If you're in the mood for a quick, easy, and delicious soup, this creamy Instant Pot tomato soup is the perfect comfort food. It's warm, hearty, and easy to make. Plus, you can use either fresh tomatoes when they're in season in the summer or canned tomatoes year-round to make this recipe.
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💭 Why you'll love this recipe
Made with just a few simple ingredients, this creamy tomato soup is an incredibly easy recipe that's sure to become a new family favorite.
- Quick and easy to make. It really doesn't get easier than this one pot, no mess, and set-it-and-forget-it tomato soup. In just 35 minutes, you'll have a delicious, hearty soup that tastes like it took hours to make!
- Perfect for any season. This soup is perfect for any season. It's a warm and comforting dish for the winter, and a light and refreshing soup that's also perfect for hot summer days. And because it can be made with either fresh or canned tomatoes, you can enjoy it year-round!
- It's versatile and nutritious. This soup is packed with nutrients from tomatoes, carrots, and other ingredients. It's low in calories and fat, and tastes good hot and cold, so it's a winner all year round. It's also vegan and gluten-free as written, so it can accommodate all dietary restrictions!
📋 Ingredients and notes
To make this hearty Instant Pot tomato soup, you’ll need avocado oil, shallots, garlic, carrots, vegetable broth, red pepper flakes, basil, dried oregano, salt, black pepper, and most importantly, the tomatoes.
Notes and Substitutions
- Substitute avocado oil with olive oil, or unsalted butter (if you consume dairy products). Both of these tend to provide a silkier finish to the soup!
- Type of tomatoes: Fresh tomatoes are great during the peak of summer. Roma, Paissano and San Marzano all work great in this recipe. However, any other time of the year, I prefer using canned tomatoes. They're preserved when they're most ripe and fresh, so the flavors are usually at their best! You can use whole tomatoes, diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes since they get pressure cooked really well! You can also use fire roasted tomatoes to make this a roasted tomato soup!
- Upgrade with sun dried tomatoes: Add dry-packed (not oil-preserved) sun-dried tomatoes to add an extra burst of flavor to your Instant Pot tomato soup.
- Adjust acidity. Adding some apple cider vinegar can help make the taste of the tomatoes stand out in this dish. If you want to tone down acidity, adding a touch of coconut milk or heavy cream can help!
- Add more herbs and seasoning. I've kept the recipe fairly classic, but you can amplify the flavors by adding more spices and fresh herbs (e.g., basil, thyme, oregano) or dried herbs (e.g., dried basil, thyme, Italian herbs, bay leaf, etc.)
📖 Make Instant Pot Tomato Soup (with Fresh or Canned Tomatoes!)
Set the Instant Pot (or pressure cooker) to the "Sauté" function.
Then, add the avocado oil, followed by chopped shallots, and sauté for 3-5 minutes, until fragrant and golden. After sautéing, add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds while stirring, until fragrant.
Then add vegetable stock and scrape with a silicone spatula to deglaze. If done right, this will help prevent any "burn" notices.
If you're using canned tomatoes: Add chopped carrots, crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste, followed by basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
If you're using fresh tomatoes: Add fresh Roma or other sauce tomatoes, along with the remaining ingredients.
Set to high pressure and pressure cook for 15 minutes. Allow a natural pressure release for about 10 minutes.
You can use a handheld immersion blender to puree until smooth. Alternatively, you can also transfer the soup to a blender or food processor just make sure the container is heat-safe and blend in batches.
Taste and adjust the seasoning and top with more fresh basil. Serve hot!
👩🏽🍳 Top Tips for the Best Instant Pot Tomato Soup!
Cooking a delicious pot of tomato soup is easier than you might think. With these tips, you're guaranteed to end up with a bowl of soup that's full of flavor. Here are some tips for you to try at home!
- Choose quality tomatoes. This is probably the most important tip on the list. If your tomatoes are bland or watery, your soup will be too. Look for tomatoes that are ripe but still firm. If out of season, skip the fresh tomatoes!
- Get all your ingredients prepped before you start cooking. This soup comes together quickly, so you won't have time to chop veggies or measure out spices once it's started.
- Cut the vegetables into uniform pieces. This will help them cook evenly and prevent them from getting mushy.
- Don't overcrowd the pot. It's important to leave enough space in the pot so that the ingredients can circulate and cook properly.
- Season it well. Be generous with your seasoning, especially the salt. Tomato soup can be a little bland, so don't be afraid to add more salt than you think it needs (while making final adjustments).
👩🏽🍳 FAQs
The skin of the tomato is packed with nutrients, and it will break down during the cooking process, so there is no need to go through the extra step of peeling. In fact, leaving the skin on can actually add a lovely, slightly chewy texture to the soup!
If you need to thicken this Instant Pot tomato soup, cornstarch is the way to go. Flour might be cheaper and more readily available, but can make the soup cloudy.
You could, if you absolutely had to. However, tomato soup tends to be a bit sweeter and more flavored than tomato sauce. So, I usually prefer to thin out tomato paste or use tomato puree instead of sauce (compared to soup)
Yes, absolutely! This soup can be made using fresh or canned tomatoes, and both types cook perfectly in the Instant Pot.
🍴 Serving and storage suggestions
Drizzle some olive oil on top for extra silkiness, add some croutons for crunch, and some more fresh basil or other herbs for a vibrant touch of flavor!
You can serve this homemade tomato soup with:
- Grilled cheese sandwiches! Whether it's a classic grilled cheese, air fryer grilled cheese, or vegan grilled cheese, kimchi grilled cheese, or eggplant grilled cheese, there's nothing quite like this combo.
- Fresh salads like this lemon garlic kale salad, roasted beet salad, or this refreshing rainbow slaw.
- Breads or biscuits, like these cheddar cheese biscuits, sourdough rolls, or easy air fryer garlic bread
To store this tomato soup, you can place it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
You can also freeze the soup. Portion the soup into one or two cup increments, and place it in a freezer-safe container. This way, you can freeze tomato soup for up to three months.
Pro Tip: Use these Souper Cubes to portion and freeze your soups. They are made of silicon and are a true life saver in my household. Batch cooking has never been easier!
This comfort meal is easy to reheat whenever you need it. Just simply stir it over low to medium heat on the stove, or zap it in the microwave.
Variations of Instant Pot Tomato Soup
The best tomato soup is one that is customized to your tastes. So whether you're looking for the classic recipe or something unique and modern, you can easily customize this recipe to your needs.
- Make Boursin tomato soup by adding Boursin to cooked tomatoes before blending! You can also top with a dollop of Greek yogurt, cream cheese or sour cream if you wish.
- Add more protein, by adding quinoa, lentils, chickpeas or black beans to the tomato soup. Both of these are great ways to make the soup more filling. You can also make it more filling by adding tortellini or orzo to the soup.
- Experiment with tomato soup add-ins. Croutons are the classic, but you can also add pumpkin or sunflower seeds or tortilla strips for crunch toppings. You can add cheeses like mozzarella balls or grated parmesan (regular or vegan) if you want a creamy tomato soup. You can also add a dollop of pesto, avocado slices or even salsa on top for a more refreshing flavor.
- Add more veggies. You can roast carrots or red peppers and add more body to your soup.
Looking for healthy soups? Check out these hearty soup recipes:
- Spicy pumpkin soup
- Thai curried butternut squash soup
- Pinto bean soup
- Vegan cabbage soup
- Tuscan bean soup
Did you make this recipe?! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Please leave a comment and a star rating and let me know how it went! We love hearing from you, thank you so much
Instant Pot Tomato Soup
Equipment
- 1 Blender
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 carrots, large, chopped
- 1½ tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup vegetable broth, substitute water if needed
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ cup basil, divided, reserve some for garnish
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt, adjust to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, adjust to taste
Using canned tomatoes:
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
Using fresh tomatoes:
- 4 lbs Roma tomatoes, substitute Paissano
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot (or pressure cooker) to the Saute function. Add 1 tablespoon of avocado oil, followed by chopped shallots and sauté for 3-5 minutes, until fragrant and golden.
- Add 3 cloves of minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds while stirring, until fragrant.
- Add 1 cup of vegetable broth and scrape with a silicone spatula to deglaze. If done right, this will help prevent any "burn" notices!
- If using canned tomatoes: Add chopped carrots, 28 oz of crushed tomatoes, 1½ tablespoons of tomato paste, followed by ⅓ cup of basil, ½ teaspoon of oregano, and ¼ teaspoon each of red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
- If using fresh tomatoes: Add chopped carrots, 4 lbs of fresh Roma or other sauce tomatoes, 5 oz of tomato paste, followed by ⅓ cup of basil, ½ teaspoon of oregano, and ¼ teaspoon each of red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
- Set to high pressure and cook for 15 minutes. Allow a natural pressure release for about 10 minutes.
- Use a handheld immersion blender to puree until smooth. Alternatively, you can also transfer the soup to a blender or food processor (make sure the container is heat-safe!) and blend in batches.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning and top with more fresh basil. Serve the soup hot!
Notes
- Best fresh tomatoes: Roma, San Marzano or Paisano tomatoes work best for this since they have lower water content.
- Canned tomatoes: You can use whole canned San Marzano tomatoes, diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes in this recipe. You can also use fire roasted tomatoes.
- Adjust consistency: To thin the soup, you can add more broth. To thicken the soup, you can either add cream of choice (e.g., heavy cream or coconut cream) or a spoonful of cornstarch.
This turned out so good that my boyfriend wanted it again a few days later. I did roast my tomatoes along with an onion and garlic cloves. I used chicken broth instead of veg as I didn't have any on hand.
So glad you loved it, thank you for sharing back! Roasting the tomatoes makes them taste even better for sure.