Learn how to make the BEST Vegan Tomato Soup ever! Silky smooth, dairy free but creamy and made with simple ingredients you probably have in your pantry right now.
One of my kid’s favorite dinners is grilled (vegan) cheese and tomato soup. I make a batch of Stretchy Vegan Mozzarella for the “cheese” and pair it with an easy homemade tomato soup.
I’ve been wanting to share this recipe for quite some time and am finally getting it out there. I hope you love this easy, creamy soup as much as my family does!
How to make Easy Vegan Tomato Soup
(The full ingredient list and instructions are listed in the recipe card at the bottom, this is an overview)
- In a large pot, saute a chopped onion in a little olive oil or water.
- Add a can of crushed tomatoes and vegetable broth. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- To a high powered blender, add some raw cashews.
- Add all the soup on top of the nuts. It should all fit unless your blender is small or you double the recipe.
- Blend!
- Transfer the soup back to the pot, add salt and sugar (just a teaspoon to cut the acidity) to taste.
Special Tips & Substitutions
- Nut Free: You can make this without nuts, though using cashews makes for the best results, in my opinion. To make nut free, stir in about 1/2 cup of coconut milk. You could also use soy or hemp milk. Make sure it is unsweetened and unflavored.
- No Blender? No problem. Just use one of the nut free options and an immersion blender instead. You could even skip blending altogether if you want texture, especially if you use crushed tomatoes.
- For Tomato Basil soup, add about 1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves to the blender and blend along with the rest of the soup. Yum!
- I love Muir Glen brand canned tomatoes. You really want to use quality canned tomatoes for tomato soup, not the cheapest versions if possible. San Marzano tomatoes are also a great choice.
More creamy vegan soups
- Vegan Cauliflower Soup
- Easy Vegan Potato Soup
- Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Instant Pot Vegan Tomato Soup
Easy Vegan Tomato Soup
Learn how to make the BEST Vegan Tomato Soup ever! Silky smooth, dairy free but creamy and made with simple ingredients you probably have in your pantry right now.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (or water for oil free)
- 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
- 28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, optional to cut the acidity
Instructions
- In a large pot, saute the onion in the olive oil (or water) for 4-5 minutes over medium heat, until soft and translucent.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and vegetable broth and stir. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.
- To a high powered blender, add the raw cashews. Now carefully transfer the soup to the blender as well (unless you double the recipe, it should all fit). Use a towel to protect yourself from any splatters, and blend until very smooth.
- Return the blended soup to the pot and taste. Add salt to taste, and stir in a teaspoon of sugar to cut the acidity a little bit. Serve with salad, croutons, a loaf of bread, or dip vegan grilled cheese into it! Enjoy.
Notes
- Nut Free: Instead of cashews, simply stir in a little coconut milk from a can (1/2 cup) or even soy, hemp or oat that is unsweetened. You can also make it without any "cream" added.
- No Blender: Use one of the nut free options from above, and use an immersion blender to blend it right in the pot. It won't be as silky smooth this way, but it will still be good.
- For Tomato Basil soup, add about 1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves to the blender and blend along with the other ingredients.
- For the best tomato soup, use quality canned tomatoes, not the cheapest generic version unless you have to! I use crushed, but you can also use whole canned tomatoes, or even diced.
- Store leftover soup in the refrigerator for 4 days. It freezes very well.
- Instant Pot: To make this in an Instant Pot, first saute the onion in the inner pot, then add the tomatoes and broth. Seal and cook for 5 minutes on high pressure. Continue with blending, and adding salt/sugar to taste.
Nutrition
Calories: 173kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1026mg | Potassium: 728mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 677IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 4mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @nora_cooks_vegan_ or tag #noracooks!
I am not feeling well today and I was craving for Tomato Soup. I looked up a recipe from you and I want to extend a great THANK YOU! This was so good, better than the yuck canned tomato soup. I even paired it with a grill cheese sandwich. I feel better now 😁.
Hi Betty. I’m so glad you felt up to making the tomato soup, and I’m so glad that you loved it and that you feel better now! Thank you for sharing your terrific review and sweet recipe experience! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Great recipe. I’ve made it twice and will be making it again tomorrow.
Can I use almond milk??
Absolutely! Enjoy the soup!
This is AMAZING, Nora! I cheated and used onion powder instead of onions. It took no time at all but is so deeply flavorful and satisfying. YUM. Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes.
Thank you, Anne, for loving my recipes! I’m with you on this soup, I love the flavor and depth, not to mention how easy it is to prepare! Thank you for taking time to share your stellar review and comments. Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Excellent soup, when I served I put seasoned Croutons on top and pesto.
Delicious. Made as is and added some red pepper flakes and celery seed before blending. Family loved it!
*UPDATE* I’m pretty sure I already left a 5 star review but here’s another… this is an easy, delicious pantry ready soup that I make once a week for over a year. I freeze it in souper cubes so I always have some on hand and even bought an additional freezer to keep my supply. I’ve been on a liquid diet due to dental implant surgery so this was a life saver. Thank you for creating this recipe!
Hi Lyn. I am so glad that you are loving this soup! Sounds like a challenging year! I’m glad my soup has brought you comfort and contentment! This is totally one of my favorite soups, and I love your idea of freezing it in souper cubes! Thank you for your awesome review, recipe experience, and ideas! Wishing you happy cooking!
Absolutely delicious and creamy tomato soup. Thanks for a perfect recipe. It fools family who swear there’s cream in it.
This is a really simple recipe for when you’re sick and want some soup.
I’ve made a very similar recipe, but just use tomato sauce (I figure you’re blending the tomatoes into tomato sauce anyway), and Ripple milk that I use for pretty much everything. Add some tortellini to the broth and let it cook before adding the tomato sauce and milk. Viola – tomato tortellini soup.
That sounds really simple, I love it!
This soup was SO good! I must admit I had my doubts considering how few ingredients are required but it was top notch and so easy to make. I was tired of buying soup that didn’t really hit the spot and this one was everything I’ve been missing!
Hi Lorena. I’m glad you decided to try the soup, and that you loved it! Thank you for taking time to share your stellar review and comments! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
This soup was SO good! I must admit I had my doubts considering how few ingredients are required but it was top notch and so easy to make. I was tired of buying soup that didn’t really hit the spot and this one was everything I’ve been missing.
Made this soup with cashews and some dried basil. It was so good with a vegan grilled cheese. I will definitely be making it again.
So easy and flavorful. This is now my go-to recipe.
Thank you for your awesome review, William! I’m thrilled that you are loving this recipe and enjoying it often! Happy cooking to you!
Easy, delicious and very customizable. We like bold flavor, so I added a few, fat, minced garlic cloves in with the onion sauté, some extra salt, and 1.5 tsp dried basil at the end. We loved it! This is a keeper.
Hi Lisa. Thank you for sharing your terrific review and recipe ideas! Your soup sounds amazing! This is one of my favorite soups! Wishing you happy cooking!
I think I’ve made this 23 times. This is a staple at our house. My entire family loves it when the soup is on the menu, and I love how easy it is to throw together. Look no further, this is you go-to tomato soup recipe!
I’m with you, Stacy. This is an incredibly simple and extremely delicious soup! I am so glad that you and your family are loving it! Thank you for sharing your glowing review! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Made this to go with my Chao Grilled cheese sandwich. Made half with tomatoes and half rotel with green chilis. My blender/mixer didn’t blend it to creamy enough status for me so I also ran it through a sieve.
Made this today and it is fantastic!
I’m thrilled you loved the soup! Thank you for your terrific review!