Made with roasted fresh (not canned!) tomatoes and basil, my tomato basil soup has a smooth, rich tomato flavor (thanks to a surprising secret ingredient!). Recipe includes a how-to video!
Fresh Tomato Basil Soup
Trying to squeeze in one more fresh tomato recipe before everyone bids farewell to their summer gardens! Today’s tomato basil soup is the fresh cousin to the tomato soup recipe I shared a few years ago. Both are different, and I highly encourage you to try them each to discover your favorite!
When I shared my original tomato soup recipe years ago, I knew I’d get some flack for using canned tomatoes. And I get it, we use fresh veggies when making potato soup and butternut squash soup, so why not do the same for tomato soup? Well, I had my reasons, and you can read more about them over on that post 😉
That recipe is still one of my easy favorites (and many of yours!), but today’s version truly celebrates the vibrance of fresh garden tomatoes and basil. It’s absolutely perfect for this time of year when the evenings are starting to get chilly but summer veggies are still hanging on. I can’t wait for you to try it!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Made with fresh tomatoes! I love my classic tomato soup recipe (made with canned tomatoes, like my pizza sauce), but this version with fresh tomatoes was highly requested.
- Still easy. The hardest (and longest) part is waiting for your tomatoes to roast and allowing the soup to simmer.
- Robust tomato flavor. We’ll take a note from my classic tomato soup recipe and add a pinch of baking soda at the end of the cooking process. This neutralizes the acidity from the tomatoes and really brings out their flavor nicely!
- Pairs nicely with grilled cheese or cheese crackers, just like the soup we all grew up with.
What You Need
We’re keeping the ingredient list simple. Here’s what you need!
- Tomatoes. The quality of your tomatoes will make or break tomato basil soup (just like when making my cherry tomato sauce!), so make sure yours are nice and ripe. I talk more about this in the FAQ section below.
- Basil. Fresh basil is essential here! If you aren’t growing some your own in your garden, you can usually find it in the produce section of your grocery store. Sometimes you can even find basil plants there, that way you always have a fresh supply!
- Onion & garlic. These add depth of flavor to the soup, but not so much that they overpower the tomatoes or basil. I choose to roast just the onion and tomato in the oven and add the garlic separately later on; this is easiest and it allows the tomato flavor to really shine!
- Heavy cream. Just ¼ cup mellows out the flavor of the soup nicely. It’s not enough to make the soup overly rich or too creamy though, so don’t worry about that!
- Baking soda. This is optional, but I add it to help tone down the acidity of the tomatoes. I find you can taste their flavor more easily when their acid isn’t quite so overwhelming. If you like a more tart taste, you can omit this ingredient.
SAM’S TIP: Your soup pot matters! Make sure to use a non-reactive one like stainless steel or enameled cast iron. Regular cast iron will react with the acid in the tomatoes and give your soup a metallic taste.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Tomato Basil Soup
- Prep the tomatoes and onions by slicing and coating with olive oil and salt and pepper. Place cut side up on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Roast until soft, juicy, and lightly golden, then set aside.
- Cook the garlic in olive oil over medium heat until fragrant. Make sure to use a non-reactive pan!
- Add the cooked tomatoes, onion, and juices to the pot, then stir in the chicken broth and basil.
- Puree the soup with an immersion blender (I linked to the one I have and love below!) or regular blender.
- Stir in the cream and thyme, then simmer for at least 30 minutes. When you are ready to serve, remove the thyme and taste-test for seasonings. Enjoy!
SAM’S TIP: Always taste test before serving! Your soup may need more salt, pepper, or even a pinch of sugar (if your tomatoes are especially acidic).
Frequently Asked Questions
Juicy, ripe, flavorful tomatoes are what we are looking for here. Roma or plum tomatoes work nicely, but really any fresh garden tomato will do! Bland, grocery store tomatoes in the middle of December will NOT have the best flavor, so keep that in mind.
I suppose you don’t have to add it, but it makes up a large part of the flavor of this soup.
I haven’t tried it, but I think it should freeze just fine. While we are adding some cream here, it’s such a small amount that I don’t anticipate it causing any issues with freezing. If you do try this, I’d love to know how it goes for you.
We love topping this soup with sourdough croutons made from my sourdough bread recipe (pictured in the photos). Let me know if you would like to see a recipe for those!
Enjoy!
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Tomato Basil Soup (with fresh roasted tomatoes!)
Ingredients
- 3 lbs (1.4 kg) fresh tomatoes halved or quartered
- 1 sweet onion root and stem cut off, papery outer layer removed, and cut into thick wedges
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon salted butter
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 ½ cups (591 ml) chicken broth
- ½ cup (1 oz) coarsely chopped or torn fresh basil leaves
- 1 sprig fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
- ¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda optional, see note
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F (220C).
- Arrange tomatoes (cut-side up) and onion on a large parchment paper lined baking sheet. Drizzle all over with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Transfer to 425F (220C) preheated oven and bake until tomatoes are softened, juicy, and beginning to turn golden (about 45-60 minutes) (onions should be soft and fork-tender as well). Set aside as you cook the garlic.3 lbs (1.4 kg) fresh tomatoes, 1 sweet onion, 3 Tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, Fresh cracked black pepper
- In a large nonreactive pot (see note) or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.1 Tablespoon salted butter, 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- Carefully add cooked tomatoes and onion and their juices to the pot. Add chicken broth and basil and stir well.2 ½ cups (591 ml) chicken broth, ½ cup (1 oz) coarsely chopped or torn fresh basil leaves
- Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth and uniform (alternatively puree the soup in batches in a blender).
- Add thyme and heavy cream and stir. Simmer soup, stirring occasionally, for at least 30 minutes.1 sprig fresh thyme, ¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream
- Remove thyme sprig. Taste-test soup, add additional salt and pepper if needed and if desired stir in baking soda (see note). Serve by itself or topped with croutons, parmesan cheese, a drizzle of olive oil or cream, etc. Oh, or with a cheesy, melty grilled cheese for dipping!⅛ teaspoon baking soda
Notes
Pot
Use a large stainless steel stock pot or enameled Dutch oven. Avoid using non-enameled cast iron or aluminum or other reactive metal, as it will make the soup taste metallic.Tomatoes
Plum/Roma tomatoes work best for this recipe, or use red vine-ripened tomatoes. The quality of your tomatoes matters a lot here, make sure to use ripe, flavorful ones or the soup will be lacking. If youBaking soda
Baking soda is my secret ingredient! It mellows the flavor of the soup and cuts the acidity. Taste your soup before adding the baking soda, if you love the flavor you can skip this ingredient, but I really love the flavor it adds.Storing
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Valerie
This is by far the absolute most DELICIOUS soup recipe!! i can never make enough of it!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Valerie! 🙂
Miranda
I’ve made this several times now. It’s become a family favorite. I like to roast the tomatoes and onions at about 200 for 4-5 hours, just because it makes the house smell so wonderful.
Sam
Oh that sounds awesome! I’m so glad everyone has enjoyed it so much! 🙂
David H
Just made this and it came out great! Used organic roma tomatoes and on the vine campari tomotoes on the convection roast setting of my oven, only needed about 25 minutes that way. Since my GF doesn’t like garlic, I used a teaspoon of garlic powder instead plus I also added a teaspoon of thyme since I didn’t have the fresh stuff. My “secret” ingredient is a parm cheese rind, i let it melt and “swim” around during the simmer phase! Very tasty!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We are so happy it was such a hit, David! Enjoy 😊
Kaitlin
I have made this soup twice and shared it with my friends. It’s better than “Mom used to make”!
I’ll make some homemade croutons with the next pot!
Thanks so much! Love all your recipes
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Kaitlin! 🙂
Brittany
Hi Sam! I know your recipe says to use fresh tomatoes, but do you think canned garden tomatoes would taste okay too? Just wondering if you have experimented with other tomato’s. Thanks!! Looking forward to making this! 🙂
Sam
Hi Brittany! I haven’t tried it. I’m not sure how the roasting would go. You could try my regular tomato soup that uses canned tomatoes. 🙂
Jeannette
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe so I could make a lovely pot of soup using my garden tomatoes! I love your website😊
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Jeanette! Thank you for your support. 🙂
Jessye Goodale
I absolutely love this recipe. Having so many tomatoes from the garden this year this has been my go to tomato soup. It’s super easy, tasteful, and I love how it taste different depending on the the tomatoes but always so flavorful. The recipe is also easy to freeze so it is one of our go to “preserving” recipes as it last a long time in the freezer. I have made so many recipes on this site and they never fail. Thank you for creating such great recipes and embedding the videos
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We so appreciate your comment, Jessye! Enjoy ❤️
Deborah Roberts
Roasting the tomatoes and onion first brought depth to the soup – it turned out great and will make this recipe again, especially during tomato “season!”
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you enjoyed it, Deborah! Thanks for the review 🩷
Susie
Made this today, it’s super easy and tastes out of this world!! Try it, you’ll love it!
Sam
So happy to hear this, Susie! Thank you so much for trying my recipe, I really appreciate it!
Cheryl
Delicious! The addition of the baking soda truly enhanced the flavor!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Cheryl! Thank you so much for trying my recipe, and for letting me know how it turned out!