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!
Jump to:
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.
Nicole says
Do you need to peel the tomato skins off for this recipe or leave them on?
A Virtual Vegan says
You could if you wanted to but I never do. Once it's all blended up you don't know they are there anyway!
Shelly Cantwell says
Great dinner! This soup was great light meal
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Shelly. So glad you enjoyed it!
Lilly says
How long does this keep? Can you store it for a little bit too?
A Virtual Vegan says
It freezes really well and will keep in the fridge for up to about 4-5 days.
Skye says
Great simple soup! It was really easy and I even Made this after a long day at work. Healthy & comforting. I ate it with a vegan quesadilla but I bet it will go great with my sour dough, crackers... anything! I added some Italian spices & chili flakes :)
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you so much for stopping by to leave feedback and I am glad you enjoyed it! And yes, it's great with sourdough!
Nicolena says
Hi! I am planning to make this for an event at my church this coming weekend. I'm going to make it the night before and then heat it up the next day. How to you recommend I store it? Thank you!
A Virtual Vegan says
I would keep it in the fridge overnight as long as it's cooled down enough before you go to bed. I often just put the entire saucepan in the fridge with the lid on to save dirtying anything else but you could just use whatever you will be transporting it in. If it's still too hot to go in the fridge before you go to bed just leave it out overnight. There's nothing in it that will spoil. I hope the event goes well!
Viv says
Such a good recipe! Tasty, easy and healthy. Thank you!
I did notice my soups came out spicy and I'm very confused as to why. I used only the ingredients listed. Any idea?
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Viv! I have no idea why your soup turned out a bit spicy. All I can think is that perhaps the garlic wasn't cooked for quite long enough. It can taste almost 'hot' when it's raw or not cooked properly because it's so strong. You could reduce the amount a bit next time and sauté it for a minute or two longer. Hopefully that will help. You've made me way to try the soup with some chili added now as I love spicy food! So glad you enjoyed it and thanks for letting me know!
Viv says
Thanks for the reply - I think that was it! I definitely didn't cook the garlic for long enough. Regardless, the soup was very tasty :)
mary says
do u not have to skin the tomatoes?
A Virtual Vegan says
No need to as by the time they've been through the blender you don't Boyce them anyway. That's what makes it so very easy!
Pipetka says
I made it for lunch for my family and they didn't like it much.. But i loved it! Thanks for your amazing recipe ❤
A Virtual Vegan says
Really? I can't believe they didn't like it. The flavour is so wonderful in this soup (if you like tomatoes and basil that is!). It is one of the most popular recipes on my site and I haven't had any negative feedback on it at all. I am so glad you enjoyed it though. At least you didn't have to share! That's always a good thing ;O)
Krystle says
Would canned tomatoes work? I haven't got fresh and would really like to make this now
A Virtual Vegan says
Yes they would definitely work but the flavour won't be as good as it would with fresh tomatoes. As long as you are ok with that then go for it. I would add a teaspoon or two of sugar as tinned tomatoes can be very slightly bitter. Taste it as you go though, you might get away without it . Enjoy!
Judy says
Thanks for posting the canned tomato info. I wanted to make a pantry soup
Patsy says
Does this freeze well?
A Virtual Vegan says
Hi Patsy, I have never needed to freeze it so don't know for sure, but tomatoes tend to freeze really well so I am pretty sure it would be fine.
Debbie says
Yes. It was still just as good after being in the freezer for 5 months. I used home grown cherry tomatoes.
A Virtual Vegan says
That's great! Thank you for letting me know. It's a great way to preserve your crop for enjoying in the winter then!
Kay says
The best homemade tomato soup ever! Thank you! So easy! I added
2 tablespoons of my homemade basil pesto! Super yum! Using up the last of my frozen tomatoes from last year.
A Virtual Vegan says
Wow thank you so much Kay! I am so glad you love the recipe. It's funny you stopped by today as I got a whole pile of tomatoes from the green-grocer that are slightly past their best earlier and plan to make a big pot of this soup tomorrow. I can imagine how great your homemade basil pesto is with it. I might try that myself tomorrow. Thanks for the idea :O)
Kayla says
This recipe was awesome very clean very fresh tasting and my taste buds didn't feel like it was bombarded. Great recipe and very simple
A Virtual Vegan says
Thanks for stopping by to let me know Kayla. I am glad you enjoyed the recipe. :O)
Nutty Abs says
Your pictures look beautiful.
Interesting that you say you can use both cherry tomatoes as well as big ones... is there any different in taste? Is the cherry tomato soup seedier?
I'm about to whip up a creamy tomato soup with coconut milk! :) Can't wait.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you so much! The taste all depends on how good and sweet the tomatoes are. As long as they are tasty tomatoes (whether cherry or big ones) you will get great soup. As for seeds, the soup is blended up anyway so the seeds aren't really an issue but if your blender isn't fantastic and you're concerned about seeds you could sieve it after. Personally a few stray seeds don't bother me. Enjoy :O)
Raber says
Good to know that cherry tomatos work too. That seems to be what I have the best luck growing!
A Virtual Vegan says
It will be even better with homegrown tomatoes!
Shelly says
Does this freeze well?
A Virtual Vegan says
I haven't tried but I am pretty sure it would be fine.
Kathryn Grace says
This is SO like my own homemade tomato soup, and isn't it delicious? Sometimes that's all we have for supper--a nice bowl of homemade tomato soup and a couple of chunks of homemade sourdough bread. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
A Virtual Vegan says
You're welcome Kathryn. Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best. And yes sourdough bread and tomato soup are perfect together!