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Comforting, homemade Vegan Tomato Soup made with just 8 ingredients! Featuring simple ingredients and an amazingly creamy texture. Perfect for a chilly night or easy weekly meal prep! Gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and oil-free options.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
I’ve been revisiting comfort recipes, with a vegan twist, of course, and my latest and greatest is this Creamy Tomato Soup. Although it’s commonly enjoyed alongside grilled cheese sandwiches, I used to enjoy this soup when I lived in Shanghai (in instant form, can you believe it?). It was a Japanese instant food you just add hot water to, and it was something my sisters and I loved—simple, creamy, tangy, and tomatoe-y soup.
Of course, that tomato soup was far from vegan, but the good news is I’ve nailed a veganized version that’s just as delicious. It pairs well with a vegan grilled cheese sandwich, can be enjoyed with pasta noodles cooked into it, and is great as is, too. I love making this soup when my refrigerator is near empty, and I’m in need of something nourishing but quick. I also love it on a cold winter day because something about tomato soup is so comforting.
The recipe calls for canned tomatoes, primarily because soup season is typically not peak tomato season. Also, canned tomatoes are accessible, affordable, and great to have in the pantry at all times for impromptu soup moments. It’s one of those ingredients I tend to always have in the house and forget about for months. If that sounds familiar, this is your sign to make this soup!
This Homemade Tomato Soup is obviously vegan but also gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and grain-free with an oil-free option!
Ingredient Notes
To make this soup, you’ll only need 8 simple ingredients, and it comes together in less than 30 minutes.
- Canned tomatoes → The recipe calls for canned tomatoes, meaning you can make this soup year-round, no fresh tomatoes are required! I recommend whole tomatoes, no salt added. Tomatoes are an excellent source of lycopene, vitamin C, potassium, vitamin K, and more. It gives the soup a gorgeous, vibrant colour as well. San Marzano tomatoes have amazing flavour, but any canned tomatoes will do the trick.
- Sweet onion → I recommend this over red onion, yellow onion, or white onion, but a white onion will work, too! Onions balance the tomato and add a subtle sweetness, too.
- Garlic → What’s a good soup without some garlic? Don’t be shy, and don’t worry about mincing too finely since we will be blending everything.
- Cashews → No soaking required! We’re boiling these alongside the rest of our ingredients to soften, and once blended, they give the perfect amount of dairy-free creaminess to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes. Cashew cream is thick, like heavy cream, and the perfect vegan substitute.
- Vegetable Stock → Use veggie stock or broth– you’ll need about 4-5 cups, depending on desired thickness.
- Oregano → For flavour! Try not to skip it 🙂
- Bay leaf → You can skip this if you’d like, but it does add a little extra something something.
- Salt & black pepper → Season to taste.
How to Make Creamy Vegan Tomato Soup
- In a large pot, sauté onions over medium heat until aromatic and slightly translucent (about 2-3 minutes). Try to avoid browning, and stir regularly. Next, add garlic and sauté for another minute or so.
- Add raw cashews, tomatoes, oregano, and bay leaf, and cook for 2-3 minutes again.
- Add vegetable broth, cover, and simmer on low heat for about 8 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaf, transfer everything into a blender, and blend until completely smooth. Return the mixture to the pot, season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.
Secrets to Success!
- Make it hearty → You can add a knob of vegan butter to sauté with to start. This will add a nice depth of flavour and extra richness to the soup. A drizzle of olive oil on top can also be lovely.
- Boost the nutrition → Consider blending in a handful of hemp seeds or topping your soup with hemp seeds for added protein and nutrients. You can also blend in nutritional yeast for a deeper umami flavour! Basil also pairs perfectly with this luscious soup.
- Equipment modifications → If you don’t have a high-speed blender, you can also use a hand immersion blender instead. You will need to blend out the ingredients, so be sure to use one or the other. You may even be able to use a food processor if you don’t have a traditional blender or immersion blender.
Serving Tips
Garnish with fresh herbs and/or vegan parmesan cheese shreds. Serve alongside a vegan grilled cheese sandwich or your favorite crusty bread, or by itself– you can’t go wrong!
Storage Tips
Store leftover vegan tomato soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Reheat over the stovetop and garnish with desired toppings.
This is also a great recipe to freeze! Allow the soup to cool completely to room temperature, then transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2-3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and warm on the stove. Add additional vegetable broth if needed to adjust the consistency.
More Cozy Soup Recipes
If you try this recipe out, tag me on Instagram @veggiekins so I can see your delicious re-creations and feature them! As always, I love it when you share your reviews in the comments below, and if you make any fun substitutions, let me know how it worked out below, too.
Best Creamy Vegan Tomato Soup (Simple Ingredients!)
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet onion thinly sliced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 15 oz cans of crushed tomatoes* If you prefer a creamier soup, use just 1 can of crushed tomatoes. For more tomato flavour, use 2.
- 1/4 cup raw cashews
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 4-5 cups vegetable broth
- salt and pepper to taste
- neutral oil to sauté optional
Instructions
- In a large pot, sauté onions until aromatic and slightly translucent (about 2-3 minutes). Try to avoid browning, and stir regularly. Next add garlic and sauté for another minute or so.
- Add raw cashews, tomatoes, oregano and bay leaf and cook for 2-3 minutes again.
- Add vegetable broth, cover and simmer on low heat for about 8 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaf, transfer everything into a blender and blend until completely smooth. Return the mixture to the pot, season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.
Notes
Secrets to Success!
- Make it hearty → You can add a knob of vegan butter to sauté with to start. This will add a nice depth of flavour and extra richness to the soup. A drizzle of olive oil on top can also be lovely.
- Boost the nutrition → Consider blending in a handful of hemp seeds or topping your soup with hemp seeds for added protein and nutrients. You can also blend in nutritional yeast for a deeper umami flavour! Basil also pairs perfectly with this luscious soup.
- Equipment modifications → If you don’t have a high-speed blender, you can also use a hand immersion blender instead. You will need to blend out the ingredients, so be sure to use one or the other. You may even be able to use a food processor if you don’t have a traditional blender or immersion blender.
Serving Tips
Garnish with fresh herbs and/or vegan parmesan cheese shreds. Serve alongside a vegan grilled cheese sandwich or your favorite crusty bread, or by itself– you can’t go wrong!Storage Tips
Store leftover vegan tomato soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Reheat over the stovetop and garnish with desired toppings. This is also a great recipe to freeze! Allow the soup to cool completely to room temperature, then transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2-3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and warm on the stove. Add additional vegetable broth if needed to adjust the consistency.Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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