Soup is essential on a cold winter day and this vegan tomato soup recipe is the perfect soup to warm you up. It’s ready in under 30 minutes, so creamy without any dairy, and high in protein thanks to a (not so) secret ingredient!
Is there anything more heart warming than fresh tomato soup and grilled cheese?? It’s one of my favorite winter food combinations, second to literally any type of pasta of course!
I wanted to make this vegan tomato soup recipe as simple as possible, so we’ll be using whole peeled tomatoes from a can. I promise these as just as delicious a flavor as fresh tomatoes. Plus a few other key ingredients to really take this soup to the next level.
I’ve been getting a lot of requests for more nut free recipes. Cashews are my favorite dairy replacement to make recipes creamy because they have such a mild flavor. But, to replace the cashew cream that I would have used in this soup, we’ll be using…. small white beans!
That may sound odd to you, but I promise it is delicious and you will have no idea there are beans in here. Plus, it makes the soup higher in protein and fiber and really creamy. Try my white bean soup next!
How to make vegan tomato soup
First, add the minced garlic and chopped onion to a pot with the olive oil. Don’t worry about chopping everything perfectly because it is going to get blended anyway!
Saute for about 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Stir occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the pot.
Add the oregano, red pepper flakes, paprika, salt, pepper, and chopped basil. Saute for 2 minutes to let all of the flavors blend together.
Add the cans of tomatoes, tomato paste, non-dairy milk and stir well. Let simmer for 10 minutes, smooshing the tomatoes with the back of your spoon to flatten. Be careful because they’re hot and will squirt!
Transfer everything to the blender along with the white beans. You may need to do this in two batches depending on the side of your blender.
However, a special high speed blender like a vitamix is not necessary, any type of blender should work just fine. Be sure to process until completely smooth, about 30 seconds – 2 minutes, depending on your blender.
Serve with fresh basil and enjoy!
Serving suggestions
I topped my soup off with some coconut cream, fresh basil, and these grilled cheese croutons that, ugh, just make everything better! The “croutons” are just a regular grilled cheese cut into small squares which 100% makes this soup more fun to eat.
To make the grilled cheese, I added butter to a hot pan and let it melt, then add one slice of bread with 2 pieces of non-dairy cheese and covered it (key to getting vegan cheese to melt).
Once that side was toasted, I added the other piece of bread, flipped the grilled cheese over, covered and let it cook on the other side. For some homemade vegan cheese, try this grilled cheese recipe which is SO good.
This is of course optional, you can also serve vegan tomato soup with a fresh baguette, a side salad, or just enjoy it as is!
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it keep?
Once prepared, this soup will keep in the fridge for about 5 days or in the freezer for 1 month. Make a double batch and save some for meal prep!
Red, white, and yellow onions all work well in this recipe, red onion will have the most intense flavor, whereas yellow or white are a bit more mild.
How can I thicken soup?
This soup has a moderately thick and creamy consistency as is, but it isn’t thick like a stew.
If you want it thicker, you can either blend in the whole can of beans, use less milk, or add 1-2 tbsp of flour and let simmer over low heat until thicker.
What kind of milk is best?
You can use any type of non-dairy milk in this recipe, just make sure it is plain and unsweetened. You definitely don’t want any hints of vanilla sneaking through the soup!
My personal favorite for savory recipes is plain unsweetened almond milk.
Try these next!
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Creamy Vegan Tomato Soup
by: claire cary
Ingredients
- 1, 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2-3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 large yellow onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup small white beans I used cannellini
- ½ cup unsweetened non dairy milk
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped basil or 2 tsp dried
- ½-1 tsp salt
- 1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp paprika
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the minced garlic and onion to a pot with the olive oil.
- Saute for about 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
- Add the oregano, red pepper flakes, paprika, salt, pepper, and chopped basil.
- Saute for 2 minutes.
- Add both cans of tomatoes, tomato paste, milk and stir well.
- Let simmer for 10 minutes, smooshing the tomatoes with the back of your spoon to flatten. Be careful because they’re hot and will squirt!
- Transfer everything to the blender along with the white beans.
- Process until completely smooth.
- Serve with fresh basil and enjoy!
Bella says
This soup was delicious! I’ve always wanted to make a homemade tomato soup but was intimidated. This recipe absolved all my fears. It’s so so good!
Claire Cary says
Thank you Bella! Glad your first try was a success!
Gillian Heard says
SOOO Good. I doubled the beans for extra protein. I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk, forgot the basil and it was still great!!
Claire Cary says
So glad it still worked well with the vanilla milk!
Tia says
Is the measurement for the non dairy milk by the cup? Looking forward to making this!
Claire Cary says
Yes!! Sorry, typo 🙂 Let me know how it turns out!
Kara Pirillo says
This recipe was super quick to make and very tasty. I will be making it again, for sure!
Claire Cary says
Thanks Kara! So happy you like it!