Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup

I’ve been making this simple, creamy roasted tomato soup for years. I used to make tomato soup using one of the classic methods with either fresh tomatoes and basil, or with roasted tomatoes and heavy cream. But, after I decided to combine the two this (if I might say so!) perfect tomato soup was created: it is rich, satisfying, and the best of both approaches. It is also is really easy to make ahead of time so that I can enjoy it throughout the week!

After years of switching back and forth between fresh, herby tomato soups and recipes that asked me to roast the tomatoes and add plenty of heavy cream, I finally decided it was time to try a bold combination with my favorite elements of both soups. Tomatoes, onions, and garlic gain all that lovely flavor from being roasted before they go into the soup, and plenty of fresh basil added at the end with the heavy cream (and it needs to be heavy cream here, adding melted cheese for that creaminess factor like I do in my creamy poblano soup just won’t quite cut it) makes it taste light and fresh in a way lots of really creamy tomato soups don’t often manage. Folks, this creamy roasted tomato soup recipe is way overdue yet still so worth the wait.

Cori – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Had a ton of fresh tomatoes, garlic, basil and onions. This was perfect! Even though it is summer, all of these tomatoes were making me crave tomato soup. Great recipe!

Key Ingredients and Tips

• Tomatoes – Plum or Roma tomatoes make a really lovely soup, but if you grow your own tomato any larger tomato will work well. This is a great recipe for making the most of an end-of-season glut! I’ve said larger tomatoes as you do mostly want to use larger ones, but you can add a few smaller ones, but don’t make the soup just out of cherry tomatoes. There won’t be enough liquid! If you can’t get any good fresh tomatoes, I’d love you to try my easy tomato soup instead which uses canned tomato sauce, or my pappa al pomodoro which uses canned San Marzano tomatoes.
• Onion – I’ve chosen a sweet onion here both to compliment the sweetness of the tomatoes and because the extra sugars in the onion will help produce better flavors once it is roasted. You could use a brown or red onion if that is what you have to hand, but I like the taste of sweet onion best.
• Garlic – I find it easiest to keep the head of garlic intact when I’m roasting, just slicing the very top of the bulb off so I can add olive oil and seasonings. Once the garlic is cool enough to touch the sweet roasted cloves should just slip out of their skins.
• Olive oil – A light olive oil is my go-to oil for most cooking, but any neutral-tasting oil that has a high smoking point like avocado oil can be used instead.
• Vegetable broth – I prefer to buy low-sodium broth when I can as it is easier to control the level of salt in a recipe if I am adding it myself.
• Seasonings and Herbs – Dried bay leaf, fresh rosemary, paprika, and basil are all key here to building both fresh and light, and deep and smoky flavors.
• Sugar – This is totally optional, and will depend on the tomatoes you are using. Ripe summer tomatoes are already quite sweet, and once I’ve roasted them to concentrate the sugars I usually find I don’t need to add any sugar to stop the soup tasting too acidic. But it is there if you want to add it!

Find the full ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, storage tips, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.

How to Make

Roast the Vegetables – First, I preheat the oven to 425°F and set out a large rimmed baking sheet. Next, I chop the tomatoes, onion, and garlic. I place the tomatoes and onions skin-side-down, and the head of garlic on the baking sheet and drizzle generously with olive oil, before I season them with salt and pepper. I roast in the oven until the tomatoes are very soft and the onions are crispy around the edges.

Blend the Roasted Vegetables – Once they are just cool enough to touch, I carefully remove the papery charred onion and garlic skins, and transfer everything to a blender. I also add the juices from the baking sheet, if there are any.

I then blend/puree them until smooth. Caution: Because placing hot items in the blender can pop the top off due to extra pressure, I always make sure to place a dish towel over the blender lid to be safe! Instead, I sometimes use an immersion blender later on, straight the pot when I fancy a thicker soup consistency.

Simmer the Soup – To a large pot set on medium heat on the stovetop, I then add the just-blended tomato puree, vegetable broth, bay leaf, rosemary, and smoked paprika. I then raise the heat to high until the mixture is simmering, then reduce the heat back to medium. Raising the heat to bring the soup to temperature like this before simmering helps the pot of soup cook more evenly. I then leave it to simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the herbs – At this stage I then use tongs to remove the rosemary and bay leaf.

Add the Heavy Cream – Lastly, I stir in the heavy cream and chopped fresh basil leaves. I then give it a taste, and add salt and pepper as needed. If the soup tastes too acidic, I also stir in a spoonful of sugar.

Recipe Variations

• You can make this soup spicy by switching the smoked paprika (sometimes labeled ‘sweet’ paprika) for hot smoked paprika.
• Add little pasta shapes like pastina to the soup for added texture and a heartier meal! You can also do this with white beans, which will add protein to the soup.
• I make a vegan version of this soup by replacing the heavy cream with vegan cashew cream with little change to the original flavor.
• If I want to make this tomato soup paleo-friendly, I simply swap the heavy cream for canned unsweetened coconut milk.
• Again, you can make this recipe in a slow cooker or Instant Pot, if you prefer. For the crockpot, make the recipe as directed but do not add the cream. Start by adding the pureed roasted veggies and base to the crock, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes on HIGH or 1 hour on LOW. Stir in the creamy shortly before stirring, letting it simmer for just a minute or two. Same thing with the instant pot, you can roast and puree the veggies, then add to the IP and cook on manual for 5 minutes. Then stir in and simmer the cream for a couple of minutes before serving.

Serving Suggestions

Obviously you can’t have a bowl of tomato soup without the Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

For a light dinner, I also like to pair this with either Lt. Dan’s Steakhouse Salad or my Crunchy Kale Caesar Salad.

Storage Notes

Leftovers of this soup always taste amazing, as the flavors keep on developing in the fridge. I store them in an airtight containers in for up to 4 days.

I then reheat in a microwave-safe bowl in short bursts at 50% power, stirring between each burst.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Check the printable recipe card below for the prep time, total time, and nutrition information including calories, carbohydrates, protein, cholesterol, sodium, and fiber percentages.

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