A Homemade Tomato Basil Soup Recipe that is SO creamy and simple to make in the instant pot, crockpot or on the stove top. Healthy, vegan & dairy free. This post is sponsored by our friends at Thrive Market.
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Is there anything better than a big bowl of tomato soup and a crunchy grilled cheese? Well, our healthy tomato soup takes it to the NEXT LEVEL!
This soup is incredibly easy to make in the instant pot, crockpot, or on the stove. The spices make it so delicious and flavorful while being under 150 calories per cup!
It only takes 12 ingredients (mostly pantry staples) and just over an hour to have the most creamy tomato basil soup!
I know you will love it!
Why we love this Tomato Basil Soup Recipe
What’s not to love about tomato basil soup?! It’s a classic that anyone can enjoy.
- Super creamy– This Tomato Basil Soup Recipe is SO creamy. Cooked carrots and just a little bit of milk (dairy or nondairy) help give it a rich texture.
- Cleaned up comfort food – Tomato soup in a can often has a TON of salt and sugar added to it. This is just as delicious with ingredients you can feel good about enjoying.
- Easy to make – This soup is so simple to make. You’ll need basic pantry staples that you already probably have on hand!
- Veggie loaded – There are one and a half serving of veggies per serving of soup, and you can easily bulk up that amount by adding more carrots, celery, or onions.
Is home made basil tomato soup good for you? Yes! This homemade basil tomato soup is so good for you. It has tons of veggies, nutritious broth, and is made with wholesome ingredients.
Tomato Basil Bisque Ingredients
To make Tomato Basil Bisque you’ll need:
- olive oil
- onion, garlic, carrots
- canned crushed tomatoes
- chicken broth
- dried spices: basil, oregano, parsley & pepper
- milk (dairy or nondairy)
- fresh basil is optional but adds a ton of flavor!
You can find substitutions for all of these ingredients below in the green shaded substitutions box.
We got most of the ingredients we used in this recipe from Thrive Market !
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Do you make tomato soup with fresh tomatoes? Yes, you can make tomato soup with fresh tomatoes. This recipe uses canned tomatoes – but you can easily make this with fresh tomatoes!
What type of tomatoes are best for soup? Fresh tomatoes are the best tomatoes for soup – but only when they are in season! That’s why we used canned tomatoes in this recipe. Canned crushed tomatoes, canned diced tomatoes, or canned whole tomatoes all work well for soup. Try to look for canned tomatoes that don’t have salt or sugar added to them.
Do I need to peel tomatoes for soup? No, you do not need to peel tomatoes for soup. Tomato Soup gets blended so it’s fine to have the tomatoes with skin on them.
How to make Tomato Basil Soup
- Sauté onions, garlic, and carrots in olive oil.
- Add in crushed tomatoes, broth, and dried spices.
- Stir to combine. Cover and simmer for 30 mins to an hour.
- When finished cooking, blend with an immersion blender. Stir in milk & serve.
How do you thicken tomato soup? To thicken tomato soup you can make a corn starch slurry. Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of broth. Stream into the soup over medium high heat and it will automatically thicken.
SUBSTITUTIONS FOR HEALTHY TOMATO SOUP
Olive Oil: You can substitute olive oil with melted butter, avocado oil, or vegetable oil.
Tomatoes: Any tomatoes will work in this recipe. You can use fresh tomatoes or canned tomatoes. Whole canned tomatoes, diced canned tomatoes – any canned tomatoes will work. I haven’t tried roasting the veggies in this soup, but you could try this Roasted Tomato Soup Recipe.
Vegetables: Feel free to add more carrots, celery, or onion. You can chop the vegetables roughly because this soup gets blended up!
Carrots: If you don’t like carrots, you can substitute them with butternut squash or sweet potatoes. The carrots help add sweetness and cut the acidity of the tomatoes so I would not omit them. We love our Roasted Butternut Squash Soup too!
Spices: Feel free to add more or less of any of the spices to your taste. If you’d like to add fresh herbs, double the amount of fresh herbs to dried herbs.
Basil: You can add fresh basil to this recipe. It adds a ton of flavor. We recommend using 1/4 cup fresh basil.
Broth: Any broth will work in this recipe. Beef broth, Chicken Broth, Turkey Broth, or vegetable broth if you are vegetarian/vegan.
Milk: You can use any type of milk in this recipe, dairy or non-dairy.
Vegan: To make this vegan substitute chicken broth for vegetable broth. Make sure to use non-dairy milk.
Pasta: We haven’t tried adding pasta to this soup, but I think it would work! You could also try this Pasta Fagioli Recipe.
Ways to top Healthy Tomato Soup
There are lots of ways to top Tomato Soup. Here are some of our favorite toppings:
- croutons
- cooked bacon
- fresh parsley or other herbs
- heavy cream or coconut milk
- fresh bread
What to serve with Healthy Tomato Soup
You can definitely enjoy this soup on its own, but you could also serve it alongside:
- Protein – Serve it alongside these Coconut Chicken Tenders for a well balanced meal
- Bread – If you’re not paleo/whole30 – a big loaf of crusty bread or a grilled cheese is the way to go 🙂
- Salad – This Strawberry Avocado Goat Cheese Salad is my favorite
Tomato Basil Soup FAQs
The best way to make tomato basil bisque less acidic is to add sugar. We like to stir in a little bit of honey. You can also add baking soda to help neutralize the acidity. 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda should help. Cooking your tomato soup for at least an hour will also help the acidity.
There is no difference between tomato soup and tomato basil soup besides one might have basil and the other one doesn’t.
Tomato sauce and tomato soup are different. Tomato sauce is typically made from just canned tomatoes, olive oil, and herbs. Tomato soup has broth and dairy added to it, and it’s also blended until creamy. Soup has a thinner consistency than tomato sauce.
Storing and Reheating Tomato Basil Soup
How long does homemade tomato soup last in the refrigerator? This tomato soup will last for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Store in an airtight container.
Can you freeze homemade basil tomato soup? Yes, you can freeze homemade basil tomato soup. Let leftover soup cool to room temperature before transferring it to a proper storage container. You can freeze this soup for up to 3 months.
We like these containers for freezing soup. Check out this post on How to Freeze Soup.
How do you know if tomato basil soup recipe has gone bad? If tomato basil soup has gone bad, it will smell or have mold start to grow on it.
Reheating: You can reheat this recipe in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Other healthy soup recipes:
We love healthy soup recipes and made an entire free ebook about them! Click here to get a free Healthy Soup Ebook. Check out these 35+ Healthy Soups for Weight Loss. Here are some other healthy soup recipes you may like:
Don’t forget- if you want to join Thrive Market – they’re giving you 30% off and a free gift when you join today! If you’re on the fence about Thrive Market – check out this Thrive Market Reviews where I explain why we like the service, what we order from Thrive + more.
Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup onion diced (1 small onion)
- ½ tablespoon garlic minced (about 4 cloves)
- 1 cup carrots chopped roughly
- 28 oz Thrive Market Organic Crushed Tomatoes
- 2 cups Thrive Market Organic Chicken Broth
- 1 teaspoon Thrive Market Organic dried basil
- ½ teaspoon Thrive Market Organic dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon Thrive Market Organic dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup milk dairy or non dairy
- Pinch red pepper flakes
Instructions
Stovetop Instructions
- In a soup pot, heat olive oil. Sauté onions and garlic over low heat for 5 minutes until translucent.
- Add in carrots and sauté for an additional 5 minutes.
- Add in crushed tomatoes, broth, and dried spices. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer for 30 mins to an hour.
- When finished cooking, blend with an immersion blender. Stir in milk & serve.
Crockpot Instructions
- In a soup pot, heat olive oil. Sauté onions and garlic over low heat for 5 minutes until translucent.
- Add in carrots and sauté for an additional 5 minutes.
- Add cooked onions/garlic/carrots to the crockpot base. Stir in crushed tomatoes, broth, and dried spices. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- When finished cooking, blend with an immersion blender. Stir in milk & serve.
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Set Instant pot to Sauté for 10 minutes. Heat olive oil. Sauté onions and garlic over low heat for 5 minutes until translucent.
- Add in carrots and sauté for an additional 5 minutes. Make sure to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom to avoid a burn notice.
- Add in crushed tomatoes, broth, and dried spices. Stir to combine. Cover and set to Sealing, Pressure Cook for 15 minutes.
- It will take about 10 minutes for the instant pot to come to pressure.
- Once cooked, quick release the pressure. Blend with an immersion blender. Stir in milk & serve
Katie Ainsworth says
This soup was amazing!! The thickness was perfect. Everyone at my office loved it. I will be making this again during the winter season 😊
Candie says
This is literally one of the most best simple amazing delicious soups I’ve made in a long time. We’ve had it four times now in the last 2 weeks. It literally goes with everything and it’s the perfect fall soup.
Juan Tanamera says
This recipe is really really good, however the person who wrote it clearly does not know how to cook. First of all, carrots take longer to cook than onion and garlic so it should be fried first. Also, to sauté means to cook quickly over high heat; you don’t sauté over low heat as the directions call for so that is an epic failure. Otherwise, it’s a good recipe despite being created by an amateur chef.
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you for the incredibly kind words, Juan – you’re a real gem. You’re right… I don’t know how to cook, I’m a total amateur and honestly everything I do is an epic failure.. I’m just so dumb! So happy you enjoyed the soup despite the fact that I’m an absolute idiot. Curious why you needed my recipe for soup since you know so much? Seems like you’re a pro chef- maybe you should start a food blog 🙂
Kim says
Hahaha, 😆
Great comeback! You go girl! You know that you’re a wonderful cook! You certainly don’t need validation of this.
Love your recipes!
Toni says
Had this for dinner tonight with some grilled cheese and it was so good! Will definitely make this again on one of our cold CO nights.
Toni says
That should have been 5 stars!
Donna says
Soup was delicious. I was only able to get a little over 3 servings so I will add a little more broth to the remaining soup tomorrow. If you are like me and don’t care for carrots you couldn’t even taste them once puréed. Would definitely make this recipe again.
Lynne says
Delicious and creamy! Easy to make, we loved this recipe!
Ellen says
Ok, if you want an easy and delicious soup this is it! I had never made a soup like this before and the whole family loved it! We paired it with some “fancy” grilled cheese and it was perfect.
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you! That sounds like the perfect meal!
Gwen says
Question?? How can this be classified as vegan with the use of chicken broth? I am confused
The Clean Eating Couple says
Please read the substitutions: Vegan: To make this vegan substitute chicken broth for vegetable broth. Make sure to use non-dairy milk.
Cindy says
Can I double this recipe? Will it effect cooking time in the instant pot?
The Clean Eating Couple says
I’m not sure. I haven’t tried that. I don’t think it would affect the cooking time, but it will take longer to come to pressure. If you try it let me know!
Carissa says
I made this for my husband and I for lunch this week. Super easy to make and so yummy! And best part….I had all the ingredients in the cupboard. I love that!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy everyone enjoyed it!
Cynthia says
Can I use fresh tomatoes in this recipe?
The Clean Eating Couple says
I haven’t tried using fresh tomatoes in this recipe. I think it would probably work. I’m not sure how it would affect the cook time. You’d probably need at least 3 lbs of fresh tomatoes to replace the crushed tomatoes.
Pam Wilson says
Do you have any suggestions or substitutions for the garlic and onion in this soup? I am allergic to both and have tried just leaving them out in other soups but they have very little flavor.
Thanks
The Clean Eating Couple says
I would try adding some more spices like thyme, rosemary and basil to amp up the flavor if you’re going to remove the garlic and onion.
Trudi says
Great idea I always used red pepper bot I will try the Carrots onion and celery THANK YOU!A