Creamy Tomato Soup is the ultimate quick and easy weeknight dinner. Made with simple and fresh ingredients, this comforting soup recipe is sure to become a family favorite. Handful of ingredients and an electric pressure cooker like Instant Pot is all you need to make this creamy and rich vegetarian Tomato Bisque.
Hooray for soup and scarf weather! which for us Chicagoan goes from September through March ..sometimes even longer. So soups, stews and chilis rule the weeknight dinner scene.
Jump to:
As written, this homemade tomato soup is vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free. It also is paleo and whole30 friendly. Adjust the toppings and mix-ins based on diet and preferences.
Pair this delightful soup with nice toasty grilled cheese sandwich for that ultimate gourmet dinner right at the comfort of the home instead of Panera Bread or Corner Bakery.
During fall to winter to early spring, for the most part, we rely on hearty and filling soups like Healthy Black Bean Soup or White Beans and Spinach Soup, but some days you need refreshing and lighter meal that brightens the mood.
Ingredients
This recipe highlights so many of my favorite pantry staples. They are super affordable and easy to find as well.
- Tomatoes. : Fresh ones are better but canned ones will do too.
- Basil : Use fresh or dry.
- Mirepoix : Soup trinity of onions, carrots and celery.
- Minced Garlic : Add in some fresh minced garlic for the classic tomato garlic deliciousness.
- Coconut milk : For the velvety creamy texture, we add coconut milk. Plant based gourmet heaven. You can use regular cream as well.
- Sugar : To round up the taste you add some raw sugar especially if the tomatoes are too sour / tart.
- Kosher salt and pepper.
Variations
Spicy : If you like it spicy, a dash of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes will do the kick trick.
Extra Flavors : For more intense flavors, use 1 teaspoon low sodium Better Than Bouillon Vegetable seasoning. Alternatively, you can use 1 teaspoon of All Purpose Seasoning also.
Additional Vegetables : You can add bell peppers especially roasted red bell pepper to the soup mix for more earthy flavors. Mushrooms are also good addition.
To make it with dairy, sauté the vegetables in butter , use 1 cup heavy cream or half and half. And finish it off with parmesan cheese.
How To Make
Pressure cooking makes it super easy to make this Instant Pot Tomato Soup recipe. And it tastes like it has been simmering for much longer time.
- Sauté the onions, carrots, celery and minced garlic in olive oil. Add tomatoes and continue to sauté.
- Add Vegetable broth or water. Pressure cook the mixture. Add seasoning and basil leaves.
- Then blend the mixture using immersion blender.
- Briefly put the soup back on sauté and add coconut milk. This helps coconut milk blending in well without separating. One quick simmer and your bisque/ soup is ready to be devoured.
No Instant Pot? No problem! I have included dutch oven stove-top instructions below the recipe card.
Pro Tips
- When you cook tomatoes in olive oil for some time, it creates more flavorful rich soup or sauce. When you caramelizes the onions and tomatoes with pinch of salt, it brings out true umami flavors in both of them. ( I learned this in Rome, while attending amazing Italian cooking class) So, if possible , sauté the ingredients for about 5 minutes before pressure cooking them.
- Always add cream after the pressure cooking. So it doesn't separate. It also neutralizes the acidity of the Tomato Bisque.
Is it Soup , Bisque or Chowder ?
I am calling it creamy tomato soup. but these dishes are so close to each other. You can make it based on your texture preference. Chowders are typically thicker soups while Bisques are smooth and puréed. The texture of this soup is kind of in between bisque and chowder.
This creamy, plant based and dairy free tomato soup is a delightful mood booster. It is our family favorite, go-to recipe. Lycopene rich tomatoes and fiber rich veggies make this soup highly nutritious and full of antioxidants.
Serving Suggestions
Typically we like this delicious soup with nice grilled cheese sandwiches. You can also serve it with Air Fryer Garlic Toast or Air Fryer Pesto Naan Pizza for scrumptious dinner.
A lot of times, I use the Pot in Pot method and cook Quinoa or white basmati rice along the way. Then I make Turmeric Lemon Rice or Tex Mex Quinoa to go along this soup.
For lighter meal, pair it with Chili Garlic Edamame and Instantpot Roasted Masala Potatoes. Roasted Asparagus, Crispy Cauliflower, Air Fryer Broccoli or Other Air Fryer Roasted Vegetables are great options to serve along.
More Tomato Recipes
Make this soup when your summer garden is flooding with fresh tomatoes. You can also make Tomato Chutney to preserve the tomatoes longer. My family also loves Penne Rosa which is pasta in creamy tomato sauce made with garden fresh tomatoes. For refreshingly cool summer meals, Gazpacho is an excellent choice.
Storage and Reheating
This soup is excellent choice for meal prepping or make ahead meals. Yo can scale the recipe to easily double or triple. You can store the prepared soup in the airtight container, in the refrigerator for 4 days. Reheat in pan until heated through.
One important thing : Don't add coconut milk or cream if you want to freeze the soup. Just prepare it without and add it after you defrost and reheat it. It will prevent the curdling the soup and the texture will be better.
To freeze : Let the soup cool down completely. Then portion it in individual airtight containers and freeze it for up to 3+ months.
Our Popular Soup Recipes
We have array of Instant Pot Soup recipes . Make these easy one pot meals for busy weeknights as well as for meal preps. Vegetable Orzo Soup , Wild Rice Soup and Creamy Gnocchi Soup are delicious and comforting.
Curried Butternut Squash Soup is fall favorite so is Vegetarian Tortilla Soup, Instant Pot Minestrone Soup and Creamy Potato Soup.
Questions?
Typically roma tomatoes, tomatoes on the vine or beefsteak tomatoes are used. You can also make this soup with cheery or grape tomatoes. You can also use variety of tomatoes like diced, peeled or whole if you are using canned tomatoes.
1 cup of this wholesome and dairy free tomato soup has Calories: 175kcal, Carbohydrates: 17g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 11g. It also is good source of vitamin c.
❤️❤️ Follow us on Pinterest , Instagram and Facebook ! We love creating delicious family favorite recipes from around the world. Come Join Us ! ❤️❤️
❤ If you make this ProfusionCurry Recipe, do let us know how you like it by ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Star Rating and commenting below ! ❤
📖 Recipe
Creamy Tomato Soup Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup onion diced
- ½ cup celery sliced
- 1 cup carrots peeled and sliced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh basil chopped
- 6 ripe tomatoes quartered
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1½ cup reduced-sodium broth or water
- 1 teaspoon all purpose seasoning. or Low Sodium Better Than Bullion Vegetable Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon brown or raw sugar optional
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper or to taste
Instructions
How to make Creamy Tomato Soup In Instant Pot
- Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode and heat oil. Add onion, celery, garlic, carrots, tomatoes, basil and salt. Cook for few minute until fragrant.
- Add broth or water and seasoning. Mix well. Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to sealing.
- Set the Instant Pot to Manual/Pressure Cook for 8 minutes. When InstantPot beeps after it's done cooking, wait for 5 minutes on keep warm timer and then release leftover pressure.
- Open the Instant Pot, and carefully puree the soup using an immersion blender.
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Stir in coconut milk and freshly ground black pepper. Saute for few minutes until everything simmers for couple times.
- Ladle the soup into bowls. Add some crusty croutons on top. Sprinkle some cheese, pepper flakes or fresh basil on top. Bon Appetit.
How to make Creamy Tomato Soup on Stove top
- In a medium Dutch pan warm up oil. Add the minced garlic, onions, celery and carrots. Sprinkle some salt and sauté for 5 minutes. Add vegetable broth or water, let it come to boil. Reduce the heat, cover and let it simmer for 20 minutes. The vegetables should become soft and tender.
- Turn off the heat. Add seasoning and basil leaves. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup. Put it back on low heat. Add coconut milk and let it heat though stirring well. Adjust the salt, pepper and seasoning. Ladle the soup in bowl and serve with desired toppings. Enjoy !
Rebecca
Hello! Do you take the seeds out of the tomatoes? Thanks!
Prajakta Sukhatme
Yes. As you cut them , remove the middle portion which is all seeds.
Tisha R
Favorite tomato soup recipe, and I really appreciate that it can be made with fresh or canned tomatoes.