Creamy Tomato Soup Recipe

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Tomato soup out of a can was most of my childhood. This tomato soup recipe is the one that finally replaced it. Canned San Marzano tomatoes simmer with butter and slowly caramelized onion, then get blended smooth and finished with a little cream. So it comes out velvety and deeply tomatoey without tasting like it came from a factory. Fifty minutes, one pot, and a grilled cheese on the side.

Two things do the heavy lifting. The first is giving the onions a real 10 minutes in butter until the edges go golden. Because that browning is where the sweetness comes from and it’s the reason you don’t need much sugar. The second is the spoonful of flour cooked into the butter before the broth goes in. It’s a quick roux. It gives the soup enough body to coat a spoon so the cream is there for flavor instead of doing all the thickening.

Use whole canned tomatoes rather than crushed or diced if you can find them. Whole tomatoes are packed with less calcium chloride, the firming agent that keeps diced tomatoes in neat cubes. That same agent keeps them from breaking down into a smooth soup. Crush them by hand right into the pot and they melt down in 25 minutes.

Why You’ll Love This Tomato Soup Recipe

• Creamy without being heavy. Butter, a quick roux, and half a cup of cream give it body while the tomatoes still taste like tomatoes.
• Pantry ingredients. Two cans of tomatoes, an onion, broth, and butter make the whole pot.
• Everything happens in one pot. Sauté, simmer, and blend right in the same Dutch oven with an immersion blender.
• The grilled cheese partner. Thick enough to dunk in without the bread falling apart halfway.

Tomato Soup Ingredients

A parmesan rind is the cheapest upgrade in this recipe. Toss one in with the tomatoes and pull it out before blending; it leaves behind a savory, salty depth that’s hard to place and hard to get any other way. Most cheese counters sell them for almost nothing, or save your own in the freezer.

• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 (28 oz) cans whole San Marzano tomatoes, with juices
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 parmesan rind (optional)
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Crusty bread or grilled cheese sandwiches, for serving

Recipe Variations

• Use vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth and leave the parmesan rind out to make it vegetarian.
• Skip the cream and stir in 2 extra tablespoons of butter at the end instead; the soup stays rich and turns glossy rather than pale.
• Roast a red bell pepper alongside and blend it in with the tomatoes for a smokier, sweeter version.

How to Make Tomato Soup

1. Caramelize the onion: Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened with golden brown edges. Don’t rush this part; it’s where the sweetness comes from.
2. Make the roux: Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Sprinkle in the flour and stir constantly for 1 minute to cook off the raw taste.
3. Whisk in the broth: Pour in the chicken broth a little at a time, whisking after each addition until the flour is fully worked in and the liquid is smooth with no lumps.
4. Simmer the tomatoes down: Crush the whole tomatoes by hand as you add them to the pot, juices and all. Stir in the sugar, salt, pepper, parmesan rind if using, and the basil. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom, until the tomatoes have fallen apart.
5. Blend it smooth: Remove the parmesan rind. Blend the soup right in the pot with an immersion blender until it’s as smooth as you like it. If you’re using a countertop blender, cool it slightly and work in batches no more than half full, with the lid vented and covered by a towel.
6. Add the cream: Stir in the heavy cream over low heat and warm through for 2 minutes without letting it boil. Taste and adjust the salt and sugar; canned tomato brands swing a lot in acidity.
7. Serve: Ladle into bowls, tear a little extra basil over the top, and serve with crusty bread or a grilled cheese for dunking.

Recipe FAQs

Can I Use Fresh Tomatoes Instead of Canned?

You can in peak summer, using about 3 1/2 pounds of ripe romas, cored and roughly chopped, plus an extra 15 minutes of simmering. Outside of August, canned San Marzanos taste better than most fresh supermarket tomatoes.

Why Is My Tomato Soup Acidic or Sour?

Some canned tomato brands are much sharper than others. Stir in another teaspoon of sugar or an extra tablespoon of butter and taste again; both round out acidity without making the soup sweet.

Do I Have to Add Cream?

No. The roux already gives the soup body, so it holds together fine without it. Swap in whole milk for something lighter or extra butter for something richer.

Can I Make This Tomato Soup Recipe Ahead?

Yes, and it’s arguably better on day two. Make it through the blending step, refrigerate, then reheat gently and stir the cream in right before serving.

What Can I Use If I Don’t Have an Immersion Blender?

A regular blender works, just cool the soup for 10 minutes first and never fill the jar more than halfway. Hot liquid builds steam pressure fast and will blow the lid off a full blender.

Cooking Tips

• Buy whole peeled tomatoes and crush them yourself. Diced tomatoes are treated to hold their shape, which is exactly what you don’t want in a smooth soup.
• Scrape the bottom of the pot every few minutes while it simmers. The flour in the roux likes to settle and scorch, and burnt flour taints the whole batch.
• Keep the heat low once the cream goes in. Boiling dairy in an acidic tomato base is the fastest way to make it curdle.

Storage and Freezing

To store: Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

To freeze: Freeze the soup before the cream goes in for up to 3 months. Cream-finished tomato soup can turn grainy once thawed, so add it fresh when you reheat.

To reheat: Warm on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring often, or microwave in 1-minute bursts. Don’t let it come to a hard boil.

How to Serve Tomato Soup

Tomato soup and grilled cheese is a pairing that has never needed improving, and this one is thick enough that the bread holds up to dunking. A simple green salad or crusty bread rubbed with garlic works just as well. If you want something heartier on the same night, our Lasagna Soup is a good second pot for bigger appetites.

Loved This Recipe?

Tomato soup made from two cans and an onion has no business tasting this good, and yet here we are.

Leave a star rating in the comments below, it helps other people find this recipe. Made it? Tag @allwellfed on Instagram, I love seeing this one in other people’s kitchens.

Creamy Tomato Soup

Creamy tomato soup made with canned San Marzano tomatoes, caramelized onion, and a splash of heavy cream, blended smooth in one pot.

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Prep Time:10 minutes mins

Cook Time:40 minutes mins

Total Time:50 minutes mins

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 large yellow onion chopped
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 (28 oz) cans whole San Marzano tomatoes with juices
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 parmesan rind optional
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves plus more for serving
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• crusty bread or grilled cheese sandwiches for serving

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Instructions

• Caramelize the onion: Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened with golden brown edges. Don’t rush this part; it’s where the sweetness comes from.
• Make the roux: Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Sprinkle in the flour and stir constantly for 1 minute to cook off the raw taste.
• Whisk in the broth: Pour in the chicken broth a little at a time, whisking after each addition until the flour is fully worked in and the liquid is smooth with no lumps.
• Simmer the tomatoes down: Crush the whole tomatoes by hand as you add them to the pot, juices and all. Stir in the sugar, salt, pepper, parmesan rind if using, and the basil. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom, until the tomatoes have fallen apart.
• Blend it smooth: Remove the parmesan rind. Blend the soup right in the pot with an immersion blender until it’s as smooth as you like it. If you’re using a countertop blender, cool it slightly and work in batches no more than half full, with the lid vented and covered by a towel.
• Add the cream: Stir in the heavy cream over low heat and warm through for 2 minutes without letting it boil. Taste and adjust the salt and sugar; canned tomato brands swing a lot in acidity.
• Serve: Ladle into bowls, tear a little extra basil over the top, and serve with crusty bread or a grilled cheese for dunking.

Notes

Cook the onion a full 10 minutes until the edges brown, then cook the flour into the butter for a minute before adding broth; that quick roux is what gives the soup body without extra cream. Keep the heat low once the cream goes in, since boiling dairy in an acidic tomato base will curdle it.