This Creamy Tomato Soup is made in 20 minutes with canned tomatoes, but no one would ever know! It’s flavored with basil, garlic and Parmesan and perfect for dunking your grilled cheese!
Looking for more easy soup recipes? Try my Easy Taco Soup recipe, my Crockpot Chicken Taco Soup or my Ramen Noodle Soup!
Table of Contents
There is just not a better comfort food combo than creamy tomato soup and a crispy, melty grilled cheese sandwich.
This Creamy Tomato Soup has been on repeat here, because it’s easy and quick enough to whip up for any meal, even with the kids running circles around you!
It’s so quick, and so delicious, that you’ll never have to settle for the can again!
What I love about this tomato soup recipe is that it can be made with canned tomatoes for the majority of the year when we don’t have fresh garden tomatoes. Made with canned tomatoes, it’s an easy and inexpensive meal that tastes just as amazing year round.
(P.S. This Tomato Tortellini Soup is another one using canned tomatoes!)
But if you’ve got a bucket of fresh tomatoes from the garden?
Even better! Throw those in for a quick summer meal.
I confess, I’m one of those people who enjoys soup year round, and some of our other favorites (if you’re one of those people, too!) are this Sausage Tortellini Soup, Chicken Gnocchi Soup, and this Crockpot Potato Soup.
Give me some crusty bread or a great dinner bun and I’ll enjoy soup for every meal of every day!
How to make easy Creamy Tomato Soup:
- We make our roux first, instead of at the end and this saves us a pot making this a ONE pot soup (yay!). First we melt the butter, add the garlic to make it fragrant, then stir in some flour. This will thicken our soup and make it incredibly creamy.
- Stir in the rest of our seasonings, then whisk in the milk until smooth. Let this simmer until thickened, whisking often so it doesn’t clump!
- Stir in all of that tomato goodness, and give it a good stir to incorporate.
- Puree with an immersion blender, in a blender meant for hot foods (not all are, so be careful!), or in a food processor. This is optional, but really makes it smooth and creamy so I recommend it!
Variations on this Creamy Tomato Soup:
- Feel free to adjust the spices and herbs to your tastes or what you have on hand — add some heat if you like, or experiment a little!
- If you don’t have fresh milk, you can easily substitute for evaporated milk or cream. If you need to make this recipe dairy free, you can substitute for non dairy milk though it will change the flavor, or you can use chicken or vegetable broth as well. It will still be creamy and delicious!
- Feel free to add in other veggies, before or after pureeing! Some cooked carrots puree really easily in tomato soup and go mostly unnoticed.
- Some pasta, rice or other cooked grains can make this soup a little heartier (though you know I’m serving mine with grilled cheese so I opt for plain and simple 😉 )
- If you need to make this recipe gluten free, you can skip the roux and opt to thicken the milk with a couple tablespoons of corn starch before adding the tomatoes.
Got leftover Tomato Soup?
Pasta: This creamy Tomato Soup also makes a great pasta sauce! You can make a double batch, and save some for serving over pasta for an easy dinner another night.
Pizza: This Tomato Soup is thick and creamy enough to be used as a pizza sauce as well!
Reinvent it: serve leftovers with cooked pasta and vegetables for a new twist on tomato soup — bonus points if what you add to the soup is also leftover from another meal!
*This post has been updated since its original posting in April 2014.
20 Minute Creamy Tomato Soup from Scratch
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 tbsp fresh basil (or 1/2-1 teaspoon dried)
- 1-2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp basil pesto optional and to taste
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 798 ml can of diced tomatoes with Italian herbs (28 oz) or sub crushed or fresh, chopped
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste (about half 156ml can)
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan optional
Instructions
- In a large pot, melt butter. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add flour and whisk to combine.
- Add basil, sugar, salt and pesto. Cook and stir 1 minute.
- Add milk and whisk until combined. Cook and whisk on medium heat until thickened, stirring often.
- Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and Parmesan if using, and stir until combined.
- Puree with an immersion blender if desired and serve.
Nutrition Information
Want to save this recipe?
Create an account easily save your favorite content, so you never forget a recipe again.
Tried this recipe?
Tag @thereciperebel or hashtag #thereciperebel — I love to see what you’re making!
Tag @thereciperebel
Brenda says
Can this soup be processed in a hot water bath or pressure canner?
Ashley Fehr says
I can’t say for sure because in order to be canned safely it has to have a certain pH level.
Sarah says
I don’t have an imulsion blender. What can I do instead to give the same puréed texture?
Ashley Fehr says
I would cool it slightly and put through the blender or use a food processor
Tammy Schick says
Oh my goodness is this good! I whipped up a quick batch today for lunch. I needed to shake things up. It’s 111 degrees here in Phoenix today ☀️ but this recipe is just what I was craving. It’s decedent!
I have Celiacs so I made a GF roux. I followed the directions for “Light Brown Roux” from cottercrunch.com and it was perfect!
I doubled the batch and used canned whole plum tomatoes with garlic and basil because that’s what I had on hand. I also added some smoked paprika because I’m addicted to it’s smoky warmth.
I am IN LOVE with this creamy, scrumptious recipe. I have already sent the link to my mom and sister. DELISH! Thanks for sharing ♥️
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Tammy! I’m so happy to hear you loved it!
Sabrina Bryan says
do you use milk or cream? and what kind?
Ashley Fehr says
I use milk as the recipe states. Any percentage will work fine — more fat will just have a richer flavor
Carolyn says
When using canned tomatoes, do I drain them first?
Ashley Fehr says
Nope 🙂
Sheena says
I made this today as I had a glut of tomatoes. I didn’t have any pesto but I have to say it’s the best soup Ive ever made. A fabulous taste. I will definitely make this again.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that!
Gilbert says
Made this for the wife today, had everything except the fresh basil or dry. Just added a bit extra pesto, came out GREAT!!! wife loved it as i much as i did. Will definitely make again!!! Oh, totally used a lot more garlic, like 2 TBSP instead of a tsp, we love garlic in this house and surprisingly, even then, it was not overpowering. Thanks!!!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that! I need to try it with extra garlic!
Lyn says
Instead of using flour, I use a gd quality butter biscuits or cream crackers to thicken the soup eg Jacobs brand. Also, sometimes adding a bit of a bit of baked / sautéed carrots 🥕, celery & bell pepper (make sure they’re caramelised) adds depths to the flavour of the soup.
Ashley Fehr says
great ideas!
Debbie Eckstein says
i came across this recipe on FB. it was a video. while i watched, i couldn’t believe how simple it looked and wanted to try it. i don’t normally have cream on hand but i always have a can or two of evaporated milk, and swapped out the basil for some thyme. this is what i used. i have made this soup three times now, so i can safely say that this is definitely my go to for tomato soup! Thanks Ashley for sharing yet another great recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Debbie! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Bc in Edmond says
This looks amazing! I’m a little confused, though – your ingredient list says the milk is “divided” but I don’t see where (or why) to do it in the instructions – help please!
Ashley Fehr says
So sorry about that! I’m not sure why it was there, but I’ve removed it so there’s no more confusion
Emily says
Can you use fresh/frozen tomatoes of the same amount?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, definitely!
Laura Reese says
This soup is rich and creamy. We loved it.
Ashley Fehr says
thanks Laura!
April says
I love this soup! So easy to make and tastes delicious!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks April! I’m so happy to hear that!
Alisha says
I loved this soup! So did the kids – thank you
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Alisha!
Britni says
This soup is so yummy! I love making it with grilled cheese for a childhood classic! YUM!
Ashley Fehr says
Yes! It’s the best combo!
Taryn says
We loved this soup! And I loved that it was so fast!
Ashley Fehr says
One of the best parts!
debbie donnelly says
I have just made this today for lunch ,only thing I did differently was add a 1/4 tsp of baking soda to cut the aid taste so it would not curdle either.Was very good ^ everyone enjoyed it .
Thanks for recipe ,have lots of home canned tomatoes & frozen which I am going to try with your recipe .
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Debbie! I’ve never tried that baking soda trick but I think I need to!
Sunni says
I was going to say same thing as mixing tomatoes(acidic) to sweet milk always curdles so I add baking soda to the tomatoes as well as the sugar. Doesn’t change flavor.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing!
Dot says
Thank you so much for the recipe. Last fall I was forced to freeze a lot of my canning tomatoes. I had to leave and did not want them to go to waste. I had never frozen tomatoes before. Thus, I had to hope and pray that I could use them. Your recipe was the answer. I often make a rue but never considered it for tomato soup. All in all, the result was marvelous.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad to hear that!
Lorraine Beauchamp says
I admire anyone who runs a cooking blog. I am computer literate but unfortunately I feel lost in the blogging area. Do you have any suggestions how I might start my own blog, how does one begin. Keep up the great work!
Lorraine
Ashley says
Hi Lorraine! There are so many ways to do it! I use WordPress but there are lots of options for building a web site or blog. I did a lot of research beforehand, and there are lots of great articles on starting a blog! If you have any other questions, feel free to check out my contact page and send me an email 🙂
Leiann Bonnet says
Hi, I have a ton of fresh tomatoes from my garden & wondering how much of fresh vs. canned that your recipe calls for – if I’d like to substitute fresh instead of canned? Thank you!
Leiann
Ashley says
The recipe is pretty flexible, but you’d probably want about the same amount, 28oz. Hope that helps!
Leiann Bonnet says
Thank you Ashley – I’ve got so many tomatoes, I might have to double, or triple it. BTW, have you frozen this soup before? If so, how did it come out after defrosting?
Ashley says
I haven’t frozen it. Freezing dairy based soups is always a bit tricky… I’m not sure how it would turn out! You can always freeze the fresh tomatoes though, and make more soup later!
Leiann Bonnet says
Yes, freezing all the extra tomatoes 🙂
Thanks!
Maranda says
I was wondering what the serving size was? I know 6 servings and looked but didn’t see how much each serving was. Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
Sorry Maranda! Unfortunately that is all the information I have at this time. The entire recipe divided by 6 portions
Andrea S says
I just made this for my boys. It’s a success! The only thing I changed was to add a tablespoon or two of sugar to combat the bitterness of tomato paste. The soup is delicious! I won’t go back to canned tomato soup again. Thanks for the recipe!
Ashley says
I’m glad you liked it! Adding sugar is a great idea — I’m actually surprised I didn’t add any when I made it! There isn’t much I don’t add sugar to. Thanks for that — I might just add it to the recipe!