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’m sorry but this was the most watered down tomato soup I’ve ever had. I had to add three cups of marinara and re-emulsify the soup just to get the taste of tomato in it.
Oh no! Sorry to hear that Nikki. I have made this many times and never had this issue. Were your tomatoes very ripe? Since this recipe is largely just tomatoes it’s important to use ripe tomatoes as that is where all the flavor comes from. I hope this helps!
it’s only 90 degrees today in Iowa. saw this recipe and had to try it with some tomatoes I had that were about to go bad. OMG…this is fabulous! will be making it often.
my first try at tomato soup and i must say it is super delicious !!!
i now consider myself an expert tomato soup maker!! i can’t wait to make it for my friends.
oh, i had no fresh herbs named in the recipe, only dried ones. however, i had fresh cilantro (coriander) so i used some. i believe it worked perfectly.
What a delicious soup! I love the addition on red peppers and onions. I added half and half as that’s what I had and it turned out well. I used Roma tomatoes. Thanks for the recipe!
Good
just made this, turned out excellent, bold flavors, healthy to eat, I feel like I could order this at a high end restaurant. and I made it myself! thank you, your so smart
YUM! This has such a good flavour, and is thick and creamy- nothing at all like store bought versions! On top of that it was so quick and easy. I can’t wait until I can make this with garden fresh produce next year, it’s the perfect recipe to highlight some homegrown tomatoes!
I did have to put the soup thru a strainer as my immersion blender didn’t catch all the tomato skin. Delicious recipe!
love the taste
WOW! This was outstanding! SO delicious!! My husband doesn’t like fresh tomatoes, but really enjoys a good tomato soup. He had a bowl of homemade tomato soup at a restaurant 4 days ago; they also sell their delicious soup. Well, I was determined to make our own, and make it better – this recipe accomplished it all, and beyond! My husband said he’d eat fresh tomatoes made like this anytime, especially so flavorful and very satisfying! We used the 1/2 cup heavy cream, including some drizzled for garnish; and fresh Parmesan for garnish; also pink salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. We followed this well instructed recipe thoroughly. We just didn’t have the fresh herbs on hand; just used more of our dried herbs (including our dried homegrown Basil) as called for in the chicken broth (we used Costco’s organic chicken stock, but have made our own chicken broth before). Many thanks for this very delicious and intuitive recipe made with fresh tomatoes! We’re so pleased with the very tasty result! I’ll even make homemade Shepherd’s pie later, using our homemade tomato soup leftovers!
I am so happy to hear that you loved this recipe Catherine!
Very, very good tomato soup! AND, used up some of the extra tomatoes from the garden….win…win! It may be my new favorite tomato soup!! I believe that the chicken broth tames the acidity of the tomatoes. I didn’t use the cream, but I did use a dollop of Herbed Cream Cheese.
I made this exactly as written with fresh beefsteak and Roma tomatoes from our garden. It turned out perfectly! I’ll be making it again, for certain. Thank you.
can this be froze? ty
Hi Cathy, we have frozen it and it works well. I would add the cream when reheating though.
Delicious!! I used a little leftover canned tomatoes, half a red onion and some green onions that were getting wilty, didn’t have the fresh herbs so doubled up on dried and plenty of salt – SO yummy!!
Are the tomatoes peeled
Hi Jane, we do not peel the tomatoes for this soup. Enjoy!
I didnt add any cream but I did add a teaspoon of sugar to balance the acid and was delicious! just sprinkled some parmesan on top
Easy and delicious. I added an extra garlic glove and omitted the fresh herbs because I didn’t have any on hand. Used my high speed blender as I did not have an immersion blender.
do you deseed the tomato?
No need to deseed the tomatoes. Enjoy Joel!
let you know how it turns out. my first tomato soup!
I can’t wait to hear what you think and I hope you love it as much as I do!
I want to update my last comment in the upper portion of the recipe it did not list the broth but then as I scrolled down below all the other recipe ideas I did find the full recipe and looking forward to making it
Although this sounds very good, you did not mention what broth to use in the recipe.
Yes she did, chicken broth