Fresh summer tomatoes roasted until blistered and sweet, blended with garlic, basil, and a splash of heavy cream. This is the tomato soup you will make every August and think about all winter long.
Every August I buy tomatoes in quantities that make Bill raise an eyebrow. Not because I am going to eat them all at once, though I could. I roast them, omatoes, garlic, a fistful of fresh basil, in big sheet pans until they are soft and blistered and the whole house smells like your Italian grandmothers house. Then I let them cool, slide them into gallon bags, and stack them in the freezer. By October I have forgotten exactly how many bags are in there. By January I remember why I did it. Soups, sauces and ad ins for lots of my favorite dishes.
This creamy roasted tomato basil soup is what those bags are for. This creamy tomato basil soup recipe has been in my rotation for years, and it is the soup I pull together on a cold afternoon when I want something that tastes like it took all day but actually takes about forty-five minutes. Roasted tomatoes, minced garlic, vegetable broth, fresh basil, and a pour of heavy cream at the end that turns everything velvety and rich. The result is a delicious flavor, deeply tomato, faintly sweet, a little smoky at the edges. This is my favorite tomato soup, and I have made a lot of tomato soup.
If you do not have a freezer full of roasted tomatoes yet, this homemade tomato soup is just as good made fresh from the produce aisle. I will show you both ways, and a slow cooker variation at the end for the days when you want to set it and walk away.
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Why Roasting Makes All the Difference
You can make tomato soup with canned tomato soup as a shortcut, or with whole canned tomatoes, and it will be fine. But roasted fresh tomatoes are a different thing entirely. The oven concentrates their natural sweetness, caramelizes their edges, and drives off the excess water that makes an unroasted tomato soup taste thin. The tomato skins blister and loosen, the juices reduce and intensify, and what comes out of that oven is deeply, almost extravagantly tomato. That depth of flavor  is the best part of this recipe, and it is built before the soup even starts.
Roasting the garlic cloves right alongside the tomatoes mellows them from sharp to sweet and nutty. Five cloves of fresh garlic go in raw and come out caramelized, almost jammy in their skins. By the time everything goes into the large pot, the soup practically finishes itself. Fresh herbs like basil and thyme do the last thing — they lift everything and make it taste bright rather than heavy.
Which Tomatoes Work Best
The honest answer is whatever you have. I use whatever is ripe and abundant in August, which is usually a mix of sizes. Different tomatoes do bring different things to this soup, though.
Roma tomatoes are the classic choice for this tomato soup recipe, and they give you the best flavor here if you have a choice. They are meaty, low in water, and their flavor concentrates beautifully in the oven. Grape tomatoes and cherry tomatoes roast faster and turn almost jammy, giving the finished soup a lovely natural sweetness. If you have a garden overflowing with either, use them here without hesitation. Heirloom tomatoes bring incredible color and complexity, though they are a little more watery. San Marzano tomatoes from a can are the best cold-weather substitute — drain them slightly, spread on the sheet pan, and roast just the same. San Marzano tomatoes are also the right call when you want to roast tomatoes in January and still get a result that tastes like summer.
If you have extra tomatoes from the garden at the end of the season, roast and freeze them in a big batch, they keep beautifully for up to three months and become the base for this soup all winter long. One note on tomato skins: you do not need to peel them before you roast tomatoes. After roasting, the skins soften and loosen enough that the immersion blender takes care of them entirely. If you prefer a completely silky creamy soup with no trace of skin, pass the blended soup through a fine mesh strainer — but honestly, I never bother.
What You Need to Make Roasted Tomato Soup
The ingredient list is short, which is how the best easy recipe tends to go. Two and a half pounds of fresh tomatoes, five garlic cloves, one sweet onion roughly chopped, a tablespoon of olive oil or avocado oil, kosher salt and black pepper, fresh thyme, a quarter cup of fresh basil leaves, and four cups of vegetable broth or chicken stock. Half a cup of heavy cream goes in at the very end. That is what makes this a creamy roasted tomato soup rather than just a roasted one.
A small spoonful of tomato paste stirred into the pot before adding the broth deepens the color and flavor further, not required, but a great way to add that extra layer if your tomatoes are less than peak-season. A splash of vegetable stock in place of all broth works well too. Use whatever you have open.
For garnish: a few fresh basil leaves, parmesan cheese, parmesan crisps balanced on the rim (they take about four minutes to make and make the bowl feel like a restaurant first course), or basil pesto swirled in at the end. A drizzle of good olive oil over the finished bowl is never wrong.
How to Make Creamy Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Roughly chop your whole tomatoes — halved for smaller ones, quartered for larger — and spread them on the sheet pan along with the sweet onion, roughly chopped, and the five garlic cloves left in their skins. Scatter the fresh thyme sprigs over the top. Drizzle everything generously with a tablespoon of olive oil (or more — do not be shy), sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper, and toss to coat. Roast for thirty to forty-five minutes at medium-high heat until the tomatoes are very soft, blistered, and beginning to caramelize at the edges. The tomato skins will be pulling away from the flesh and the whole pan will smell extraordinary. That is what you want.
Remove the garlic cloves and the thyme stems. Set the garlic aside to cool briefly, then squeeze the roasted garlic out of the skins and discard the skins. Pour the entire tomato and onion mixture, every drop of juice on the pan — into a large pot or dutch oven. Add the squeezed garlic, vegetable broth, tomato paste if using, and the fresh basil leaves. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook for ten minutes to let everything come together and deepen.
Use an immersion blender to blend the soup directly in the pot until you reach a smooth, creamy consistency. If you are using a regular blender, let the soup cool slightly first and work in batches — hot liquid in a sealed blender expands fast, and you do not want to learn that lesson the hard way. Once smooth, return the soup to medium-low heat and stir in the heavy cream. Taste for salt, pepper, and the acidity of the tomatoes. A pinch more salt usually brightens everything. Start to finish, including roasting time, you are looking at about an hour.
The Slow Cooker Version
If you have already roasted and frozen your tomatoes from summer, this becomes one of the easiest slow cooker soup recipes you will ever make. Thaw your bag of roasted tomatoes overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning, add them to the slow cooker along with the chicken stock or vegetable broth, minced garlic, fresh basil, and tomato paste. Cook on low for six to eight hours or high for three to four. When you come home, blend the soup, stir in the heavy cream, and it is ready. This creamy roasted tomato soup version is the one I make most often in January, it has good flavor, almost no effort, and the house smells wonderful all day.
How to Make This Soup All Winter Long
This is the part I want you to remember in July. When you are standing at a farmers market table looking at an abundance of tomatoes and wondering what to do with them, this is the answer. Buy extra. Roast them in big batches — tomatoes, garlic, a handful of basil — and once cooled completely, slide them into gallon freezer bags and lay them flat in your freezer. I share my full method in my easy pan roasted tomatoes post.
Come November, when the tomatoes at the grocery store are pale and mealy and have nothing to do with the real thing, you will pull one of those bags out of the freezer, thaw it on the counter, and make this homemade roasted tomato basil soup. It will taste like August. Own tomatoes from your summer garden or market tomatoes from peak season — either way, the roasted base in your freezer means a good bowl of creamy soup is never more than an hour away all through the cold months.
What to Serve with Creamy Tomato Soup
A grilled cheese sandwich is the obvious answer and it is obvious for good reason. Sharp cheddar on sourdough, pressed until the cheese is fully melted and the bread is deeply golden. Open-faced cheese sandwiches work beautifully too and take about three minutes under the broiler on a weeknight. Garlic bread alongside is never wrong. A simple green salad is all the rest of this soup ever needs to be a complete meal.
A bowl of this alongside a grilled cheese sandwich is the ultimate comfort food on a cold afternoon, the kind of meal that requires nothing else and apologizes to no one. If you want to make the soup itself a more substantial side dish or first course, a swirl of basil pesto and a shower of parmesan cheese turns a simple bowl into something that feels restaurant-quality. This is a great recipe for entertaining for exactly that reason.
Variations and Substitutions
For a vegan version, leave out the heavy cream or substitute full-fat coconut cream in the same amount. The soup is still delicious without cream — a little thinner and brighter, more like a roasted tomato basil soup than a bisque. Use vegetable broth throughout and skip the parmesan garnish. The roasted tomato flavor is strong enough to carry the whole bowl.
For a deeper, richer flavor, add caramelized onions instead of raw. Cook a sweet onion slowly over medium-low heat in butter for about thirty minutes until it is golden and deeply sweet, then add it to the pot with the roasted tomatoes. The sweet flavor this adds to the finished soup is remarkable and completely changes the character of the bowl. It takes more time but it is one of my favorite things to do with this recipe on a Sunday when I am not in a hurry.
Storing and Freezing
Leftover soup keeps beautifully. Let it cool to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to five days. It reheats gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat — stir as it warms and do not let it boil hard once the cream is in.
For longer storage, freeze the soup before stirring in the cream, in a freezer-safe container for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, reheat gently, and add the cream just before serving. Making a big batch in August when the tomatoes are at their best and freezing half is one of the kindest things you can do for yourself come October.
Print
Creamy Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4-6 Servings 1x
Ingredients
5 cloves garlic, left in skins
1 sweet onion, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional but recommended)
4 cups vegetable broth or chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Spread the tomatoes, chopped onion, and garlic cloves on the baking sheet. Scatter the thyme sprigs over the top. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.
- Roast for 30 to 45 minutes until the tomatoes are very soft, blistered, and beginning to caramelize at the edges. The tomato skins will be pulling away from the flesh.
- Remove the garlic cloves and thyme stems. Let the garlic cool briefly, then squeeze the roasted garlic out of the skins and discard the skins.
- Pour the entire tomato and onion mixture, including all the juices, into a large pot or dutch oven. Add the roasted garlic, vegetable broth, tomato paste if using, and fresh basil leaves.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
- Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until completely smooth. Alternatively, blend in batches in a regular blender, allowing the soup to cool slightly first.
- Return to medium-low heat and stir in the heavy cream. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh basil, parmesan cheese, parmesan crisps, or a swirl of basil pesto.
Notes
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: American
If you have a garden or a farmers market nearby, August is the month to make this soup — and then make it again. The tomatoes will not be this good until next tomato season. And if you find yourself with green tomatoes at the end of the season, my roasted green tomato and basil soup is a lovely companion to this one, same roasting method, completely different character.
I hope this soup finds you on a good afternoon with nowhere particular to be. A pot on the stove, the smell of tomatoes roasting, Patches settled into her spot in the corner of the kitchen. There are worse ways to spend an afternoon.
If you try this recipe I would love to know, which tomatoes did you use, and did you make the grilled cheese? What is your favorite combination?
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What a great way to freeze the base in the summer, I usually make endless amounts of tomato sauce to freeze, but have never thought of doing it this way which actually makes a lot more sense. How long do you roast the tomatoes and garlic for? Would love to know as I am going to do it your way in the summer, thanks, a great tip. Have a lovely week xx
My grandma always put "pinch dumplings" into her homemade tomato soup. So homemade, she even grew all the ingredients in her enormous garden.
The dumplings were like any–flour, egg, water, pinch of salt–and she would pinch off the tiniest bits to toss into some boiling water, then add them to the soup.
This has to be my favorite soup of all time. YUMMMM!
Good morning, Elizabeth! Tomato soup is my absolute favorite!! Looks low-cal, too! Have a great week.
DO you put a sliced tomato on your GRILLED CHEESE?
I DO!!!!!!!!!
YUMMY.
Good for a cold day!