Summer may be over, but it’s never too late to make this easy vegan roasted tomato soup. My simple slow-roasted technique concentrates and deepens the flavor of your tomatoes, making this the best tomato soup recipe for any time of year (even if it’s not peak tomato season). The end result is a cozy and crave-worthy tomato basil soup that is full of rich, sweet and savory umami flavor, and it only takes 10 ingredients to make!
How can I make my tomato soup recipe taste better?
Most importantly, roast your tomatoes, specifically slow-roast. This technique is a must for me when making fresh tomato soup. It cooks the tomatoes at a lower temperature for a longer time, and therefor concentrates the flavor of the tomatoes bringing out a deep, vibrant richness and peak levels of umami. If you’re not familiar with the term umami, it means “essence of deliciousness” in Japanese, and this soup is just that. Umami flavors are often described as brothy, meaty, or savory, and they tend to make you salivate. For example, sun-dried tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms, soy sauce and many meat-based recipes. Even though this creamy roasted tomato soup is totally vegan, it packs the umami flavor that meat-eaters crave.
How to make vegan roasted tomato soup
Once your tomatoes, garlic, and onion are roasted, the rest of the recipe is a breeze! After roasting, you simply add to a blender and puree with the following ingredients:
What can I serve with tomato soup?
Call me classic, but the absolute best pairing for tomato soup is a hot and toasty grilled cheese – a gluten-free vegan grilled cheese that is. The bread and cheese are the perfect carriers for dunking into the flavorful soup, and it turns this light but cozy soup into a full meal. Whether or not I’m serving with grilled cheese, some of my favorite tomato basil soup toppings I love to add are:
If you tried this soup, let me know what you think by leaving a rating and comment below! Additionally, if you loved this recipe, be sure to check out my other vegan soup recipes:
Ingredients
- 5 lbs ripe roma tomatoes (about 15-20 tomatoes)
- 1 large red onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 bulb garlic, top 1/4 of bulb sliced off to expose the the cloves
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- generous amount of salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar (optional, for added caramelization)
- 1-2 cups water or vegetable broth (adjust for desired thickness)
- 1 handful fresh basil leaves
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup canned coconut cream or cashew cream
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp white miso paste (optional, for added cheesy taste)
- 1/2 cup plain, unsweetened vegan greek yogurt, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 275 degrees and line a large metal baking sheet with foil.
- Place the tomatoes, onion and full garlic bulb on the foil-lined pan and drizzle with avocado oil. Sprinkle with a generous amount of salt and pepper and coconut sugar. Use your hands to coat the ingredients with the oil and seasonings and arrange the tomatoes cut-side up. Transfer to your pre-heated oven and set a timer for 3 hours.
- After 3 hours have passed, check your tomatoes. They should be darker in color, and beginning to shrivel a bit with a very juicy texture in the middle. Oven times may vary, so you may need to roast for an additional 30-45 minutes.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Once it is comfortable to touch, turn the garlic bulb upside down and squeeze out all of the tender, roasted-garlic goodness directly into a high-speed blender. Loosen the edges of the foil, and carefully pour the roasted tomatoes and onions into the blender as well.
- Add the remaining ingredients, and blend on high until smooth and creamy, adding additional salt and pepper if desired.
- Serve hot, topped with additional fresh basil and a dollop of plain, unsweetened vegan greek yogurt.
