This Homemade Tomato Basil Soup Recipe is made with roasted tomatoes, garlic, lightly caramelized onions, and fresh basil. Enjoy all year-round using your favorite tomatoes and serve a bowl of this delicious tomato basil soup with your favorite crunchy bread, a grilled cheese sandwich, croutons, or a splash of cream or coconut milk. Vegetarian and gluten-free.
Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
Everyone has their own favorite version of tomato soup. For some, it’s rich and creamy, while others may prefer a fresher, lighter soup made with roasted tomatoes. Some people prefer homemade, while others will forever swear by their favorite brand of canned tomato soup.
If you ask me, this is probably my favorite. Light and fresh, but certainly not lacking in flavor, it’s smooth, delicious, and perfectly simple.
It’s also homemade.
Made with yummy garden-fresh tomatoes, olive oil, flavorful garlic, onions, and fresh basil, you know exactly what you’re eating when you enjoy a bowl of this fresh tomato soup.
How to Make Homemade Tomato Basil Soup
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Roast the tomatoes and garlic cloves
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Cook the onions for at least 10 minutes – 30 minutes would be even better
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Add the canned tomatoes, fresh basil, broth, sugar, and red chili flakes to the onions
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Simmer until the tomatoes in the oven have finished roasting.
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Add the oven-roasted tomatoes to the pot
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Continue to simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes
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Return the pureed soup to your pot and season with additional salt and pepper, to taste
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Garnish with fresh basil leaves, crunchy croutons, or a splash of fresh cream, if desired
- Enjoy!
Recipe Tips and Frequently Asked Questions
Why roast tomatoes?
Roasting tomatoes in the oven help sweeten and caramelize already sweet tomatoes, making them even sweeter! Cherry tomatoes are the sweetest, but also the smallest and most expensive, so unless you are growing your own and have a ton to spare, I recommend using Roma or plum tomatoes.
How long should I cook the onions?
For best results, cook the onions for at least 15 minutes. For even better flavor, however, allow your onions to cook at least 25 minutes or so.
Why the added sugar?
Sugar helps cut back on the acidity of this soup. You’ll notice that nearly all store-bought soups or sauces contain (much more than 1 teaspoon of) sugar. The point of sugar, in this case, isn’t to sweeten the soup, so no need to add more than a teaspoon.
Can I swap the canned tomatoes for only fresh ones?
I recommend doubling the total amount of fresh tomatoes. Check out the notes section in the recipe card below to learn how to easily peel the skin from fresh tomatoes.
Can cream be added?
If you prefer a creamy tomato soup, add a splash (or two) of heavy cream or half-and-half. Sometimes I’ll mix a tablespoon or two of tomato paste with the cream first, before adding to the soup, to help blend things blend better.
How to Serve Tomato Basil Soup?
Thinking back to my childhood, my parents would always serve tomato soup with a buttery grilled cheese sandwich. While this is still my favorite way to enjoy any tomato soup recipe, I equally enjoy this soup with a loaf of fresh bread and butter, curled up on the couch…with Netflix…alone.
But, I’m happy enough with just the soup and bread.
And if going low-carb is more your thing, a simple salad is always a great addition.
More delicious soup recipes to try,
Bone Broth Recipe (How to Make Bone Broth)
Leek and Potato Soup (dairy-free)
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup Recipe
Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup Recipe
Did you try making this Homemade Tomato Basil Soup Recipe?
Tell me about it in the comments below! I always love to hear your thoughts.
Homemade Tomato Basil Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 pounds plum tomatoes ((Roma tomatoes) halved lengthwise)
- 6 cloves garlic (peeled)
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon salt (divided)
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter ((or dairy-free alternative))
- 2 onions (sliced)
- 56 oz whole peeled tomatoes (2 (28 oz cans) juices reserved)
- 1 cup fresh basil (plus more for serving)
- 3.5 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (or water, chicken broth, or chicken stock, plus more, as needed)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar (optional)
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes (plus more, if desired or less if you're sensitive to spicy food)
- heavy cream or coconut milk (for serving, optional)
- croutons or crackers (for serving, optional)
Instructions
- Roast the tomatoes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice each tomato in half lengthwise and place on the prepared baking sheets in a single layer. Add the whole cloves of garlic to each baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. Transfer your tomatoes to the preheated oven and roast for approximately 45 minutes (Roma tomatoes) or 20 minutes (cherry tomatoes). Tomatoes are ready when the skin is tender and begin to burst.
- Cook the onions. Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for approximately 15 minutes or until starting to brown and caramelize. Reduce to medium heat if onions start to burn. Stir often.
- Add the tomatoes. Add the canned tomatoes, fresh basil, broth, sugar, and red chili flakes to the pot. Bring to a low simmer, reduce heat to low, and sauté until the tomatoes in the oven have finished roasting. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes to the pot with their juices, and return to a simmer.
- Simmer. Simmer the soup uncovered and over low heat for approximately 20 minutes.
- Puree. Work in batches and carefully blend your homemade tomato soup in a high-speed blender. Avoid over-blending (especially if you have a Vitamix or Blendtec which will turn your soup into a watery liquid rather than a luxurious soup). You may also use a handheld food processor (immersion blender).
- Season and serve. Return soup to your pot and season with additional salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with fresh basil, crunchy croutons, or a splash of fresh cream, if desired. Enjoy!
Jessica's Notes
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
Originally posted January 2016
This is incredible! I think it was my first homemade tomato soup I’ve ever had, and I’m hooked! Super easy to make, so flavourful, and all around comforting. I probably put in a bit too much red pepper, but I enjoy extra spicy food. I didn’t add the sugar initially, but after I had tasted it I decided to. It helped cut down some of the heat! Thank you for this!
I just made this and we loved it, but next time I will reduce the chili peppers. My husband wants me to add sausage next time. Great recipe!
Thanks for the kind feedback Lea 🙂
I have made this recipe twice!!! I absolutely love it!!! I have a lot of roma tomatoes from my daughter’s garden. I was thinking about making a double batch of this soup. Do you think it will freeze well?
I have had multiple readers tell me that they regularly freeze this recipe and love the results 🙂
I have made this soup so many times. I always roast one red bell pepper along with the tomatoes. This is the best tomato soup I have ever made. Many friends have asked for the recipe after eating it. It is super easy to make and very affordable. I usually serve it with a salad and olive ciabatta bread. So delicious!
Thanks, Deborah, for leaving the kind comment, and for sharing this recipe with your friends 🙂
I rarely take the time to rate recipes but this one deserves the cudos. I have made it several times for guests and always get asked to share! I make large batches and freeze. There is nothing worse than canned tomatoe basil soup. If you make this, you will never go back! Excellent!
Thank you for taking the time to write those very kind words Joanne 🙂
Delicious I FOLLOWED the recipe to the letter. I love tomato soup this was my first homemade. It is soooo good
I am glad you enjoyed it DJ 🙂
It said 4lbs of roma tomatoes, which according to google is about 16 roma tomatoes. Is that right? 16 roma tomatoes plus 56oz of canned tomatoes seems like it would make a ton of quantity. How many roma tomatoes do you put in?
Hi Kendall,
I am not sure if 16 Roma tomatoes equate to 4lbs, but the recipe amounts are correct 🙂 . If you want to create less quantity of soup, you can always use the serving size slider in the recipe card to reduce the amount cooked: https://theforkedspoon.com/homemade-roasted-tomato-soup/#wprm-recipe-container-38752
Can i roast tomatoes a day or two before I make soup?
Hi Mary,
That shouldn’t be a problem as long as you refrigerate the roasted tomatoes.
Absolutely delicious. Have made this soup twice and both times to rave reviews. It’s easy to prepare.
OMG, this is the best!
Just finished making this soup!! Super yummy and flavorful but it was actually a little spicy!!! Only advice I have is to maybe add spice little by little… my kids were so excited to eat this soup and now I think it’s too spicy 🙁 I am going to try diluting it with more broth and hopefully that will help!! I will definitely make this again though !!
I made this recipe at the end of our growing season. I had a stack of tomatoes to use up and thought this would be a good soup on a rainy Sunday. I did all fresh tomatoes (no canned). We added Italian sausage and cheese tortellini to make it a full, stand alone meal. Ridiculously good! Thank you for the recipe.
How would you adjust the recipe is you didn’t want canned tomatoes?
hi Justin,
Instead of adding the two 28 oz cans of tomatoes, you could add 56 oz whole of tomatoes. If you want to peel those fresh tomatoes, here is what you do:
Boil a large enough pot of water for your 56 oz of tomatoes. Then drop several of the tomatoes into the boiling water. Remove them after 30 seconds or when the skin begins to peel and put them into the bowl of ice water. Let the tomatoes sit in the ice bath for 5 minutes until chilled. The tomatoes should still be very firm, with the skin wrinkled and starting to peeling off. Continue to peel the skins off with your hands.
Enjoy!
EXCELLENT – followed the recipe except to add an extra teaspoon of red pepper flakes. It had a nice kick! My husband loved it as well. Can this be frozen for later use?
Hi Beverly! I’m just wondering if you froze this soup as you mentioned, and if you did, how it turned out? I’m about to make a huge batch in hopes that it will freeze well. Thank you!
Going to make! My husband loves Tomato soup. FYI on the Roma tomatoes, they are less acidic than other tomatoes and my Italian mom used these almost exclusively.
Starting a clean eating challenge tomorrow. Made this tonight and it is amazing. Thank you so much