This deliciously creamy tomato soup recipe is rich, smooth and can be made vegan and dairy-free! An easy recipe that gives serious tomato soup childhood nostalgia while using whole foods, it's both a healthy yet indulgent and comforting soup.
My husband does not cook, he will tell you himself he can only cook two things well: smoothies and this easy, creamy tomato soup.
I literally keep cans of tomatoes so he can make this exact soup whenever I'm feeling really sick, really down, or really cold, along with a hot mug of cinnamon ginger tea.
An insanely simple recipe, he simmers tomatoes with some good flavorful chicken broth, herbs and spices, then blends it up in the blender until it is super smooth and the taste reminds me of a better version of Campbell's Tomato Soup. It's still got plenty of that coziness but it's a million times more flavorful.
One taste and you'll never go back to the store-bought canned stuff! It's a bowl of perfectly velvety tomato soup made with love, y'all. It's one of my all time favorite recipes. Serve with some toasted crusty bread or use that bread to make bomb grilled cheese sandwiches to dip right into the hot soup.
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How to Make Homemade Campbell's Tomato Soup from Scratch
The biggest thing I love about this recipe is that it is very versatile. Not only is it perfect for the dead of winter, but it's fantastic to have in the early fall/late summer when you're harvesting fresh tomatoes in your garden and soup weather is slowly starting to creep into the evenings and Starbucks releases the pumpkin spice latte again.
To make this the best cream of tomato soup, you'll need to use good tomatoes, so when using canned ones try looking for high quality tomatoes like San Marzano tomatoes.
The basic gist of the recipe is a three step process: sauté, simmer, and blend. Super easy.
Saute the onions and garlic in olive oil in a large soup pot or a coated dutch oven with a little salt and pepper over medium heat so nothing burns. Add the herbs to infuse the oil with more flavor while the onions gain some color. The garlic is whole so we don't need to worry about it burning.
Then add the tomatoes, juice and all. You can use whatever type of canned tomatoes you can find: pureed, diced, whole, halved. Just don't use sun-dried or tomato sauce.
Simmer, simmer, for up to an hour. This helps reduce your soup to make it a little thicker, and basically you want the soup to end up nappé or thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and stay separated when you run a finger over the spoon. At that point, add in a half cup of cream or milk, taste and season with salt and pepper, and add in a little sugar and baking soda if you feel it needs it.
Next step is to blend it up. I like a really creamy soup, so I put the soup into my blender until nice and smooth.
Pro Tip: Blend in small batches, or use an immersion blender.
Hot soup in a regular blender needs space at the top because the heat and movement could cause the lid to pop off if it's not secured and hot soup will fly. So small batches, people!
You can also use an immersion blender and blend the soup in the pot (heat off), which is great if you love a chunkier soup. Don't have a blender? No problem, use a food processor instead and remember, the 'small batch' rule still applies.
Then serve! Ladle that cream of tomato goodness into big soup bowls and garnish with fresh basil, parmesan cheese if you want, and dunk in some gooey grilled cheese. We're all still five at heart, y'all.
You'll Need...
Canned Tomatoes or Fresh Whole Tomatoes. I like using canned whole San Marzano tomatoes, they have a much lower acidity due to the type of soil they're grown in and are sweeter, even. But in the summer, if you grow some of the best fresh roma tomatoes (which are my preference to use in tomato soup) use them!
Yellow Onions and Garlic. Flavor, people! Flavor. You don't need to do a lot of chopping here, everything is going to be blended up and pressed through a sieve. Leave the garlic whole, and quarter the onions. An easy breezy recipe shouldn't involve a lot of chopping!
Chicken Broth or Vegetable Stock. Keep it vegan or vegetarian by using a good-flavored vegetable stock instead of chicken broth. You'll also need add some water to the soup for simmering.
Olive Oil. Love the flavor olive oil brings to our pot of soup. Savory-cooking wise, there is nothing that smells better than garlic and onions sizzling away in olive oil.
Herbs. I'm a more recent plant mom, so fresh basil is a love in my easy creamy tomato soup, not only to blend up in there, but also to use as a beautiful garnish. That technically makes this creamy tomato basil soup, but you don't have to use it if it's not your thing. Dried herbs are great, too, remember that they are more potent flavorwise than the fresh stuff. Keep that in mind and always taste your food while cooking.
Baking Soda. If you're using canned tomatoes that are more acidic or are someone who can't handle tomato well, try adding a little baking soda at the end of cooking. It neutralizes some of the acid.
A little pinch of brown sugar. Look, there are some who hate the sugar, and some who love. I'm a lover of it; it reminds me of eating the can of soup with grilled cheese as a little girl. A little of that sweetness, you know? Also, taste, taste, taste your food, guys! Season as you like.
Heavy Cream, Coconut Milk, or other non-dairy milk. A rich homemade creamy tomato soup needs some sort of creamy goodness, and I know there are plenty of us with lactose issues or special diets or even just want to keep this recipe in our back pocket for some healthy eating.
And of course, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Season your food, people!
Pro Tips
Use a non-reactive pot! Tomato is highly acidic and using pots made of cast iron, aluminum, or copper (which react to tomatoes) will made your soup taste very metallic, and no amount of baking soda will save that. Use a stainless steel or enamel-coated cast iron dutch oven. I use this 6 qt dutch oven pot and it works like a charm.
Don't have a high-powered blender? Help it out a bit by using tomato puree or diced tomatoes and dicing the onions. Remember to do the batching technique I talked about earlier, don't overwhelm your appliances.
Want uber-thick soup? Use a cornstarch slurry! After blending the soup, add it back to the pot over medium high heat. Mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon cold water together in a small bowl, then stir it into the pureed soup. Watch how fast it thickens up.
For even more flavor, add parmesan cheese! I personally love throwing in a parmesan rind (keep them in the freezer for such occasions! Great in soups, chilis, and stews!) but you can grate it right into the blended soup or garnish with it.
Want your soup to taste like it's been simmering for hours? Stir in 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, which has an earthier, more developed and concentrated tomato flavor. This is great especially if you find your soup is just missing a little bit of something.
Need a great twist on leftovers? Grab some tortellini and rotisserie chicken and make some Chicken Tomato Tortellini Soup. So filling and hearty!
FAQ's
Of course! You'll need to sub 4 cups of chopped fresh tomatoes for a 28 ounce can of tomatoes.
Always make sure that you aren't using a reactive pot.
Reactive cookware: a cast iron pot that's not enamel coated, copper cookware, or aluminum cookware.
I always choose my trusty enamel-coated dutch oven when I make tomato soup!
If your tomatoes were acidic, and it's not the cookware, add a little more baking soda (about ½ teaspoon) to neutralize more of the acid. Give a taste, and repeat if needed. You may need to season a little more once you're happy with the acidity.
This soup is super fast to make and easy to make days ahead, just blend in the cream just before serving! There is more information in the Storing and Freezing section of this post, but all you need to do is make it, store it, reheat, and add the cream as per the recipe.
This is much healthier than the canned soup. Made from scratch with plenty of vegetables, fresh herbs, and comforting soupy goodness.
It's gluten-free and can even be vegan and low-fat if you omit the heavy cream or use whatever non-dairy milk you like. Keep in mind that stronger flavors like coconut can change the flavor a little. Oat milk is my non-dairy preference to use in place of the cream.
Absolutely! I would suggest to freeze the soup separate from the cream because most people are afraid it'll curdle. But if you reheat your tomato soup after thawing on low or medium low heat until warmed through, stirring frequently, then everything will be just fine.
Storing and Freezing
Storing in the fridge is simple: keep the soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
I get a ton of questions asking about freezing tomato soup. Can you freeze creamy tomato soup or will it curdle? The answer: Yes, you totally can freeze it and no, it won't curdle. You just need to be careful in reheating it.
First, decide on whether to add cream while you're cooking. Are you making tomato soup as a freezer meal? Add the cream when you reheat it. If it wasn't planned, you can still freeze and reheat.
First let the soup cool to room temperature before pouring into a freezer safe, airtight container or freezer-safe zip top bag. I would suggest double bagging with the zip top bags just to stay safe from any accidental soup leaks. The soup will stay good in the freezer for up to 6 months.
To thaw the soup, thaw it in the fridge and then reheat on the stove top over medium-low heat, whisking well occasionally to keep the cream from separating. Serve once it's warmed through.
I don't suggest microwaving to thaw or reheat the soup from frozen, it will curdle the cream and make it separate.
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Easy Campbell's Tomato Soup Copycat
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 medium Yellow Onion, peeled and quartered
- 5 cloves Garlic, peeled, smashed but still whole
- 2 28 oz can San Marzano Tomatoes
- 4 cups Chicken Broth or Vegetable Stock
- 2 cups Water
- 2 dried Bay Leaves
- 1 sprig fresh Basil, or ½ teaspoon dried Basil
- Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste
- 1 or 2 tablespoon Brown Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- Up to ½ cup Heavy Cream or Non-Dairy Milk
Instructions
- Heat olive oil n a large enamel-coated dutch oven over medium heat. Add in onion and whole garlic cloves, sprinkle in ½ teaspoon salt and pepper and sauté for 5 minutes, until onion begins to become translucent and brown a little. Throw in the basil near the end of sautéing the onions.
- Pour in tomatoes and their juice, chicken broth, water, and bay leaves. Stir together well, and allow the tomato soup to come to a simmer.
- After soup begins to simmer, turn heat down to medium low to continue simmering. Cover the pot with lid, and simmer for at least 30 mins up to an hour.
- After 30 mins, season with kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and brown sugar to taste. Start with 2 teaspoons of sugar and work up to your preferred sweetness.
- If the soup tastes too acidic for your liking, stir in the baking soda.
- Pour the heavy cream or non-dairy milk into the soup to make it creamy.
- Blend the tomato soup smooth, if desired, by pouring soup (in small batches) into a blender or food processor, or taking the pot off the heat and using an immersion blender to carefully blend the soup smooth.
- If not using a high-powered blender, use a mesh sieve over a large bowl to strain the skin and seeds out.
- Serve hot in a large soup bowl.
- Store the creamy tomato soup in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
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