The easiest Tomato Basil Soup EVER and it's so fresh & vibrant. Made with just 4 ingredients (plus salt, pepper & optional olive oil) and it only takes 10 minutes to make!
This Easy Tomato Basil Soup is for those times when I am feeling virtuous and when I don't have much time. Just like my vegan vegetable soup, it is so incredibly easy to make and takes only about ten minutes from start to finish.
The flavours of this Tomato Basil Soup are fresh, vibrant and untainted. The only ingredients are tomatoes, onion, garlic and basil (plus a little oil and seasoning). It's so simple!
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I just love easy soup recipes. This and my Vegan Pea Soup are my go-to's when I need dinner or lunch on the table super quick.
Because it is cooked so quickly the amazing fresh flavour of the tomato is retained and the pungent flavour of the basil is conserved by adding it at the very last moment before serving.
The resulting soup is fresh, aromatic and incredibly healthy. The taste of the fresh basil is amazing! No stock, plant-milk or cashew cream is added to this soup. The liquid comes only from the tomatoes which makes the flavour so much better. Because of this, it isn't a rich, creamy tomato soup. It's a really vibrant and healthy one.
If you want a creamy more indulgent recipe try my Instant Pot Tomato Soup and don't worry if you don't have an Instant Pot you can make it on a stove top too.
Low fat & Slimming World friendly
There are only about 280 calories in the entire pan of this soup and it is very low in fat. It can even be made totally fat free by omitting the olive oil and sautéing the onions and garlic in a drop of water instead.
If you follow the Slimming World diet plan you will also be pleased to know that this soup is syn free (if you omit the oil).
Are tomatoes good for you?
Tomatoes are a great source of lycopene which protects us from destructive free radicals which can harm cells and damage DNA. Cooking your tomatoes in a little healthy fat such as olive oil helps carry the lycopene into the bloodstream so that our bodies can benefit from it so I do recommend using a little oil as stated in the recipe if you can.
As well as being a good source of lycopene, tomatoes are full of many other vitamins and minerals. They are known to protect against heart disease, prostate cancer and asthma and they also help to ensure our bones, teeth, skin and hair stay healthy.
So you get all of those benefits and it's so incredibly quick and easy to make. There really is no excuse not to eat a healthy meal when you can whip up something like this in such a short space of time.
How to make tomato 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 and can be super cheap to make too when tomatoes are in season, or if you have a greengrocer like mine who always has big packs of them on quick sale.
- Step 1 - Sauté the garlic and onion
- Step 2 - Add the tomatoes and cook until they start breaking down
- Step 3 - Add the basil and seasoning, transfer to a blender and blend until smooth or blend it right up in the pan with an immersion blender.
You'll notice that once the tomatoes, onion and garlic are cooked up together in a pan, they are all blended up with the fresh basil then served immediately. You can use a blender or an immersion blender. Either is fine.
The higher-powered your blender is, the smoother the result. When I took the photos for this recipe I was using a pretty low quality one so it wasn't perfectly smooth. Now I have a Blendtec it emerges like velvet. A good blender is such a great investment if you like soups and smoothies!
There is no need to cook the soup any longer once the basil is added. It keeps the flavours really fresh and delicious if you just blend and serve.
How to serve
Serve this wonderful Easy Tomato Basil Soup with a drizzle of good olive oil and a sprinkle of cracked black pepper. it's also greta with a dollop of vegan ricotta and plenty of fresh bread available for dipping.
It is wonderful with my Miracle No Knead Focaccia on the side.
If you prefer a more traditional bread recipe there is always my Light Whole Wheat Bread, which is the one you can see in the photographs of the soup (except that one has some seeds added as an extra).
Tomato Basil Soup is also fab with grilled cheese sandwiches. Comfort food at it's finest! It's great in a Thermos for winter packed lunches too!
Hungry for more?
For more great vegan soup recipes check out these great options:
- Vegan Potato Soup
- Vegan Tortilla Soup
- Vegan Italian Sausage Pasta Soup
- Vegan Pea Soup
- Creamy Vegan Carrot Soup
Did you make this recipe?
Be sure to rate it and leave a review below!
📖 Recipe
Easy Tomato Basil Soup
Author:Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil optional, you can use a drop of water to sauté instead to keep the recipe oil free
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 large cloves of garlic chopped very finely I like lots of garlic so used 4 but adjust to suit your tastes
- 7 cups / 1400 g of chopped fresh tomatoes see recipe notes
- 1 handful of basil leaves and stalks are fine
- 2 teaspoons salt adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon pepper adjust to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat a pan over a medium heat and add the oil or a couple tablespons of water.
- When hot add the onions and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes until just starting to turn golden.
- Add the chopped tomatoes. Continue to cook over a medium heat, stirring every few minutes until the tomatoes have broken down and are soft.
- Remove from the heat and add basil and salt and pepper then blitz in a blender or with a stick immersion blender until smooth.
- Serve immediately.
NOTES
NUTRITION
Nutritional information is provided for convenience & as a courtesy. The data is a computer generated estimate so should be used as a guide only.
wendy says
It seems as though the same ingredients as marinara sauce. Can it be used for either?
A Virtual Vegan says
Made like this it would be way too liquidy. You could reduce it in a pan with no lid for a long while though until it was thicker like marinara.
Alejandra Paz says
I loved this recipe. You can be generous with the tomatoes or basil depending on taste. I highly recommend! My boyfriend was impressed since it was delicious the first time around!
Lynn Marie says
Recipe is very good, but 5 min prep time is inaccurate. I am not slow with the knife, but an onion, 4 cloves of fresh garlic, and 7 cups of tomatoes (I used big ones, and it took 10) took way longer than 5 mins. Leave yourselves enough time.
CeeCee says
So, so good. I make a big batch of this most Sunday mornings. This makes me think of Pret tomato soup (my favourite). I’ve found the results really do depend on the quality of the tomatoes, so the times I use less-than-great ‘maters, I make a couple of tweaks - a squeeze or two of Bomba purée and a couple of fresh, uncooked tomatoes as the soup goes into the blender seems to make the soup ‘brighter’.
Either way, results are always yummy.
A Virtual Vegan says
Glad you're enjoying it!
Kristin says
Do you leave the peels on?
A Virtual Vegan says
Yes unless you want to peel them all. I think life's too short for that and by the time it's all blended up you don't know they are there anyway.
Tania says
Are the cooking times the same if I use canned tomatoes?
A Virtual Vegan says
This recipe is designed to use fresh tomatoes. It hasn't been tested with canned and it probably won't be as nice. Cooking time would remain the same though. This recipe uses canned tomatoes https://avirtualvegan.com/instant-pot-tomato-soup/ (It has stove top as well as Instant Pot instructions).
Gil says
Super easy and was a great use for extra tomatoes from a holiday party!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm really pleased you enjoyed it!
Natalie says
Just made this today. Super easy and delicious! I will definitely be making this again!
Carol says
Can this soup be frozen
A Virtual Vegan says
Yes it should be fine.
Shanequa says
I made this soup this evening and it came out great. I actually added cashews that I soaked in hot water to thicken the soup. I struggled a little bit trying to figure out how many tomatoes to use but it all worked out. I will definitely make this again.
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm glad you enjoyed it. Not sure why you struggled with the tomatoes because an exact weight for them is given. Maybe you missed it?
VJ says
Why doesn't anyone (including you) write the ingredients immediately above the recipe any more? This is not an improvement.
Melanie McDonald says
I'm not entirely sure what you mean. The ingredients are all listed immediately above the recipe instructions. I've never changed the format in the almost 5 years I've had my website.
boog says
This soup was way too thick, it needed 2 cups of broth before it had the consistency of a tomato soup. I would also recommend considerably more seasoning , oregano, basil, thyme and a little rosemary and crushed red pepper flakes.
Marge says
Plant based, no oil here. Along with my daughter and 11 year old grandson. I had my grandson taste test for me. He tested till it was gone. A winner!
Melanie McDonald says
Ha ha! Always a good sign. Glad he enjoyed it!
marjorie feiner says
This is delicious. I made it with the foccacia and the bread was perfect with this soap. What a great way to use all the tomatoes from the garden. So easy and quick and yummy.
Melanie McDonald says
I'm really pleased you enjoyed both recipes. Thank you Marjorie!
Connie Miller says
My husband love tomato basil soup. I was wondering if it could be canned. I'm going to try it because I have a lot of tomatoes.
Melanie McDonald says
I don't really have any experience of canning so can't say. Sorry!
Carrie says
Have you tired freezing this?
A Virtual Vegan says
I haven't but I think it will be fine. You will lose a bit of the fresh basil flavour but you could always add a little more when you reheat it if you wanted to.
Deena Fried says
do you peel the tomatoes?
A Virtual Vegan says
No, no need to peel them. It's a super quick and easy soup with no fussy prep. By the time they get blended up you wouldn't know the skins were there!
Erica says
Can I make this in advance and chill it? Do you think?
A Virtual Vegan says
Yes you could. Be sure to reheat it quite gently and don't allow it to boil as you'll lose the lovely fresh basil flavour otherwise.
Carolyn says
What is the measurement of one serving? I am making a large amount fir a wedding and want to make the right amount.
A Virtual Vegan says
The recipe serves about 4 - 6 people. It's impossible to be exact as it depends how juicy your tomatoes are, and a serving size of soup is so subjective. The nutritional info is based on the entire recipe serving 6.
Dominika says
Thank you so much for this recipe. It saved my day today!
Btw. I used canned tomatoes, it worked really well :)
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm glad it worked well with canned tomatoes!
Barbara says
Made this tonight, it is delicious! I roasted the onions before adding to the pot with garlic and a bit of tomato paste. Loved the consistency at the end. Thanks for sharing!
Cathy says
This is excellent, simple to make soup! Never had real Tomato soup until you have tasted this!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Cathy. I'm so pleased you enjoyed it!