This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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.
So easy and so delicious!
Finally! A recipe for tomato basil soup that is delicious! Could you please explain why you reserve the juice from the tomatoes and add in later?
Made it yesterday and we loved it.
Awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup. Thanks so much for sharing!
When printed out, the recipe indicates it makes 10 servings. That is way off!!! You’d be lucky to get
4 1-cup servings.
Good flavor but fat content is over 70% of your daily requirement. To take a wholesome food such as tomatoes and turn it into A high calorie soup doesn’t make sense. You can substitute the heavy cream with fat-free milk and thicken with cornstarch.
So good and definitely warms you up on a cold night! We had this with a good old grilled cheese sandwich and we’re 100% making it again.
Grilled cheese & tomato soup equals the best combination! Thanks for sharing that!
It’s really good but has too much of a tomato taste so I added another cup of cream and it was perfect. I also added rotisserie chicken at the end. It was so good!
Thank you for sharing what you did! Glad you liked it!
yum! Thanks for this recipe- making it now and so far iT smells amazing!
It’s such a yummy smell! Glad you found this recipe! Sure hope you like it!
I didnt like tomatoes until I was older either, but I love them now. I cant wait to try this soup.
This looks like the perfect mini hot tub for a slice of fresh homemade bread to dive into. 🙂 So awesome! PS: This may be a duplicate comment, I think something may have happened on my previous attemp. haha