Classic Tomato Soup (Lightened Up!)
You're going to love this classic tomato soup recipe! It's super creamy, yet light (no cream). You probably have all the ingredients in your pantry already!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 1, 2024
This soup is everything I want tomato soup to be! It’s rich and creamy, yet doesn’t weigh me down. It’s bursting with amazing tomato flavor, yet it’s made from canned tomatoes.
That’s right, canned tomatoes. The season for ripe tomatoes (summer) is not the season for tomato soup (fall through spring). It’s a real conundrum, and this homemade tomato soup recipe is the perfect solution.
I developed this recipe for my cookbook, and wanted to bring it to life here on the blog as well. I bet you have all of the ingredients in your kitchen right now.
Tomato soup is perfect for rainy days. It’s even more perfect with a grilled cheese sandwich. Are you ready?!
Why You’ll Love this Tomato Soup
Here are four reasons why this tomato soup recipe will become your new favorite:
- This recipe offers classic homemade tomato soup flavor, and it’s made with basic pantry ingredients. Winning!
- It’s rich and creamy, yet cream-less. It uses a combination of white beans (I promise you can’t taste them) and butter to achieve this feat.
- This soup is special diet-friendly. It’s gluten free, since it doesn’t need any flour for thickening. It’s also easily made vegan—see the recipe notes.
- You can turn this recipe into tomato basil soup, if you have fresh basil on hand. It couldn’t be easier.
How to Make the Best Tomato Soup
This recipe is so easy to make! If you’re serving more than a couple people, I recommend doubling the ingredients.
1) Cook chopped onion in olive oil until tender, then add tomato paste.
Every great soup starts with an onion! Once it’s tender, we’ll stir in a dollop of tomato paste and let it cook for a couple of minutes. Tomato paste offers deep tomato flavor and adds a lot of intensity to this soup.
Tip: You can freeze leftover tomato paste in an air-tight container for several months.
2) Add whole canned tomatoes and vegetable broth, and gently simmer for 30 minutes.
Next, we’ll add one big can of whole tomatoes. Did you know that whole tomatoes are the highest-quality canned tomatoes? Canning companies reserve the less ideal tomatoes for diced and crushed varieties. Don’t worry about breaking up the tomatoes as they cook, because we’re going to blend them next.
This is the perfect time to clean up the kitchen or kick back with a glass of wine. You know which one I’m rooting for.
Tip: Stock up on Muir Glen tomato products, because they consistently taste the best.
3) Transfer the soup to a blender, and add a few more essential ingredients.
I always recommend using your stand blender for soups (vs. an immersion blender), because stand blenders produce much creamier soups.
Now, we’re going to add a few key ingredients: Great Northern beans (for creamy texture), butter (for amazing rich flavor), a little sugar (it balances the acidity of the tomatoes), salt and pepper. I don’t add sugar to savory dishes often, but just 1 teaspoon makes a big difference.
Tip: This recipe won’t use up a whole can of beans. You can freeze the leftover rinsed and drained beans in a resealable bag (silicone or Ziploc) for future batches of soup.
4) Blend until completely smooth, and serve.
There’s nothing better than tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich. You could also enjoy this soup with a big green salad. I actually think it would go great with this lentil and carrot green salad.
Watch How to Make Tomato Soup
Tomato Basil Soup Variation
This is so easy and delicious. Once you have blended your soup, simply add a handful of fresh basil leaves and blend until they’re broken into tiny bits.
If you’ve ever had Nordstrom’s tomato basil soup—this option tastes like a more fresh version of it. Yum.
Please let me know how your soup turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Looking for more creamy, lightened-up soups? Here are a few more favorites to bookmark:
- Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup
- Creamy Roasted Carrot Soup
- Creamy Roasted Pumpkin Soup
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Classic Tomato Soup
You’re going to love this classic tomato soup recipe! It’s super creamy, yet light and magically cream-less. Make this easy recipe tonight! Recipe yields 4 modest bowls; if you are serving a crowd or want leftovers, simply double the recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 large can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes, with their liquid
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup cooked Great Northern beans or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into a few pieces
- 1 teaspoon coconut sugar or brown sugar, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- For the tomato-basil variation (optional): 10 to 15 fresh basil leaves, to taste
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or soup pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender and turning translucent, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the tomatoes and vegetable broth and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium-high, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, reducing the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, and stirring occasionally.
- Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes. Carefully transfer the mixture to a blender, being sure not to fill past the maximum fill line (blend in batches if necessary). Add the beans, butter, sugar, and several twists of black pepper. Securely fasten the lid and blend the soup until smooth, being careful to avoid hot steam escaping from the lid.
- Since canned tomatoes vary in flavor, I always end up tinkering with this soup a bit at the end. Taste and, if necessary, add a little more sugar (to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes), pepper, and salt (I usually add another ¼ to ½ teaspoon).
- If you’re adding basil, add it now. Briefly blend again, and serve hot. This soup keeps well for up to four days or so. You can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
Notes
This recipe comes from my cookbook, Love Real Food.
My favorite canned tomatoes: I always recommend Muir Glen tomatoes for their superior flavor. Plus, they’re organic.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Replace the butter with 1 tablespoon additional extra-virgin olive oil.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Hi Kate. Is there anything I can use to replace the butter or could I just Lea it out. Catering for people with gallstones so can’t add any fat. It looks delicious
Hi Jan, see the notes for making it vegan.
Needed something relatively easy and delicious to start teaching my nieces (7 and 9) how to cook after school.
We used a vegan margarine, and it tasted delicious.
One niece paired hers with some cooked rice, and the other with a cheese and vegetable quesadilla.
They both asked to bring some home.
Thank you for sharing, Brianna!
I have made this soup a few times, this last time I tripled the recipe to freeze some. I added the beans, butter and sugar to the soup before I blended. Came out a bit less creamy, but still delicious. I like that the beans gives it some protein. Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Bev!
Just made this delicious tomato soup this morning, absolutely the best tomato soup I’ve made. Simple and straight forward recipe, added a few ripe tomatoes as well as the tins and a handful of basil leaves. Will defo be making this again soon thanks for sharing
I love to hear that! Thank you for your review, Angela.
I LOVE this recipe! It’s definitely a fall and winter favorite–I make it about once a week! I’ve started adding frozen spinach for some added veggies. Thanks for the yummy recipe, Kate!
You’re welcome, Lu! Thank you for your review.
Made this soup today followed the recipe , and it is absolutely fabulous will be making this on a regular basis. Hubby Absolutely loved it. Thank u so much Kate. Teresa few of ur recipe ad love them.
Made this soup today followed the recipe , and it is absolutely fabulous will be making this on a regular basis. Hubby Absolutely loved it. Thank u so much Kate. Tired few of ur recipe ad love them.
I’m planning on making this tomorrow, could only find fire roasted Muir Glen tomatoes… would it be better to use regular tomatoes or will the fire roasted be a good idea??? Thanks in advance!
Hi Stephanie, sorry for my delay! If you can’t find that brand, just find a brand you trust for canned. I hope you try it and love it!
Thanks! I was craving homemade soup yesterday and didn’t have much in the way of fresh veg. I found this recipe and had all the ingredients. I added garlic with the onions, some fresh vine ripe cherry tomatoes as well as the canned ones. I also swapped the beans and butter for double cream as I had some leftover in the fridge. When I served it I put a blob of Saint agur cream (blue cheese cream it’s amazing stuff) and swirled it around on the top. Hands down the best tomato soup I’ve ever had! Had enough for today and still some for tomorrow too. Making again to take to work next week! Thank you so much!!
This is hands-down the best soup! Quick, nutritious and simple and best of all the children love it! Excellent with a grilled cheese or garlic bread for dipping.
Thank you, Tara! I’m glad you loved it.
This soup is amazing!! In the cooler months I tend to crave soup more often but I find that many recipes are just too decadent to enjoy frequently. This tomato soup is the perfect option for when you want something hearty and creamy but don’t want to indulge in a heavy meal. We always make some grilled cheese on the side of course.
I’m glad you loved it, Lexy! Yes, grilled cheese is a must with tomato soup.
Amazing. This is an incredible tomato soup! It’s simple and quick to make, and it satisfied my craving for fresh tomato soup long after tomato season is over. I will never buy Campbells again…
Another great recipe, Kate.
I love the idea of incorporating the beans!
It was delicious!
Thank you!
This is the bomb! Smooth, creamy, with a fresh tomato flavor. It came together quickly and easily, and I am delighted with this recipe’s taste. It’s so nice to have the option of putting tomato soup together at will.
I made this for Thanksgiving 2021. Doubled the recipe for 7 people. I used fresh tomatoes as per my parents’ requests— it turned out less creamy than I expected, but overall it’s a good soup and it still was delicious with garlic bread.
I would love to make this for a friend who cannot eat onion and garlic. Could I substitute fennel for the onion? Or a bit of roasted red pepper? Or just omit it all together?
Hi Natalie, you could try it. Let me know what you think! I haven’t made it that way so can’t say how it would turn out.
I’m one person that really hates onions. if I taste them in a food I quickly lose my appetite. Sorry thats just the way I am, thats goes also for green peppers and pineapple.
So easy and so delicious. I never liked tomato soup until I tried this recipe. I heat it up in a coffee mug and drink it with lunch every day.
I love, love this recipe. However, I have a question. Is the soup simmering covered, or not covered. The recipe doesn’t specify. I am using your cook book and recommend it! Thanks. Deb
I love this tomato soup. It is so easy and quick to come together. The basil version is delicious, and I also like adding red pepper flakes for a little kick!
Thank you for sharing, Caitie! I’m glad you enjoy it.
I’d love to try this recipe but I don’t have a blender or an electric whisk. Could it use a Cusinart instead? Or even an a electric beater on low?
Hi! You could try your food processor. I hope you love it!
My 12 year old son had 4 teeth removed this morning and can’t eat solids for a while (poor little guy). He requested tomato soup for lunch and a quick search brought me to this simple but profoundly delicious recipe. I didn’t have any white beans but added a quarter cup of tinned chickpeas during the cooking phase, substituted chicken stock for the vegetable broth and added basil at the end. My goodness it tastes amazing and the texture is so creamy with the chickpeas. An absolute revelation!
Thanks so much!
Oh poor guy! I’m glad he loved this soup was just what he needed. Thank you for sharing, Michael!
I’m a long time fan and love your recipes. I just saw your note about the vitamix being better than an immersion blender for soup. How would that work when doubling recipes?
Hi! I would just be sure you have a large enough bowl to transfer the blended soup to.
This recipe is great! Highly recommend. I doubled the recipe and added fresh garlic, ground mustard, cumin, and paprika.
We made grilled cheese sandwiches with this yummy tomato soup on a snowy winter day.
Great to hear, Kelsey! I appreciate your review.
love love this recipe! its simple and delicious. that creaminess oh my its PERFECT and the best part is picky eaters can’t taste the beans!
That’s great to hear, Vincci!
Do you think it would be ok if I put a whole can of beans in there?
Hi Jaquella, it will change the taste and texture. I recommend this recipe as written.
Thank you for your toasted garlic bread .It was exactly what I wanted and was a wonderful recipe. Many thanks.
kind regards in Christ,
Mrs Suzanne Purvey Tasmania Australia
Great recipe! I did tweak the sugar, salt and pepper and use no sodium broth. The butter is a must! I also just added in the whole can of white kidney beans and used my immersion blender to mush up the whole thing. I also added in some high fibre macaroni the 2nd time I made it. Very very tasty!
This soup is the best of the best! So easy & delicious! Whenever I make this someone they rave about it & when I give them the recipe they cannot believe it was so simple. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing ❤️
You’re welcome, Amy! I’m glad you loved it.
Has to be the best tomato soup I’ve made, was very sceptical about added beans but that really gives that creamy texture without the cream, amazing.
I’m glad you loved it, David! Thank you for your review.
This is suchhhh a good recipe. So simple! And I love the idea of the beans for added protein and fibre (and texture)!
This is, by far, my family’s most favorite soup recipe!!! I’ve been searching for a good one since a fateful trip to Turkey over a decade ago. Even my 5-year old daughter likes it (minus basil). We’ll keep working on her. Would give 6/5 stars, we love it that much.
I love it! Thank you for commenting, Vika. This is a great favorite to have.
Awesome recipe! Simple, healthy, delicious & inexpensive. I added a few sundried tomatoes to the onions and tomato paste to amp up the tomato flavour, otherwise followed to the letter. Yum!
I’m happy you enjoyed it, Sara! I appreciate your review.
Thanks so much for this silky dairy free family fave, Kate!
You’re welcome, Anna! Thank you for your review.
I only have crushed tomatoes on hand so I hope it works! I love your recipes!
Thank you, Krysta!
Just made this soup this morning. I followed the recipe exactly, with one exception, left out the beans. I was sceptical at first as there are so few ingredients, however this soup is delicious! I’ve made many a tomato soup recipe in my time, some being good, others not so much. This to me tastes like tomato soup should. Next time I will add the beans in. I did buy the best quality tomatoes I could find as I’ve learned my lesson not to scrimp on the tomatoes. After all the tomatoes are 98% of this recipe, wouldn’t make sense to use the cheaper brands.
Thank you for sharing, Jan! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Iam actually making it , I love it
Love, love, love this tomato soup. Flavors delicious. The beans give some protein, the texture just right. Easy to make.
That’s great to hear, Vel!
I am going to be making this this week, it sounds amazing! Was wondering if you have ever tried canning the soup?
This recipe isn’t designed for canning, sorry! I do know it freezes well. I hope you try it.
This is an easy and tasty recipe, will definitely make again
I made this soup on Saturday afternoon for dinner. I used all the ingredients listed on your recipe, made it in a cast iron pot but just altered the method slightly by adding the cannellini beans along with the tinned tomatoes and vegetable stock to bring to a simmering boil. Once cooked using a stick mixer I added the butter, brown sugar and seasoned with black pepper, returned to the heat then added the basil coarsely chopped.
I enjoyed this soup with some Cheese Bread that I had also made (following another recipe). I definitely will be making this again.
Thank you from Australia
You’re welcome, Jill! Thank you for taking the time to review.
I usually roast tomatoes for my soup. I happened to have a large can of tomatoes so I came upon this recipe. It’s so good! Economical and fuss free!
I did begin by frying some diced bacon and threw in some dried basil. What a lovely soup to warm the stomach and soul!
Great to hear, Faye! Thank you for your review.
What an absolutely delicious soup! I was looking for a hearty tomato soup without cream but creamy in taste. I had everything I needed in my pantry. The portions are very generous. We’d half that and eat it as a starter here in Europe. Top notch recipe! Thank you for sharing. The fresh basil took it to another level….oh my!
You’re welcome, Valerie! I’m glad you had everything on hand. I appreciate your comment.
I was lazy to cook my dried white beans and had some white bean hummus hanging out in my fridge so I substituted for that instead. Turned out delicious, thanks for the recipe (satisfied my random tomato soup craving pretty quickly)!
I’ve made this soup maybe 4 times now and I love it. I even tried making tomato soup using another recipe and roasting the tomatoes and its not as good, crazy right?! The only tiny change is I add a little garlic powder to the blender as well but I just like the taste. I have tried add creme fraiche before instead of the beans as well and that was awesome but I don’t always have it on hand. Oh and I like to take one or two tomatoes out, blend everything and then chop them up and add them back in. I like the texture of a few pieces of tomato. This recipe is a staple in my house.
I’m delighted you have made it so many times already. Thank you for sharing, Jennifer!
Hi!
I’ve made the Seriously Good Vegetable soup.
Over, and over again. I sell it. I’m telling you, it’s really good. Seriously.
Thank You.
A fan.
Delicious! I didn’t have cannellini beans on hand so I used garbanzo beans. I added them with the tomatoes so they could cook some since they are not as creamy. I also added a tsp of honey with the coconut sugar. Simple recipe, goes together quickly and tastes super!
Oh my!!! This is the best tomato soup I have ever tasted!
This is a good base, but it fell a little flat for me. I ended up using the whole can of beans and about 4-5 tablespoons of butter. I also added some dashes of Worcestershire sauce, paprika, dash of cayenne, and 5-6 cloves of minces garlic.
I’m making your tomato soup tomorrow. Simple healthy ingredients should be wonderful. tu