This easy homemade Roma Tomato Soup is made with garden fresh tomatoes, vegetable broth, and heavy cream. It’s so creamy and fresh, you’ll never want to buy canned soup again!
Easy homemade tomato soup with fresh tomatoes
We’ve all been there: our fridge is full of tomatoes collected from our (or a neighbor’s) garden and we don’t know what to do with them! Instead of freezing them or making tomato sauce, why not make a creamy tomato soup instead?
This creamy Roma Tomato Soup is made using garden fresh Roma tomatoes! So plump and fresh, the pureed tomatoes come alive when blended with onion, garlic, and vegetable broth. Finished with a splash of cream, every bite of this fresh tomato soup tastes so luscious.
The best tomato soup is always homemade with garden fresh tomatoes! You can’t go wrong making a big batch for weekday lunches, freezing it for later, or serving for dinner! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
What kind of tomatoes are best for tomato soup?
Roma tomatoes are my favorite, but you can also use beefsteak, heirloom, or tomatoes on the vine to make soup. Just remember: the number one rule to making the best tomato soup is to use garden fresh tomatoes. If you don’t have a garden, head to your local farmer’s market to find some plump and vibrant red organic tomatoes.
Do you need to peel tomatoes for soup?
We want the smoothest, creamiest tomato soup, and the best way to achieve this is to remove the skin and seeds first. This is easy to do through blanching. Follow my step-by-step instructions (with pictures) below!
After cutting an X on one end of each Roma tomato, drop them into a pot of boiling water for a minute. Transfer them to a cold bath. As they sit, the skin will loosen and become very easy to remove with your hands.
Either discard the skins or use them to make tomato powder! The less waste, the better.
How to make garden tomato soup
You won’t find a better tomato soup than one made with fresh garden Roma tomatoes. As a bonus, it comes together easily without any special equipment and minimal ingredients:
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cut small X’s in the stem end of each tomato.
Drop the tomatoes in the boiling water for 1-2 minutes, then transfer them to a pot of cold water. You can see the tomatoes are already losing their skin here!
When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, remove the skin. They should easily just slip off as you peel them.
Now chop them all up! It gets a little messy. 🙂
Meanwhile, saute the onions and garlic in a large soup pot with oil.
Add the tomatoes to the pot and season with salt and pepper. After a few minutes, turn up the heat, pour in the vegetable broth, and bring the mixture to boil.
Once it’s boiling, turn the heat to low and let the soup simmer for 30 minutes.
Use an immersion or regular blender to puree the tomato soup.
Return it to the pot and stir in the heavy cream. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes or until the texture is thicker.
Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed, then serve with all of your desired toppings!
Tips and variations
- Heavy cream – This will help cut down on the tart tomato flavors. If you’d rather not use cream, replace it with regular milk, coconut milk, or pureed cauliflower like this Tomato Soup with Cauliflower recipe.
- Make it spicy – Add red pepper flakes or a diced chili pepper of choice when sauteing the onions and garlic.
- Add-ins – You can make tomato soup with red peppers, corn, carrots, scallions, fresh basil, or celery added in for more complex flavors.
- Toppings – Top each bowl of soup with basil leaves, croutons, toasted nuts, Parmesan cheese, microgreens, or pesto.
- Storing – Any leftover tomato soup will store well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. It’s perfect for meal prep and weekday lunches!
- Hearty Tomato Soup – for a heartier soup try my Tomato Rice Soup made with fresh tomatoes!
What to serve with garden tomato soup
Is it even tomato soup without a grilled cheese or crusty bread on the side? We love adding in baked croutons on top too for a nice crunch!
Can you freeze tomato soup?
Yes! This soup freezes beautifully for up to 6 months in an airtight container or freezer bags. Let it thaw completely in the refrigerator overnight or defrost in the microwave before reheating.
More tomato recipes:
- Tomato Pie
- Tomato Mozzarella Salad with Avocado
- Homemade Diced Tomatoes
- Homemade Whole Peeled Tomatoes
- How to Dehydrate Cherry Tomatoes
- Cherry Tomato Sauce
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Fresh Tomato Soup
PrintIngredients
- 3 pounds roma tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium onions thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- salt
- fresh ground black pepper
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Cut a small X in the stem end of each tomato. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water and blanch them for about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer them to a pot of cold water to cool. When cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin from the tomatoes, remove the core, and coarsely chop the flesh.
- In a large soup pot over medium high heat, warm the olive oil. Add onions and garlic and cook until onions are translucent and garlic is fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Add the chopped tomatoes to the soup pot with onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to high, add the vegetable broth, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Use an immersion blender (or regular blender – careful, it's hot!) and puree the soup until smooth. Return the soup to the pot, add the heavy cream and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes. If the soup is too thin, simmer for about 10 more minutes until slightly thickened. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve into bowls, adding croutons, Parmesan cheese and fresh basil on top if preferred.
S Evans says
This was DELICIOUS! So simple but sooo satisfying! I made a few slight changes based on what I had but my, oh my was it good! I also consider myself a cream of tomato soup and grilled cheese snob. This is my comfort food. So today, I decided, was the day to make this recipe. I was already caramelizing red onion for grilled cheese so used those. I had diced tomatoes I canned in tomato juice from earlier in the summer and added those, juice and all, simmered about 15 minutes before zooshing them. No additional stock added. I used half and half (what I had) and seasoned with a little lemon pepper, salt and about a tablespoon of brown sugar. I don’t want to share!
Michelle says
Can I use regular tomato’s instead of Roma
Pamela says
Hey Michelle, roma tomatoes are my favorite, but beefsteak, heirloom, or tomatoes on the vine are also great for this soup!
Rita Lee says
I forgot to rate it 🙂 Definitely a 5.
Rita Lee says
I had my doubts considering the lack of spices but this turned out really good! I even forgot to add the milk.. I cooked it on the stove top and then transferred to my crock pot so it could simmer all day. I served it with some cheesy sourdough bread slices.
Mandy Denham says
This is the best tomato soup. Absolutely loved it 😍😍
Shirley Watt says
I really like this recipe, I added a few extra seasonings but have now made it about 4 times since September.
Pamela says
Super happy to hear that! Thanks for commenting! 🙂
Shana says
Made this and both the hubby and I loved it. Will definitely be making again soon!
Pamela says
So happy to hear you liked it! Thanks for commenting and stopping by! 🙂
Shelly says
What type of onion is the best to use?
Pamela says
I recommend yellow onions for tomato soup.
Leanne says
Making this today. Do you think I could use chicken broth, because I have it on hand?
Pamela says
You can absolutely use chicken broth instead!
Zara says
I subbed coconut cream for the heavy cream and added Thai chili’s to make a more southeast Asian inspired soup! Super tasty 🙂
Connie Chapman says
So good. You are absolutely correct I will always want the fresh soup Instead of the can. Thank you for posting.
Jodi says
Great recipe! I added carrots & celery leaf with the onions. Used oat milk to keep dairy-free and included a peeled potato to help add extra creaminess missing from using real cream. So yummy tasting!
Lori M. Gordon says
How many servings?
Emily Underwood says
I am a tomato soup and grilled cheese snob. I grew up watch Barney & slurping down tomato soup. As an adult, my palate has changed to crave fresh ingredients and better quality foods, than condensed soup from a can!
This recipe is comparable to a local upscale casual restaurant that sells 2 cups of their tomato soup for $12. I would easily pay that much for this recipe. It was absolutely one of the best tomato soups I have ever had. Very delicious. My husband added about 2 tablespoons of sugar to add some sweetness and it was amazing.