Creamy Tomato Soup
This tomato soup is creamy thanks to the heavy cream and butter and smooth thanks to my Vitamix! The flavor of this soup is so divine, I’d argue it’s better than Panera and the ingredients are so simple–you can whip it together in under an hour. Pair it with grilled cheese for the perfect cozy dinner.
I love making this soup on a cold fall or winter day. The ingredients are so simple– all you need to do is chop up an onion and some garlic, plop a stick of butter in a stock pot, and crack open a couple cans of tomatoes and a carton of chicken broth.
This soup is not hard to make nor is it fancy, and that’s why I love it. Winter gets cold up in the Midwest, and there is nothing that warms me up better than a hot, cozy soup. So join me in welcoming the cold weather months and let’s make some tomato soup!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple ingredients – Canned tomatoes, garlic, onions, a carton of chicken broth. The ingredients are simple. There’s nothing fancy needed for this soup.
- The quintessential comfort meal – Tomato soup and grilled cheese are the classic comfort meal.
- Perfect for fall and winter – It gets real cold in the Midwest once late fall/winter hits. A steaming hot bowl of soup warms you up on those cold days.
Ingredients
- whole peeled tomatoes – I use (2) 28-ounce cans of whole peeled tomatoes. You can also use diced or crushed tomatoes!
- salted butter – I always have salted butter on hand, so that’s what I use. Feel free to use unsalted butter and add a teaspoon or more to the soup. You’ll add more to it at the end when you season it to your liking.
- all-purpose flour – this helps create the roux needed to thicken the soup.
- white onion – I happened to have a giant onion on hand, so I only used one, but usually you’ll use two small or medium sized onions. White onion is best in this recipe. Yellow onion could also work.
- garlic – I use 5 cloves in this recipe. If you don’t love garlic, cut it down to 2 or 3 cloves.
- chicken broth – Chicken broth adds fantastic flavor to this recipe. However, if you are vegetarian, you can use vegetable broth instead.
- granulated sugar – Sugar helps tone down the acidity of the tomatoes.
- heavy cream – Heavy cream adds the creaminess to this soup!
- salt and pepper to taste
See recipe card for quantities.
Step-By-Step Instructions (With Video!)
Step 1: Chop the onion.
Step 2: Add a stick of butter to the stockpot. As it starts melting, add the chopped onions to the pot. Allow the onions to cook for 2-4 minutes or until they turn translucent.
Step 3: Mince the garlic and add to the stockpot. Cook for another minute or two.
Step 4: Add the flour. Completely coat the onions and garlic.
Step 5: Gradually add the chicken broth to the stockpot, while continuously mixing.
Step 6: Add the tomatoes and sugar. Bring the soup to a boil over medium heat, then bring the temperature to low and allow it to simmer for 30 minutes.
Step 7: Once cooked, it’s time to blend the soup! I used an immersion blender, but ended up transferring to my Vitamix blender to finish it off for an ultra smooth texture.
Step 8: Finally, add the heavy cream and mix it in. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Substitutions and Variations
- Tomatoes – If you don’t have whole peeled tomatoes, you can certainly use crushed tomatoes or diced tomatoes.
- Basil – If you want to add some basil to make it a creamy tomato basil soup, add a cup of fresh basil leaves to the soup while it cooks. You’ll be able to blend it at the end when you blend the soup. I *love* tomato basil soup and this is one of my favorite variations!
- Vegetarian – if you’re a vegetarian and don’t want to use chicken broth, use vegetable broth instead!
Equipment
- Immersion Blender or Countertop Blender
- Stockpot
- Can Opener – I love this one! I can’t tell you the trouble I seem to have with regular can openers.
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Measuring Cup
- Cooking Spoon and Ladle
Storage
Store the soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can also freeze the soup for up to 3 months. Store in an airtight container. When reheating, cook in a pot over medium heat on the stove until hot.
Top tip
If you’re looking to get super smooth soup, I recommend blending it with a good blender. I love my Vitamix and highly recommend it to get rid of even the tiniest chunks of tomatoes.
FAQ
I highly recommend it. It makes the tomato soup creamy. You could sub out the heavy cream for milk or half and half if that’s all you have on hand.
Blending it is necessary! You can use an immersion blender (be careful with it as it can splash)! The texture may not be completely smooth with just an immersion blender. If that’s the case, pour it into a high powered blender. After a minute or two on high in my Vitamix, it was perfectly smooth. You may need to do this in batches.
Yes, you can. I honestly prefer soup a day after I make it because the flavors have had time to sit and be enhanced. So delicious! To reheat, put the soup in a pot on the stove over medium heat until it’s nice and hot. You can also microwave it in 30 second intervals, making sure to stir it between each 30 second break. I recommend covering the soup with a microwave safe cover to avoid a tomato soup explosion!
Grilled cheese is the best pairing for tomato soup in my opinion. You could also serve it with a nice crusty bread or a green salad.
Yes, you can. You can opt out of the chicken broth and use vegetable broth instead. Instead of butter, you can use olive oil or plant-based butter. Instead of the heavy cream, use coconut milk or plant-based cream. All of these substitutions will change the flavor of this soup, so please be aware of that!
To avoid this, make sure to add the cream once the soup has already cooked (at the end). Gradually add the heavy cream as you stir it into the soup.
Other Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Creamy Tomato Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons salted butter 1 stick
- 2 cups chopped white onion 2 small or 1 large
- 5 cloves minced garlic
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 48 ounces whole peeled tomatoes crushed or diced works also
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Chop the onions and mince the garlic. Add a stick of butter to a large stockpot and put it on the stove at medium heat.
- As the butter melts, add the chopped onions. Cook the onions for 3-5 minutes or until translucent, then add the garlic. Cook for a minute or two, then add the flour. Combine the flour until the onions and garlic are completely coated.
- Slowly add the chicken broth while mixing into the ingredients. Add the tomatoes and sugar to the pot. Mix the ingredients and allow the soup to boil. Once it boils, turn the temperature down to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, blend the soup until it reaches your desired texture.
- Mix the heavy cream into the pot. Season with salt and pepper to the preferred taste. Ladle into bowls.
So delicious!