Instant Pot Tomato Soup – creamy & easy to make!
Posted: 11/09/2020
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Creamy and tangy, Instant Pot tomato soup is so delicious and easy to make that you’ll find yourself wondering why you ever bought a can of boring tomato soup.
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Canned tomatoes make it really easy!
How long it takes: 51 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: Instant Pot, stick blender
Servings: 7 one cup servings
Table of Contents
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Tomato soup is comfort food. Hot and creamy, with bright tomato flavor, it warms you up on a cool day. Perfect for lunch or dinner, tomato soup is always welcome in a lunchbox thermos, or at a tailgater picnic. Doesn’t a bowl of tomato soup sound so good right now?
Especially with homemade croutons or Cheez-Its sprinkled on top! Is there any other way to eat tomato soup? Well, yes, with grilled cheese sandwiches which are so dippable or easy-to-make English Muffin Pizzas. For a crowd, I like to serve tomato soup with sliders, like these ham and cheese oven sliders or turkey and Swiss Rachel sliders.
About this Instant Pot tomato soup:
You’ll be surprised how easy it is to make homemade tomato soup in an Instant Pot. Canned tomatoes make it a snap, no peeling tomatoes!
I’ll get you started by running through the recipe here, with lots of helpful tips. The printable recipe card can be found at the end of the post. It has complete directions and nutrition information.
What’s in Homemade tomato soup?
- Canned tomatoes: 2 large (28 oz.) cans of whole peeled tomatoes. You can use fresh tomatoes if you prefer.
- Onion: Choose a sweet onion or whatever you happen to have in your pantry.
- Carrots: The carrots add sweetness and additional nutrition. Since the soup is puréed, you won’t notice chunks of carrots in the soup.
- Garlic: Omit or increase the garlic, depending on how much you like it.
- Half-and-Half: The creaminess of this soup is enhanced by half-and-half. You can use heavy cream if you prefer.
- Brown sugar: just a bit to smooth out the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Oregano and basil: you can use dried or fresh.
How to Make This Recipe
Let’s get started! Take your Instant Pot out of your pantry. You can also make this soup on the stovetop if you don’t have a pressure cooker. Open the tomatoes and chop the onions, carrots, and garlic.
Begin by sautéing the onions and carrots using the Sauté setting, adding the garlic for the last minute or so. Turn off the pot and add the tomatoes, squishing them with your fingers to break them up. You can use a kitchen shears if you prefer. Just cut the tomatoes up right in the can, snip, snip, snip! It doesn’t have to be perfect, because you’re going to purée it later.
Add a little dried oregano (or fresh, if you have it).
Pressure cook the soup for twelve minutes. It will take another 10 to 15 minutes to come to pressure, so keep that in mind. Natural release for ten minutes, then release any remaining pressure.
Remove the lid and carefully puree the soup. Use a stick blender right in the Instant Pot, or puree the soup in a blender or food processor in batches. Be really careful, the soup is boiling hot!
If you want to freeze the soup, stop right here before you add half-and-half. Tomato soup is perfect for freezing if you wait to add the cream. Otherwise the soup tends to curdle when you thaw and reheat it. See the Make Ahead tip below.
If you’re ready to serve the soup, stir in half-and-half (not much, just enough to make the soup creamy) and a little brown sugar and basil. Keep reading (FAQs) for lots of yummy topping ideas.
Mmm, mmm, good!
FAQs
How can I make tomato soup taste better?
I’m guessing you’re probably referring to the ubiquitous canned condensed tomato soup with the red and white label. Try making your own tomato soup that has loads more flavor and much less added sodium.
Add toppings or garnishes to make tomato soup more exciting. I mentioned homemade croutons above. Try cutting a grilled cheese sandwich into bite-sized pieces and sprinkling the pieces on soup. Toasted nuts or Air Fryer Zucchini Chips are yummy, too. Garnishes such as chopped fresh herbs (basil, parsley, oregano, lemon balm) or a drizzle of homemade pesto are great flavor boosters!
Why is tomato soup bad for you?
Hmmm, again I’m guessing you’re referring to commercial products. Homemade tomato soup has just 63 calories per cup, 188 mg of sodium (compared to 480 mg in canned soup) and so much vitamin A! You can feel good about this soup.
What is the difference between tomato soup and tomato bisque?
Usually tomato soup is made without dairy products although it can be puréed and be ultra smooth much like a bisque. Heavy cream is usually added to tomato bisque. I love the creaminess and richness of a bisque but not the calories, so I use a small amount of half-and-half instead of of heavy cream.
If you prefer a richer bisque, slowly stir in up to a cup of heavy cream instead of half-and-half right before serving. Do not boil once you’ve added the cream because the soup may curdle.
Make It Your Own
- Looking for a vegan recipe? Substitute almond milk or canned coconut milk for the half-and-half. You can also just omit the half-and-half. The soup won’t be as creamy with these changes. If you make it with coconut milk, the soup will have a noticeably different flavor but it will still be delicious. You may even want to add a bit of ginger to the soup! You can also add a can of white beans and puree them along with the soup for a vegan option with a boost of protein!
- Don’t have an Instant Pot? Make tomato soup on your stove top in a large sauce pan or Dutch oven. Cooking times will be pretty similar.
- Use fresh tomatoes from your garden. You’ll need about four pounds of peeled tomatoes. Here’s some good tips from My Frugal Home for replacing canned tomatoes with fresh tomatoes.
- If you prefer slow cooking, you’ll love my Slow Cooker Tomato Soup with Tortellini.
- To sneak more protein and fiber into tomato soup, White Bean Tomato Soup is the perfect solution. No one will guess!
- Love roasted veggies? I love roasting fresh tomatoes, carrots, onion, and garlic for extra flavor. Try Smoky Roasted Tomato Soup.
- Looking for a little pasta in your soup? Tomato Soup with Whole Wheat Orzo is so yummy with just the right amount of pasta in every spoonful.
Make-Ahead Ideas
If you’d like to freeze the soup to enjoy later, don’t add the half-and-half until you’re ready to serve the soup. Without the cream, the soup will freeze beautifully. Thaw overnight in the fridge for best results, reheat gently, and stir in half-and-half just before serving.
Storage & Reheating Tips
This recipe makes a pretty big batch and that’s a happy thing because tomato soup is so good leftover. Simply cover leftover soup and refrigerate it for three to four days. Reheat gently in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove. Tomato soup is perfect for lunchboxes in a thermos or microwave safe container.
More Instant Pot Soup Recipes
Soup’s on! If you’re new to Instant Pots, or if you’re a pressure cooker veteran, you’ll want to make more soup and chili in your Instant Pot. Try:
- Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup
- Instant Pot Black Bean Soup (no need to soak beans!)
- Instant Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Instant Pot Minestrone Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
- Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
- Instant Pot Chili — Paleo and Whole30 Compliant
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
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Creamy and tangy, Instant Pot tomato soup is so delicious and easy to make that you'll find yourself wondering why you ever bought a can of boring tomato soup.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion (about 1 medium onion)
- 1 cup diced carrot (about 2 medium carrots)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic (2 cloves)
- 2 (28 oz.) cans whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar, more or less to taste
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil, or 2 teaspoons dried basil
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Add olive oil, onions, carrots, salt and pepper. Sauté, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes, or until vegetables are getting soft. Add garlic and sauté for one minute, stirring constantly. Turn Instant Pot off.
- Crush tomatoes with hands or cut with scissors. Add tomatoes and oregano to Instant Pot, scraping any brown bits from bottom of pot.
- Turn Instant Pot to high pressure for 12 minutes. Allow 13-14 minutes for pot to come to pressure. When time is up, natural release for 10 minutes. Carefully release any remaining pressure.
- Remove lid. With a stick blender, puree soup until smooth.
- Stir in half and half, brown sugar, and basil. Taste, adjust seasoning, and serve.
Notes
- Stove top directions: Use a large sauce pan or Dutch oven. Follow recipe as directed. Cooking times will be pretty similar.
- For vegans: Substitute almond milk or canned coconut milk for the half-and-half. You can also just omit the half-and-half. The soup won’t be as creamy with these changes.
- Substitute approx. 4 lbs. fresh Roma tomatoes, peeled, for the canned tomatoes.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1cup, Calories: 63kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 6mg, Sodium: 188mg, Potassium: 125mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 3153IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 37mg, Iron: 1mg
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Rebecca Jenner says
This turned out great! I have not previously made tomato soup, but this afternoon my husband mentioned that he really liked tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Which was perfect because with the onset of Fall, I have been craving them. My family loved the soup! It was very flavorful and simple to make!! Thank you for the recipe!!!
Rachel Gurk says
That’s the best combo! I’m glad you enjoyed it. We actually just tested another new tomato soup recipe today! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
denise says
just needs some grilled cheese on the side.
Rachel Gurk says
I agree! This one is perfect.
Andrea says
Made this today with home canned tomatoes. Delicious!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked it! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment, it means so much!