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.
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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
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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
This is the best soup ever you should try it. super easy to make
THanks for the good feedback, Ana!
Thanks for NO response! What did I do wrong? Hopefully you can email me the answer.
Hi Dale! In the common question section in my blog post above I left a note about using fresh tomatoes. Here’s what it says:
Can I use fresh tomatoes?
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.
I do not have an exact recommendation for how many pounds of fresh tomatoes you will need to use to get the amount of crushed tomatoes you need for the recipe. We used 56 ounces which is 3.5 lbs so I would say at minimum, that many. You can look up a recipe online for crushed tomatoes and hopefully that can give you a good reference point.
My husband’s traditional birthday meal is tomato soup with green chili bacon grilled cheese, and I made this for him yesterday. We like it creamy since we make a lot of pasta sauces and don’t want it to be too similar.
I blended the sautéed aromatics with a can at a time of tomatoes instead of cooking first and trying to blend hot soup in batches. Anything to save an extra pot! We added a little chili powder and Italian seasoning and saved the cheese as a garnish only. It was a hit!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Angel! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
I made this soup today because our tomatoes seem to be getting bugs and cracks. To use them up, I cut them up, cooked slightly and put into blender. Followed the recipe but added 2 small cans of tomato paste, additional sugar and used smoked Gouda cheese because that’s what I had. It turned out great. I would definitely make this again!
So glad to hear that, Sharon! 🙂
I used fresh tomatoes from the garden (large Roma and cherry) as I was tired of canning. This was absolutely delicious. I served it with toasted garlic bread.
That’s wonderful! So glad it was enjoyed. Thanks for sharing.
Do you know if this freezes well? I have waaaaay too many tomatoes in my garden right now and would love to make a huge batch to freeze!
Hi Susan! I honestly haven’t tried freezing this to advise. I usually refrigerate the leftovers just for a few days.
Can tomato soup be preserved in cans for future use. Do you put the cream or milk in when canning?
I have not tested canning this soup to advise. If you experiment, please let us know how it goes.
My husband made your tomato soup and it was the best we’ve ever eaten! Made the grilled cheese to go along with it and it was amazing! Keep these great recipes coming!
Will do it, Donna. Thanks a lot for the awesome review!
We make this soup all the time! We can our own tomatoes which makes this soup super delicious! Thank you for asking a difference in our lives!
That’s good to hear! Homemade is always better, thanks for the good feedback.
Love love this recipe. My family now enjoys the grilled cheese that I perfected along side with this very yummy Tomato Basil Soup. I have been making this 2x already, a good soup to store in the refrigerator. And it’s always gone so fast. Another easy delicious recipe. Thanks Natasha.
You’re welcome! Thanks for the wonderful feedback and review.
This soup was amazing
Thank you so much 😊😊 it was easy to make , easy to follow and delicious. I actually used tuttorosso can crushed tomatoes.
Hi Nel, you’re welcome. So good to know that you enjoyed this soup and thanks for sharing the substitution that you used.
The flavor of this soup is incredible! I would like to be able to use it as a spaghetti sauce. Any recommendations on making it a bit thicker? Not sure if less liquid or adding paste is a better way to thicken but also retain the flavor!
Hi Kim, I’m so glad you loved the tomato soup. I’m not sure how to make this one thicker though. We do have a really good spaghetti sauce recipe as well which is thicker.
This is the absolute best homemade tomato soup. I’ve been testing multiple recipes and came across this one, it was great. I tweaked to our liking but overall it’s perfect as it is. I add 1, 15oz can of diced tomatoes to the 56oz cans.i also let it simmer for 25 minutes much richer I use greek yogurt after blending instead of heavy cream. Perfect, never know it wasn’t. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Tabitha!
made this tomato basil soup today. outstanding. i tripled the basil and added a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. I used 2 15 oz cans of diced tomatoes and 4 twelve oz cans of tomato sauce iin place of the crushed tomatoes. made grilled cheese to eat with it. wife says its fantastic. thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome! Great to hear that you both enjoyed this recipe, Jim.
I had never made homemade tomato soup before trying your recipe. I only ordered from restaurants. This is the BEST tomato soup I’ve ever had. I used Thai Basil that I grew myself. Loved it! Thanks for sharing.
I’m so happy this is your new favorite, Debbie! That’s just awesome!
I am wondering how long you can store left overs…can you freeze this? Thanks
Hi Polly, I honestly haven’t tried freezing this to advise. I usually refrigerate the leftovers just for a few days.
if you plan on freezing it omit the cream. it will separate when it thaws out. you can add the cream to thawed tomato soup.
Hi Natasha,
I plan on making this soup tomorrow, can I add shredded mozzarella cheese instead of the parmesan?
Hi Sandi! Real, fresh parmesan cheese melts really well and adds to the creamy texture in the soup. Mozarella melts well but doesn’t get creamy and can remain string-like. I’m sure it will still taste great if that is all you have on hand.
This was delicious!! My kids (3 and 6) licked their bowls clean, which never happens! Only adjustment I made was that I used two shallots instead of onions because that is what I had in the house.
That is the best when kids love what we moms make. That’s so great!
Does this come out more like a bisque? My family likes it thick and not watery.
Hi Dot, it is not thin. It has a thicker consistency.
Dear Natasha,
What is brand name of your can opener ( the one you used for tomato soup
KitchenAid. Here is my amazon affiliate link where I purchased it.
could I substitute sour cream for the heavy cream?? I always have sour cream on hand but seldom have heavy cream
Hi Cynthia, I haven’t tried that to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
I usually substitute whole milk Yoghurt instead of sour creme and or cream as it is always at hand. Lower calorie, however, I am unsure if one wants to add another acidic flavor (sour creme or yoghurt) to tomato soup.