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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Excellent Recipe, I used a Parmesan cheese rind in place of loose cheese added a depth of flavor!
Can this soup be canned in a hot water bath?
I don’t have experience with canning so I can’t say for certain.
I tried this and it was so easy and so delicious…thanks for sharing
Came out nice and creamy, but the bell pepper flavor seems pretty overpowering to me. That’s not really what I wanted so I’m going to try again without them. I also used pre-minced garlic and saw that it’s better to add it to the broth so I’ll also do that next time.
Recipe did not come out great for me. Probably user error. Didn’t have a lot of flavor.
How disappointing Melanie. If it didn’t have a lot of flavor, it could be the tomatoes themselves. To save the soup, you could try adding some tomato paste and fresh herbs. I hope that helps!
This recipe was very easy and yummy! I do have a few comments though. I’m not sure if this was a my tomato problem, but the skins ended up not blending well with an immersion blender. I decided to strain the soup and then blend all that was strained to put it back in and that worked well. Another note I have is that this definitely was not 6 servings. I would say 3 very small servings, which was not enough to feed my family so I’m not sure what happened there. Other than that, it was so beyond delicious!
I’m really eager to try this, but wanting to pressure can it- do you think this will work? Have you tried before?
I have never tried pressure canning this recipe but maybe another reader can give you some guidance.
I followed exactly as written. The only change is I used vegetable stock. It was the easiest, tastiest, creamiest tomato soup ever! I shared with my friend, coworkers and niece.
One tip. I used my handheld blender and it was still gritty. I ended up pulling out my Vitamix and it came out so creamy.
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do i add all the liquid from the tomatoes after they have been roasting?
Yes, the liquid should also be added.
delicious, so easy & a fabulous way to use my abundant tomato crop that I was lucky to have this year! I roasted the tomatoes the night before so I could blend them, cooled ,more easily in my blender . I just added milk to create the consistency I like( I was out of cream) & a touch of sugar to soften the acidity. I especially loved that no peeling of tomatoes was necessary to get the correct consistency. This will definitely be added to my abundant recipe collection from Holly, thank you!
I’m going to use this recipe for the tomato overflow from my garden. My kid is a tomato soup connoisseur and he’s sure to love it. I want to store it for easy access this winter. Would you recommend freezing or canning?
I have tried the tomato soup recipe and it was excellent!
We’ve made this recipe twice now, and the whole family loves it! I appreciate how easy, delicious and healthy this soup is. We use a mix of heirloom tomatoes and cherry tomatoes. We also throw in a good amount of cayenne for a nice kick. This one is a keeper!
This soup is so good! My daughter devoured 2 bowls and declared it the best EVER. We decided to put a little cheese tortellini in our bowls and top it with the soup for a super hearty meal.
So tasty and fresh. Used no cream; it didn’t need it. Used homemade garlic Parmesan croutons, a perfect topping.
Is there an adaptation of this recipe using pre minced garlic? Thank you for your time!
Hi Stevie, for best results we recommend using whole garlic so it doesn’t overcook while roasting. Other readers have added pre-minced garlic directly to the broth in step 5 with good results though. I would love to hear how it turns out for you!
This is a super yummy garden fresh tomato soupe recipe. I was able to use some fresh basil and fresh oregano as well. It is easy to make.
I did not have any bell peppers so I used a banana pepper and a red hot pepper out of my garden. It was delicious.
So, so good!! Had a ton of tomatoes from the garden and made a huge pot of this soup. This recipe is great
Just made last night… easy, pretty quick and delicious! THANK YOU