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My favorite roasted tomato soup recipe always tastes so fresh and flavorful and it’s easy to make with a handful of simple ingredients.
End-of-season tomatoes are overflowing in gardens and farmers markets everywhere right now, which means it’s time to make my favorite roasted tomato soup recipe! ♡
It features a short and simple ingredient list, including a few of my favorite seasonings plus whatever variety of small- to medium-sized tomatoes you have that are ripe. It’s easy to make in just a little over a half hour with minimal prep time. It’s naturally gluten-free and vegan, although you’re welcome to add in a splash of cream or some cheese if you’d like. And if you happen to have some leftover bread on hand, I’d highly recommend making some homemade croutons or grilled cheese (or grilled cheese croutons, see below!) to go with your tomato soup, which is always such a nostalgic and delicious combo.
In my book, it doesn’t get any better than homemade tomato soup that’s made with fresh, ripe, in-season tomatoes that have been roasted down until they are irresistibly concentrated and sweet. So let’s make the most of tomato season while it’s still here!
Roasted Tomato Soup Ingredients
Before we get to the full tomato soup recipe detailed below, here are a few notes about the ingredients that you will need…
- Ripe tomatoes:I find that roasted tomato soup is best when made with varieties of small- to medium-sized tomatoes, such as cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, Roma tomatoes or cluster tomatoes (a.k.a. tomatoes on the vine), which roast up to have flavor that is especially concentrated and sweet. The ripeness of your tomatoes will also make all the difference here, so choose whichever tomatoes look the best!
- Onion and garlic: I prefer the flavor of sautéed onion and garlic in tomato soup, but you are welcome to roast these ingredients along with the tomatoes in the oven if you prefer. (If so, their flavor will be a bit sweeter.) Just be sure to leave the peels on the garlic cloves when roasting and remove them early if needed so that they do not burn.
- Fresh basil:I love puréeing fresh basil leaves directly into the soup itself, but you are welcome to leave the basil out of the soup and just offer it as an optional garnish if you prefer.
- Smoked paprika, crushed red pepper flakes, sea salt and black pepper:I love the subtle depth of flavor that smoked paprika and crushed red pepper flakes bring to this soup, plus sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper are essential for seasoning as always. The amount of crushed red pepper flakes included in the recipe is quite mild, so feel free to add double if you would like the soup to have a more noticeable kick.
- Vegetable broth:Feel free to use either vegetable or chicken broth as the base for this soup.
- Olive oil:I wrote the recipe below using exclusively olive oil to keep it dairy-free. But it would be extra delicious with a pat of butter stirred in at the very end just before serving.
- Toppings:Some of my favorite topping options include freshly-grated cheese (Parmesan, cheddar, gruyere, or whatever sounds good), a drizzle of heavy cream or olive oil, homemade croutons (or grilled cheese croutons, see below), a pat of sour cream and/or extra fresh basil.
How To Make Tomato Soup
Here are a few of my best tips for how to make the best tomato soup!
- Use the ripest tomatoes possible. Tomatoes are the primary flavor in this soup, so please choose whatever tomatoes are in season and look the ripest. That said, if you happen to be making this soup in the wintertime, small cherry or grape tomatoes will probably be your best bet.
- The texture is up to you.Feel free to blend this soup to be however chunky or smooth that you prefer. I love mine as smooth as possible, so I typically blend it for at least a few minutes.
- Be careful when blending.As always, please please be careful when puréeing hot liquids, especially if you are using a traditional blender (since hot liquids expand when blended). See instructions in the notes below the recipe if you are using a traditional blender.
- Season to taste.I wrote this recipe using a fairly subtle amount of smoked paprika and crushed red pepper, but please feel free to add more if you’d like. Also don’t forget to add salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe Variations
Here are a few variations you’re welcome to try with this roasted tomato soup recipe too…
- Add cream: Drizzle or stir in however much heavy cream (or half and half) that you prefer. Or feel free to use a dairy-free alternative such as coconut cream or cashew cream.
- Add bacon:I also adore tomato soup with bacon bits sprinkled on top. You’re welcome to use that extra bacon grease to sauté the onion and garlic for extra flavor too.
- Add beans or potato:If you would like to make the soup extra-creamy without adding in heavy cream, feel free to add in a can of drained white beans or sauté a small Russet potato with the veggies. You may need to add in a bit of extra veggie stock and adjust the seasonings, but either of these ingredients will help to make the texture even creamier.
- Add pesto:In lieu of using fresh basil, try drizzling a swirl of basil pesto into each bowl. Delicious!
- Add sugar: I find that roasting the tomatoes adds plenty of sweetness to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes, but feel free to add in a few teaspoons of sugar too if you would like.
- Make grilled cheese croutons:For a fun twist on tomato soup with grilled cheese, try making grilled cheese croutons! Simply cook up one or two grilled cheese sandwiches, slice them into small bite-sized cubes, and sprinkle them on each serving as “croutons.”
More Tomato Soup Recipes
Looking for some more tomato-based soup recipes to try this season? Here are a few of my faves…
- Gazpacho
- Ultimate Chili
- Vegetable Soup
- Sopa Azteca (Tortilla Soup)
- Italian Sausage, Gnocchi and Tomato Soup
Roasted Tomato Soup
★★★★★5 from 15 reviews
- Author: Ali
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
Description
My favorite roasted tomato soup recipe always tastes so fresh and flavorful and it’s easy to make with a handful of simple ingredients.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes (any small- to medium-sized tomatoes will do)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
- 1 large white or yellow onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup loosely-packed fresh basil leaves
- optional toppings: freshly-grated Parmesan, drizzle of heavy cream or olive oil, croutons, sour cream or fresh basil
Instructions
- Roast the tomatoes.Heat oven to 450°F. Quarter the tomatoes (or halve them, if they are small) and arrange them cut-side-up on a baking sheet. Drizzle evenly with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with a few pinches of salt and black pepper. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until softened, then transfer baking sheet to a wire rack.
- Sauté the onion and garlic. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, smoked paprika and crushed red pepper flakes and sauté for 2 more minutes, stirring frequently.
- Put it all together.Add the broth, basil, and the roasted tomatoes (once they are ready) with their juices and stir to combine.
- Purée. Using a handheld immersion blender (or see instructions below for using a traditional blender), purée the soup until it reaches your desired texture.
- Season.Taste the soup and season with extra salt, pepper, and/or smoked paprika as needed.
- Serve.Serve warm, garnished with any extra toppings you would like, and enjoy!
Notes
Traditional blender option:To purée the soup using a traditional blender, transfer it to the blender in one or two batches (depending on the size of your blender; you don’t want to fill it more than 2/3 full with a hot liquid). Tent the cap of the lid slightly open (facing away from you to prevent any splatters) so that the hot air can escape, then slowly increase the speed and blend until the soup reaches your desired texture. Hot liquids expand when blended, so always be sure that there is plenty of room for the hot air to escape.
posted on August 14, 2023 by Ali
Gluten-free, Main Dishes, Soups / Stews, Vegan, Vegetarian
36 Comments »
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Leave a Reply
36 comments on “Roasted Tomato Soup”
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Earline Millsaps — September 3, 2021 @ 2:21 pm Reply
Love your recipes Ali, especially your soups. At the end of tomato season I slow roast tomatoes, puree and freeze the resulting roasted tomato paste. I typically use this roasted tomato paste as a pizza sauce, but I would like to use it in other ways. Can you estimate the quantity of roasted tomatoes produced from roasting the 3 1/2 pounds of ripe tomatoes? Thank you.
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Ali — September 4, 2021 @ 8:39 am
Ooh, hard to say depending on the concentration of your purée. I would start with 4 or 5 cups’ worth of purée, and then adjust the amount as needed with the other ingredients.
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Mary Smith — February 1, 2024 @ 7:09 pm
I have made this a few times now, and it is simple and delicious! I did only use 2 cups of broth this time, and liked it a bit thicker.
★★★★★
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Sherry — September 3, 2021 @ 2:41 pm Reply
So do you peel the tomatoes BEFORE or AFTER you roast them?
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Ali — September 4, 2021 @ 8:34 am
I actually don’t peel the tomatoes at all — no need since we’re going to roast and purée them. :)
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Megan — September 3, 2021 @ 7:57 pm Reply
I bet those are homemade croutons which she mentions and links a couple times in the post. Or maybe the grilled cheese croutons she mentions as a possible topping.
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Nicole — September 5, 2021 @ 10:15 am Reply
Best tomato soup recipe of all time!! The only change I made was to lower the amount of chile pepper by a third only because my chile flakes are hot as the dickens. I served it with a Pat of butter, avocado Crema made with sour cream, mashed avocado and lime and a sprinkle of smoky bacon bits. Big hit!!
★★★★★
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Heather — September 11, 2021 @ 6:14 am Reply
I’d like to make this for a friend who is having surgery. Can I make it head of time and freeze it?
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Diane Arseneault — September 26, 2021 @ 2:03 pm Reply
Loved this soup !! Perfect amount of heat from the chillies. Used dried basil which was good but fresh basil would be so much better. Great way to use up garden tomatoes. Will make this again :) Thank you !
★★★★★
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Julie — September 30, 2021 @ 10:15 am Reply
Hi Ali,
Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipes! I have made this four times now, with the huge bumper crop of red and yellow cherry tomatoes coming out of the garden. I did add the potato for extra creaminess, and cut back the amount of chicken broth, since I love thicker soup. This is now our favorite tomato soup! It’s delicious with fresh garden basil or homemade pesto. I shared the recipe with two friends, and they agree that this is the best tomato soup ever! -
Sherry — October 2, 2021 @ 10:19 am Reply
I see the cook time is 30 minutes. Is that at medium high, lid off? Also do you purée after the 30 minutes. Obviously I have never made soup before lol
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Justin — October 13, 2021 @ 10:48 pm Reply
Great recipe! Great flavor. I do have to aggre with Sherry, peeling the tomatoes would be a good idea. The tomato skins made the soup a bit unpeeling (no pun intended). I needed strained the soup to remove them.
★★★★★
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Donna — July 31, 2022 @ 1:38 pm Reply
Can you can or freeze the roasted tomato soup?
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CJ — August 30, 2022 @ 7:31 pm Reply
I added red peppers from the garden and some extra garlic to the roast. Delicious!
★★★★★
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Connie Rios — November 28, 2022 @ 11:59 am Reply
Gracias Ali! I made this using the last harvest of my cherry tomatoes…..I added a drizzle of Modena balsamic glaze at end right before serving…oh my goodness…the best😊👏🏼👏🏼
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Kathy Howard — December 28, 2022 @ 6:38 pm Reply
Delicious and so simple. A bowl of soup & a grilled cheese for dunking of course! A wonderfully comforting meal on a cold winter’s night!
★★★★★
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Meaghan — January 20, 2023 @ 12:41 pm Reply
I just made this. I also added a little bit of balsamic reduction. It added a little sweetness. I did not put any other sugar in it. I did use a red onion and I think it might be too powerful. Next time I will use a yellow onion. I also added pesto which made it more garlicky. I definitely agree it’s important not to boil it. A low simmer for at least 30 minutes is essential for the flavors to marry. I like mine creamy and thick so I did not add any vegetable broth. I puréed it. It’s a great recipe thank you!
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Karla — July 28, 2023 @ 5:47 pm Reply
This is becoming one of my favorite recipes. I love a recipe with few ingredients and a delicious outcome. I would also recommend peeling the tomatoes after roasting. It will add to the time, but I did not enjoy picking out the skin when eating. Maybe this is just my blender, type of tomatoes or cooking time. Plan to go back and here what others continue to say
★★★★★
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Patty — August 14, 2023 @ 12:26 pm Reply
Perfect timing since I have so many tomatoes in my garden. Can’t wait to try it.
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SHatcher — August 14, 2023 @ 1:27 pm Reply
It looks delicious! Do you know if it would freeze well?
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MBJ — September 6, 2023 @ 6:00 pm
Oh yes, you can! As long as there’s no dairy in it, it’ll freeze nicely. So if you like a “cream of tomato” taste, add dairy afterward. I like to freeze my soups in quart jars with plastic lids, allowing for plenty of headspace for expansion. Enjoy your soup!
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Susan — August 14, 2023 @ 2:10 pm Reply
I would probably serve this soup with quesadillas, since we much prefer those to grilled cheese sandwiches (I’m sure the local Mexican influence kicks in here). I’ve never seen tomato soup made with smoked paprika before, and it’s an idea I really like. It would be a good way to use the excellent smoked paprika you recommended when you were in Barcelona.
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Carol — August 15, 2023 @ 10:44 am Reply
Wow, absolutely loved this soup made exactly as written. Used Roma tomatoes. Make again when I can get these tomatoes from the market ❤️❤️❤️
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Ada — August 21, 2023 @ 2:39 pm Reply
Immensely juicy! Maybe you could try some more red and orange peppers to give it a nice kick. Spicy tomatoes are healthier than (is it the lemon-y?) ones? Kick is needed. Otherwise the flavors just get held back, time and grocery again.
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Lisa Hissong — August 22, 2023 @ 10:17 am Reply
So good! Made it with home-grown tomatoes and will definitely make again.
★★★★★
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Karen — September 10, 2023 @ 1:51 pm Reply
So having a blast making this I wish I’d known I didn’t have chicken broth would have preferred it over vegetable broth. Roasting for 40 minutes and then assuming simmering for 30? I can’t wait to try your other recipes they look amazing thank you!
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kelly — September 20, 2023 @ 11:52 am Reply
Can I ask the volume of the servings? I am trying to make this for a party and want to make sure I make enough. I’m not sure how generous you are with “servings.” Thank you so much!!
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Carolyn MacDonald — September 20, 2023 @ 5:48 pm Reply
I have made this recipe two times already using fresh tomatoes from my garden. Love Love it and I adding in chunks of Motz cheese on top. So yummy. Definitely will keep this on my rotation. It is extra amazing with the smoked paprika and the red pepper flakes.
★★★★★
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Jaclyn Rae — September 23, 2023 @ 3:37 pm Reply
Delicious! Added cannellini beans for creaminess and the taste was undetectable but the smoothness was there! Great way to add protein and heartiness to this dish. Paired with my homemade crusty bread, this soup is perfect for this rainy Saturday.
★★★★★
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Anne — September 24, 2023 @ 11:49 pm Reply
Delicious! Perfect balance. Roasting the tomatoes a must. Perfect ratio of tomatoes and broth. I too leave the skins on. The blender makes them disappear. I did much searching before I settled on this recipe. Look no further. Clean tasting. Perfect texture. Thank you.
★★★★★
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Christi — September 28, 2023 @ 9:57 am Reply
Amazing recipe right here. I added a few chopped up carrots (3) to the roasting tray and it turned out great. The soup was a gorgeous orange color. Highly recommend adding some carrots if you have them. I also but some butter in the soup after emulsifying it. The soup was velvety perfection.
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Meredith — November 17, 2023 @ 1:37 pm Reply
So flavorful and perfect! I love my soup a little creamy so I put in a can of coconut milk as a part of the 2.5 cups of broth and topped the rest off with broth- and it turned out amazing! Perfect winter soup- def will remake
★★★★★
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Laurel Tucker — November 28, 2023 @ 8:39 am Reply
I have already fire roasted tomatoes and froze them. Would I still need to follow the recipe as written or do you think it would over power the flavor?
★★★★★
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Ellen F. Salpeter — November 28, 2023 @ 1:37 pm Reply
Fabulous – just made it with yellow and red tomatoes.
Served with fresh Parmesan and house made croutons.★★★★★
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Cecelia J Beck — January 4, 2024 @ 12:33 pm Reply
Can you make this with frozen tomatoes
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Anonymous — March 5, 2024 @ 6:05 am Reply
★★★★★
