Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup with Fresh Tomatoes
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A simple bowl of tomato soup is the best kind of homemade comfort food! This quick 30-minute recipe uses no cream, and makes a thick, creamy tomato soup with fresh tomatoes, onion, torn bread crumbs and thyme. Serve with toasted bread or grilled cheese for dunking!
Does it even need to be said? Rich and savory fresh tomato soup is at the top of the list of comfort foods, a favorite for both kids and adults right up there with my recipe for omemade chicken noodle soup and this thick broccoli cheddar soup.
When my kids were home from school on a sick day, I loved to join them on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket with bowls of warm homemade soup. Letting the all the noise in your life go quiet sometimes is obviously good for the soul. And you know what else is? Making homemade roasted tomato soup!
The tomato soup base is made with roasted tomatoes and all of their pan juices, which really concentrates their sweet flavor. You only need to add a small amount of additional water or stock when pureeing the soup.
My ingredients tips
- Best types of tomatoes for roasted tomato soup: It’s best to use small, sweet tomatoes in this recipe (rather than a larger beefsteak type). I prefer the Campari tomato, which is a sweet, greenhouse-grown variety that’s available year-round in grocery stores. You can also use an equal amount of plum tomatoes, cluster-grown vine tomatoes or round cherry tomatoes. Make sure they are ripe and red!
- Onion: Yellow or white onion is perfect. The natural sugars in onions get more intense when roasted, which adds a layer of flavor to the soup.
- Bread: To re-create the creamy texture of my childhood canned tomato soup without using dairy, I used a little chef trick: Torn pieces of fresh bread. They create a beautifully thick, rich texture when blended with the roasted tomatoes. There’s no need to add milk or make a flour-and butter-based roux. Choose bread that has a sturdy texture (not sandwich bread), such as a crusty Italian or country-style bread. You’ll need one or two slices with the crust removed, or enough to make 1 cup of crumbled bread.
Key recipe steps
Slice the tomatoes in half. Put them in a baking dish just large enough to hold them in one layer. Toss with olive oil, onion, garlic and seasonings. 
Roast at 425 degrees about 25 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and golden.
Put the roasted tomatoes in a blender or food processor. Add the bread and enough liquid to just cover – the bread acts an emulsifier to thicken the texture of the soup. Transfer the roasted tomatoes and onions with all the pan juices to a high-powered blender or food processor and puree until smooth and creamy.
Homemade Roasted Tomato Soup with Fresh Tomatoes
Equipment
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (1 kg) small vine-ripened tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil
- ½ of a large onion, sliced
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus additional to taste
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh garlic
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 slices fresh country-style bread, crust removed and the bread torn into small pieces (to make about 1 packed cup)
- ½-1 cup (250-500 ml) vegetable broth
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 425 (212 C) degrees. Put 2 pounds small vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced in half, in a large baking dish or a pan that will hold the tomatoes snugly. Note: If you use a pan that's too large, the pan juices will evaporate more quickly in the oven. You actually want that liquid to make the soup
- Add 3 tablespoons olive oil, ½ of a large onion, sliced, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon sugar, 1 tablespoon grated fresh garlic, and ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper to the tomatoes.
- Toss everything together until evenly coated with oil. Top with 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, or sprinkle the dried thyme over the tomatoes, if you're using it instead.
- Roast the tomatoes 20-25 minutes. The tomatoes and onion should be soft and golden and the pan juices bubbling. Remove from the oven and cool 10 or 15 minutes.
- Transfer the tomatoes and all their liquid to a blender or food processor. Add 2 slices fresh country-style bread. Pour in just enough broth or water to barely cover the tomatoes and bread. The amount will depend on how juicy the tomatoes are after roasting.
- Remove the thyme sprigs. Puree until completely smooth or until the soup has the consistency you like (if your blender is more than ¾ full of the mixture, puree it in batches to avoid an overflow). Taste the soup and add more salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve warm in bowls, with some toasted bread slices drizzled with olive oil on the side.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- Refrigerator: Transfer the cooled soup to an airtight container and store up to 5 days. Warm up the soup in a saucepan on the stove, or in the microwave on medium-low power (stirring at 2 minute intervals).
- Freezer storage: Homemade tomato soup may be frozen up to 1 month. Use an airtight, leakproof container. Defrost the soup overnight in the refrigerator or transfer the frozen soup to a saucepan and reheat over medium-low heat.
- Add 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper or jarred roasted red pepper to the tomatoes and roast. Make it spicy with a pinch of cayenne or crushed red chili flakes.
- Stir in fresh basil leaves or pesto sauce for a classic basil and tomato combo. Grate Parmesan or mozzarella cheese over the hot soup.
- Add about 1/2 cup heavy cream (if you’re fine with dairy) or coconut cream after the soup is blended.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
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This tomato soup recipe is one of the best that I have tried. DELICIOUS 😋
My family loves this soup! Can I leave the bread out and just add the cream?
Hi Kim – Sure you can! It may not be as thick, but the cream will add a lovely texture. So happy you enjoy the soup!
Just made this fabulous recipe with tomatoes from my garden! Was a little skeptical leaving the seeds in but didn’t seem to notice them once finished! It was totally delicious, will make it again soon!
Fabulous
Absolutely love this recipe although I have to admit to adding some cream at the end and devouring with garlic croutons! I also had many different sizes of tomato so just quartered the large ones. Sadly our crop is now finished but we have had an absolute glut this year so I am going to try it again through the winter with those I have frozen. Thank you
Liz, cream and garlic croutons sound like the perfect finishing touch! I love that you’ll be enjoying your homegrown tomatoes all winter long — what a treat.
Why the bread blended with the soup?
Brigette, I use bread in the soup because I wanted a creamy texture without using milk, cream or a roux as a thickener.
If I add cream can I freeze the soup
Hi Carol, The cream can separate and become grainy if frozen. I recommend adding the cream to the soup after defrosting, while reheating.
Absolutely delicious
It is a simple recipe and tastes delicious
This recipe is FANTASTIC! Best tomato soup ever! I added a little fresh basil and double the sugar but WOW! Amazing!
I’m really happy you enjoyed it Tammy!
Can you can this recipe? I would think if you added lemon juice, like you would for canning other tomato recipes it would be ok?
Hi Heather – I admit I’ve never canned soup before, but it should be good! If you have expertise in preserving, I recommend following all safety guidelines, including adding lemon juice or citric acid.
This recipe was super easy and delicious! I loved how creamy and thick it was with no roux or added butter or cream and so much healthier than a canned soup. I roasted my tomatoes in the toaster oven so I wouldn’t heat up the kitchen. I will make this again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I also use my toaster oven (Breville) more than my regular oven these days.
Question if I leave the bread out could I preserve it like passata
Hi Donna – Yes, you can make the soup with the bread, and preserve in the freezer. Pack the cooled soup into jars and freeze for 2-3 months. If you’d like to try canning the soup, I recommend following proper canning guidelines found here: https://www.ballmasonjars.com/water-bath-canning.html Thanks for sharing your fantastic photos!