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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We made this from fresh tomatoes from our garden and it was amazing. I was worried about the skin and seeds, but it tastes flavorful, so I didn’t mind them, and barely noticed it. Thanks for sharing this go-to recipe!
What about the seeds?
We don’t de-seed the tomatoes so they go straight into the soup.
I have tried many different version tomato soup but this is definitely my all time favorite. I’ve made this at least one a month since I’ve found this recipe. 10/10!!!
super easy, healthy, delicious
This is the absolute best homemade tomato soup recipe I have ever had. Last year I had so many tomatoes. I wasn’t sure what I was gonna do with them so I was giving a lot of them away and then came across this. It’s a winner. I will make homemade tomato soup every single Fall so that I can enjoy a nice cup of it in the cold winter months with a grilled cheese sandwich. Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe✝️
So happy to hear you are enjoying it, Elizabeth! I love making this with my garden fresh tomatoes too.
Can you freeze the soup or does it have to be eaten immediately? Asking because my garden is crazy and would love to have some for the future also
This soup freezes well before adding cream but the tomatoes can also be frozen after broiling and the soup prepped when ready to enjoy!
EXCELLENT!! This is definitely a keeper.
This soup was a hit in our house. I used fresh peppers, tomatoes and herbs from our backyard garden and doubled the recipe. I added the cream simply because we prefer a bisque and served it with grilled ham and cheese on texas toast. Also garnished the soup with shredded parmesan cheese, and croutons! Delicious, thanks Holly!
I also found it bland and too thin for my taste. I added a can of Fire roasted tomatoes w/garlic, extra salt, and some corn starch and blended again in food processor. That really helped. But I loved the roasted taste of tomatoes so next time I will add more fresh tomatoes. It’s too easy to give up on after one try.
I printed this recipe in 2021 and have not looked back. So much so that in March/24 I had to come back and comment. This soup is so delicious I make it every 1-2 months. Sometimes with cream and sometimes without, the only other change if it is one, I use Herbs de Provence as the herbs and then fresh basil. Love Love Love this soup!
I made this soup recipe for supper tonight and followed the recipe to a T. It was very bland and had no flavor, I was very disappointed, was looking forward to making this again and again. Will have to keep looking for a GOOD tomato soup recipe.
Can you please give Vitamin A in milligrams? IU isn’t useful to me for my nutrition tracking app.
Our nutrition information is an estimate. We recommend inputting your exact ingredients into a tracker like MyFitnessPal for more accurate information. I hope that helps!
Easy and delicious fantastic!!
I used five (5) cloves of garlic, the heavy cream as listed, and a 1/4 cup of white cooking wine. The family loves this recipe. Thanks, J. D. from Charlotte, NC.
This is a simple, straightforward recipe that is so easy to follow and the soup is DELICIOUS. Better than anything in a can. I ended up adding a little more salt than listed, but I know that’s always subjective. I absolutely LOVE that there’s NO blanching, peeling, or deseeding the tomatoes–and you would have no idea because the finished product is so smooth and creamy! In fact, my partner thought I’d spent hours making this precisely because they assumed I had to peel and de-seed (and I absolutely didn’t). I’m definitely making this again!
As a note: I used a Vitamix blender to cream it.
I have always wanted to try and make tomato soup. It was easy and delicious.
Are you supposed to blend the onions, garlic, and pepper with the broth as well or only the tomatoes?
Yes the onions, garlic, and pepper are blended with the broth as well Let us know how it turns out for you!
Excellent, will make again.
Simple and very tasty !
This was easy to put together and the taste was great !
I made this soup last night and it was amazing. I didn’t have some of the ingredients (basil or red pepper) but it turned out delicious. I used thyme and oregano as herbs and home grown tomatoes. Next time I will plan ahead and have all of the ingredients on hand.
This soup is so good! For me and my family I added more garlic (two heads for me) and a bit more bell pepper but other than that and veggie instead of chicken broth, it’s the same and was a smash hit with a grilled cheese sandwich with extra basil. Apparently I need to make it again because everyone loved it! Thanks so much!