I love making this roasted tomato soup recipe! The flavor from roasted tomatoes, onion, and whole garlic cloves creates so much flavor. Get a grilled cheese ready because you will want one for dunking.
Watch the Video
When we’re overflowing with tomatoes, this roasted tomato soup with garlic and basil is our go-to. Roasting transforms the tomatoes, making them incredibly sweet and flavorful (it’s the perfect way to use them).
We roast our tomatoes in a hot oven for half an hour. Then, we blend them with a few simple ingredients to create one of our favorite soups!
Key Ingredients
- Fresh tomatoes: Use whatever you’ve got! Roasting concentrates the flavor, making this soup great for using less-than-perfect tomatoes. In the summer, I love a mix of heirlooms, cherry, and plum tomatoes for extra sweetness. For a recipe using canned tomatoes, try our popular three ingredient tomato soup (delicious!)
- Onion and Garlic: Roast these alongside the tomatoes. Roasted garlic adds a delicious richness, while the onion becomes sweet and tender.
- Broth: For a vegetarian option, choose veggie broth. You can also use your favorite chicken broth or stock. For even more tomato flavor, try homemade tomato broth.
- Fresh basil: It wouldn’t be tomato basil soup without it! Blend in a generous cup of fresh basil leaves for that classic flavor. For another tomato-basil recipe, try our fresh tomato bruschetta.
- Cream and butter: These make a smooth and creamy texture. I like just 1/4 cup of cream (enough to balance the acidity without being too rich). (See the recipe notes for vegan options!)
How to Make Roasted Tomato Soup
We roast fresh tomatoes, quartered onion, and whole garlic cloves on a sheet pan to make the soup. The tomatoes soften, burst, and release their delicious juices.
When the tomatoes have finished roasting, we transfer everything to a soup pot with some broth and a couple of tablespoons of butter. The soup simmers for about half an hour.
Then, we blend it with fresh basil until it’s rich and creamy. A splash of cream at the end makes our soup extra creamy and balances the tomatoes’ acidity. And that’s it, our easy, homemade roasted tomato soup! We love it and hope you try it soon.
Do you love roasted tomatoes as much as I do? We’ve also shared these sweet garlic roasted tomatoes, a fantastic side dish!
What to Serve with Roasted Tomato Soup
It’s impossible to serve this soup without grilled cheese sandwiches in our house (Adam’s request!). I also love dunking crusty bread, garlic focaccia bread, or freshly made garlic bread into it. You can also top this soup with croutons, store-bought or homemade.
Salads are great with soup. Try our favorite Greek salad, this good-for-you quinoa salad, or our easy tomato salad.
For some sandwich options, try this vegetarian-friendly smashed chickpea sandwich. I also love tuna salad sandwiches and this avocado egg salad sandwich.
Our Favorite Roasted Tomato Soup
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
Whether you have an abundance of peak summer tomatoes or the less flavorful ones found in winter, this roasted tomato soup with garlic and basil is the perfect solution. Roasting transforms even lackluster tomatoes, bringing out their sweetness and creating a delicious base for the soup.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
3 pounds fresh tomatoes, try a mix of tomatoes like heirlooms, cherry, vine, or plum tomatoes
6 medium cloves garlic, peeled
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional for a bit of heat
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup heavy cream, see our tips for using non-dairy or lower fat milk
Directions
- Roast Tomatoes
1Heat the oven to 450°F (232°C).
2Cherry or grape tomatoes can be left whole. For larger tomatoes, core and cut them into halves, or if they are large, cut them into quarters.
3Spread the tomatoes, onion, and garlic cloves onto a baking sheet (see notes for pan suggestions). Pour over the olive oil, and then season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper. Toss well.
4Roast the tomatoes until they soften, burst, and release some of their juices, 20 to 30 minutes. Some tomatoes will be caramelized and brown in spots.
- Make Soup
1Transfer the roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic cloves, and all the pan juices to a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Place the pot over medium-high heat.
2Stir in the broth, butter, and a pinch of red pepper flakes (if using), and then bring to a simmer. Reduce to a low simmer, and cook until the liquid has reduced by one-third, about 30 minutes.
3Turn off the heat, add the basil leaves, and then blend the soup until smooth. An immersion blender is the easiest, or you can use a blender. When using a regular blender, work in smaller batches, and don’t fill it too high – hot soup expands! For safety, remove the lid’s center insert and cover the opening with a kitchen towel while blending. This releases steam and prevents messy splatters.
4Taste the soup, and then add salt and pepper until the flavor pops — it should make you smile. Finally, stir in the cream and serve.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Milk as a Substitute: While you can use milk instead of cream, be aware that tomato soup can be acidic and might cause curdling. To prevent this, stir in 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to neutralize the acidity before adding the milk.
- My soup is too acidic: If your soup is too tart, try adding 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to balance the flavors. Cream also helps with this.
- Vegan Tomato Soup: Our recipe is easily adaptable! Substitute vegan butter for regular butter and use cashew cream (here’s our recipe) or full-fat coconut milk instead of cream. Coconut milk adds a slightly nutty flavor but works well.
- Roasting Pan Tip: Tomatoes are acidic, so avoid aluminum pans. For best results, opt for anodized aluminum, ceramic-coated, or glass baking dishes.
- Nutrition facts are estimates.
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Amazing soup, so delicious. Bravo! Although I think this should be named Roasted Tomato “Bisque” Soup! It’s smooth and creamy. Thank you so very much!
Such a great soup! Easy to follow and it is wonderful!! I’ve made it twice in the last month and it has been delicious each time! Thanks for the fantastic recipe!
I made this soup the other week and it was fabulous! Quick, easy and a lot of flavour. Great way to use garden tomatoes. Thanks for sharing your recipes.
That’s wonderful, Kim. We are thrilled you enjoyed it.
I don’t have fresh basil…would dried work
Hi there, You can use dried basil, I’d start with 1 teaspoon and go from there based on flavor.
Can you freeze this in ziplocks before you put the cream in?
Yes, that is a great idea.
Hi I did not see any place where you skinned the tomatoes? Do you just leave the skins on? Mary
Hi Mary, You are correct, we leave the skins on for this soup.
Thank you for this fabulous recipe! I literally never comment on recipe blogs, but this tomato soup was so easy and tasty. It doesn’t absolutely need cream, which is nice if you don’t have any on hand (but the cream definitely adds some richness).
One of the best soups I’ve ever made. Followed the recipe exactly as provided and it was absolutely delicious! Definately a keeper.
This soup is fabulous! We had so many tomatoes from our garden and this soup was a perfect way to try something new. I substituted a dollop of Crème fraîche for the cream and made grilled cheese as seen in the photo – DIVINE! Thank you for this tasty recipe, we will definitely make this again.
This recipe is amazing! Making my second double batch and I plan to pressure can this. Do you have any tips on canning it?
Hi Sherrie, We are thrilled that you enjoy the soup so much! I don’t have specific tips for canning the soup. I’d take a look at canning blogs and websites for guidance.
Excellent tomato soup flavour! Thanks for the recipe. I have just finished making soup per your instructions and we are enjoying it very much. Would it be possible to make to step 3 and freeze without losing too much of the delicious flavour?
Thanks for posting recipe.
Hi Julie, We are thrilled that you enjoyed the soup. Yes, you can absolutely freeze either the roasted tomatoes/onions/garlic with their juices or can freeze the soup once its made.