How To Make Creamy Tomato Soup (2024)

Meghan Splawn

Meghan Splawn

Meghan was the Food Editor for Kitchn's Skills content. She's a master of everyday baking, family cooking, and harnessing good light. Meghan approaches food with an eye towards budgeting — both time and money — and having fun. Meghan has a baking and pastry degree, and spent the first 10 years of her career as part of Alton Brown's culinary team. She co-hosts a weekly podcast about food and family called Didn't I Just Feed You.

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updated Feb 3, 2020

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How To Make Creamy Tomato Soup (1)

Serves4 to 6

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Cool weather brings on the craving for cozy comfort foods like steaming bowls of soups, stews, chiles, and chowders. Creamy tomato soup is the perfect seasonal soup to transition from the bright tomato flavors of late summer into the crisp evenings of October. The secret to creamy tomato soup isn’t in the preparations, but in the ingredients.

What Makes This Creamy

Heavy cream is the best way to get that classic creamy flavor we know and love. In its place I have tried, to no avail, every other dairy for creamy tomato soup: half-and-half works in a pinch, milk makes the soup too thin, and yogurt is too acidic. Once I even tried almond milk (too sweet). Coconut milk will produce a creamy soup, but it will strongly alter the flavor as well; start with half the amount if you’re using it in place of the cream.

Choose Canned Tomatoes

Decent fresh tomatoes are hard to find after September, so a reliable tomato soup (one that can be enjoyed year-round) starts with canned tomatoes. This recipe calls for crushed tomatoes, which may seem unusual for a soup headed to the blender anyway, but whole tomatoes require more blending and diced tomatoes often contain additives that keep their shape. Up the tomato flavor ante by adding just a tablespoon of tomato paste to the pot of soup, too.

Thickening the Soup

Tomato soup can be a bit thin, especially with the addition of cream at the end of cooking, so flour is added to the sautéing aromatics to thicken the soup. If wheat is an issue for you or your fellow diners, feel free to skip it.

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Saute aromatics: Melt the butter in large pot or dutch oven. Add the onions, carrot, celery and garlic and cook stirring frequently until the onions and carrots have softened, about 8 minutes. (Image credit: Christine Han)

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Serves 4 to 6

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons

    unsalted butter

  • 1

    large yellow onion, diced

  • 1

    medium carrot, peeled and diced

  • 1

    medium celery stalk, diced

  • 2 cloves

    garlic

  • 1/2 teaspoon

    kosher salt

  • 1/4 cup

    all-purpose flour

  • 1

    (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

  • 1 tablespoon

    tomato paste

  • 2 cups

    chicken or vegetable broth

  • 1 cup

    heavy cream

Equipment

  • Large pot

  • Blender

  • Whisk

Instructions

  1. Sauté the aromatics: Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes.

  2. Add the flour: Add the flour and cook until the mixture no longer appears dry. Remove from the heat.

  3. Purée: Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, and sautéed aromatics into a blender and purée until smooth. Return the purée to the pot.

  4. Cook: Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the soup comes to a simmer and thickens slightly, about 20 minutes.

  5. Serve: Remove the soup from the heat and whisk in the heavy cream. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

Storage: Leftover soup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

Reheating: Reheat leftovers over low heat to avoid separating the cream.

How To Make Creamy Tomato Soup (2024)

FAQs

How do you make soup more creamy? ›

Milk or Half-and-Half: This is the other magical ingredient that turns your homemade chicken noodle soup into the creamiest soup ever. Use 1 cup of whole milk or 1 cup of half-and-half. If you want to make regular (non-creamy) chicken noodle soup, replace the milk with more chicken broth.

What is cream of tomato soup made of? ›

Directions. Combine tomatoes, chicken broth, butter, sugar, onion, and baking soda in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Stir in cream; cook until heated through and serve.

What's the difference between creamy tomato soup and tomato soup? ›

Any “cream of” soup, tomato included, is pureed like a normal soup but then goes through a “creaming” process, wherein cream is added to the mixture. Cream of tomato soup is actually cooked at a much lower temperature than normal tomato soup.

Should you add milk to tomato soup? ›

When made with milk, tomato soup should be rich and creamy. Not all soups are created equal. A soup made with milk is usually richer and more luxurious than one made with just water or stock. This addition helps make the soup feel more comforting.

Can I add milk to soup to make it creamy? ›

Yes, you can definitely add cream to your soup. Whether you use a few tablespoons or a few cups, cream gives soup a silky mouthfeel and rich flavor. You can definitely add milk or other dairy as well, though it will taste gradually less creamy as you go down in percent.

How do you thicken creamy tomato soup? ›

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute. For the best results, never add flour or cornstarch directly to your soup. If you do, it will clump up on top. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool.

What can I add to tomato soup to make it taste better? ›

What Can I Add to Tomato Soup to Make it Taste Better?
  1. Use a tiny amount of baking soda. This tip comes from food science.
  2. Add a small spoonful of sugar to enhance the natural sweetness of the tomatoes.
  3. Season with salt in all of the steps (starting with the sauteed onions). This ensures your tomato soup is never bland.
Oct 31, 2022

What are the ingredients in Campbell's creamy tomato soup? ›

Water, Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste), Sugar, Wheat Flour, Vegetable Oil (Corn, Canola, And/Or Soybean), Contains Less Than 2% Of: Salt, Potassium Salt, Whey Protein Concentrate, Cream, Citric Acid, Soy Protein Concentrate, Natural Flavoring, Celery Extract, Garlic Oil.

Why add tomato paste to tomato soup? ›

1) Cook chopped onion in olive oil until tender, then add tomato paste. Every great soup starts with an onion! Once it's tender, we'll stir in a dollop of tomato paste and let it cook for a couple of minutes. Tomato paste offers deep tomato flavor and adds a lot of intensity to this soup.

What can I substitute for heavy cream in tomato soup? ›

The 10 Best Substitutes for Heavy Cream
  • Milk and butter.
  • Soy milk and olive oil.
  • Milk and cornstarch.
  • Half-and-half.
  • Tofu and soy.
  • Yogurt and milk.
  • Evaporated milk.
  • Cottage cheese and milk.

Is creamy tomato soup healthy? ›

Tomato soup is low in calories and high in potassium and vitamins C, K, and A. It also provides a great deal of lycopene, the compound responsible for most of the health benefits of tomatoes.

Can you add cream to tomato soup without curdling? ›

Can you add cream to tomato sauce without curdling? Yes it is a delicious combination. Best to mix cold and then add heat.

Why did my cream curdle in my tomato soup? ›

The milk is more likely to curdle if your sauce or soup contains an acidic ingredient like wine, tomatoes, or lemon juice.

Is Campbell's tomato soup better with water or milk? ›

For a creamier result, add milk in place of water.

How much milk to add to Campbell's tomato soup? ›

In a saucepan, combine tomato soup and 1 can full of milk of choice or heavy cream.

Which food would be best to thicken a cream soup? ›

Cornstarch, or corn flour, can be used to thicken soup through its high starch content. Cornstarch is a great thickener for soup because only a little bit is needed to significantly thicken a soup, and it will not affect the flavor profile of the soup.

How do you make canned soup more creamy? ›

For virtually anything but the brothy bois, like chicken noodle soup or Italian minestrone, you could also stir in some coconut milk, warmed cream, or crème fraîche to add body and richness.

Does sour cream make soup creamier? ›

Yogurt, Sour Cream, and Crème Fraîche – Dairy like yogurt, sour cream, and crème fraîche can add a creamy acidity to soups, but can curdle and be unpleasant if cooked over heat for too long, so swirl these in last.

How do you make creamy soup without curdling? ›

Stabilize with a Starch

Starches like flour or cornstarch help stabilize the milk emulsion. This will prevent it from separating. A common technique is to thicken your sauce or soup with roux before adding the milk. This changes the makeup of the liquid and prevents curdling.

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