Roasted fresh tomatoes and garlic are blended with basil and coconut cream to make this creamy vegan roasted tomato soup. It’s the perfect cozy lunch or nourishing dinner that’s even better served with a grilled cheese sandwich.
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Growing up, tinned condensed tomato soup was one of the first “meals” (I use the term loosely, haha) that I could make myself, independent of my parents. Campbell’s Soup or Heinz’s Big Red were my go-to for a weekend lunch at home. I was always very proud that my soup would NEVER curdle, while my parents always ended up with a split consistency. My secret was that I perfected the timing of adding the milk. Although I don’t eat dairy anymore, I’ve also applied my experienced touch to this vegan version – the result is a perfectly lush, creamy soup.
I strongly believe that cheese and tomato soup are soulmates, and this pairing should not be skipped. As a kid, I’d add sliced cheese into the soup and let it melt at the bottom of the bowl. Scooping up the rich, stringy melted cheese was one of my favorite parts of the meal. Believe it or not, I’d never tried eating tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich until I visited Denver on a family trip back in 2012. Here, I was introduced to the surprisingly balanced American lunch option of a soup and half sandwich. I couldn’t believe one of my favorite meals could be improved, but here it was! Rich, creamy homemade soup made even more delicious with a grilled cheese sandwich to dunk and soak it up.
So, my childhood nostalgia and travels of my early twenties bring you this tomato soup recipe! It really is a treat for all of your senses. You’ll instantly be drawn to it with comforting and indulgent flavors, garden-fresh aromas, and an enticing red-orange color. One taste, and you’ll never go back to canned tomato soup again!
Don’t believe me? Just check out these 5-star reviews:
Pip says, “Love this recipe! Roasting the tomatoes and garlic makes all the difference. Such a good tip.”
Allison says, “So so good! Never going back to canned tomato soup again 💖”
Jo says, “So delicious! One of my favorite soups <3”
Why you’ll love this roasted tomato basil soup
The grown-up version of a classic – While there’s nothing wrong with canned tomato soup, the classic convenience meal could benefit from a makeover. That’s why my upgraded version features roasted fresh tomatoes and garlic, caramelized onions, and fresh basil. It’s a restaurant-quality dish you’d never guess was easy to make at home!
Garden-fresh flavors – The star of this vegan roasted tomato basil soup is fresh tomatoes. It’s the best recipe to turn to when your garden is overflowing with tomatoes or when you want to use the extras in your fridge. Once roasted, their natural garden-fresh flavors deepen and are perfectly complemented by basil, coconut cream, and broth.
Rich and creamy – This soup is so creamy, rich, and satisfying that you would never guess it’s dairy-free! Coconut cream gives every spoonful a crave-worthy indulgence.
Ingredients
This is my favorite tomato soup not only for its comforting flavors but also because of the fresh, easy-to-find ingredients.
This is everything you need:
- Fresh tomatoes – Making tomato soup with fresh tomatoes is the only way to go. They’re tart, plump, juicy, and always yield the best-tasting soup! Use any fresh tomatoes you can get your hands on, like cherry tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, etc.
- Garlic – An entire head of garlic is roasted alongside the tomatoes. It’s heavenly!
- Fresh basil leaves – They’re blended right into the soup, giving every spoonful a burst of refreshing flavor. You can use dry basil in a pinch, but it isn’t as intense as the fresh leaves.
- Vegan butter or ghee
- Onions – Like in my Vegan French Onion Soup, caramelized onions give the tomato soup the most robust savory flavor.
- Vegetable stock
- Coconut cream – If you can’t find canned coconut cream, use the creamy white part in full-fat coconut milk instead.
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- Grilled cheese sandwich – now, this is optional, but it really takes this from an appetizer to a filling main meal. Plus, it’s so satisfying to dunk crispy cheesy bread into this soup – the contrasting textures of stringy melted cheese, thick creamy soup, and crunchy toasted bread are just so more-ish. If you want to go all out, make your sandwich with sourdough bread for a tangy flavor and firm crust.
How to make homemade tomato soup with fresh tomatoes
Making roasted tomato soup from scratch is more work than canned soup, but I promise the effort will be well worth it!
Learn how it’s done with these step-by-step instructions:
Step one: Lay the tomatoes and garlic on a large roasting tray, then season them with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Step two: Roast the vegetables until the tomatoes are bursting and blistered.
Step three: Meanwhile, caramelize the sliced onions in a large pot with the melted vegan butter or ghee. You’ll know they’re ready when they have a deep golden color.
Step four: Add the roasted tomatoes and garlic cloves to the pot with the onions. Add the vegetable stock to the pot and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the coconut cream and fresh basil, then blend with a handheld immersion blender until smooth.
Step five: Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with grilled cheese on the side. Enjoy!
Recipe tips and variations
- To preserve flavor – I like to roast the unpeeled garlic cloves and the whole tomatoes on the vine.
- Have patience when caramelizing the onions – It can take around 20 minutes to develop a rich flavor and brown color.
- If you don’t have an immersion blender – Blend the soup in batches using a high-powered blender instead.
- If you can’t have coconut products – Cashew cream (made from blended cashews and water) will make the soup just as rich and creamy. Non-dairy milk should also work as a replacement, but your soup won’t be as thick.
- Add more vegetables – Try roasting more vegetables with tomatoes and garlic, like bell peppers, carrots, zucchini, cauliflower, or sweet potatoes.
Serving suggestions
Garnishing each bowl of soup with a drizzle of extra coconut cream and some small or torn basil leaves makes this look like it’s come straight out of a restaurant kitchen.
And if you want to make this soup into a filling meal, a grilled cheese sandwich is the best partner for tomato soup. If you want to make a vegan version that melts, then make my freezer-friendly melty vegan cheese – it’s what I used in my video and is perfect for grilled cheese sandwiches. Dunk your sandwich into the soup and enjoy!
For a delicious and easy soup to warm up during cooler months, try vegan corn potato chowder. This simple recipe is the ultimate comfort food for the soul.
FAQs
You can make tomato soup with almost any kind of tomato you love. There are plenty of varieties to choose from! As a general rule, it’s best to use ripe tomatoes with vibrant colors because they tend to have the most intense garden-fresh flavor.
This recipe also works with canned tomatoes in a pinch. They won’t be as fresh-tasting but will still give you a tasty soup.
The leftovers will stay fresh for 4 to 5 days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge. The consistency of the soup tends to thicken as it cools, but you can fix this by stirring in a splash of vegetable broth if needed.
Yes, leftover tomato soup freezes very well. Once it’s cool, transfer it to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating in a pot on the stove or microwave
Watch me make this recipe
Are you more of a visual learner? Watch me make the tomato soup in the video below.
I hope you enjoy this creamy tomato soup. Be sure also to try out Cheezy Broccoli Soup, Yellow Pea Soup with Basil Pesto, Vegan Lasagna Soup or even the viral Healthy Instant Noodle Soup, which got over 4 million views on Instagram (it’s the perfect meal prep for office lunches).
Let me know what you think in the comments below 😊
Creamy Roasted Tomato Basil Soup (Vegan)
Equipment
- immersion stick blender
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg fresh tomatoes
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves packed
- 2 tbsp butter or ghee plant based
- 2 brown onions thinly sliced
- 250 ml vegetable stock
- 200 ml canned coconut cream
- olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
To serve
- coconut cream
- basil leaves torn
- grilled cheese sandwiches
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C.
- Place unpeeled garlic cloves and the whole tomatoes, still on the vine, into a large roasting tray. Coat with a generous lug of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Roast for 25-30 minutes until the tomatoes are bursting and blistered.
- While the tomatoes are roasting, caramelise the onion. In a large pot, heat butter or ghee over low-medium heat. Add sliced onion and stir to coat, then leave to caramelize, stirring occasionally every few minutes to avoid burning. Once the onions are a deep golden color (about 20 minutes), take them off the heat.
- Once tomatoes and garlic are done roasting, remove the vine from the tomatoes and peel the garlic cloves, being careful not to burn your fingers. Add tomatoes and garlic to the pot with the onions, then pour in vegetable stock. Blitz until smooth with a handheld immersion blender.
- Place the soup onto medium heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and stir through coconut cream.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, then garnish with a drizzle of coconut cream and basil leaves. Serve with a toasted cheese sandwich on the side.
Video
Jo C says
So delish! One of my favourite soups <3
Allison says
So so good! Never going back to canned tomato soup again 💖
Carey says
Love this recipe. Sharing it with my friends. Going to try more each week.
Tiffany Castle says
I don’t usually add anything creamy to my tomato soups – but coconut could be interesting.
Pip says
Love this recipe! Roasting the tomatoes and garlic makes all the difference, such a good tip
sarah says
Delectable!!
Hong Nguyen says
Gonna try this, looks awesome!