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Quick and easy, this creamy Vegan Tomato Soup comes together in just 30 minutes and has added healthy plant protein to boot. Serve it with a dairy free grilled cheese sandwich for a comfort food meal even the kids will love. Perfect for a weeknight meal.
Forget about the tomato soup from a can! This homemade creamy tomato soup recipe can be made in just minutes and tastes so much better!
Soup is great in the fall and winter to warm you up, but I do eat soup all year long, especially at lunchtime. It’s such an easy meal to throw together and have leftovers to eat all week. It doesn’t get much easier than this Creamy Vegan Tomato Soup!
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
This easy soup is dairy free, gluten free, oil-free and can easily be nut-free.
Tomatoes ~ I used canned for convenience. Crushed, diced, whole..doesn’t matter. You could even use fire roasted tomatoes if you like your soup a little spicy. The soup will be puréed in the end, so use whatever you have in your pantry.
Beans ~ The beans are going to make the soup thick and creamy. Any kind of white beans will work. I typically use cannellini beans. Chickpeas or navy beans will work, also.
I used canned for convenience, but if you have some dry beans cooked, that will work too.
Milk ~ I like almond, soy or oat milk. As long as you use a plain, unsweetened variety, any should work. I might stay way from full fat coconut milk as the coconut flavor would be too strong, but light coconut milk should be fine.
Go for soy or oat milk for a tree nut free option.
Broth ~ I like to use low-sodium vegetable broth and season with my own salt. If you don’t use low-sodium, you may not need any salt added later. Be sure to taste before adding more. You could also just use water instead of broth.
Spices ~ A little basil, salt and pepper is all you need. I use dried basil in this soup for convenience, but you can certainly use fresh basil in the summer if you have it. Sometimes, I use both – dried cooked in the soup and fresh as a garnish!
How to make vegan tomato soup
Please scroll down to the recipe card for exact ingredient measurements and instructions.
This creamy vegan tomato soup comes together easily in just 30 minutes.
Start by rinsing the canned beans well under cold water (1). Set aside to drain.
Sauté the diced onion in a little veggie broth or water until soft and translucent (2). Add the garlic, basil, salt and pepper and sauté for a minute to release the flavors (3).
Add the broth, tomatoes and beans (4) and stir to combine. Cook for 10 minutes.
Take off the heat and add the non-dairy milk (5). Using an immersion blender (6) purée the soup (7) until smooth and creamy (8).
Add the balsamic vinegar, if using. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
Optional – garnish with fresh basil, drizzle of balsamic, fresh cracked black pepper and croutons or hemp seeds.
Storage and freezing
Fridge: Store this vegan tomato soup in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: It can also be frozen. Store in a freezer safe container or plastic bag for 4 to 6 months.
Pro tips and tricks
It’s hard to mess up this recipe, it’s so easy! But, here are a few tips to make sure it works out perfectly.
~ Sauté the onions until they’re nice and soft.
~ Don’t add the garlic until the onions are soft, otherwise the garlic may burn.
~ Sauté the dried basil for a minute or two before adding the rest of the ingredients to allow the oils to release and get flavorful.
~ Rinse the beans well before adding to the soup to remove excess sodium and potential gas-causing compounds.
~ Be sure to use an unsweetened, unflavored variety of milk. I like almond, oat or soy best. Light coconut milk will also work, it’s creamy without a pronounced coconut flavor. I would advise against full fat coconut milk as the coconut flavor will be too strong. I would also advise against rice milk as it’s very thin.
~ Purée the soup until smooth…and then purée another minute to ensure everything gets blended up perfectly. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can carefully transfer the soup to a blender to purée. You may have to do that in batches depending on how big your blender is.
~ Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.
~ Pair the soup with a salad or sandwich (like this smoky Vegan BLT Sandwich!) for a heartier meal. Or serve it over noodles for a super kid-friendly option.
~ Leftovers are great the next day. You can even pack it in a thermos to take to work or school. My 9 year old daughter always requests it in her lunchbox!
FAQs
Originally, bisque referred to broth made of shellfish. In current times, bisque is more typically referred to as smooth, creamy soup. This is usually done using heavy cream.
So, I guess you could call this Creamy Vegan Tomato Soup a Vegan Tomato Bisque. Instead of using heavy cream, I use blended white beans and non-dairy milk to make it creamy.
For a slightly different flavor profile, you must try my Polish Tomato Soup!
While canned soups, vegan or otherwise, may be high in sodium and contain oils, preservatives or additives, this homemade vegan tomato soup recipe is healthy!
It’s high in vitamins C, A, and K and high in calcium and iron. It even contains healthy plant protein.
The beans in this recipe will help make it thick and creamy.
If you like your soup even thicker, you can use less broth to begin with. If you want to try to thicken it after cooking, you can add more beans and purée again. Or you can add a cornstarch slurry, bring to a boil, then simmer until your preferred consistency.
If you find your tomatoes too acidic, you can try adding another pinch of salt, a sprinkle of sugar (the balsamic in this recipe is sweet and will help balance the acidity of the tomatoes) or a ½ teaspoon of baking soda.
More creamy vegan soups:
- Butternut Squash Apple Soup
- Velvety Green Vegetable Soup
- Sweet Potato Cauliflower Soup
- Smoky Vegan Broccoli Soup
- Creamy Almond Sweet Potato Soup
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment below with your feedback.
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Creamy Vegan Tomato Soup
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup water or broth for sautéing or 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2-3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans or chickpeas
- 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes or whole peeled or diced, whatever you have in your pantry
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon pepper or to taste
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth or water
- 1 cup unsweetened plain non-dairy milk plus more to thin, if needed. I like almond, oat, or light coconut milk best.
- 1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (optional)
Instructions
- Sauté onion in water or broth (or oil) over medium heat until softened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and spices and sauté 1 minute.
- Add beans, tomatoes and vegetable broth (or water) and stir to combine. Increase heat and bring to a boil, then turn down heat to medium-low and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Take off the heat, add the non-dairy milk, and purée with an immersion blender until smooth. Alternately, you can transfer the soup to a blender and purée. If needed, add additional almond milk or water to thin to your desired consistency.
- Add more salt/pepper/basil to taste, if desired. Add the balsamic vinegar, if using, and stir.
- Serve hot.
Notes
Storage/Freezing Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. You can also freeze this soup in a freezer safe container or plastic bag for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition values are calculated using online calculators and are estimates only. Please verify using your own data.
Vicki Johnson says
This recipe was so creamy and delicious! I prepared Step 1, and then put everything in my Vitamix and processed it on the Soup setting. So easy and good! Another great recipe – Thank you!
Jenn Sebestyen says
Great idea throwing in the Vitamix. So glad you enjoyed it!
Sophie says
This is the perfect soup for rainy, chilly winter nights. I have made it several times and it’s such a hit, I have had to double the recipe. Even then, there are almost no leftovers. I served it tonight with avocado toast topped with some lightly mashed up garbanzo beans mixed with vegan aioli and sprinkled “everything but the bagel” seasoning on top. It was a hit!
Jenn Sebestyen says
Sophie, that avocado toast sounds amazing! So glad you love the soup. Thank you so much for your comment!
Gracie says
Made this soup today for Valentines Day, 2/14/21 and it was a big hit with my family. Very easy to make, took no time at all and was delicious I enjoyed every spoonful. This will now be my go to Tomato Soup use to make another that was very time consuming and nowhere near as good. Thanks Jenn!
Jenn Sebestyen says
I’m so glad you all enjoyed it! Sometimes simple is the best, right?! Thank you for your feedback!
Joelle says
Just made this and was fantastic! I also added some sun dried tomatoes to give a little more richness and used oregano instead of basil. Thank you! Tomorrow I will make the quesadillas to go with it.
Jenn S. says
Hi, Joelle! So ironic because I am making this tonight! I’m so glad you liked it. Love the addition of sun-dried tomatoes. And it couldn’t be easier, right?! I hope you love the quesadillas too. Thanks for stopping by. Have a great week!
Jan Penny says
Thank you for the recipe! I made my onions chunky and didn’t blend them. I just blended drained white beans with canned diced tomatoes and added them to the sauteed onions and garlic. I added one teaspoon on pure maple syrup. Otherwise I followed the recipe.
This reminds me of the Tomato Street tomato soup that I love. I served myself a slice of whole wheat artisan bread, lightly toasted with a slice of avacado on top with salt and pepper. I will add some mushrooms to the other serving and serve it on top of spaghetti squash for dinner tonight.
This is wonderful and very filling and I can imagine tons of happy variations! I’m very grateful for the recipe!
Jenn S. says
I love the idea of putting on spaghetti squash! I will definitely try that! So glad you liked it. Thanks for stopping by to let me know!
Tour Bus Mom says
Just made a big pot to give to others for Valentine’s Day! Added some plain soy milk, balsamic drops on top with fresh basil, and spinach. Very good and pretty.
Jenn S. says
What a great way to spread the love on Valentine’s Day! I’m so glad you liked it!!
Kip says
I love the looks of both the soup and what its serving dish! Such a cute pattern.
sebestyen2 says
Thanks! My hubby got me those dishes for Christmas last year. I love all the colors! So cheerful!
Rosie Parfitt says
This looks delicious! I used to love Campbell’s cream of tomato soup whenever I got sick and this looks to have the same creamy colour. I’m definitely going to be making this.
sebestyen2 says
Its funny you mention Campbell’s. I have always thought my Grandma’s tomato soup was the absolute BEST! I finally asked for the recipe when I got older and found out she simply combines Campbell’s tomato soup with chicken broth. WHAT?? LOL! Oh well, this soup is not quite as sweet as Campbell’s. You might want to use a sweet onion, like a Vidalia, to give it a little sweetness. Hope you like it!
Lynn Thurman says
This sounds yummy. Anxious to give it a try using fresh tomatoes from my garden in lieu of the canned tomatoes.
sebestyen2 says
Yes! This would be wonderful with fresh tomatoes….and fresh basil. I’m just trying to keep it really simple and accessible for everyone this month. Let me know how it turns out!
Lynn says
Just made this tomato soup for dinner. Only took a few minutes to make & it turned out great. A delicious, quick,easy, light dinner. Will definitely make this again.
Jenn S. says
Glad you liked it!
NaturallyAwesomeMama says
Looks great! And I have all the ingredients. Totally ready for Fall and all the yummy comfort foods that goes with it. 🙂
sebestyen2 says
I know, right? I’m sad to see summer coming to an end (especially with another polar vortex predicted), but I LOVE fall so much! Can’t wait for apple and pumpkin picking, pumpkin bread, apple crisp, hot cocoa and less humidity! 🙂