Creamy Tomato Basil Soup (Easy Homemade Recipe)
Silky, velvety roasted tomato soup with a fresh basil finish — richer, deeper, and infinitely better than any tinned version. Ready in 45 minutes and pairs perfectly with a grilled cheese sandwich.
What is this dish?
Creamy tomato basil soup is the most familiar and beloved soup in Western cooking — improved dramatically from the tinned version by roasting the tomatoes rather than boiling them. This concentrates their flavour and adds caramelised sweetness. Combined with double cream, roasted garlic, and fresh basil added off the heat, this is a soup that rewards the small extra effort of roasting with results that bear no resemblance to its humble ingredients.
Why you'll love it
Roasting the tomatoes takes 30 minutes of hands-off oven time, and produces a depth of flavour that no amount of stovetop cooking can replicate. The finished soup is silky, warming, and sweet-savoury — genuinely satisfying in a way that tinned soup cannot be. Under £5 for four generous portions and stores brilliantly.
When to serve
Tomato soup is the ideal autumn and winter lunch, served with grilled cheese for the classic combination. It makes an elegant starter at a dinner party in small mugs or glasses, or a comforting weeknight dinner for children and adults alike.
Quick tips
Roast the tomatoes — don't boil them. Squeeze roasted garlic from the skins before blending. Sieve for maximum smoothness. Add basil off the heat. Do not boil after adding the cream.
Ripe Fresh Tomatoes
The flavour foundation — use the ripest, most fragrant tomatoes available. Heritage tomatoes, vine tomatoes, or Italian plum tomatoes produce the best result. Out-of-season tomatoes can be watery — compensate with better canned tomatoes.
Whole Plum Tomatoes (Canned)
Added alongside fresh tomatoes for consistency and body. Good-quality San Marzano or Mutti whole plum tomatoes provide reliable sweetness, low acidity, and thick flesh that gives the soup body.
Double Cream
Stirred in after blending to provide silkiness, richness, and a gentle dairy sweetness that softens the acidity of the tomatoes. Add off the boil and warm gently — boiling cream can split.
Fresh Basil
Added off the heat — the fresh, sweet, slightly clove-like fragrance of basil transforms a simple tomato soup into something aromatic and distinctive. Most damaged by incorrect technique.
Substitution Options
Crème fraîche produces a slightly tangier result than double cream. Coconut cream is an excellent dairy-free substitute. A peeled and diced red pepper roasted alongside the tomatoes adds sweetness and colour. Dried basil can replace fresh in an emergency — add 1 teaspoon with the stock.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Roast the tomatoes
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Place the halved fresh tomatoes cut-side up on a large roasting tray. Scatter the roughly diced onion around them. Add the unpeeled garlic cloves. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season generously with salt, pepper, and sugar. Roast for 25–30 minutes until the tomatoes are collapsed, caramelised at the edges, and deeply fragrant.
Pro Tips:
- •Roasting concentrates the tomato flavour and adds a caramelised sweetness that raw or simply cooked tomatoes cannot replicate.
- •Unpeeled garlic cloves roast without burning — squeeze the softened flesh out of the skins before blending.
Transfer and blend
Transfer the roasted tomatoes, onion, and squeezed-out garlic flesh to a large saucepan. Add the canned plum tomatoes and vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and blend until completely smooth using a stick blender or countertop blender. For an ultra-silky result, pass through a fine-mesh sieve.
Pro Tips:
- •Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves directly into the blender — the flesh will be creamy and mild with no raw garlic sharpness.
- •Sieving is optional but transforms the soup from very good to restaurant-quality smooth.
Add cream and basil
Return the blended soup to the pan over low heat. Stir in the double cream or crème fraîche. Warm gently for 3 minutes — do not boil after adding the cream. Tear the basil leaves roughly and stir through off the heat. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Pro Tips:
- •Adding basil off the heat preserves its sweet, clove-like fragrance — cooking destroys the volatile aromatics.
- •Crème fraîche adds a pleasant slight tanginess; double cream gives a more neutral richness.
Serve
Ladle into warm bowls. Swirl a little cream over the top if desired. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Finish with a few small fresh basil leaves and a crack of black pepper.
Pro Tips:
- •Warm the bowls before serving — creamy soups cool quickly.
- •A few fresh basil leaves as garnish makes the soup look visually striking.
Chef's Tips
Techniques that separate good from great
Roast, don't boil, the tomatoes
Boiling tomatoes in stock extracts their flavour but misses the caramelisation and Maillard reaction products that roasting creates. Roasting at 200°C concentrates the tomato flavour through dehydration, caramelises the natural sugars at the cut surface, and creates savoury depth in the onion. The flavour intensity difference between roasted and boiled tomato soup is significant.
Use unpeeled garlic cloves roasted alongside the tomatoes
Raw garlic blended into soup creates a harsh, pungent flavour that dominates and never fully mellows. Garlic cloves roasted unpeeled for 25–30 minutes become sweet, creamy, and almost nutty. Squeeze the soft flesh directly from the skin before blending. Four roasted cloves provide depth without any sharpness.
Pass through a sieve for restaurant-quality texture
Even a powerful stick blender leaves fine tomato seed fibres and skin fragments in the soup, giving it a slightly gritty texture. Passing through a fine-mesh sieve removes these fragments, producing a perfectly smooth, glossy soup. This takes 2 minutes and is the difference between a home soup and a restaurant-level one.
Add basil after removing from heat
Fresh basil's volatile aromatic compounds degrade within seconds of contact with heat above 60°C. Adding torn basil leaves to the finished soup off the heat preserves the full, sweet, clove-like fragrance that defines this soup.
Nutrition Facts
Equipment Needed
- Large roasting tray
- Large saucepan
- Stick blender or countertop blender
- Fine-mesh sieve (optional)
- Wooden spoon
- Ladle
Quick Tips
- Roasting the tomatoes is the single step that elevates this soup above everything else. The caramelisation and dehydration concentrates sweetness and creates depth that boiling alone cannot.
- Use the ripest, most flavourful tomatoes available — tomato soup is entirely dependent on tomato quality.
- A combination of fresh roasted tomatoes and a can of high-quality whole plum tomatoes gives the best balance of roasted complexity and consistent body.
Recipe Variations
Different ways to make this dish your own
Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
Add 2 large red peppers (halved, deseeded) to the roasting tray alongside the tomatoes. The sweet, smoky roasted pepper adds complexity and a beautiful deep orange colour.
Spicy Tomato Soup
Add 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika and 1/2 teaspoon of dried chilli flakes to the roasting tray. Omit the cream for a cleaner, more intense result.
Tomato Bisque (Restaurant Style)
Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and 50ml of dry sherry before blending. Increase the cream to 200ml and finish with a swirl of double cream — an American-style tomato bisque.
Vegan Tomato Basil Soup
Replace double cream with 50g of raw cashews soaked 2 hours and blended smooth with the soup. Adds richness and neutral creaminess without any dairy.
What to Serve With
Perfect pairings to complete the meal
Grilled Cheese Sandwich
The definitive pairing — the richness and saltiness of melted cheddar or Gruyère in crispy, buttery bread is the perfect counterpoint to the sweet, acidic soup.
Crusty Sourdough
Thick slices for dunking absorb the creamy soup and provide a contrasting tang from the bread's fermentation.
Crème Fraîche Swirl and Basil Oil
Swirl a tablespoon of crème fraîche into each bowl and drizzle with basil oil for an elegant starter presentation.
Parmesan Croutons
Cubes of sourdough tossed in olive oil and grated Parmesan, baked until golden and scattered on top for crunch and savoury depth.
Storage & Make-Ahead
Keep it fresh and plan ahead
Refrigerator
Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. The flavour deepens overnight.
Freezer
Freeze before adding the cream and basil for up to 3 months. Stir in fresh cream and basil when reheating for the best texture.
Make-Ahead
The soup can be made completely (with cream) up to 2 days ahead. Reheat gently and add fresh basil just before serving.
Reheating
Reheat gently in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Do not allow to boil once the cream has been added — it can separate.
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