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.
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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
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How many pounds of fresh tomato’s would that be?
From a google search, it looks like around 2 3/4 pound of fresh tomatoes equals around 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes. I’ve never used fresh myself in this soup but I’m sure it would work.
I have never had a recipe so simple test SO good. I was skeptical looking at the short list of ingredients and how quickly it comes together. But now this is a staple in my house. I also use it as pasta sauce and its delicious!. Thank you for this!
You are welcome! I totally love this soup my own self! Thanks for your wonderful review and feedback! I love your ideas!
so good and simple!
Instead of the canned tomatoes, I roasted a big box of mixed cherry tomatoes and a few mini sweet peppers at 425 for about 20 minutes, then added them to the onion as instructed. Incredible. This soup was the perfect way to clean out my fridge. It’ll be a staple in my household now!
Sounds delicious, Erinn! I’m thrilled you loved the soup! Thank you for taking time to share your wonderful feedback and review!
We are recently vegan so still weaning off of SAD palates. When I originally finished this soup I was not super impressed, but I added some fresh cracked pepper and balsamic vinegar to the top when I served and it really made the soup come alive! Served with vegan grilled cheese and wow! The toddler loved it without the additions 🙂
I added a couple of cloves of garlic to the onions. I boiled the cashews with the sauce, added the recommended basil and blended all at the same time. I added about half the recommended sugar and salt. Topped with Trader Joe’s shredded parm and ground black pepper. It is so so delicious…you would never know it was dairy free!!! This will be a staple in our household!
This is such a simple and delicious soup! My partner and I have been enjoying it for years now. It is a great meal when you don’t have a lot of energy or you need something to warm you up and have a cozy night.
Simple and delicious-it’s one of my favorites! I’m thrilled you are loving the soup! Thanks for your stellar review and feedback!
This was great. So easy. I did the option that adds sugar. The only difference was I boiled the cashews with the tomato’s because I’ve had so many times where even my Vitamix can’t completely smooth out nuts. So I’m just in the habit of soaking overnight or boiling. I’m am curious to try it leaving them raw. Thanks again for another great recipe. Do you know if this freezes? Love to make a big batch.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the tomato soup. Yes, it freezes very well.
WOAH!!! This soup is so simple and also the best soup I’ve ever tasted! I’m not sure how it’s so delicious given the few ingredients, but it is! I used coconut milk as I had some open.
Nora, this soup is wonderful! It’s such a simple recipe but the taste is out-of-this-world good. I doubled the recipe and used Mutti brand strained tomatoes. I blended the cashews in a Vitamix with some water and added them to the onion and tomato mixture in the pot on the stove, and then used my hand-held blender to blend the tomatoes and onions smooth. Sooo good. Thanks for the recipe. I love many of your recipes Nora. At Christmas I made your easy golden gravy and vegan toffee. All top notch.
Hi Darlene. I appreciate you using my recipes, and am thrilled that you are loving them! Thanks for your awesome review and encouraging words! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Loved the ease of this recipe and how you could easily adapt it to your palette and things on hand. I added 2 cloves of garlic while sautéing the onion, used diced tomatoes because thats what I had and about a tablespoon (maybe more) of Italian seasoning while it simmered. When it can time to blend, I added a handful of basil. It was a hit with everyone in my house. Can’t wait to make it again.
This is one of my favorite soups! I’m so glad you loved it! Thanks you for your fabulous review and feedback!
I served this for a brunch this morning and it was such a hit. Everybody wanted the recipe! Easy. Delicious. Nutritious. We will definitely be making this on a regular basis. The only change I made was to add a little additional sugar.
Have been a successful vegan for 3 years with the help of your easy to follow, delicious, mouthwatering recipes. I’ve made my own cheese sticks, mozzarella, lasagna, Mac n cheese, this soup, your recipes never disappoint. I have an instagram that I record me making your videos and any time someone asks about recommendations; I ALWAYS say go check out Nora Cooks!
This was another home run recipe
I am honored, Lainie! Thank you so much for your awesome feedback and review! Your comments are so encouraging. I appreciate you using my recipes and am glad you are loving them! Happy cooking!
Fantastic! Easy to make My family loves it.
Thank you for fantastic review! I’m so glad you and your family love the soup!
Hi! If I’m using the IP to make this, do I do a quick release after pressure cooking for 5 minutes then add the blended cashews?
Yes, I would do a quick pressure release. Unless you want to let the pressure come down on it’s own, that’s fine too it will just take longer. Then continue and blend the cashews.
Hi Nora,
I’ve just started reading your recipes! I’m going to make your tomato soup. I’m wondering tho, would swapping out the cashews and using bread give it the right kind of ‘mouth feel’? I’m not sure I’m ready to go the cashew route yet…just starting out on lots of this stuff. The reviews I’ve read say you are one of the best out there!
Thanks,
Nina.
Hi Nina. Welcome to Nora Cooks! How awesome you are exploring my recipes, and I hope you enjoy your journey through them! Instead of cashews in the soup recipe, simply stir in a little coconut milk from a can (1/2 cup) or a plant based creamer that is unsweetened. You can also make it without any “cream” added. I do not recommend adding bread to the soup, however, it is a great side (grilled cheese, crusty bread, or croutons) with the soup! Thank you for your encouraging comments! Please reach out with any questions. Hope this helps! Happy cooking!
Loved it!! And soooo simple to make. Thanks Nora! I added two cloves of fresh garlic and a tsp of basil. It is my new favorite vegan tomato soup!
Thanks so much for your fantastic review and feedback, Anne!
I made this today along with your recipe for vegan focaccia bread for dipping in the soup and it was delicious! Thank you so much Nora, you’re the best!
Yum, that sounds like the perfect meal! Thank you for your wonderful review and feedback!
Love every single one of your recipes Nora!! Just starting this vegan adventure and you make it soooooo much easier! Thank you!! 🙂
You are welcome, Bonnie. Welcome to my site! I’m thrilled you are enjoying my recipes! Thank you for sharing your terrific review and feedback! I love creating easy and delicious recipes, and it’s always encouraging to hear how they help people in their lives! May you enjoy your journey, and happy cooking!
I used fresh tomatoes (because my garden EXPLODED) I just removed the center and seeds, chopped them up and added them in after the onion cooked a few minutes, cooked them down come before adding the broth. My first taste was heavy on the cashews, so I added garlic and basil which helped out a lot. In the end, it was really tasty!
Wonderful! Thank you for your review and feedback!
Excellent recipe. We really enjoy this soup. Do you have suggestions for using fresh tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes? Comments would indicate others have done so. Are there any modification to your recipe?
I’ve never tried it so I’m not sure, sorry! I’m sure it would work, but I can’t exactly say how without trying it first myself.
I love this soup exactly the way you wrote the recipe (with fresh, instead of canned tomatoes)! It’s so good. The cashews are the secret weapon! However, tonight I didn’t have any cashews, so I substituted a box of Mori Nu silken tofu, just blended it with the tomatoes, and it turned out almost as yummy as yours. And with a nice protein boost! Thanks, as always.
You are welcome, Bobbi! It’s so great you are loving the soup! I’m so glad you shared your tofu tip! Thanks for your stellar review and feedback!
ur recipes never EVER fail, thank you so much!!! makes being vegan soo much easier !! this soup is so sweet and i skipped the onion part and it still worked out well!! it’s very creamy and the perfect consistency.
Hi Grace. How wonderful that you are loving my recipes! This soup is one of my favorites! Thank you for your wonderful feedback and review!
My family loves this soup and it’s so easy to make. We make it with grilled cheese and enjoy the violife mature cheddar slices.
Great recipe! If you use a nutri bullet or similar style of blender (upside down), let the soup cool down before blending so that it doesn’t leach out during blending or crack the plastic due to high temperatures.