The easiest Tomato Basil Soup EVER and it's so fresh & vibrant. Made with just 4 ingredients (plus salt, pepper & optional olive oil) and it only takes 10 minutes to make!
This Easy Tomato Basil Soup is for those times when I am feeling virtuous and when I don't have much time. Just like my vegan vegetable soup, it is so incredibly easy to make and takes only about ten minutes from start to finish.
The flavours of this Tomato Basil Soup are fresh, vibrant and untainted. The only ingredients are tomatoes, onion, garlic and basil (plus a little oil and seasoning). It's so simple!
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I just love easy soup recipes. This and my Vegan Pea Soup are my go-to's when I need dinner or lunch on the table super quick.
Because it is cooked so quickly the amazing fresh flavour of the tomato is retained and the pungent flavour of the basil is conserved by adding it at the very last moment before serving.
The resulting soup is fresh, aromatic and incredibly healthy. The taste of the fresh basil is amazing! No stock, plant-milk or cashew cream is added to this soup. The liquid comes only from the tomatoes which makes the flavour so much better. Because of this, it isn't a rich, creamy tomato soup. It's a really vibrant and healthy one.
If you want a creamy more indulgent recipe try my Instant Pot Tomato Soup and don't worry if you don't have an Instant Pot you can make it on a stove top too.
Low fat & Slimming World friendly
There are only about 280 calories in the entire pan of this soup and it is very low in fat. It can even be made totally fat free by omitting the olive oil and sautéing the onions and garlic in a drop of water instead.
If you follow the Slimming World diet plan you will also be pleased to know that this soup is syn free (if you omit the oil).
Are tomatoes good for you?
Tomatoes are a great source of lycopene which protects us from destructive free radicals which can harm cells and damage DNA. Cooking your tomatoes in a little healthy fat such as olive oil helps carry the lycopene into the bloodstream so that our bodies can benefit from it so I do recommend using a little oil as stated in the recipe if you can.
As well as being a good source of lycopene, tomatoes are full of many other vitamins and minerals. They are known to protect against heart disease, prostate cancer and asthma and they also help to ensure our bones, teeth, skin and hair stay healthy.
So you get all of those benefits and it's so incredibly quick and easy to make. There really is no excuse not to eat a healthy meal when you can whip up something like this in such a short space of time.
How to make tomato soup
In just 10 minutes and a few simple steps you could be tucking into a bowl of this fresh and delicious Tomato Basil Soup. It's so quick and easy and can be super cheap to make too when tomatoes are in season, or if you have a greengrocer like mine who always has big packs of them on quick sale.
- Step 1 - Sauté the garlic and onion
- Step 2 - Add the tomatoes and cook until they start breaking down
- Step 3 - Add the basil and seasoning, transfer to a blender and blend until smooth or blend it right up in the pan with an immersion blender.
You'll notice that once the tomatoes, onion and garlic are cooked up together in a pan, they are all blended up with the fresh basil then served immediately. You can use a blender or an immersion blender. Either is fine.
The higher-powered your blender is, the smoother the result. When I took the photos for this recipe I was using a pretty low quality one so it wasn't perfectly smooth. Now I have a Blendtec it emerges like velvet. A good blender is such a great investment if you like soups and smoothies!
There is no need to cook the soup any longer once the basil is added. It keeps the flavours really fresh and delicious if you just blend and serve.
Serving suggestions
Serve this wonderful Easy Tomato Basil Soup with a drizzle of good olive oil and a sprinkle of cracked black pepper. It's also great with a scattering of vegan croutons and a dollop of vegan ricotta and plenty of fresh bread available for dipping.
It is wonderful with my Miracle No Knead Focaccia on the side.
If you prefer a more traditional bread recipe there is always my Light Whole Wheat Bread, which is the one you can see in the photographs of the soup (except that one has some seeds added as an extra).
Tomato Basil Soup is also fab with grilled cheese sandwiches. Comfort food at it's finest! It's great in a Thermos for winter packed lunches too!
Hungry for more?
For more great vegan soup recipes check out these great options:
- Vegan Potato Soup
- Vegan Leek and Potato Soup
- Vegan Tortilla Soup
- Vegan Italian Sausage Pasta Soup
- Vegan Pea Soup
- Creamy Vegan Carrot Soup
📖 Recipe
Easy Tomato Basil Soup
Author:
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil optional, you can use a drop of water to sauté instead to keep the recipe oil free
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 large cloves of garlic chopped very finely I like lots of garlic so used 4 but adjust to suit your tastes
- 7 cups / 1400 g of chopped fresh tomatoes see recipe notes
- 1 handful of basil leaves and stalks are fine
- 2 teaspoons salt adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon pepper adjust to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat a pan over a medium heat and add the oil or a couple tablespons of water.
- When hot add the onions and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes until just starting to turn golden.
- Add the chopped tomatoes. Continue to cook over a medium heat, stirring every few minutes until the tomatoes have broken down and are soft.
- Remove from the heat and add basil and salt and pepper then blitz in a blender or with a stick immersion blender until smooth.
- Serve immediately.
NOTES
NUTRITION
Nutritional information is provided for convenience & as a courtesy. The data is a computer generated estimate so should be used as a guide only.
Carolyn Duffy says
I made this soup tonight with plum tomatoes. Followed the recipe exactly. We thought the soup was rather bland. I didn't read all the reviews prior to making, but saw many positive ones. After making it, I went back to look and saw someone asked about a sugar substitute. You mentioned that the sugar brings out the flavor of the tomatoes. However, there was no sugar mentioned in the recipe. ????
A Virtual Vegan says
There is no sugar in the recipe. The person who I guess you were referring to used canned tomatoes as opposed to fresh (which the recipe calls for) and I guess wanted to sweeten it a little to compensate for canned tomatoes which can be a little bitter and not as tasty as fresh ones. I was simply replying to her comment and that is why I mention sugar being good for bringing out the flavour of tomatoes in my reply. It isn't necessary when using nice, juicy, fresh tomatoes because they are sweet anyway.
Did you use fresh plum tomatoes or canned? Canned tomatoes do not make for nearly as good results as fresh ones which is why I ask and why I specify fresh ones.
I'm sorry you found it bland though and I am surprised because this recipe is I think, the second or third most popular recipe on my site and I don't think I have ever had any negative feedback on it before. It's a very simple soup with very few ingredients so that the fresh flavours of the tomato and basil really sing. I guess there is a chance that your tomatoes weren't very flavourful. When they are out of season that is very possible and because the tomatoes are the main component of the recipe, if they aren't good then the soup won't be as good as it can be.
I hope that helps.
Carolyn says
I did use fresh plum tomatoes. The only reason I chose this recipe was because of all the great reviews. I'll have to give it another try when tomatoes are more in season.
Una says
oh my goodness!!! This looks absolutely delicious! Would garlic powder work as well? or have to be fresh?
A Virtual Vegan says
Garlic powder would be ok but you will get much better flavour with fresh.
Una says
I bought some fresh today. We’re making it for guests for lunch tomorrow. I’m really excited, I hope it turns out as well as yours
Amiee says
Very simple and very awesome! Thank you so much for this recipe!! :))
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you, so glad you enjoyed it!
Linda says
Just tried this recipe using canned tomatoes. I couldn't believe how much flavor was developed with so few ingredients! Can't wait until l'm able to try it with fresh tomatoes. In the meantime, do you think I can use carrot in place of sugar as a sweetener? Can you also tell me if the recipe for the bread in your picture in on your site? It looks sooooo delicious. Thank you for such an awesome recipe.
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it. You will love it even more when you try the fresh tomato version! You could use pureed carrot to sweeten it a bit but I'm not sure it will work to bring out the flavour in the canned tomatoes like a bit of sugar does. It's amazing the difference it makes in tomatoey recipes. Stevia works well though if you prefer using that to sugar.
The bread in the photo is one of my wholewheat loaves. I did have the recipe on my site but I'm really sorry, I took it off. I published it when I first started my blog and the photo and writing style and my directions were shocking. I was embarrassed and deleted it. Sorry! I do plan on bringing some bread making tutorials to the blog in the new year though so watch this space. Until then I do have this recipe and you could replace up to a third of the all purpose flour with whole wheat if you wanted to. It goes great with tomato soup! https://avirtualvegan.com/miracle-no-knead-focaccia-with-rosemary-sea-salt/
susan says
Make this tomato soup! Mel, this recipe is a keeper! Only 4 ingredients (EVOO, onion, garlic, toms)
My 12 year old just got orthodontia (Herbst appliance to correct his overbite) and his mouth is so sore that all he's been eating is soup. I lost my favorite tomato soup recipe this year so I looked online and here we are! This recipe is so easy and so delicious. Local tomatoes are hard to find here in California in November so I used 3 cans of diced tomatoes instead. I made it twice in 3 days, once with basil and once without (I forgot). SO good both ways!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it and that it worked well with canned tomatoes. That makes it even more convenient (and cheaper to make)! Thanks Susan!
Jenny says
What in weight is 7 cups chopped tomatoes please?
A Virtual Vegan says
I didn't weigh them when I created the recipe and I would hate to hazard a guess. If I had to, I'd guess about 5lb which would be around 15 medium tomatoes I think? Next time I make it I will weigh them and update the recipe. In the meantime though, a cup is 240ml / 8oz in volume. You will probably have a mug of a similar size that you could use to measure them. However, the quantities for this recipe really don't need to be exact and it will work fine with more or less as long as you add the salt and pepper to taste. Sorry I can't be more specific!
Suzanne says
I love your recipes! So far everything I’ve tried has been terrific!
A Virtual Vegan says
That's made my day! Thank you!
Jenna says
Can you use canned tomatoes instead? Do you still use 7 cups? Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
I have never tried it myself. I'm sure you could but it won't be quite as nice because canned tomatoes don't have the same flavour as fresh. I would think the quantity would be about the same. Hope it turns out ok!
Deanna says
Wonderful! Thanks for posting this recipe. Quick & easy and so yummy!
A Virtual Vegan says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Rose says
Absolutely delectable !!!
The soup was perfectly balanced in terms of taste and consistency, It was quite easy to make as the recipe was very well described. Thumbs up for this amazing and delicious recipe and guys you should definitely try this amazing soup, I will try it again for sure.
Kelly says
This is the second time making this soup - it’s amazing!! Thank you so much! It’s easy, quick and makes great leftovers to take to work! I’m making grilled goat cheese sammies with mine(vegetarian). THE best dinner ever! xo
A Virtual Vegan says
That's awesome! I'm so glad you are enjoying it. It's a favourite here too, especially as it's so quick and easy. We have it with vegan grilled cheese. Thanks so much for stopping by to let me know!
Ana says
Made this last night. What an easy and delicious soup to make! Was a hit at my home!!!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it Ana!
Marissa says
Loving this recipe...mine was a little bit too runny...any suggestions??? Thanks!!
A Virtual Vegan says
Perhaps your tomatoes were extra juicy! Once it's blended up it should thicken nicely. If it doesn't you could always get some arrowroot powder or cornstarch. Start with 2 tablespoons. Mix it in a cup or bowl with a bit of the liquid from the the soup until lump free and smooth, then add it gradually into the soup, stirring it as you do. Cook it for another 5 minutes or so and it should thicken up. Or if you don't have either of those, simmering with the lid off and letting it reduce a bit would help.
Janine Rutledge says
This soup was easy and soo delicious. Soo much flavour! I wish it made more!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it. You will have to double it next time!
Maria says
This is the best soup I have ever tasted. I used a bit more garlic and it's such a comfort soup but healthy.
A Virtual Vegan says
That's great Maria. I'm so glad you enjoyed it!