The easiest Tomato Basil Soup EVER and it's so fresh & vibrant. Ready in just 10 minutes and made with only 4 ingredients (plus salt, pepper & optional olive oil).
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"Oh my goodness, this soup is SO easy and SO delicious!! I didn't change a thing from the original recipe and it turned out absolutely perfect!"
- Susan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
The easiest Tomato Basil Soup! The only ingredients are tomatoes, onion, garlic, and basil (plus a little seasoning and optional olive oil).
It's so simple and quick to make. In fact, from start to finish it can be ready in 10 minutes, and as it's cooked so quickly, with no stock, milk, or cream added, that the amazing fresh flavor of the tomato and basil remains fresh, vibrant, and aromatic.
This soup, my tomato fritters, and my cherry tomato sauce are my favorite recipes to make during summer when we have loads of homegrown tomatoes to use up.
Mel x
Ingredients
Here is what you need to make Tomato Basil Soup:
The ingredients list is very short. We're talking just fresh tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, onion, garlic and seasonings. You can use any variety of fresh tomatoes such as plum tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, cherry, grape, vine, beefsteak, etc, or a combination.
IMPORTANT TIP - The better the tomatoes you use, the better your soup will taste. This is a great recipe to use up lots of homegrown or local tomatoes in summer.
How To Make Tomato Basil Soup
In just 10 minutes and a few simple steps, you could be tucking into a bowl of this fresh and delicious Tomato Basil Soup. It's so quick and easy. Here's how it's done:
- Sauté the garlic and onion
- Add the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes until hot and just starting to break down.
- Add the basil and seasoning.
- Blend with an immersion blender in the pan or transfer to a blender (if doing this you might need to work in batches). Blend until smooth. There is no need to cook the soup any longer once the basil is added. Certainly don't let it boil or you will lose much of its flavor.
The only liquid you need for this soup comes from the tomatoes. There is no need to add extra. Cooking the soup this way ensures the flavor stays super fresh and undiluted.
Variations
Prefer a creamier tomato bisque-style soup? Stir through a little store-bought vegan cream, light coconut milk, homemade cashew cream, or even a little cashew milk just before serving and allow to warm through.
If you are looking for a creamy tomato soup made from canned tomatoes give my Vegan Tomato Soup or Instant Pot Tomato Soup a try.
Serving Suggestions
Wondering what goes with Tomato Basil Soup? I love to serve mine with a drizzle of vegan cream or good extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of cracked black pepper. A side of bread and butter or a grilled cheese sandwich would not go amiss. Other accompaniments that work well include:
- A scattering of vegan croutons
- Vegan ricotta or Parmesan cheese
- A swirl of kale pesto
- Thick wedges of Miracle No Knead Focaccia, Sourdough or Light Whole Wheat Bread
- No Yeast White Bread or Yeast-Free Spelt Bread
Tomato Basil Soup Recipe FAQs
No. Just chop them up and throw them in. By the time it's blended, you don't know they are there anyway!
Not for this recipe. It relies on the flavor of the fresh tomatoes too much. The recipe would need a complete overhaul to work well with canned tomatoes. I recommend you try this recipe Vegan Tomato Soup recipe.
I would add a tablespoon or two of tomato paste/puree and 2 to 3 teaspoons of white or cane sugar. Sugar enhances the flavor of food just like salt does and works especially well with tomatoes. It also helps cuts any bitterness. Tomato paste will thicken the soup so you might need to add a drop of water or vegetable broth/stock too.
There are only about 280 calories in the entire pan of this soup. It is very low in fat and calories. You can even make it completely fat-free by omitting the olive oil and sautéing the onions and garlic in a drop of water instead. I've been told it works very well for people following Slimming World and Weight Watchers.
Recipe
Easy Tomato Basil Soup
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil , (for oil-free use a little bit of water)
- 1 medium onion , diced
- 3 large cloves garlic , minced
- 7 cups (49 oz / 1.4 kg) chopped fresh tomatoes , (large, cherry, grape, or a mixture)
- 1 large handful fresh basil , roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt , or to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper , or to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Put the oil in a large pan and heat on medium.
- Once the oil is hot add the onions and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until translucent and just starting to turn golden on the edges. Then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more, stirring frequently.
- Add the chopped tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until the tomatoes are simmering and just starting to break down. The smaller the tomato pieces, the quicker this will happen. Larger chunks might take a couple minutes more.
- Remove from the heat and add the basil, salt and pepper then blend with an immersion blender in the pan, or transfer to a blender, blend then return to the pan for a minute or two to warm up again.
- Serve immediately.
NOTES
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Jessica says
*Disclaimer: I used this recipe as a guideline and kind of went from there with what I know I liked/wanted in a tomato soup :).*
That out of the way...I doubled the recipe, used fresh vine & roma tomatoes along with some canned whole tomatoes, used a combination of olive oil spray + Smart Balance Light -w/ Flaxseed oil (vegan/no freaky hydrogenated oils but adds a slight buttery taste), chopped up 4 large cloves of garlic and also dumped in some pre-minced garlic because I wasn't going to mince 9 garlics, added an entire can of Goya coconut milk for some creaminess, and at the very end when immersion blending I dumped in 4tbsp of nutritional yeast for some cheesiness. I also added fresh basil, dried basil, and a bit of some Italian herb blend for good measure. Oh! Also I accidentally/slightly over-salted my soup because a slip of my hand and thankfully found out I could fix it by adding some sugar...turns out adding 1tbsp of sugar to the soup was an amazing idea and even just a tsp of sugar really makes this soup even better ^^.
The result of this soup was a full-bodied, super creamy, and rich tomato soup that was AMAZING. I'm preparing it the night before but I'm sure it'll get even better overnight. I'm going to serve it alongside a low-calorie bread+Follow Your Heart American grilled cheese sandwich and top the soup with some Go Veggie vegan Mexican cheese blend since that's what I have on hand from a taco soup the other night. I also added in 2cups of veggie broth to cook the tomatoes down in...and figure the soup I have - which I doubled the recipe for - comes at around 10cups- so 5 2-cup servings for me at around 312cal a 2cup serving or something. The higher cal is because of the 2cup serving vs. 1cup serving and because of the added full-fat coconut milk and nooch :). Anyhow, super excited for tomorrow and I'm 100% sure this will be one of those low-calorie meals that don't taste low-calorie! Overall, lovely base recipe that can standalone or be fiddled with to make the ultimate tomato soup ^^.
Note: Also just remembered I simmered my soup for 25mins vs. the 10 to make sure the flavors really melded and left it to cool for an hour before blending and it's currently sitting outside to cool before I put it in the fridge :).
Debbie says
Can this receipe be canned?
A Virtual Vegan says
I have no experience of canning so I don't know. Sorry.
Lindsay says
SO simple and perfectly paired w vegan grilled cheese :) Thanks!
Nancy says
Delicious recipe, turns out good
Sarah says
My house is overflowing with tomatoes and this recipe is so good. I was wondering if you have frozen the soup and if it is still good after freezing? I want to make a huge batch and store it.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you. It freezes really well!
Pat M says
Hi - we made the easy tomato basil soup and loved it but why is the sodium content so high in the nutrition list?
Maggie says
Delicious and so easy. This is a keeper recipe.
Susan Lamb says
Oh my goodness, this soup is SO easy and SO delicious!! I didn't change a thing from the original recipe and it turned out absolutely perfect!!
Anne-Lise says
Hey!!! I never write comments on recipes but just have to say thank you SO much! This recipe was absolutely delicious,healthy, and stupidly easy. I made it with farm fresh tomatoes from a local farmers market. If you have an immersion blender it would be even less cleanup. Can’t wait to explore this blog more. Thank you AGAIN for a delicious lunch on a busy day!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you so much Anne-Lise! I'm really pleased you enjoyed it.
Tina says
Oh my god!! I tried this recipe and it was AMAZING!! I totally came into this with low expectations but WOW!! Thank you so much! I’ll be revisiting this recipe many times
A Virtual Vegan says
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it Tina!
Stephanie says
I am in weight watchers (again lol) and I made this for lunch today after I had gotten to work large boxers of fresh tomatoes from a local grower! This soup was very yummy!!!! Now I will portion out the rest and use for lunch this week!! Thank you!!
Dan Perdios says
Yum Thanks
Jane says
I JUST made this and I am so impressed!! Will definitely become a staple for me. Thank you so much for sharing.
Ethan Thomas says
Tomato soup is always my one of the favorite evening snacks, I never knew that with you can add BASIL leaves also to make more healthy and tasty. Looking very delicious
Lauren Leger says
I made this soup exactly the way it says to and my soup came out very thick and not creamy at all . What could i have done to make it soupier
Una says
oh my goodness!!! This looks absolutely delicious! Would garlic powder work as well? or have to be fresh?
A Virtual Vegan says
Garlic powder would be ok but you will get much better flavour with fresh.
Una says
I bought some fresh today. We’re making it for guests for lunch tomorrow. I’m really excited, I hope it turns out as well as yours