OMG this TOMATO SOUP is outrageously addicting. As in, you’d never know it was vegan since it’s so creamy, flavorful and perfect on a chilly night with cheese quesadillas or fresh garlic bread.
Best part about this vegan tomato soup though? The fact that you don’t need garden fresh tomatoes! Instead, this recipe calls for canned whole peeled tomatoes, caramelizing some onions, lots of garlic, a can of coconut milk, seasoning and salt. BOOM. Dinner (or lunch!) is served.
I find that this is perfect as is, but there are so many ways to enjoy this soup. Pour it over pasta and use it as a sauce for your baby or kiddo, ladle it over chickpeas and brown rice, serve it with naan and yogurt and more!
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Vegan tomato soup ingredients
This incredible, easy vegan tomato soup recipe uses just 5 core ingredients and is a great way to use up pantry staples like canned tomatoes. You’ll need:
- Onion: the key to amazing flavor in this vegan tomato soup is caramelized onions. Yes it takes a bit longer but I promise it’s so worth it.
- Garlic: you’ll cook your garlic with the onions for a wonderful flavor boost.
- Olive oil: use a bit of olive oil for cooking the onions & garlic.
- Whole peeled tomatoes: I like to use a 28 ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes, but you can also use a can of fire roasted tomatoes too!
- Full fat coconut milk: the key to creamy vegan tomato soup is use full fat canned coconut milk (not from the carton). It adds a hint of sweetness and gives the soup an amazing texture.
- Italian seasoning: a little Italian seasoning adds the perfect blend of herbs to this recipe.
- Salt & pepper: you’ll want to add a bit of salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper to bring all the flavors together.
- Fresh basil: I love topping this soup with some fresh basil and a drizzle of more coconut milk. Yum!
How to make easy vegan tomato soup
- First, caramelize your onions: Place a large pot over medium heat and add in ½ tablespoon olive oil, onions and a little bit of salt; stir to coat. Cook onions, stirring occasionally; check your onions every 5-10 minutes until they have completely caramelized and turned golden brown.
- Add in tomatoes to the pot and use a spoon to break up the tomatoes as best as you can, then add in coconut milk, italian seasoning, salt and a lot of pepper. Simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Carefully transfer all of the mixture to a high powered blender or feel free to use an immersion blender. Blend until completely smooth (be careful while you do this!), then transfer puree back to the pot. Allow mixture to simmer for 5 more minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if necessary. Garnish with fresh basil and a drizzle of coconut milk, if desired.
Tips for caramelizing onions
Caramelizing onions can feel a bit intimidating, but with a few tips & tricks you’ll have the perfect caramelized onions.
- Don’t slice your onions too thinly as they’ll run the risk of burning more easily.
- Keep the heat on medium or medium-low. If the onions appear to be getting too dark or sticking too much to the bottom of the pan, then simply reduce the heat a bit.
- You can also add in a few teaspoons of water to help deglaze the pan if they start getting too dark or sticking. This will also help get all of those flavorful bits from the bottom of the pan. I always add a few teaspoons of water after 10 or so minutes.
- Be patient! Caramelized onions take a bit of time, so try to resist taking them off early.
How to store and freeze vegan tomato soup
- To store: store this creamy vegan tomato soup recipe in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Feel free to reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop!
- To freeze: let the soup cool completely, then divide into airtight glass containers and put it in your freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, simply thaw the soup overnight and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave when you’re ready to eat.
What to serve with vegan tomato soup
I love dunking a delicious grilled cheese in this vegan tomato soup – keep it dairy free with your fav dairy free & vegan cheese slices! You could also do french bread, garlic bread, crostinis, or naan! Here are some more delicious, plant-based side dishes to pair:
- The Best Garlic Bread You’ll Ever Eat (yes, please!)
- Pat’s 4-Ingredient Paleo Crackers
- Balsamic Herb Sheet Pan Roasted Vegetables
- Curry Roasted Cauliflower Sweet Potato Salad
I hope you enjoy this easy vegan tomato soup recipe. If you make it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe — I really appreciate it! xo.
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Easy Creamy Vegan Tomato Soup (using canned tomatoes)
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes (or sub fire roasted tomatoes whole tomatoes)
- 1 (15 ounce) can full fat coconut milk, reserving 2 tablespoons for drizzling on top if desired
- 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Lots of freshly ground black pepper
- For serving:
- Fresh basil, if desired
- Drizzle of coconut milk
Instructions
- First, caramelize your onions: Place a large pot over medium heat and add in ½ tablespoon olive oil, onions and a little bit of salt; stir to coat. Cook onions, stirring occasionally; check your onions every 5-10 minutes until they have completely caramelized and turned golden brown. If the onions appear to be getting too dark or sticking too much to the bottom of the pan, then simply reduce the heat a bit. You can also add in a few teaspoons of water to help deglaze the pan. Once the onions have caramelized, reduce heat to low and stir in the garlic. Cook for 2 more minutes or until garlic is fragrant.
- Add in tomatoes to the pot and use a spoon to break up the tomatoes as best as you can, then add in coconut milk, italian seasoning, salt and a lot of pepper. Simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Carefully transfer all of the mixture to a high powered blender or feel free to use an immersion blender. Blend until completely smooth (be careful while you do this!), then transfer puree back to the pot. Allow mixture to simmer for 5 more minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if necessary. Garnish with fresh basil and a drizzle of coconut milk, if desired. Serve with crackers, garlic toast/bread or whatever your heart desires. Serves 4.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
I’ve tried a lot of tomato soup recipes trying to find the best one, this is it! So so good! The only problem is you can’t stop eating it!
So glad you loved it!
I love this soup recipe- especially since I’m dairy free!! After the onions caramelize, I add a couple of carrots and sauté for a few minutes before adding in the rest of the ingredients. It’s so good!
Perfect! That sounds amazing!
Very tasty. Thank you for this delicious and quick recipe.
Glad you enjoyed!
Really nice — I didn’t blend it completely smooth, as I love a bit of texture. I stuck to the recipe & it was, well, – lush. Been looking for a tomato soup ( vegan) forever so thank you. I might add white beans next time 😍
So glad you enjoyed! This would be delicious with white beans 🙂
I’ve made this at least 8 times and figured I should leave a review. This is our go to tomato soup in our house as a family with three kids and two working parents. So easy to make and my 2 and 4 year old are obsessed (each had seconds/thirds tonight). No modifications needed!
So happy to hear that!
Phenomenal. I roasted a red pepper chopped in half and a clove of garlic with olive oil, basil, and added to this. Unreal! I’ve been cooking vegan for 15 years and finally bought an immersion blender for this. Well worth it. Top with nutritional yeast.
That sounds delicious!
This is absolutely delicious! So simple and easy too!
I didn’t caramelize the onions fully because I got impatient, but I did cook them until translucent. I doubled the recipe but kept the coconut milk amount the same (essentially halving the coconut milk). I also added two cans of navy beans for more protein and fiber. I added like 1.5-2 cups of water just to get it to the consistency I like (plus the beans made it thicker). You can’t taste the beans at all.
I do feel halving the coconut milk helped because it’s already pretty present in the flavor, and for me a whole can for one recipe would be too much. Plus the beans added a creaminess.
I blended it in batches in a blender. But I did have my blender explode the first time because I didn’t hold the lid down – oops! Luckily the soup is also easy to clean up! 😆
It turned out delicious and luscious and I will absolutely be making this again!
Perfect! Great idea to add beans 🙂 Glad you enjoyed!
Could I use real tomatoes instead of canned? If so, how many and should I roast first? Thank you!
Try this recipe instead!
I love this soup! I want to make it for postpartum meal prep, do you think it would freeze okay? Any suggested adjustments?
Yes, absolutely! Feel free to make it as is, let it cool completely, and freeze it for up to 3 months (no adjustments necessary).
This is my all time favorite tomato soup recipe! Do you think it would freeze well?
So happy to hear that! And yes, it should 🙂
Haven’t eaten it yet but there are some missing instructions for ppl like me who aren’t very intuitive when cooking and could use specific details
Hi! Did you go to the full recipe instructions at the bottom of the post? Click “Jump to Recipe” at the top and it will bring you there.
I’ve never managed to make a creamy tomato soup I liked………… until now! I was a bit doubtful about using canned tomatoes but the soup is truly delicious! I’ll be making this often. Thanks for a great recipe.
Amazing! Glad you enjoyed!
Oh. Mylanta. This is the best tomato soup ever. Like, I nearly cried. I’ve been doing an eating program that avoids sugar and dairy, and it’s been so difficult to find any premade tomato soup that doesn’t contain sugar or cream or both (what’s that about?!). This recipe has changed everything. I’m going to try freezing some, and if it works well, I’m making a crap ton and stocking my freezer.
Slight edits I made: I started with the garlic and seasoning (and red pepper flakes) straight in the oil to make a flavor bomb before adding the onions. Once they caramelized, I added a can of regular diced tomatoes and one of fire roasted diced. Topped the finished product with pumpkin seeds for some crunch. Soooo good.
I’m so glad you found this one! It’s great for customizing, too (great idea to caramelize the seasonings!)
I used fresh, not canned tomatoes. Mrs Dash cause I never have Italian seasoning. Turned out amazing though. Definitely gonna me my new go to Tomato soup.
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
Kudos to the chef! I don’t know how many times I’ve made this soup, countless I’m sure, but it is an absolute winner. We occasionally top it with cheesy bread chunks, leftover cooked caulflower and/ or grated parmesan cheese. It is the perfect soup, easy, tasty and very versatile.
Amazing! So glad you love it!
Delicious dairy-free soup! Creamy and full of flavor! Thank you!
Ah! So glad you’re loving this one 🙂
Good beginner tomato soup recipe. I added an 8oz can of tomato sauce (tomato paste would have worked even better) to balance out the strong coconut flavor. Also added garlic powder and alot more than italian seasoning and salt.
YUM! Sounds delicious, glad this soup turned out great for you!
If you were hoping to pass this off to your family as tomato cream soup, it will not work. My kids tasted the coconut immediately. So then I dumped it back in the pot and doctored it up with some tomato paste, lots of dried oregano and basil, and some chicken bouillon paste. Plus more salt. They’re begrudgingly eating it now. So if you know what you’re getting into you’ll like this, but it definitely tastes like a creamy coconut tomato soup.
Hi Elizabeth – What type of coconut did you use? I think that’ll depend on the strength of the flavor. Thanks for sharing your comment, I appreciate tit!
I find that a lot of coconut milks on the market now are not real coconut milk but more like a coconut concentrate with added water. These have a stronger coconut flavor. The only kind Ill use is the kind that separates in the can. It is much milder in flavor and can be used really well in savory dairy free dishes.