Fresh tomatoes roasted with onions and garlic form the backbone of this easy vegan roasted tomato soup recipe. Serve with a sandwich or salad for a nourishing late-summer or early-fall meal.
We've entered that lovely time of year when summer produce is still abundant and cooler temperatures have us craving more than just salads. We've been loving soups, stews, and curries on cool nights when the sun sets over San Francisco.
When a CSA haul offered a boatload of ripe tomatoes, I whipped up a batch of this creamy roasted tomato soup. I shared a similar recipe several years ago, made striking with yellow tomatoes, green harissa, and halloumi croutons. Here I'm sharing a more classic roasted tomato soup recipe. This version starts with fresh tomatoes roasted in the oven with onions and garlic. Throw this all in a food processor and puree smooth, no need to remove skins or seeds, then simmer with stock and coconut milk. The deep, rich flavor of roasted tomatoes sings of harvest time.
So grab a flat of late-season tomatoes, make a double batch to freeze for winter, and revel in cozy soup-making vibes as good cooking smells permeate your kitchen.
Ingredients & Substitution Suggestions
- Fresh tomatoes are the star of this show. Use anything ripe and flavorful: roma tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, early girls, beefsteak, etc. You can even throw in some cherry tomatoes. If you don't have fresh tomatoes on hand, try this vegan tomato soup recipe by my friend Lisa instead.
- Garlic and onions add depth and flavor.
- Olive oil coats the veggies as they roast, and it adds peppery notes when drizzled over the finished soup. Be sure to use an olive oil that you love the flavor of! My favorites are California Olive Ranch and Enzo.
- Vegetable stock or bouillon adds extra flavor. Omnivores can use chicken stock or chicken bone broth if they prefer. If your stock or bouillon is very salty, hold off on adding salt until you're simmering the final soup, then add salt to your taste.
- A good splash of full-fat coconut milk adds creaminess. You don't taste the coconut at all. But if you're avoiding coconut, you can make extra cashew cream and add that to your taste instead. Non-vegans can use half and half or heavy cream.
- If you'd like a little extra smoky flavor, you can add smoked paprika.
Toppings & Serving Suggestions:
- Optional Toppings: cashew cream, olive oil, flaky salt, pepper, chili flakes, fresh basil, oregano, or thyme, and/or cherry tomatoes all make beautiful & tasty garnishes. Vegan coconut bacon would be lovely. Or top it with squares of grilled tofu or fried halloumi for extra protein. Croutons work beautifully too.
- Serving Suggestions: I love serving this soup with seeded cassava crackers (shown here, recipe coming soon!). Other lovely accompaniments are crusty bread or toasted gluten-free bread, grilled cheese sandwiches, quesadillas, or tempeh BLTs.
How to Make Vegan Roasted Tomato Soup: Step-by-step photos and instructions
Why I Love this Vegan Tomato Soup Recipe
- It's very easy to make - no peeling or seeding tomatoes, or blending hot liquid soup in a blender
- It's richly flavored and endlessly versatile
- It becomes more flavorful after a few days in the fridge
- It freezes beautifully for later
- It's a lovely way to preserve summer flavors for the months to come
Can you freeze tomato soup?
Yes you can! This creamy vegan tomato soup freezes beautifully. Just let the soup cool, pour it into freezer-safe containers leaving an inch or so on top to allow the soup to expand as it freezes, and freeze for up to several months. Your future self will thank you.
Make it a meal:
Serve this vegan tomato soup with
- Sourdough Focaccia (for gluten-eaters)
- GF Vegan Multi-Grain Bread
- Paleo Cassava Crackers (storebought or homemade, shown here - recipe coming soon!)
- Green Goddess Sandwiches
- Smoky Tempeh BLTs
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Creamy Vegan Roasted Tomato Soup
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 4 pounds ripe tomatoes, cut into large slices
- 2 large yellow onions, peeled and cut into thick wedges
- 6 large garlic cloves, peeled
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon fine or kosher sea salt (use less if your stock is salty)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4-5 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock or chicken bone broth for non-vegan)
- 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk (or half and half or heavy cream for non-vegan)
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
- a pinch of chili flakes (about 1/8 teaspoon)
Optional Toppings:
- extra virgin olive oil, cashew cream (see note), cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, thyme, or oregano, chili flakes
Instructions
- Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 375ºF.
- Divide the prepared tomatoes, onion, and garlic among two rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment for easy clean-up, and sprinkle with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast the vegetables until they are golden and soft, 35-45 minutes. Let cool to warm or room temperature.
- Scrape the vegetables and their juices into a food processor, and blend until smooth.
- Scrape the mixture into a large pot or dutch oven and stir in the stock (you may need more or less, depending on how juicy your tomatoes were), coconut milk, smoked paprika, if using, and chili flakes. Bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, to meld the flavors together, 10 minutes. Taste, adding more salt if you like.
- Ladle warm soup into bowls and top with a swirl of cashew cream, a drizzle of olive oil, cherry tomatoes, pinch of chili flakes, and/or fresh herbs.
- Extra soup keeps well, cooled and refrigerated airtight, for up to 5 days. Or freeze for longer storage.
Notes
Nutrition
Katherine says
Aggh! My tomato crop came to a sudden halt approximately September 1st and this looks so delicious - and coconut milk! Maybe I'll head to the farmers' market and see if they can rescue me.
And I can freeze it! But do I freeze it with or without the coconut milk?
Alanna says
Aw that's a shame! Wish I could send you some California tomatoes. We just got some lovely dry farmed ones in our CSA. Freezing with the coconut milk worked great for me, but you could do it either way I suppose. Thanks for the great question!
Joelle says
Yum! This was a hit. I had been lazy about dealing with my tomatoes and then I saw your new post so I finally made soup (which I'd been meaning to do for the last week). I swapped the spices for a handful of fresh basil. This is such a simple, painless and forgiving recipe. I roasted tomatoes for a while?? then had to leave so I turned the oven off and left the door cracked. Came back an hour later and threw it all in the blender. Easy peasy. I'll definitely be making this again.
Alanna says
Awwww thank you for trying my recipe and for the note and rating - that means so much to me! Agree about this being a great formula that takes well to variations. Wish we could share a pot with all the birthday gals! <333
Debbie says
I had so many tomatoes this year(Cherry etc) and couldn't eat them all in salads so tried this recipe out and it was delicious and easy to make. I'm going to freeze it so I have that lovely summer taste later in the year.