Fresh vine-riped tomatoes, garlic, & basil transform into the best roasted cherry tomato soup. This Italian classic tastes gourmet but only takes 30 minutes to make from scratch. It's creamy, rich, & delish. Never buy canned again!
Why this Homemade Cherry Tomato Soup Recipe is Amazing: The creamy soup is easy to make & the flavor from roasting the cherry tomatoes is next level.
When you think of soup, you probably don't also think of summer. When cherry tomatoes are ripe & in abundance, make this soup. Like my recipe for SheetPan Shrimp Scampi with Tomatoes it's a great way to use up pounds of fresh tomatoes.
It's perfect to serve with Toaster Oven Grilled Cheese or a Mortadella Sandwich. For a classic Italian lunch serve with crunchy Black Pepper Taralli.
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Ingredients for Cherry Tomato Soup
Wondering what to do with a lot of cherry tomatoes? During summer & fall/autumn, tomatoes are bountiful. Here is the perfect recipe that calls for 2 pounds of plump juicy cherry tomatoes. And if you still have some left pair this soup with my recipe for Pesto Pasta Salad with Cherry Tomatoes.
The creamy base is made from chicken broth & heavy cream. It's gluten-free & low-carb. Below are the ingredients needed to make homemade tomato soup using fresh tomatoes.
- Cherry Tomatoes - fresh ripe ones bursting with flavor are key. Try any color combination but use ones the same size so they roast evenly.
- Onion - for a pungent savory kick.
- Garlic - for classic Italian flavor.
- Salt & Pepper - for seasoning the ingredients before oven roasting.
- Olive Oil - to coat the ingredients in for roasting.
- Chicken Broth - for richness to the broth. I like Better than Bouillon chicken base.
- Bay Leaf - the slight bitterness helps offset the fatty cream richness.
- Heavy Cream - to thicken the soup & give it a velvety creamy texture.
- Fresh Basil - the floral notes of the traditional Italian herb pair perfectly with tomatoes.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Soup from Cherry Tomatoes
This recipe for roasted cherry tomato soup is so simple. I admit it has a few steps but all are quick & easy. Before you know it, you will be enjoying a warm bowl at the table. Make a double batch and have it for meal prepping and leftovers.
Here are the steps for making roasted cherry tomato soup:
- Roast the Tomatoes, Garlic, and Onions
- Simmer the Soup
- Blend & Finish the Soup
- Serving & Topping Ideas
1 - Roast the Tomatoes, Garlic, and Onions
Preheat the oven to 400°. Prepare the tomatoes by washing, drying, & removing any stems. Next, peel the garlic cloves & slice the onion. Now add the tomatoes, whole garlic cloves, & onion to a baking sheet.
Drizzle on the olive oil & sprinkle on the salt & pepper. Using your hands, toss to coat.
Roast in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes. It is done when the tomatoes are bursting & the onion has softened.
2 - Simmer the Soup
Cherry tomatoes have a higher seed/skin-to-flesh ratio than large-slicing tomatoes. Because of this, the soup will be a bit chunky even after blending. If you wish to minimize this, let the tomatoes cool a bit. Then squeeze the seeds out of each one before adding to the soup pot.
To a large pot, add the roasted tomato mixture. There will be a lot of seeds, you do not need to scrape those all in. Turn the heat to medium-high.
Add the bay leaf & chicken broth to the soup pot. Let it come to a low boil & then turn to medium-low to simmer. Let the soup simmer lightly for 10 minutes. It will reduce down and thicken.
3 - Blend & Finish the Soup
As the soup simmers it will reduce and begin to thicken. The tomato skins will further break & soften. Now it is time to blend the soup.
Remove the bay leaf & add ½ of the fresh basil to the pot. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth or slightly chunky - whichever you prefer.
An immersion blender is an inexpensive kitchen appliance that I recommend for every home. It is easy to use, small to store, & saves a ton of time when making soup. Blend right in the pot - this Cuisinart brand immersion blender is my favorite. I have an older model that is 10 years running smoothly!
Hint: If you don't have an immersion blender you can use a regular blender. Add the hot soup carefully to the canister, and let it cool down before blending - do NOT blend hot liquids. This will add time to the recipe as you will need to cool it and then reheat it but it will still be yummy.
Next, add in the heavy cream & stir to combine. Let the soup warm through with the cream for 2-3 minutes. Season with additional salt & pepper to taste.
If you wish to have a thinner soup, add more chicken broth until you have the preferred consistency. For a more cream-based version, use ¾ cup of cream instead of just ¼ cup.
How to Serve Homemade Tomato Soup
This soup is best served immediately while hot. Ladle it carefully into individual soup bowls or cups. Let it cool a bit before serving it to children but adults can top & enjoy it right away.
4 - Serving & Topping Ideas
Now for the fun & creative part - toppings! Top with more fresh torn basil leaves or fresh cracked black pepper. Drizzle on additional cream.
Have fun & personalize it with what you love. One of my favorites is adding homemade croutons made in the air fryer. Here are some more topping ideas:
- Shaved or grated parmesan or romano cheese.
- Drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
- Swirl in some Greek yogurt, sour cream, or creme fraiche.
- Add a few drops of Firelli Italian hot sauce
Substitutions & Variations
Here are some alternate ingredients & recipe variations that work for this recipe. This will help it fit your personal taste or dietary & allergy health concerns.
Substitutions
- Cherry Tomatoes - instead of tiny tomatoes, use full-sized but cut them into small pieces before roasting.
- Olive Oil - use avocado or other neutral oil instead
- Garlic - use ½ teaspoon garlic powder or jarred minced garlic if you don't have whole cloves (add to the pot vs roasting)
- Cream - use soy or oat milk for a dairy-free version. Coconut milk's overpowering flavor is not recommended here.
- Chicken Brown - use mushroom or vegetable broth instead for a vegetarian version.
This recipe is gluten-free as written. It is also low-carb at less than 9 grams net carbs per serving. And at 20% from fat, can be part of a keto diet.
Variations
- Spicy - add ¼ teaspoon chili pepper flakes to the broth when simmering.
- Deluxe Italian - add ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning.
- Vegan - omit the cream & use Better than Bouillon No chicken broth.
Top Tips
All of these great tips are shared in the post. But these are so good and important they are worth mentioning again so you don't miss them.
- Use tomatoes similar in size for even roasting.
- Remove some of the seeds if you want a smoother texture.
- An immersion blender is a helpful and time-saving tool for this recipe.
- Add fun & tasty toppings when serving.
FAQ
Besides it adding a ton of flavor, roasting cherry tomatoes before making soup is an important step. Cherry tomatoes compared to other varieties have a bigger percentage of skin & seeds versus the flesh. To ensure the consistency and flavor are the best, breaking down all those tomato skins in the oven really helps bring a velvety texture to the soup.
This versatile recipe is forgiving and works will all sorts of tomatoes. I also love this with Roma tomatoes. Whichever you use, I suggest cutting them in quarters so they roast quickly - remove seeds too if you desire.
Stewed or canned tomatoes will work with this recipe. I recommend draining the liquid from 16 ounces of tomatoes from the can. Do not need to roast them but I still recommend roasting the onions and garlic for flavor.
Roasted Cherry Tomato Soup
Equipment
- Immersion Blender
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (24 ounces) cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup onion sliced
- 6 cloves garlic whole peeled
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup basil leaves hand torn into small pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°.
- On a baking sheet add the tomatoes, sliced onion, & garlic cloves. Drizzle on the olive oil & sprinkle on the salt & pepper. Using your hands to combine and coat.
- Roast in the oven for 12-15 minutes. The onion & garlic should be just slightly brown and many of the cherry tomatoes should be bursting. Remove some seeds for a smoother soup. See the note below.
- In a large pot, add the roasted tomatoes, garlic, & onions.
- Add 1.5 cups of the chicken broth and bay leaf. Turn the stove on medium-high. When the soup comes to a boil, reduce it to low and let it simmer lightly for 10 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaf & add ½ of the fresh basil to the pot. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth or slightly chunky - whichever you prefer.
- Add the heavy cream & stir. Let the soup warm through with the cream for 2-3 minutes. If you wish to have a thinner soup, add more chicken broth until you have the preferred consistency.
- Season to taste with additional salt & pepper.
- Ladle into soup bowls. Top with additional fresh basil, drizzle on more heavy cream or olive oil.
Notes
- Store leftovers in a container with a tight-fitting lid. It will last for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or up to 30 days in the freezer.
- Reheat room temperature soup in a saucepot over medium heat. Stir while warming up for 4-6 minutes.
Nutrition
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