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With delicious seasonings, this creamy tomato basil soup has a bold flavor that you’ll quickly fall in love with.
Who doesn’t love a classic tomato soup? It’s a comforting bowl, just like Chicken Noodle or Broccoli Cheese Soup.
We Love A Classic!
This Tomato basil soup recipe is by far the best tomato soup I have ever tried!
I’m also a huge fan of basil, which I think made the soup so flavorful that it had me going back for seconds.
Why we love Tomato Basil Soup:
- Easy. With a quick prep time, this best soup recipe comes together easily.
- Flavor! With garlic, basil, and other delicious seasonings, this creamy tomato soup has a bold flavor that you’ll quickly fall in love with.
- For any season. This is a “comfort food” soup recipe, perfect for a cold day or any day!
Simple Ingredients
- minced garlic
- diced tomatoes and liquid
- basil puree – or chopped fresh basil leaves
- dried thyme
- full-sodium chicken broth – or vegetable broth
- garlic salt with parsley flakes
- black pepper
- heavy cream – or use coconut milk for a dairy-free version
- toppings – fresh Parmesan cheese, fresh basil, red pepper flakes
How to make tomato basil soup
- COOK. In a large saucepan over medium heat, add garlic and stir until fragrant. Add drained, diced tomatoes, basil, sugar and thyme. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Add reserved tomato liquid and chicken broth. Stir and lower heat to medium-low. Cook, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- PUREE. Season with salt and pepper to taste. In small batches, puree chunky soup in a blender until it’s the consistency you’d like.
- GARNISH + SERVE. Return the soup to the pot. Simmer over low heat stir in heavy cream and mix well. Add any more salt and pepper and garnish with croutons, basil, and Parmesan cheese.
Crockpot Version
The steps are the same, just adjust the cooking time. Sauté garlic in a pan over medium heat and stir until fragrant. Add in the drained, diced tomatoes, basil and thyme. Cook for 10 minutes. Transfer to a crock pot and add the remaining ingredients, except for the heavy cream, garlic salt, and pepper.
Cover and cook on low heat for 6-7 hours or high heat for 2-3 hours. Once cooked, reach the desired consistency by pureeing the tomatoes in small batches. Add heavy cream, garlic salt, and pepper. Stir until creamy. Serve.
Recipe Tips
- Fresh tomatoes. Replace the canned tomatoes with fresh tomatoes like Roma tomatoes or plum tomatoes. A 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes contained ⅓ cup of juice and 1 cup of diced tomatoes, packed.
- Curdling or separating. When cold cream is added to hot soup it can immediately curdle, it’s best to use room-temperature cream. Avoid boiling the soup, as well as avoid low-fat milk.
- Immersion blender. Instead of pouring the hot soup into a blender, simply blend in the pot using an immersion blender.
- Activate aromatics. Add a little olive oil to the skillet when adding the minced garlic to the pot.
- Serving suggestions. Try pairing it with a classic Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Oven Roasted Vegetables, Waldorf Salad, Monte Cristo Sandwich, or Olive Garden Breadsticks.
Storing Tips
- Make a freezer meal. Follow the tomato soup recipe, except do not add the heavy cream. Once the cooked soup has cooled, transfer it into an airtight freezer-safe container. Freeze for 4-6 months.
- Thaw in the fridge. Place soup in a pot on the stovetop and heat over medium heat. Once hot, but not boiling, add heavy cream and stir until smooth.
- STORE. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
- Slowly reheat in a saucepan stirring consistently. If you’re in a hurry, microwave single servings in 30-second increments until hot.
For More Soup Recipes:
Creamy Tomato Basil Soup Recipe
With delicious seasonings, this creamy tomato basil soup has a bold flavor that you'll quickly fall in love with.
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes drained and liquid reserved
- 2 tablespoons basil puree or chopped fresh basil
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 cups full-sodium chicken broth
- garlic salt with parsley flakes to taste
- pepper to taste
- ½ cup heavy cream room temperature
Toppings
- fresh Parmesan cheese, fresh basil
Instructions
- Place garlic in a large pot over medium heat, and cook, stirring, until fragrant.
- Add tomatoes, basil, sugar and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
- Add chicken broth, then measure out 1 cup reserved tomato liquid and add to broth. Stir and lower heat to medium-low. Cook, uncovered, for 35–40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Season with garlic salt and pepper to taste.
- In small batches, puree soup in a blender until it is the consistency you prefer.
- Return soup to the pot over low heat, stir in heavy cream and mix well.
- Adjust seasoning with more garlic salt and pepper if needed, and garnish with croutons, basil and Parmesan cheese.
Video
Notes
Slow Cooker Directions: Cook garlic, tomatoes, basil and thyme as directed in Steps 1 and 2 above. Transfer to a slow cooker and add broth and tomato liquid. Cover and cook on low for 6–7 hours or high for 2–3 hours. Puree soup in small batches, then return to the slow cooker and add heavy cream, garlic salt and pepper. Stir until creamy and serve.
GRILLED CHEESE:
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Butter one side of two slices of bread (or spread with mayo) and lay one slice butter side down on the skillet. Add 1 slice cheddar and 1 slice provolone cheese to bread, then top with the other piece of bread, butter side up. Cook until golden brown on both sides and the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes per side.
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Butter one side of two slices of bread (or spread with mayo) and lay one slice butter side down on the skillet. Add 1 slice cheddar and 1 slice provolone cheese to bread, then top with the other piece of bread, butter side up. Cook until golden brown on both sides and the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes per side.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g, Calories: 117kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 36mg, Sodium: 445mg, Potassium: 66mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 498IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 34mg, Iron: 0.4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is so creamy and delicious! Love that fresh basil flavor!
My husband loves this soup so much! It’s on regular rotation in our house!
This is beyond delicious! Super easy and we love making it in the crock pot, too!
yum! This is one of my absolute favorite soups! It is so tasty and so easy to make.
Give me a grilled cheese & this soup & I am set!! This was fabulous! It’s so smooth & creamy & had delicious flavor!
My husband loves tomato soup! So simple yet so satisfying. You will love the taste!
The perfect tomato soup to go with grilled cheese!
Do you ever do any Gluten Free Meals? Some I can substitute a few things but some things I can’t due to allergies. I also do not use canned or processed foods. Thank you!
There are definitely recipes that will fit gluten free, but you would just need to check around & look for some.
Hello Lil Luna
I have made your creamy basil tomato soup twice now. Your recipe online indicates that it serves 10-11 servings. No way. I followed the recipe to the letter. I am lucky to get 4-5 servings. Did you make a mistake on the suggested servings or another liquid ingredient ? Please advise. Thank you
Olga
Hello Lil LUna,
I have made this soup again and come up short. Barely feeds 4 people. The entire receipe liquid ingredients is really only 4-5 cups of liquid. The simmering evaporates some of it. Are you certain you haven’t missed out on the portion sizes. I love this soup. So now I double the receipe to make enough for 4 people to have extra helpings .
This soup sounds wonderful but what is the amount of tomatoes if using canned rather than fresh?
You use 1-28oz can of tomatoes. Hope that helps! Let me know what you think!!
Hi Kristyn,
Glad you enjoy tomatoes now.
I love tomato soups, would love to try this sometime!
Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
Have a wonderful week.
Amy
Haha, thanks!! It’s delicious! Let me know what you think!! Thanks so much and you have a great week, as well!