Homemade Tomato Soup is a classic soup recipe made with fresh ripe tomatoes and fresh herbs blended with a hint of cream.
The tomatoes are roasted with a hint of garlic to bring out the natural flavor and then blended to a creamy finish. Velvety rich, jam-packed with flavor, and easy to make!!
Homemade is Best
The best tomato soup recipe is simple and made with fresh ingredients just like this recipe.
This easy soup can be prepared in under an hour making it the perfect weeknight meal!
TOMATOES FOR SOUP
Any kind of tomatoes will work but of course use the ripest, reddest ones you can find as they’ll have the best (and sweetest) flavor. In a pinch you can use canned tomatoes, they won’t have the same flavor as roasted tomatoes but are still great. Use a portion of canned fire-roasted tomatoes for extra flavor.
The tomatoes are roasted along with a bit of red bell pepper. The red pepper adds a bit of sweetness to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes. Cooked carrots will also work (I add shredded carrots to marinara for sweetness too).
How Many Tomatoes in a Pound
Of course, this varies based on the variety of tomato but to give you a general idea here are the approximates. This recipe is forgiving so it is ok if there’s a little bit more or less.
1 lb of tomatoes is approximately (remember you need 3lbs for this recipe):
- 2 large tomatoes
- 3 medium tomatoes
- 4 Roma tomatoes
- 2 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
- 20 cherry tomatoes
How to Make Tomato Soup
- Place tomatoes and peppers on a pan with olive oil and seasonings. Roast until you see a bit of char.
- Bring broth to a boil and add roasted tomatoes.
- Blend using a hand blender until smooth & creamy.
Top with parmesan cheese or a drizzle of heavy cream if you prefer.
If Your Tomatoes Are Too Tart
This recipe calls for heavy cream which is optional. I don’t generally add the cream, however, sometimes tomatoes can be very tart (depending on the variety) so the addition of extra cream can help smooth out the flavor.
Other additions for a tart soup include a shredded carrot cooked with the mixture, pinch of sugar, a couple of pats of butter or some coconut milk (make sure it’s unsweetened).
We often eat tomato soup with a classic Grilled Cheese Sandwich for dipping or topped with croutons and parmesan cheese!
What to Eat with Tomato Soup:
A classic grilled cheese (or Grilled Cheese Roll-Ups) and tomato soup is definitely a favorite!
More Fresh Tomato Recipes
- Tomato Bisque
- Garden Fresh Bruschetta
- Fresh Tomato Salad
- Pico de Gallo
- Cucumber Tomato Salad
- Roasted Tomatoes
- Tomato Pie
Did you enjoy this Fresh Tomato Soup? Leave a rating and a comment below!
Ingredients
- 3 pounds ripe tomatoes
- 4 cloves garlic peeled
- ½ onion diced
- ½ red bell pepper diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and black pepper to taste
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons fresh herbs such as basil, parsley, oregano
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese for garnish, optional
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream optional
- thinly sliced fresh basil leaves for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Wash the tomatoes, or peel them if desired (see notes). Cut smaller apricot sized tomatoes in half and cut larger tomatoes into quarters or eighths.
- Place tomatoes, garlic, onion, bell pepper, olive oil, salt, pepper and dried herbs on a large rimmed baking sheet.
- Roast 25 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes. Turn oven to broil and broil 3-4 minutes or until some of the tomatoes get a little bit of char color on them.
- Bring chicken broth to a boil, add tomatoes, and fresh herbs. Using a blender or hand blender to blend the mixture until smooth and creamy. Add heavy cream if using.
- Top with parmesan cheese, croutons or a drizzle of heavy cream.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Soup
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I used frozen raw tomatoes and roasted them with green peppers. That was a mistake I think because the soup was too acidic. I like your idea of cooking carrots in the soup.
Can this be frozen after made? Or will it be weird with the cream ?
Julie, we haven’t tried it but some readers have had success freezing it. Let us know how it goes!
I made this recipe for the first time. I used whole milk instead of heavy whipping cream and didn’t have any Parmesan cheese on hand. Maybe I used a little too much oregano? I used a bunch of fresh basil. It tasted like pizza sauce to me, not tomato soup. I tried to doctor it up so I could tell myself I am eating tomato soup and not pizza sauce. lol. Not likely to make this again. Maybe the tomatoes weren’t ripe enough? Maybe I should have used vine ripened tomatoes instead of roma tomatoes. I think that would have given more tomato flavor
Hmm, I can’t say why this would be. They do have very similar flavor profiles. Was it too thick? Maybe it needed more chicken broth.
So delicious!! Fresh flavor. Healthy!! I will definitely make this again.
Great tomato soup recipe! Quick, easy and very taste!
I’ve never made tomato soup from scratch before but I had extra tomatoes that were going to go bad. Wow, this soup is full of flavour! I added the cream which I think gives it a beautiful texture. I’ll be saving this recipe and know exactly what I’ll be doing with my tomatoes.
First attempt , and very successful.
Enjoyed by all.
This was an excellent recipe for the abundance of fresh tomatoes I had from my garden. I had frozen my tomatoes after the freeze, and after thawing and using them in this recipe, it was the best tomato soup I’ve ever had. I didn’t have a bell pepper on hand but substituted with carrots (roasted them with the tomatoes) to add a natural sweetener as suggested. I love skipping the step of peeling the tomatoes, and I felt it made a rich thick soup with the peels. I did have to add some more broth to thin it out a bit… I used fresh parsley as the fresh herb. I skipped the parmesan and cream because the soup was so delicious on it’s own. Thank you!
Great soup for when you have a lot of tomatoes
can this be frozen
This soup freezes well before adding cream but the tomatoes can also be frozen after broiling and the soup prepped when ready to enjoy!
I have never made tomato soup before and I am delighted to have come across this recipe. It was amazing. I will make this many many times again! Thank you for posting this lovely content.
not tomatoie enough
Thanks for trying our recipe, Charlotte. For more flavor make sure to broil your veggies until some of the tomatoes get a little bit of char color on them!
Absolutely amazing! Made it per the recipe!