This easy Homemade Tomato Soup Recipe is made with canned tomatoes. It uses a single pot and can be easily made into a tomato cream soup or tomato basil soup.
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Tomato Soup is classic comfort food. It makes an easy meal, is healthy, and doesn’t break the bank.
What is Tomato Soup?
Cooked, pureed tomatoes.
That’s really the core of a tomato soup recipe but there are so many easy ways to really enhance the flavor of your soup.
Types of Tomato Soup
There are 3 main “types” of tomato soup: basic tomato soup, creamy tomato soup, and tomato basil soup.
Basic Tomato Soup
A basic tomato soup is going to be very tomato-forward. Everything else is a pure enhancement to the tomatoes. My homemade tomato soup recipe is a basic tomato soup (with optional instructions to make it creamy tomato soup or tomato basil soup).
Creamy Tomato Soup
A creamy tomato soup will be richer and smoother than a basic tomato soup. It will also have a more muted tomato flavor. The most common way to make a creamy tomato soup is to add cream but that’s not the only option. You can also make a homemade tomato soup recipe creamy by adding coconut milk, potatoes, cornstarch, rice, or a roux.
Creamy tomato soup is also called tomato bisque.
Tomato Basil Soup
Tomato basil soup is its own type of soup for a reason. It’s freakin’ delicious. It’s also really popular. If you think tomato soup is “too tomatoey,” the addition of a generous amount of basil will really change the flavor profile of the soup.
How much fresh basil should you add to a homemade tomato soup recipe? About a cup of loosely packed basil leaves will give you a delicious flavor.
Be warned: fresh basil can turn bitter if it’s cooked too much. So add your basil just before serving.
Ingredients, Substitutions, & Budget
This total recipe costs $4.02 to make. It makes 3 servings which works out to $1.34 per serving.
I love tomato soup but it’s not the only delicious soup out there. Check out my Guide to the Types of Soup which includes many more delicious soup recipes.
Your grocery costs are probably different than mine. Location, shopping habits, seasonal availability, and other things can all have a major impact on the cost of food. Find out how I calculate what a recipe costs.
Homemade Tomato Soup Ingredients
There are 8 ingredients in this dish.
Canned Diced Tomatoes ($2.50)
This soup needs about 28oz (or 900mL) of canned diced tomatoes. I use Fire Roasted tomatoes because they add extra depth to the soup (but the cans are smaller so I’m really only getting like 800mL).
You can use cans of plain diced tomatoes or experiment with seasoned tomatoes. Cans with seasoning will affect the ultimate flavor of the soup. I’ve used cans of tomatoes that include roasted red peppers in the past to good results (but the flavor was more red pepper and less tomato).
Health Note: if you’re concerned about BPA (and IMO you should be), check can labels for “BPA-free.” Many brands still use BPA in their can linings.
Here in Canada, I know that Aylmer and Muir Glen brands are both labelled as BPA-free. Your brands may vary depending on location.
Butter ($0.52)
Butter adds a richness which helps balance the acidity from the tomatoes.
I feel (strongly) that you should not substitute or reduce this. However, if you feel you must, you can use 1 tbsp of oil or cut the butter back to 2 tbsp.
6 More Ingredients
- Onion ($0.28): yellow or red onions work best but use whatever you prefer and have on hand.
- Garlic ($0.307): fresh garlic is always going to be the best. You can substitute 1 tbsp of pre-minced garlic or ½ tsp dried garlic instead (but it won’t be quite as flavorful).
- Chicken Stock ($0.10): you can substitute with vegetable stock or water.
- Salt ($0.08)
- Italian Seasoning ($0.12): this can be skipped. Substitute with a pinch each of oregano, thyme, marjoram, sage, and rosemary (all dried).
- Basil ($0.12): you can skip this entirely (or add a lot more as one of the optional ingredients). A great substitute is 2 tbsp of fresh basil.
3 Optional Ingredients
- Baking Soda: baking soda will reduce the acidity of your soup. Some recipes call for sugar but I don’t like to add unnecessary sugar to my meals.
- Fresh Basil: basil is a wonderful addition to tomato soup. It really gives it a fresh, herby flavor.
- Cream: make your soup a cream one by adding some cream.
How Can You Reduce the Cost?
Most of the cost of this soup is the canned tomatoes (62%). My tomatoes are expensive because I use Fire Roasted ones and will only buy BPA-free canned goods.
I could cut the tomato cost in half by using plain diced tomatoes (and purchasing them on sale). This would save $1.25 on the total recipe cost, bringing the per serving cost to $0.93.
Using water and skipping the Italian seasoning would save another $0.22 total, bringing the per serving cost to $0.85.
Equipment & Plating
The fanciest piece of equipment you’ll need for homemade tomato soup is a blender (immersion is best).
Immersion Blender
An immersion blender is a blender on a stick. You put the stick into your pot and swirl it around until everything is blended
An immersion blender is my preferred tool because I don’t have to transfer my soup out of the pot. I also don’t have to worry about soup explosions!
Learn about the best immersion blender for your kitchen.
You can use a regular blender. However, do it in batches. Let the soup cool a bit first. Keep plenty of free space at the top of the blender. Put the lid on but remove the plug at the top. Cover that hole with a damp cloth. If you follow these tips, you’re much less likely to explode your soup.
Medium Pot
I use my 3qt for this recipe. It gives me enough space that I don’t have to worry about splashing when stirring and blending.
Small Tools
- Chef’s Knife
- Cutting Board
- Measuring Cups & Spoons
- Spatula or Wooden Spoon: I like a spatula because it bends into all the spaces but a wooden spoon is fine.
Serving
Homemade tomato soup doesn’t need much for serving, just these:
- Soup Bowls
- Soup Spoons
What to Eat it with
I always eat tomato soup with grilled cheese. It’s a classic pairing and so freaking good. But I’ve heard you can eat tomato soup with other things (although I’m not sure why you would).
Got Leftovers?
Eat them! Either reheat them and eat them as is or repurpose your leftovers into a completely new meal.
- Reheat: leftover tomato soup can be reheated in the microwave or on the stove.
- Refrigerate: you can store leftover tomato soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: You can freeze extra tomato soup for up to 3 months. Allow it to cool completely and store in an airtight container with room at the top for expansion.
Note: don’t freeze soup with added cream. Cream does not thaw well in soups and is likely to get grainy, ugh. If you want cream soup, add the cream fresh when defrosting.
Homemade Tomato Soup Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp Butter, unsalted ($0.52)
- 1 Onion, small ($0.28)
- 3 cloves Garlic ($0.30)
- 28 oz Canned Dieced Tomatoes ($2.50)
- 1 cup Chicken Stock ($0.10)
- 2 tsp Salt ($0.08)
- 2 tsp Italian Seasoning *omit if adding fresh basil* ($0.12)
- 2 tsp Basil, dried *omit if adding fresh basil* ($0.12)
Optional Additions
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 cup Basil, fresh *loosely packed*
- 1 cup Cream
Instructions
- Chop onion.
- Add butter (4tbsp) and chopped onion to pot. Saute over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until at least softened.Note: it will take 3 to 5 minutes to soften onions. This is fine but if you keep cooking your onions (about another 15 minutes), you'll have golden brown caramelized onions. These are much better than just fine.
- While onions are cooking, chop garlic (3 cloves).
- Once onions are finished, add chopped garlic. Stir until soft and fragrant (30 to 60 seconds).
- Add canned tomatoes (about 28oz/900mL), chicken stock (1 cup), salt (2tsp), Italian seasoning (2tsp), and dried basil (2tsp).
- Simmer for about 30 minutes.
- Puree everything.Note: I use an immersion blender. If you're using a regular blender: don't fill it all the way, don't seal it (use a towel over the hole in the lid), and be careful. Make sure steam can escape to reduce the chances of a soup explosion.
- TASTE YOUR SOUP!Happy with it? It's ready to serve!Not ready? Keep reading
Is the soup too acidic?
- Add baking soda (1tsp) and simmer for another 10 minutes. Stir frequently.Note: your soup will bubble up when you add baking soda. That's totally normal, just keep stirring it until the foam disappears.
How to Make Creamy Tomato Soup
- Bring cream (1 cup) to room temperature.
- Add baking soda (1tsp) to soup and simmer for another 10 minutes. Stir frequently.
- Add cream to soup. Stir until well combined.Note: less acidic soup combined with room temperature cream reduces the chances of our cream curdling when added to the soup.
How to Make Tomato Basil Soup
- Add fresh basil (1 cup) to soup. Blend well.
Enjoy Your Soup!
Did you make this easy homemade tomato soup recipe? How did it turn out? What changes did you make? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Until next time. Xoxo