This easy vegan tomato soup is packed full of flavour with a smooth and creamy texture while still being dairy-free. Made using basic pantry ingredients including canned tomatoes, this recipe is easy enough for a weeknight and tastes so delicious!
Why is a simple tomato soup so good!? Every time I eat it I am blown away by how good it is, I’m obsessed. The combination of tangy, creamy, comforting and delicious all in the one bowl makes it a wonderful simple dairy free dinner recipe that is anything but boring.
That is the magic of soups. Just a few ingredients when cooked together can create so much flavour. I just love it! And this vegan tomato soup is exactly that. Perfect for cooler nights and rainy days when all you’re craving is pure comfort food without too much effort.
This recipe is not quite a 30 minute meal as we do want to let the soup simmer to develop the rich flavours, but it’s doesn’t take much longer than that meaning its still a great option for busy weeknights. Plus while the soup is simmering there isn’t much to do so you can tick off a couple of other tasks while dinner bubbles away on the stove.
This recipe was developed to be something that could be pulled together on nights when the fridge is looking a little bare. All you’ll need are a few leftover, forgotten vegetables and a couple of cans of tomato hidden away at the back of the pantry and you’re on your way to a dinner that is not only simple, but very satisfying.
Key Ingredients
This vegan tomato soup recipe uses very basic ingredients meaning you possibly have everything you need already making it a great night before grocery shopping dinner.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Vegetables – we’re using a combination of carrots, onion and garlic for the flavour base of this soup. These are veggies that usually have a long shelf life and are quite common in most kitchens making this a great recipe to use up what you have left over from the week.
- Tomato paste – for a deep, rich tomato flavour.
- Vegetable stock – not in the above picture (whoops) but stock will add extra depth and flavour to your soup. You can use water instead however if that’s all you have, you may just need to add additional seasonings.
- Thyme – I love the taste of fresh thyme in this soup but if all you have is dried because this is a pantry scramble dinner, then use ½ a teaspoon dried. Honestly though you can use any dried herbs you have to add flavour such as oregano, basil or an Italian herb blend.
- Tomatoes – what makes this recipe so simple is that we’re using diced, canned tomatoes meaning most of the work has already been done for us without compromising on flavour.
- Dairy-free butter – completely optional but a little dairy free butter mixed through to finish gives the soup a rich, velvety smooth taste that I think makes it just that bit more delicious.
- Dairy-free milk – I don’t add much, but just a little coconut milk or any dairy free milk or cream to finish does give the soup that extra creamy taste without tasting coconutty.
Equipment and Tools
This section may contain affiliate links which means I make a small commission on any purchase made with no extra cost to you. If you’re considering purchasing on Amazon I’d be so grateful if you would do so by first clicking one of these links. Thank you for your ongoing support.
Cast Iron Dutch Oven – there are so many different brands (and colours!) of these types of pots but investing in one that matches your budget is going to be such as asset to your kitchen! I use mine at least once or twice a week.
Step-By-Step Instructions
To make this vegan tomato soup you will need a large pot and either an immersion blender or a regular blender to get that creamy texture.
Start by chopping up the vegetables so that you have everything ready to go. Then grab your big soup pot and heat some olive oil. Sauté the vegetables until soft. I like to add the garlic after the onion has mostly cooked to ensure I don’t burn the garlic and get that bitter taste through my soup.
Next add in the tomato paste. For the best flavour, I like to cook the tomato paste for a little bit before adding any liquid. It will start to thicken, start to brown and will smell really rich. Once it gets like that, it’s ready for you to add in the stock, the canned tomatoes and your herbs.
From here, bring the pot to the boil and then turn it down to simmer for about 30 minutes until the colour starts to darken and the liquid reduces a bit and you have a rich, amazing smelling soup.
Then it’s time to blend. Whenever you’re blending, it’s recommended to let the soup cool down a little bit first otherwise the chances of a soup explosion are high (speaking from the experience of having to clean soup off my ceiling on more than one occasion).
The easiest way to blend soups is with an immersion blender, also called a stick blender. It goes straight into the pot and you can blend away until your soup is thick, creamy and smooth.
If you don’t have one, you can pop your soup into a regular blender that’s designed to blend hot food and blend it that way. Depending on the size of your blender, you may need to do this step in batches.
Once your soup has been blended, put the pot of soup back onto the stove on low to heat it up again and add in your little bit of dairy free butter and coconut milk to finish. Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper if necessary. If I am not using salt-reduced stock and tomato paste I find I only need to season with pepper.
Serve the soup with some fresh basil and of course some bread for dunking!
Freezing and storing instructions
This tomato soup will keep covered in the fridge for 4-5 days in the fridge and like many tomato based dishes, will continue developing it’s flavours and taste even better as leftovers.
If you prefer, you can also freeze the soup in individual portions for up to 3 months.
When reheating soup, I prefer to let it defrost mostly at room temperature and then add it to a pot on the stove and heat it slowly. You can use the microwave but I find that there is always some level of soup explosion.
What to serve with tomato soup?
You can really serve this vegan tomato soup with anything you prefer. You can also serve it as an appetiser or as a main meal. As an appetiser it will serve 6 and as a main, it will serve 4.
Serve it with:
- Vegan garlic bread – a classic!
- Toasted fresh sourdough slices – simple is often the best!
- Grilled (vegan) cheese sandwich – this is so good!
- Vegan naan – not traditional but so so delicious!
- Olive and herb focaccia – a little more effort but very high reward!
- ‘Cheesy’ croutons – mix cubes of stale bread with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of garlic powder, a bit of nutritional yeast, and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 200°C until golden brown.
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More easy soup recipes:
Healthy Vegetable Soup
Dairy-Free Potato and Leek Soup
Mum’s Pumpkin Soup
Dairy Free Baked Potato Soup
Easy Vegan Tomato Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 carrots chopped
- 1 small onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme or 2-3 sprigs fresh
- 1 x 800 gram can tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon dairy-free butter optional
- a splash of coconut milk optional
Instructions
- In a large pot on medium/high heat, add a small amount of olive oil and sauté chopped carrots and onions for 5 minutes until soft. Add in the garlic and cook for a further 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
- Add in the tomato paste and stir through, cooking for another minute or two or until the paste starts to get a bit brown in colour.
- Add the stock, thyme and canned tomatoes and to the pot. Bring to the boil and turn the temperature down to a simmer for around 30 minutes or until the soup has slightly reduced and darkened in colour.
- Remove the fresh thyme stem and then using an immersion blender, blend the soup in the pot otherwise let cool down before pureeing in batches in your regular blender.
- Heat the blended soup on low in the pot and add a tablespoon of dairy-free butter and a splash of coconut milk and mix through. Serve the tomato soup with toasted bread or whatever you prefer.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
This post was originally published on the 9th July 2020 and has been republished to include better instructions, more helpful information and new photos.
Rachi says
Love it, looks fresh and delicious.
Jaimie says
Amazing! I love tomato soup but hate buying the condensed stuff with all the hidden nasties. Can’t wait to give this a try 🙂
Sarah says
Hubby loves tomato soup, will have to whip this one up for lunch one day. Adding it to the meal plan now 🙂
sherry says
i’m not a big fan of tomatoes but i think this soup would do the trick!
Sally says
Totally agree!