Name: Creamy Tomato Soup
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; ½ cup finely chopped onions; 1 clove garlic (finely minced); 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (I recommend San Marzano tomatoes); 1½ cups chicken broth; ½ teaspoon dried basil; 2 teaspoons sugar (add more or less to taste depending on the acidity of the tomatoes); salt and pepper (to taste); ½ cup heavy cream

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This homemade Creamy Tomato Soup takes tomato soup to the next level and is so quick, easy and delicious, you may never buy the canned version again!

bowl of creamy tomato soup drizzled with heavy cream

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Ingredients You Need
How to Make Creamy Tomato Soup
Tips & Tidbits
More Soup Recipes to Try
📋Recipe

For most of my life, I actually didn't like tomato soup, which is kind of weird because I've always absolutely loved tomatoes. When I was a kid, I would pick them from my dad's garden and eat them like an apple with a salt shaker in hand (and I still do it today). Heaven!

My first experience with tomato soup was tomato soup from a can. It wasn't so much the flavor of the soup that I didn't like. It was the weird, thick orange gloop that came out of the can that kind of gave me the heebie-jeebies.

I don't know why it did. It just did. And it still kind of does (sorry canned tomato soup people!).

David, on the other hand, loves canned tomato soup. We've been together since college and have shared probably hundreds of grilled cheese and canned tomato soup lunches. Well, he ate the grilled cheese and the soup, and I just ate the grilled cheese. I really felt like I was missing out.

So I set out to make my own tomato soup from scratch, and this is the recipe that I came up with. It's so simple and so delicious! You just need a few basic ingredients and about 30 minutes.

Now we can both have tomato soup with our grilled cheese (and David doesn't miss his beloved canned soup one bit!).

I love the addition of heavy cream to tomato soup. It gives it a little bit of richness that also helps tone down any acidity from the tomatoes (along with a little bit of sugar) and is what makes this soup worthy of licking the bowl clean (as long as no one is looking!).

a pot of creamy tomato soup with a wooden spoon in it

Ingredients You Need

Olive oil
Onion
Garlic
Canned crushed tomatoes
Chicken broth
Dried basil
Sugar
Salt and pepper
Heavy cream

How to Make Creamy Tomato Soup

three images showing steps to make creamy tomato soup

three images showing how to make creamy tomato soup

Tips & Tidbits

With tomato soup, it's all about the tomatoes! They can really vary in flavor and acidity. Pick the best quality brand that you can afford and that you enjoy. San Marzano tomatoes are very good and are known for having a sweeter, less acidic taste.
You can add more or less sugar to the soup depending on the acidity level of your tomatoes and also to suit your personal taste.
If you don't have crushed tomatoes, you could also use diced or whole tomatoes - just puree them in the blender or food processor before adding to the soup.
I like the flavor that chicken broth gives the soup, but you could use vegetable broth instead.
I actually like the texture from the little bits of onion and garlic in my soup, so I don't puree it. If you would like a smoother soup, use an immersion blender or a regular blender to puree it (be very careful if using a regular blender and follow the manufacturer's instructions for blending hot liquids so they don't end up all over you or your kitchen).
You can add more heavy cream if you'd like super creamy soup OR...
If you'd rather some straight-up non-creamy tomato soup, just omit the cream. Delicious!
You can freeze this soup - as long as you freeze it before adding the cream (soups with cream in them can sometimes separate and develop an unappetizing grainy texture and appearance when frozen and then reheated). Stir in the cream after thawing and reheating just before serving.

spoonful of creamy tomato soup being lifted out of the bowl

This soup is really yummy as is, but feel free to top it with some shredded cheese, fresh basil, croutons, oyster crackers, popcorn, whatever you like.

AND, of course, it's the perfect partner for a grilled cheese sandwich - like my Garlic Bread Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. Sooo good!

I hope you try this Homemade Creamy Tomato Soup recipe and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!

More Soup Recipes to Try

If you make this recipe, I'd love to know how it went! Please leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!

📋Recipe

a bowl of creamy tomato with heavy cream swirled on the top and a spoon on the side

Creamy Tomato Soup

This homemade Creamy Tomato Soup takes tomato soup to the next level and is so quick, easy and delicious, you may never buy the canned version again!

5 from 3 votes

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Author: Michelle

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 30

Servings: 4

Estimated Calories: 221

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup finely chopped onions
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, I recommend San Marzano tomatoes
1½ cups chicken broth
½ teaspoon dried basil
2 teaspoons sugar, add more or less to taste depending on the acidity of the tomatoes
salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup heavy cream

Instructions

In a large saucepan over medium-low heat (I use a 3-quart saucepan), saute the onions in the olive oil, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute.
Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, basil, sugar, and some salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
Optional Step: At this point, if you would like to puree your soup so you don't have bits of onion and garlic, use an immersion blender or a regular blender to do so. After blending, return the soup to the pot.
If using a regular blender, cool the soup just a bit first and then blend the soup in batches, never filling the blender more than halfway. If the lid has a center cap, remove or loosen it so steam can escape. Place a folded towel over the lid (and hole) and hold the lid down while blending (an oven mitt can be worn for extra protection for your hands). The last thing you want is the lid popping off and hot soup ending up all over you or your kitchen!
Stir in the cream. If needed, gently simmer for a few more minutes just to heat through (do not boil; this will help avoid the cream separating from the tomatoes). Taste and adjust seasoning (and sugar) if needed.

Notes

Use the best quality and best tasting tomatoes you can find. I recommend San Marzano tomatoes because they are known for being sweeter and less acidic.
You can use whole or diced tomatoes instead of crushed tomatoes; just puree them in the blender or food processor before adding to the soup.
You can add more or less sugar to the soup depending on the acidity of your tomatoes and also to suit your personal taste.
You can add more heavy cream if you'd like a super creamy soup.
If you'd rather some straight-up non-creamy tomato soup, just omit the cream.
You can freeze this soup - as long as you freeze it before adding the cream (soups with cream in them can sometimes separate and develop an unappetizing grainy texture and appearance when frozen and then reheated). Stir in the cream after thawing and reheating just before serving.

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