoes, (two, 28-oz cans) with their juice, preferably San Marzano
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, plus more to serve
- 1 Tbsp sugar, or added to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper, or to taste
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, or to taste to combat acidity
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated, plus more to serve
Instructions
- Heat a nonreactive pot or enameled dutch oven over medium heat. Add butter then add chopped onions. Sauté 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden. Add minced garlic and sauté 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add crushed tomatoes with their juice, chicken stock, chopped basil, sugar (or add sugar to taste), and black pepper. Stir together and bring to a boil then reduce heat, partially cover with lid and simmer for 10 minutes.
- You can leave your soup with a chunky consistency, but if you like a blended/creamy soup, use an immersion blender to blend the soup in the pot to desired consistency or transfer to a blender in batches and blend until smooth (being careful not to over-fill the blender with hot liquid and pulse a few times initially to get it started), then return blended soup to the pot over medium heat.
- Add 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese and return to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed and turn off the heat.*
- Ladle into warm bowls and top with more parmesan and chopped fresh basil.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Garden Surplus means delicious fresh tomato soup! Who would ever open a can again is beyond me.
Super easy, its a veggie smoothie. We added a2 small hot peppers for a little kick.
Highly recommend!
I want to make this soup but don’t want to go out and buy heavy cream for just a half cup. It’s pricey! Don’t use half & half. What can I use as a heavy cream substitute?
Hi V! You can use milk, but it won’t be as rich or creamy.
You know what I appreciate is you telling me not to use a metal type pot…I made a similar recipe a few months ago and it wasn’t mentioned so it tasted “weird”.
Small details♥️, thanks!
Also, recipe was great! Kids and hubby approved!
You’re welcome, Heather! Glad it was a hit with the family!
You recipe does not say how much chicken broth to use.
What amount do you use?
It’s in the recipe card, it’s 2 cups of Chicken Stock.
Im so sorry for my first review,i have just read the recipe properly and ive seen that you do put all the measurements on, i dont follow many recipies i even found it hard to work out what sauteeing an onion meant!
This is a lovely recipe,but i am a useless cook so i got into a bit of a panic because you are not very clear on measurements,i didnt know how much stock to put in or how much cream,luckily i managed to blag my way through,which to be honest is the story of my life,once my anxiety levels had gone down though,it did taste lovely.
Question: I would like to make this ahead of time for a camping trip with our grandkids. How long can it stay good in the fridge? I just want to make sure of my timing.
Hi there! I have not kept this in the fridge for more than 3 days. You can store the soup in an airtight container and refrigerate.
YUM!! Just what I was craving! Thank you!
You’re so welcome, Michelle!
Followed directions exactly and it was perfect. Comforting and classic but with a slight twist from the parmesan.
Is it ok to make a big batch an hot water bath for long storage?
I have not tried canning this.
I have water bath canned tomato soup before and the recipe was similar. I upped the acidity with lemon juice and left out the cream and cheese until served. Worked quite well.
Hands down the best Tomato Soup recipe out there! This is the 2nd year I’ve been making your recipe and it is virtually fool-proof. I use fresh San Marzano’s. I will never ever buy canned tomato soup again. Thanks for the awesome recipe, Natasha!
I make this with fresh garden tomatoes and freeze it each year. A few changes are made to use fresh versus canned tomatoes: I use more than 56 ounces of tomatoes (I need to use them up…) and I add about one small jar of tomato paste.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Shannon! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Do you freeze soup before adding cream / cheese? Or as completed? Thank you!
This recipe was just perfect. Super easy to make and absolutely delicious. I added a few sticks of celery when cooking the onion too. We will be making this one again.
Finally found my favorite tomato soup!! Thank you , its perfect.
I’m so happy you found it on my blog, Liz! That’s so great!
This was really good and so simple. I often avoid tomato soup because I don’t want to deal with roasting fresh tomatoes, but this was perfect. Didn’t taste metallic/canned (I used the brand you recommended) and the texture with the onions was perfect. Made it to go with some jalapeño cheddar sourdough I made the day before, and it was perfect! Even on a sweaty august night lol!
That’s wonderful, Elizabeth! Thank you for trying my recipe.
My 6 year old never knew he loved tomato soup and grilled cheese until tonight. The dog is licking the bowl. It’s a winner!
I’m so happy that was a hit. That is the best when kids love what we parents make. That’s so great!
Ohhhhh! I made this, took a taste test, and my husband said my eyes lit up lol this is so good it made me dance in front of the stove. Yum!
I have one can of tomato puree and one can of crushed tomatoes. Do you think the puree will make for a good substitute?
That could work. Purée is a bit thicker though. I hope you love the recipe.
Thank you for this recipe! I’ve made it countless times now with all kinds of variations. The key is to start with butter. It really adds a creamy, luxurious base that makes this soup stand out.
I’ve been searching for years trying to find that perfect tomato soup trying recipe after recipe. I came across this recipe last month and since then I’ve made the recipe 3 times. It freezes well and my family loves it. On a diet so this time I substituted fat-free half and half for the heavy cream and it was still delicious. Use the heavy cream if weight is not an issue for you! Thanks so much Natasha for another fabulous recipe I’ll have for life. Hugs!
I’m so happy you found and loved it, Vicki! That’s so great! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.