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    Home » Soups

    Creamy vegan tomato soup

    Published: Jul 14, 2020 · Modified: Apr 22, 2023 by Cadry Nelson
    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Text overlay: Creamy tomato soup. Vegan and gluten-free. Bowl of soup with fresh basil.

    Few foods give the cozy comfort of a bowl of creamy vegan tomato soup with a toasted sandwich for dipping.

    This full-bodied soup has a wonderful depth of flavor thanks to sun-dried tomatoes.

    Hand dunking grilled cheese sandwich into soup.

    I didn’t grow up eating tomato soup. It wasn’t until I was in high school and over at a friend’s house that she introduced me to this simple, homey pleasure.

    She’d take a can of condensed tomato soup, add a bit of milk to it, and heat it in a pot. While it was warming, she’d toast a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches.

    Then we’d convene to the living room couches, dunking our sandwiches while we talked.

    After that, grilled cheese & tomato soup was a staple whenever I wanted something effortlessly cozy.

    Something about dipping that gooey sandwich into the soup made it better collectively than separately.

    Spoon being dipped into bowl of tomato soup.

    Grilled cheese and tomato soup doesn’t have to be a thing of the past, though.

    This tomato soup recipe gives that old school favorite an upgrade.

    Sun-dried tomatoes give it an extra depth of flavor, tomato paste amps up the richness.

    And a spoonful of nutritional yeast & spices elevates the soup into a dish both children and adults alike can enjoy.

    In this post:

    Jump to:
    • What kind of tomatoes should I use?
    • Ingredients
    • Step by step instructions
    • More family-friendly soups you’ll love
    • 📖 Recipe

    What kind of tomatoes should I use?

    Overhead vegan tomato soup with spoon.

    Fresh tomatoes may be perfect on a vegan BLT. But for a quick & easy soup, I recommend using canned tomatoes for this recipe.

    Scoring, boiling, and blanching tomatoes to remove their skins before making soup is really fussy.

    And who wants to be inside by a hot stove when you could have tomato soup in hand from start to finish in about thirty minutes?

    Can of Cento San Marzano tomatoes.

    I recommend using peeled whole tomatoes for this recipe.

    While I love chopped fire-roasted tomatoes for things like vegan three bean chili, it can give too much of a burnt taste for a subtly sweet soup. So I prefer to opt for whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes.

    Taste your canned tomatoes before using and make sure they don’t have a tinny taste, because if they do, that will stand out in a tomato soup where it’s all about the tomato flavor.

    Even in canned tomatoes, tomato sweetness varies. So I’ve given a range of amounts of agave syrup for the soup.

    If your tomatoes are very sweet, you may not need any at all. And if they are less sweet, feel free to add up to a couple teaspoons full.

    That little bit of added sweetness also balances the acidity of the tomatoes.

    Ingredients

    Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe.

    Labeled ingredients for vegan tomato soup.

    Oil: Any neutral-flavored cooking oil can be used to sauté onions and garlic. Avocado oil is my go-to.

    Onion: Yellow onion is my preference, but any color will work.

    Garlic: Freshly minced garlic has the best, most robust flavor. But it can be replaced with â…› teaspoon of garlic powder. If using powdered garlic, add it at the same time as the other seasonings.

    Canned whole peeled tomatoes: You’ll need the juices as well as the tomatoes. San Marzano is my favorite.

    Bouillon: Use a vegetable bouillon cube or 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon no chicken base.

    Water + bouillon can be replaced with ½ cup of vegetable broth.

    Seasonings: Dried oregano, dried basil, salt, and pepper.

    Nutritional yeast flakes: This inactive yeast adds cheesiness and umami. Look for it in natural grocery stores or Trader Joe’s.

    You can read more about it in this post, “What is nutritional yeast?“

    Tomato paste: This adds a punch of tomato flavor. You can find it in jars or tubes in the center aisles of the grocery store.

    Sun-dried tomatoes: This adds a wonderful depth of flavor. Look for the kind packed in oil.

    Non-dairy milk: You can use any kind of non-dairy milk you enjoy, like cashew milk, almond milk, or soy milk.

    Agave syrup: This optional ingredient adds a little sweetness, and offsets the acidity of canned tomatoes.

    Step by step instructions

    Here’s how to make this recipe at a glance. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

    Start by sautéing onions & garlic in a soup pot until fragrant.

    Vegan tomato soup in pot on stove.

    Then add the following:

    • 28-ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes with juices
    • Water
    • Bouillon
    • Dried oregano
    • Dried basil
    • Salt
    • Black pepper
    • Nutritional yeast flakes
    • Tomato paste
    • Sun-dried tomatoes

    Cook for 8 to 10 minutes on a medium heat.

    Then blend with an immersion blender until smooth.

    (Or carefully transfer to a standard blender, blend, and return to the soup pot.)

    Pot of blended soup on stove.

    Stir in non-dairy milk, as well as agave syrup if additional sweetness is needed.

    Cook for 5 to 10 minutes more.

    Then ladle the soup into bowls. And drizzle with sun-dried tomato oil.

    Serve with vegan grilled cheese sandwiches. Or finish the soup with croutons for crunch.

    More family-friendly soups you’ll love

    Hands holding grilled cheese sandwich over bowl of soup.

    For even more family-friendly soups, check out these delicious options.

    • Vegan tortilla soup with black beans
    • Creamy gnocchi soup with sausage & kale
    • Sweet potato peanut stew with chickpeas
    • Vegan split pea soup
    Bowl of vegan tomato soup with fresh basil by sandwich.

    📖 Recipe

    Grilled cheese being dipped into bowl of vegan tomato soup.

    Creamy vegan tomato soup

    Author: Cadry Nelson
    5 from 2 votes
    Few foods give the cozy comfort of a bowl of creamy vegan tomato soup with a non-dairy grilled cheese sandwich for dipping. This full-bodied soup has a wonderful depth of flavor from the addition of sun-dried tomatoes. Add a handful of homemade vegan croutons and a drizzle of sun-dried tomato oil on top just before serving.
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 people
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: American, Vegan
    Keyword: dairy free, gluten free, kid friendly
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • 1 teaspoon avocado oil or your preferred neutral-flavored high heat oil
    • 1 medium yellow onion chopped
    • 1 clove garlic minced
    • 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes including liquid
    • ½ cup water
    • 1 vegetable bouillon cube*
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 1 teaspoon dried basil
    • ½ to 1 teaspoon salt
    • Dash of black pepper
    • 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
    • 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
    • 2 Tablespoons drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes + additional oil for drizzling on top
    • ¼ to ½ cup non-dairy milk Cashew milk is my favorite
    • 1 to 2 teaspoons agave syrup optional

    Instructions

    • Bring a soup pot to a medium heat with oil. Add onions & garlic, and saute for several minutes until translucent and fragrant.
    • Add whole peeled tomatoes with liquid, water, vegetable bouillon cube, dried oregano, dried basil, ½ teaspoon salt, black pepper, nutritional yeast flakes, tomato paste, and drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes to pot. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes on a medium heat.
    • Blend with an immersion blender. Or carefully move soup to a regular blender, blend, and transfer back to the soup pot.
    • Add ¼ to ½ cup non-dairy milk, depending on your creamy preferences. Taste and add 1 to 2 teaspoons agave syrup if additional sweetness is needed. If more salt is needed, add an additional ½ teaspoon or to taste.
    • Continue cooking for 5 to 10 minutes longer for flavors to meld and tomato to mellow.
    • Serve soup in 4 bowls and drizzle with oil from sun-dried tomato jar.

    Notes

    *Instead of a bouillon cube, you can use 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon no chicken base.
    If you’d rather use broth, omit the bouillon, and replace the ½ cup water with broth. 
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    Nutrition

    Calories: 93kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Sodium: 869mg | Potassium: 315mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 280IU | Vitamin C: 12.5mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1.1mg

    Content updated March 28, 2023. Originally posted May 14, 2018.

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    About Cadry Nelson

    Cadry Nelson is the writer, photographer, and recipe creator behind Cadry’s Kitchen, a vegan food & lifestyle blog started in 2009. Through approachable recipes, vegan travel guides, and down-to-earth discussions on the social aspects of being vegan, Cadry shows that living a vegan lifestyle is deliciously uncomplicated. Cadry has been featured on NBC News, Mashable, Today, Reader's Digest, Yahoo, Delish, Shape, and Huffington Post.

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    1. Heather Johnston

      April 09, 2019 at 9:12 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you for the delicious soup recipe. Recently I have made a lot of dietary changes and while I’m not vegan, vegan recipes are often very helpful! Tonight used the stove top method. My immersion blender wasn’t doing the job well enough for me so into the food processor with the soup! I agree with you that the whole tomatoes are best, but next time I may try crushed tomatoes. It was a great suggestion to taste the tomatoes before adding. Very common sense but I had never done that before!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        April 10, 2019 at 12:43 pm

        Thanks for all of the great feedback, Heather! I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup!

        Reply
    2. Jasmin | VeeatCookBake

      May 22, 2018 at 12:02 pm

      yeah for tomato soup.. perfect for busy days. Great idea to puree them in a high speed blender. awesome

      Reply
      • Cadry

        May 23, 2018 at 10:04 am

        Thanks! Got to love getting a healthy meal in a hurry.

        Reply
    3. Trinity Bourne

      May 21, 2018 at 12:32 pm

      OMG I totally love love love creamy tomato soup… you’re version looks so delicious!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        May 23, 2018 at 9:11 am

        Thank you, Trinity! I’m glad to hear that you’re a fellow creamy tomato soup fan.

        Reply
    4. Hedi

      May 21, 2018 at 12:16 pm

      I am a massive fan of soups, mainly in the winter, but sometimes even on a nice summer evening on the terrace. Yours looks delish Cadry

      Reply
      • Cadry

        May 23, 2018 at 9:10 am

        Thank you, Hedi! A warming bowl of soup certainly has a big draw in the winter, but yes, sometimes summer needs soup too. 😀

        Reply
    5. Brittany Roche

      May 20, 2018 at 6:37 pm

      Oh, I love tomato soup so much, and the addition of sun-dried tomatoes in this recipe is SO SMART! Sun-dried tomatoes make everything better!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        May 23, 2018 at 9:08 am

        Absolutely! Sun-dried tomatoes amp up and deepen that tomato flavor in such a marvelous way.

        Reply
    6. Ricki

      May 20, 2018 at 7:35 pm

      What a yummy looking soup! Nothing quite as comforting as a bowl of steaming tomato soup. 🙂

      Reply
      • Cadry

        May 23, 2018 at 9:09 am

        So true! Nothing says “cozy” like tomato soup.

        Reply
    7. Susan

      May 16, 2018 at 9:30 pm

      I always loved canned tomato soup when I was younger (one of the brands available now is vegan!), though grilled cheese as a side is only something I have started doing in my senior years. I think when I was younger it was hot toast and butter. But nothing beats a melty cheesy sandwich!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        May 23, 2018 at 9:08 am

        Yes, the pairing of a melty, cheesy sandwich along with tomato soup for dipping really can’t be beat. It’s a simple pleasure, but such a good one.

        Reply
    8. Issabetta

      May 16, 2018 at 8:04 pm

      Huge tomato soup fan here.I hurriedly went food shopping so I could be sipping this tomorrow evening.Thanks for the stove top directions.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        May 23, 2018 at 9:07 am

        I’m so glad to hear that, Issabetta! As a huge tomato soup fan, I hope you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    9. Ttrockwood

      May 15, 2018 at 8:12 pm

      I love a good tomato soup!! I make mine with a lot of tomato paste and nutritional yeast too, then i blend in a can of cannelini beans to make it creamy and more filling (and more budget friendly than cashews!)

      Reply
      • Cadry

        May 15, 2018 at 8:35 pm

        That’s a good idea to use beans! I make a cauliflower queso with white beans & cauliflower, and it’s amazing how much creaminess you can get with those two ingredients. For this tomato soup recipe, I used store-bought cashew milk, which I buy for my daily coffee. A half gallon of cashew milk is about $3, and so 1/4 to 1/2 cup of it really isn’t that expensive. But hey, whatever works! 😀

        Reply
    10. Dianne

      May 14, 2018 at 12:50 pm

      Tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches has always been a favorite comfort food combo, but I haven’t had it in ages, and I’ve actually never made my own tomato soup! I’m looking forward to trying this recipe.

      Reply

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