Classic Tomato Soup (Lightened Up!)
You're going to love this classic tomato soup recipe! It's super creamy, yet light (no cream). You probably have all the ingredients in your pantry already!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 1, 2024
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This soup is everything I want tomato soup to be! It’s rich and creamy, yet doesn’t weigh me down. It’s bursting with amazing tomato flavor, yet it’s made from canned tomatoes.
That’s right, canned tomatoes. The season for ripe tomatoes (summer) is not the season for tomato soup (fall through spring). It’s a real conundrum, and this homemade tomato soup recipe is the perfect solution.
I developed this recipe for my cookbook, and wanted to bring it to life here on the blog as well. I bet you have all of the ingredients in your kitchen right now.
Tomato soup is perfect for rainy days. It’s even more perfect with a grilled cheese sandwich. Are you ready?!
Why You’ll Love this Tomato Soup
Here are four reasons why this tomato soup recipe will become your new favorite:
- This recipe offers classic homemade tomato soup flavor, and it’s made with basic pantry ingredients. Winning!
- It’s rich and creamy, yet cream-less. It uses a combination of white beans (I promise you can’t taste them) and butter to achieve this feat.
- This soup is special diet-friendly. It’s gluten free, since it doesn’t need any flour for thickening. It’s also easily made vegan—see the recipe notes.
- You can turn this recipe into tomato basil soup, if you have fresh basil on hand. It couldn’t be easier.
How to Make the Best Tomato Soup
This recipe is so easy to make! If you’re serving more than a couple people, I recommend doubling the ingredients.
1) Cook chopped onion in olive oil until tender, then add tomato paste.
Every great soup starts with an onion! Once it’s tender, we’ll stir in a dollop of tomato paste and let it cook for a couple of minutes. Tomato paste offers deep tomato flavor and adds a lot of intensity to this soup.
Tip: You can freeze leftover tomato paste in an air-tight container for several months.
2) Add whole canned tomatoes and vegetable broth, and gently simmer for 30 minutes.
Next, we’ll add one big can of whole tomatoes. Did you know that whole tomatoes are the highest-quality canned tomatoes? Canning companies reserve the less ideal tomatoes for diced and crushed varieties. Don’t worry about breaking up the tomatoes as they cook, because we’re going to blend them next.
This is the perfect time to clean up the kitchen or kick back with a glass of wine. You know which one I’m rooting for.
Tip: Stock up on Muir Glen tomato products, because they consistently taste the best.
3) Transfer the soup to a blender, and add a few more essential ingredients.
I always recommend using your stand blender for soups (vs. an immersion blender), because stand blenders produce much creamier soups.
Now, we’re going to add a few key ingredients: Great Northern beans (for creamy texture), butter (for amazing rich flavor), a little sugar (it balances the acidity of the tomatoes), salt and pepper. I don’t add sugar to savory dishes often, but just 1 teaspoon makes a big difference.
Tip: This recipe won’t use up a whole can of beans. You can freeze the leftover rinsed and drained beans in a resealable bag (silicone or Ziploc) for future batches of soup.
4) Blend until completely smooth, and serve.
There’s nothing better than tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich. You could also enjoy this soup with a big green salad. I actually think it would go great with this lentil and carrot green salad.
Watch How to Make Tomato Soup
Tomato Basil Soup Variation
This is so easy and delicious. Once you have blended your soup, simply add a handful of fresh basil leaves and blend until they’re broken into tiny bits.
If you’ve ever had Nordstrom’s tomato basil soup—this option tastes like a more fresh version of it. Yum.
Please let me know how your soup turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Looking for more creamy, lightened-up soups? Here are a few more favorites to bookmark:
- Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup
- Creamy Roasted Carrot Soup
- Creamy Roasted Pumpkin Soup
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Classic Tomato Soup
You’re going to love this classic tomato soup recipe! It’s super creamy, yet light and magically cream-less. Make this easy recipe tonight! Recipe yields 4 modest bowls; if you are serving a crowd or want leftovers, simply double the recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 large can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes, with their liquid
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup cooked Great Northern beans or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into a few pieces
- 1 teaspoon coconut sugar or brown sugar, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- For the tomato-basil variation (optional): 10 to 15 fresh basil leaves, to taste
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or soup pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender and turning translucent, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the tomatoes and vegetable broth and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium-high, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, reducing the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, and stirring occasionally.
- Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes. Carefully transfer the mixture to a blender, being sure not to fill past the maximum fill line (blend in batches if necessary). Add the beans, butter, sugar, and several twists of black pepper. Securely fasten the lid and blend the soup until smooth, being careful to avoid hot steam escaping from the lid.
- Since canned tomatoes vary in flavor, I always end up tinkering with this soup a bit at the end. Taste and, if necessary, add a little more sugar (to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes), pepper, and salt (I usually add another ¼ to ½ teaspoon).
- If you’re adding basil, add it now. Briefly blend again, and serve hot. This soup keeps well for up to four days or so. You can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
Notes
This recipe comes from my cookbook, Love Real Food.
My favorite canned tomatoes: I always recommend Muir Glen tomatoes for their superior flavor. Plus, they’re organic.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Replace the butter with 1 tablespoon additional extra-virgin olive oil.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This was SO GOOD. I was pretty doubtful because it’s so simply. Yum yum yum
Happy to hear you enjoyed it, Nicole! I appreciate your review.
Made this today. Delicious! Thank you.
I’ve not made this yet but will ASAP. Up to now I’ve basically used CHOPPED Toms and with the onions a nice fat chopped garlic clove Never thought to use canned beans but have used RICE FLOUR instead for thickening aba nd after some reduction some full cream milk > Sounds a bit hit and miss don’t it?? Hey I call it improvisation!!
How did it end up going?
My go to tomato soup recipe, since my daughter introduced me to your site. I always double it so we can freeze a meal for later. Especially yummy with a side of grilled cheese sandwich! Thank you, Lisa
This tomato soup is HANDS DOWN the best tomato soup recipe ever. My husband asks me to make it all the time. I will never have to look for another recipe and no one believes that it doesn’t have cream in it. It’s so creamy! I serve it with grilled cheese sandwiches. What’s better than that?!?
Thank you for such a fabulous recipe! ilisa
Going to make this, this weekend. Just a thought, Amore makes a vegan basil tomato paste.
Could you use a vitamix for this to blend? It’s the only stand mixer I own.
How long can you keep it refrigerated for?
Hi Yafa, it will keep well for 3-4 days. It also freezes well!
Is 34% sodium really correct or a typo? If correct, is it because of the tomatoes and veggie broth?
Hi Cathy, more on my Nutrition Disclaimer. You can adjust the sodium content by reducing the salt and/or using no sodium added canned items.
Could you use extra virgin olive oil instead of butter? I want to make for a vegan friend.
Hi Wendy, this is best as written. I hope you try it!
Excellent!!! Will absolutely make this again!
Doubled recipe and used 1 can of whole tomatoes and 1 can fire roasted diced.
Thank you for sharing, Rachel!
Yay! Cookie and Kate you did it again! Another recipe my family loves!!!! My 6&7 year olds said it’s delicious and I said you should thank Cookie and Kate :)
So thank you!
You’re welcome, Karin! I’m glad it’s a hit.
I made this so many times, I can’t even count anymore. Seriously one of the best tomato soup recipes out there!
Can we use fresh tomato? Do we need to boil them and peel the skin?
This is the best tomato soup I ever made (and I am a pretty good cook, making everything I put on the table rom scratch).
We are eating this the past few Christmases as one of my appetizers and everybody loves it.
Thank you for sharing this recipe
Just made it because I have a viral illness… it’s so good. I used a lot of pantry ingredients I had lying around to make it. I also doubled the beans for extra protein/fiber and threw some fresh/dried herbs. Simple, flexible, and tasty recipe!
Yum! This soup turned out delicious! I also added some Parmesan and basil before blending
Thank you for sharing, Marina!
Added some spinach, really good!
Thank you for your review, Vicky!
This is hands down the BEST tomato soup I’ve ever had, I can’t even count how many times I’ve made it. I always add about 6-8 chopped garlic cloves that I put in when I add the tomato paste & lots of extra fresh basil when I blend it. So creamy, delicious, and super quick to make! My go to with warm truffle grilled cheese :)
I’m glad you love it, Caroline! I appreciate your review.
Wonderful soup! So many compliments and easy!
Great to hear!
Love the soup. Have made it twice now, second time added a pinch of nutmeg for a mystery kick.
Seriously delicious! Like tomato bisque without the cream. A 5-star keeper.
Great to hear, Laura!
Excellent recipe!! Thanks for sharing It’s a keeper! Love the fact is a healthy version with great flavor!!
Great to hear, Peggy!
This has become my go to for Tomato Soup. Its so simple and low effort. I like to add a 1/4 tsp of paprika when blending which adds just a little extra depth to the flavour.
I love this easy and delicious soup!! I added about a tablespoon of sun dried tomatoes, just since I had them around, and I subbed chicken broth for the veggie since I didn’t have any veggie broth. I made this for a friend who is very ill. She loves tomato bisque so I added a big splash of cream for her, and she loved it, said it was “just what the doctor ordered.” Thanks so much—I can’t wait to make it again–it’s the perfect tomato soup. This will be a star in my regular recipe rotation.
This is a fantastic recipe! I made it for a friend who’s recovering from jaw surgery and can’t eat any foods that require chewing, and she loved it. The beans make it filling and also provide protein, a bonus for her.
One thing to note: I used Muir Glen fire-roasted tomatoes, which gave it a good flavor, but I didn’t like the charred skins on them and spent a lot of time picking out the black bits. Next time I make it – and there will be a next time! – I’ll use regular tomatoes instead. But overall, it’s a delicious recipe, and I love that it doesn’t have cream in it and therefore can be frozen. Thanks for another terrific recipe, Kate!
You’re welcome, Deborah! Thank you for sharing how you changed it up.
I have never been this obsessed with a soup before. I’ve been freezing batches and have a portion a few times a week with an aged cheddar sourdough grilled cheese. It’s my favourite comfort meal and definitely healthier than my previous kraft singles grilled cheese with canned tomato soup. Perfection!
I had only tomato sauce and not canned tomatoes, but made this anyway and it turned out great. Added the whole can of beans, didn’t puree, and threw in some leftover rice I had lying around. Perfect!
Great to hear, Katie! Thank you for your review.
Fantastic! Thoroughly enjoyed it
This soup is delicious! Even my mom, who doesn’t like tomato soup, said how much she enjoyed this one! While the taste was great, the consistency of my soup seems much thinner/more liquidy than the one you have pictured (yours looks thick). Wondering what I could have done wrong? I even left out some of the juice and broth from the blending step to see if that helped, but it still didn’t turn out very thick. Any ideas?
This soup isn’t that thick, but the beans blended does help. I’m glad you enjoyed the taste!
A tasty creamy soup! Made exact recipe. It’s a keeper!
I’m glad you loved it, Susan!
My daughter thinks I should add some coconut milk. your thoughts??
I recommend this best as written. If you try something else, I would love to hear your thoughts!
I loved the simplicity and flavor of this recipe! I used leftover slow cooked beans instead of a can and water instead of broth since I didn’t have any on hand. Turned out very yummy with a grilled cheese. Will cook again with broth and basil next time!
Thank you for yet another fantastic recipe, Kate. You must be at least 10 for 10 by now…never disappointed.
That’s great, Shelby! Thank you for sharing.
Delicious. Have made it countless times since finding your website in 2023. I now also freeze extras and take when visiting my daughter at college because she loves it!
It’s my favourite soup for chilly winter days. I’ve cooked it countless times. It’s simple and delicious. I also added some fried, crispy, thinly sliced pork and served it with sour cream, making it taste more like a borscht. Thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome, Angela!
I’ve made this soup several times now, and it’s perfect every time! I tried other tomato soup recipes before I found this one, and none are anywhere near as good. Kate’s tips are always excellent too. cookieandkate.com has been my go-to for everything for a long time now, and I recommend her cookbook as well.
Great to hear you loved this soup, Amanda! I appreciate your review.
This is definitely a winner tomato soup! Like many others here it is my most reliably delicious, and the consistency is incredible! I’ve actually used that blended beans idea in other soups as well, so thanks for this valuable tip! My friends have a huge harvest of tomatoes right now, well I guess everyone does in August, and give some to me, so I want to make it soon with soon withreal fresh tomatoes from their garden. Two questions: how many fist sized tomatoes would I need to equal the can nd amount in the recipe? Would I need to change anything else, recipe-wise ( it’s almost a sacrilege for this recipe) when I use them. Probably will want to boil and peel I imagine.
Hooray! Thank you for sharing, Nina.
Thanks for replying, now… about my question about how many fresh tomatoes to equal the canned tomato amount?? Thanks in adv.
I don’t have that ratio for you, sorry!
That’s okay Kate, I figured it out: I smushed up my tomatoes and poured them into a measuring cup, got a little over 2 cups. Added tomato paste per the recipe. Turned out great!
I’m pretty sure I’ve reviewed this recipe before, but I just had to come back and say that I made a quadruple batch to feed a herd of kids and parent volunteers for church youth night, and got rave reviews from kids and parents. There’s a reason this is our favorite soup recipe!
That’s great to hear, Alisha! I appreciate your review.