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!
There is just not a better comfort food combo than Creamy Tomato Soup and a crispy, melty grilled cheese sandwich.
This version is extra creamy, packed with basil, garlic and Parmesan, and made with inexpensive pantry staples!
It’s super quick, too, so you can get it bubbling on the stove even on the busiest weeknights. There’s barely any chopping, tons of flavor, and only one pot to clean!
This soup is super customizable, too. You can add in more veggies, rice, pasta, swap out herbs…basically, make it your own!
Homemade Tomato Soup ingredients:
- Salted butter: Unsalted butter also works, just taste at the end and add an extra pinch of salt if needed.
- Garlic: Fresh is best, but jarred minced garlic works if you are in a rush, you may want a little extra for more flavor.
- Basil pesto: I like to use homemade basil pesto, but any pesto you enjoy will work, start with a small amount and add more to taste if yours is strong.
- Dried basil: If you are out of basil, Italian seasoning makes a good stand in.
- Milk: Any milk you keep on hand is fine, 2 percent or whole will give you the creamiest texture, or swap in some half and half for extra richness. You can also swap the milk for evaporated milk or even some cream for a richer soup!
- Crushed tomatoes with Italian herbs: If you only have plain crushed tomatoes, add a little extra dried basil or Italian seasoning to make up the flavor.
- Grated Parmesan cheese: Grated parmesan cheese makes things easy, but you can grate it yourself from a block if you like!
- Fresh basil: Great for serving, but you can also finish bowls with extra Parmesan or a drizzle of cream if you do not have fresh herbs.
How to make Creamy Tomato Soup:
A few pantry staples and a pot are all you need to make this easy Tomato Soup! Don’t forget to check the recipe card for the full ingredients and instructions.
- Melt the butter in a large pot, then cook the aromatics.
- Whisk in the flour.
- Whisk in the milk slowly until the mixture is smooth and lightly thickened.
- Add the crushed tomatoes with Italian herbs and bring everything to a gentle simmer.
- Stir in the sugar to balance the acidity, tasting as you go.
- Add the grated Parmesan and stir until it is fully melted and the soup is creamy.
Tips for the best Creamy Tomato Soup:
- Milk thickness: Stop cooking the milk mixture when it lightly coats the back of a spoon, if it thickens too much, whisk in extra milk or broth to loosen it before you add the tomatoes.
- Low heat: Keep the heat on low once the milk and cheese are in the pot so the soup stays creamy and does not scorch on the bottom.
- Blend the soup: If you are blending in a regular blender, let the soup cool slightly and work in smaller batches, an immersion blender makes it very easy if you have one.
How to store leftover Tomato Soup:
Store Creamy Tomato Soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
Reheat gently in a pot over low to medium heat, stirring often, and add a splash of milk or broth if it has thickened in the fridge.
You can also reheat single portions in the microwave, stirring halfway so it warms evenly.
Serving suggestions:
Serve Creamy Tomato Soup with a big chunk of crusty bread like No Knead Artisan Bread or buttery Garlic Bread for dunking, or keep it classic with gooey Air Fryer Grilled Cheese.
For leftovers, pour the soup over Buttered Noodles for a cozy, nostalgic pasta dinner, or use it as a creamy pizza sauce and spread it over Easy Pizza Dough before piling on your favorite toppings!
20 Minute Creamy Tomato Soup from Scratch
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- ¼ cup salted butter
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic, (finely minced)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon basil pesto
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2½ cups milk
- 1 can crushed tomatoes with Italian herbs, (28oz or 798ml)
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1-2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Fresh basil, for serving
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the tomato paste, garlic, salt, pesto, dried basil, and pepper and cook for 1 minute.
- Whisk in the flour, until no white remains.
- Add the milk and whisk until combined. Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened.
- Add the tomatoes and Parmesan and stir until combined. Heat through.
- Stir in the sugar to taste and serve with fresh basil.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Tag @thereciperebelVariations and Substitutions
- Play with the herbs and spices: Use whatever you have in the pantry. Add extra basil, a little Italian seasoning, or a pinch of red pepper flakes if you like some heat.
- Dairy-free option: Use your favorite non dairy milk or even chicken or vegetable broth instead of milk. The flavor will be a bit different, but it will still taste creamy and cozy.
- Add extra veggies: Toss in cooked carrots, onions or other soft veggies before blending. Cooked carrots are especially sneaky, they puree right in and most people will not even notice.
- Make it heartier: Stir in cooked pasta, rice or another grain at the end for a more filling bowl.
- Gluten-free version: Skip the flour roux and whisk a couple tablespoons of cornstarch into the cold milk instead. Let it thicken gently, then add your tomatoes and carry on with the recipe.
Catherine Conn says
The soup was great, but I had to do some scrambling when it came to the amount of tomatoes to include. Your recipe asks for, “798 ml can of crushed tomatoes with Italian herbs (28 oz) or sub diced…”. 28 oz canned tomatoes, crushed or diced, in the US — I checked four nationally recognized brands — are labeled as follows: NET WT 28 OZ (1 LB 12 OZ) 794g (or 793g). What your recipe requests is a measure by volume, 798 milliliters, and then an ambiguous request, 28 oz, without telling us whether that’s by volume — US fluid ounces — or measure by weight — Net weight 28 oz.
It got even crazier when I did the math and all four Net weight 28 ounce cans had anywhere from 2.75 cups to 3.5 cups inside. Would you be willing to change the recipe to cups of tomatoes, instead of can size, so next time I can run through your delicious recipe without pause?
Thank you,
Catherine
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Catherine! Millilitres is volume, so it would then make sense that ounces is volume as well. This recipe is very flexible and a little more or less tomato wouldn’t have made a difference, so feel free to use whichever large can you can find! I have added cups in addition to make it simpler.
Allan T Sawyer says
Hi Ashley! I’m writing to you from rural Kenya where they grow so many delicious tomatoes. I had such an abundance of tomatoes that I chose your recipe to make tomato soup. I thought I had made a lot of soup, but I needed a bit more to feed all of the hungry mouths, so I searched my cupboard to see what else I had. After the soup was fully cooked, I dumped in a can of coconut milk. It was so good that I’m making more today. Thank you! A+ Delicious!
Dr. Allan Sawyer
Kapsowar Mission Hospital
Kapsowar, Kenya
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you for sharing!
Kim says
Soooo good! Thanks for the easy recipe, it was delicious even with only 14.5 oz of tomatoes:)
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Kim!
Ketta Kennedy says
The best creamy tomato soup ever! I originally chose it because it used canned tomatoes and pesto, which I had a little left over and wanted to use up . And now I buy pesto just to make the soup. It is so quick and easy. I love it.
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear, thank you Ketta!
ALuna says
Love this soup, you made my day!!!
This soup was so delicious… I will never eat canned again (i cant anyhow as they have flour in them)… the only changes I made were … I didn’t have pesto to add; My canned tomatoes had no Italian seasoning so I added some dry to can before adding; I didn’t have fresh Basil – used dry; and I used Gluten Free flour (Pillsbury GF all purp)… Oh also I didn’t have garlic so I used garlic powder. Will certainly make again!!! And again!!!
Cat says
Amazing soup, better then any shop bought tinned soup and the best tomato soup recipe i have found.
I didnt get 6 portions out of it tho
Holly says
I was craving tomato soup and grilled cheese today, so I whipped this soup up for lunch and it turned out great! Thanks for the quick and easy recipe, we really enjoyed it!
The Recipe Rebel says
Yay! Thank you Holly!
Diane says
Delicious and easy.
The Recipe Rebel says
Thanks Diane!
Trisha Chavez says
GREAT recipe! I did not use the pesto or the parm and it was still amazing. I added a little pepper and crushed up some garlic crostinis to use as croutons. SO GOOD!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Trisha!
Jessica Carter says
When you use leftover soup for pasta do you use a particular type of pasta? Do you just make the pasta as normal and then pour the leftover soup on top as sauce?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Jessica, yes you’ll just use this as if it is a pasta sauce. So you can use any pasta that you’d like. Enjoy!
Heather says
Fan-flippin’-tasting! This sooo good! It will be my go to tom soup. Only change was adding a small onion.
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear! Thank you Heather!
Tracy says
This is a game changer soup for a busy family. I love it’s simple ingredients and the delicious flavour. My only complaint is not doubling up the recipe for extras for lunches. Thanks so much
The Recipe Rebel says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Brenda says
Just wondering what keeps it fro curdling? I have always thought you had to add baking soda to homemade tomato soup but it gets so foamy and I don’t care much for that .
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Brenda, I’ve never had a problem with it curdling, so not sure.
Leslie says
This has definitely changed the way I feel about tomato soup! It’s easy to put together during our busy seasons and I very much appreciate the easy ingredients, thank you!
The Recipe Rebel says
Thank you so much for your kind review Leslie!
Stephanie Lighter says
Didn’t have canned tomatoes so use tomato sauce! Worked great!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Stephanie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Stephanie Lighter says
Love to have more recipes!
Gianna says
This is the fastest and best tomato soup I’ve had and with the grilled cheese it was just so good!!! ♥️♥️♥️
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Gianna! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Leslie says
This has definitely changed the way I feel about tomato soup! It’s easy to put together during our busy seasons and I very much appreciate the easy ingredients, thank you!
The Recipe Rebel says
So happy to hear Leslie!
Annie says
I just made this and it is definitely creamy and yummy. I used crushed tomatoes so I opted not to use my immersion blender.
Now I’m wondering if I can freeze small portions of this for my kids’ lunches, what do you think?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Annie! It should work! So glad you enjoyed it!
Carla says
This recipe was so easy to make and sooo good. I’ve been looking for a tomato soup I can whip up in a pinch, and this is it. My whole family loved the creaminess of the soup, and asked for a 2nd batch to be made. I used dry basil and left out the pesto, and it still had very fresh flavor without having to go through the trouble of roasting tomatoes.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Carla! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Breanne says
This is officially a staple in my home! I’ve been trying to find Campbell’s replacements and this is similar in flavor but considerably better and also healthier! Highly recommend!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Breanne! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Nikki says
This was the first time I tried this recipe and I gotta say, I’m disappointed. It was very bland and had a strange aftertaste. It’s entirely possible that I made a error but I don’t think I will use this recipe again.
The Recipe Rebel says
I’m sorry to hear you had trouble with the recipe Nikki. The amounts and ingredients have worked well for myself (and others) have enjoyed it, so I wished it would of been a hit for you too.
Annie says
Did you use low sodium tomatoes? Sometimes it can give a weird aftertaste if you did. I used half a can low sodium and half regular and it turned out tasty and creamy
The Recipe Rebel says
Thanks for the tip Annie!
Ashley says
THE BEST and easiest tomato soup! I was very Impressed with how good this was especially for how simple it was to make!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Ashley! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!