Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
This Vegan Tomato Soup Recipe helps you make a creamy soup with tons of umami using just four ingredients and 15 minutes. Pair it with a toasted sandwich for a simple and super comforting meal.
Intro to this Vegan Tomato Soup Recipe
I’ve been on a simplicity kick lately. I made a lentil soup with three ingredients. And smoothie with three ingredients. And a super-easy way to make sauteed kale.
To me, there’s something really elegant about recipes like this. Why complicate things if you can combine a few flavors that work really well together for a satisfying dish?
Tomato soup felt like a natural next step in the series. It’s the ultimate comfort soup and pairs incomparably with a grilled (vegan) cheese sandwich. I developed this recipe to help myself feel better on a cold, gloomy day and I hope you find it helpful, too.
Flavors that Click
I wanted to be careful about choosing ingredients for this. Only ingredients that complement the tomato flavor really well. No distractions.
I sometimes use The Flavor Bible to guide flavor affinities, but I went with the gut on this one.
Garlic is a natural friend of tomato, of course.
I really like basil with tomato and was tempted to use it, but ended up going with an “Italian” seasoning blend for convenience and diversity.
Miso, probably my favorite ingredient, makes the tomato flavor explode. Miso is salty, but it adds so much roundness and flavor that salt cannot.
Olive oil (technically not an ingredient; I don’t make the rules) not only adds a nice grassiness to the soup, but emulsifies when blended which makes the soup creamy.
The Gist of This Vegan Tomato Soup Recipe
There are three (really easy) steps to this:
- Prep involves opening a can (or two) of tomatoes and chopping some garlic.
- In the first stage of cooking, you saute the garlic and “Italian” seasoning mix together, cooking the garlic and infusing the oil with the flavors of the other two ingredients.
- In the second stage of cooking, you combine everything, blend, and simmer.
You can skip the blending if you like. The soup will taste great but might not have the same creamy consistency.
Some tweaks you might make
It would infuse a great aroma in the soup if you simmered a whole sprig of basil in the liquid.
Alternatively, a fresh basil garnish is an easy and effective way to get that aroma.
Since some canned tomatoes are on the sour side, a teaspoon or two of sugar can help balance out the flavor. Taste it before sweetening and see what you think.
If the soup is too thick for you, feel free to thin it out with vegetable broth or water. You may need to add more miso if it’s not salty enough after dilution.
Do yourself a favor and at least serve this with toasted bread, if not with a grilled (vegan) cheese sandwich. Dipping toast into this soup as you eat it is somehow extremely enjoyable.
More Plant-Based Soups to Warm Your Soul
- Kimchi Stew – spicy and hearty Korean style stew with tofu and mushrooms
- Minestrone alla Milanese – northern Italian style with kale, white beans, and risotto
- 3-Ingredient Lentil Soup – simple comfort with a rich, earthy umami
- Cream of Mushroom Soup – another soup that delivers deep comfort
- Hot and Sour Soup – the Chinese classic, loaded with veggies, mushrooms, and tofu
Some Plant-Based Comfort Dinners
- Pasta Bolognese – super “meaty” and well rounded red sauce over toothy pasta
- “Shepherd’s” Pie – lentils, veggies, and mushrooms in a creamy gravy, topped with silky mashed potatoes
- Mushroom and Squash Enchiladas – features homemade cream and green chile sauces
As always, if you try this recipe out, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @gastroplant on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.
Print Recipe
The Easiest Vegan Tomato Soup Recipe
This Vegan Tomato Soup Recipe helps you make a creamy soup with tons of umami using just four ingredients and 15 minutes. Pair it with a toasted sandwich for a simple and super comforting meal.
Prep Time5 minutes mins
Cook Time15 minutes mins
Course: Main Course, Soup
Servings: 4
Author: Thomas
Equipment
Blender (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 can tomatoes 28 ounces or 800 grams (see note)
- 1.5 Tablespoons miso red, yellow or white (see note)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon “Italian” seasoning (see note)
- 1 teaspoon sugar or other sweetener (optional, see note)
- 2 Tablespoons fresh basil chopped for garnish (optional)
- drizzle olive oil for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Follow the instructions below depending on whether you’ll use a blender. You can use a hand (immersion) blender with the second set of instructions.
With a Blender
Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the garlic and “Italian” seasoning. Stir until the garlic is fragrant and tender, about 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes with all the juices, the miso, and the oil-garlic-seasoning mixture into the blender. Blend on “Soup” mode (if the blender has it) or on high until creamy and well integrated, 3-5 minutes.
Taste the soup and add sugar and blend for 30 more seconds, if needed.
If the soup is hot enough, you can serve it at this point. If not, pour it into a pot and heat over medium heat until heated through, 5 minutes or so.
Garnish with basil and olive oil as desired and serve immediately.
Without a blender
Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. When hot, add the garlic and “Italian” seasoning. Stir until the garlic is fragrant and tender, about 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes with all the juices and the miso. Stir to ensure the miso is completely dissolved and break apart the tomatoes with a spoon or spatula as desired. When the mixture reaches a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 7 minutes.
If you’d like to use a hand (immersion) blender, you can use it now to bring the soup to your desired consistency.
Taste the soup. If it is too sour for your taste, add the sugar or sweetener, stir well, and taste again.
Garnish with basil and olive oil as desired and serve immediately.
Notes
Recipe serves 2 as a meal or 4 as an appetizer/side.
I used whole peeled tomatoes, since I was going to blend them anyway. If you’re not going to blend the soup, you can use diced or pureed tomatoes.
I used white miso, which is the mildest. Whichever type you use, be sure it doesn’t contain any fish ingredients, such as bonito.
If you don't have "Italian" seasoning (a common packaged dried herb blend in the US and perhaps elsewhere), you can substitute a combination of dried basil, parsley, thyme, sage, rosemary, and/or oregano.
Depending on the specific type of tomatoes you’re using the soup may come out slightly sour. Taste the soup and decide for yourself. If it’s too sour, add a small amount of sugar or other sweetener until the flavor is balanced.
It’s possible to thin the soup out at any point by adding water or vegetable stock, up to 2 cups of it. If the soup is not salty enough after diluting it like this, you can add a bit more miso to taste.
