This Instant Pot Tomato Soup is super flavorful and made with fresh garden tomatoes! Besides the fresh tomatoes and lots of basil, the flavors come from a base of sautéed onions, garlic, spices and vegetable broth. This recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free and dairy-free!
I think of tomato soup as the gateway between summer and fall. Don’t you think?
As a gardener I know that tomatoes are my last gifts of the summer season. Thankfully, tomato plants are generously giving and abundantly rewarding. A nice way to close the summer.
At the same time the weather starts to shift, and all of a sudden we find ourselves craving something warm and comforting, but in baby steps an intuitively, so no chili just yet. Those hearty cravings will naturally roll in as the weather cools down.
With all the gorgeous tomatoes I have been picking, they have been well distributed between this Multi-Purpose Tomato Sauce recipe for pastas and flavoring all recipes, to Tomato Salads and as a side-trio with Grilled Steak and Baked Potato. And finally, this AMAZING Instant Pot Tomato Soup!
Note: if you don’t have an instant pot or pressure cooker, follow the same instructions to cook on stovetop. Choose a heavy pot like a dutch oven, and cook the tomatoes on medium heat for 30-35 minutes, then blend it.
Table of Contents
Do I need to peel tomatoes for soup?
There’s no need to peel the tomatoes. Between the high pressure cooking and blending, you will not know the difference but it will save you a ton of time.
What type of tomatoes are best for soup?
For this recipe I used my own home grown tomatoes (roma and costoluto florentino). Generally you will want to use roma tomatoes and/ or a combination of roma and some type of plum tomatoes, for better flavor.
I also recommend using garden fresh or organic to keep the soup as flavorful as possible!
Should I remove tomato seeds for sauce?
Since the seeds don’t harm the flavor and removing them is a hassle, I left them in. After blending the soup there will be no visible signs of seeds, nor in the flavor.
ingredient substitutions:
While this tomato soup recipe is naturally gluten-free and vegetarian, with these few substitution you can make this soup Whole30 approved, Paleo, dairy-free and vegan! Here is how:
- substitute the unsalted butter for ghee or use only olive oil (DF, Whole30, Paleo and Vegan). I used ghee!
- I love adding a splash of coconut milk, and while that’s optional, it’s also strongly recommend. Use regular milk or heavy cream if you are not following a DF, Whole30, Paleo and Vegan diet.
- I did not use parmesan cheese but most recipes call for it. Again, if you are not following any of these diets feel free to add 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese towards the end for extra flavor.
- Use unsalted butter and unsweetened coconut milk so you can control the saltiness or sweetnesses of the recipe yourself.
Be sure to serve this soup with some type of crusty bread, like this Instant Pot Artisan Bread for dipping. And if you are in for a whole vegetarian meal, I think this Polenta and Roasted Veggies dinner will pair up perfectly with the tomato soup!
If you make this Instant Pot Tomato Soup recipe be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thanks a bunch!
Instant Pot Tomato Soup
Equipment
- Instant pot
- Blender or Immersion Blender
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, ghee for DF and Whole30
- 1 cup white onion, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1/2 cup basil
- salt + pepper, to taste
- 8 cups tomatoes, chunks
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 3/4 cup Unsweetened coconut milk (optional but recommended)
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (Omit for DF, Whole30)
Instructions
- Turn the instant pot on sauté mode. Add oil and butter or ghee as you dairy-free option and sauté until melted (2 min)
- Add in onion and sauté until translucent (3 min)
- Add garlic, oregano, season with salt and pepper, add basil leaves and sauté (2 min)
- Add in tomatoes and vegetable broth.
- Cancel sauté mode, turn venting knob to lock position and cook on high pressure (HP) for 12 minutes. When done, allow for 10 mins of natural pressure release (NPR), then release remaining pressure if any left.
- At this point you can either use an immersion blender or pour into a regular blender and pulse until there are no chunks left.
- Turn instant pot on sauté mode once more. Add in the coconut milk for creaminess and if dairy isn't a concern, add in the parmesan cheese for extra flavor. Stir, cook for up to 5 mins and serve.
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This looks amazing and the photos are stunning 😘😘
Thank you Olivia!
Soooo good!!
Awesome, I am glad!
Do you peel the skin off the tomatoes?
No I don’t. I get into this (skin and seeds) in the post 🙂
Can you make this in a pressure cooker also?? Thank you
Yes, the recipe is for a pressure cooker. It works great!
This looks so good! I bet the taste difference is unimaginable when using garden tomaotes instead!
Yes, yes yes!! like day and night 🙂
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
You’re welcome! I keep some in the fridge for up to 5 days and freeze the rest. Best to be used within 3 months from freezer
What’s the best type of coconut milk to use? Any suggestions?
I have used both the carton and canned coconut milk and I think they are both great. The canned milk is thicker and creamier, so depending on the consistency that you are looking for, you can decide if you want the thinner carton milk or creamier canned version.
Can you can it?
You mean as a storage method? I have tried it but if you are just storing in a can I can’t see why not. Only issue is with being able to have a tight cover, air tight to maintain the soup fresh longer. I personally use glass jars.
Very tasty-i used mostly fresh tomatoes from my garden but didn’t have enough so added a can of crushed tomatoes. Hubby pronounced it ‘really good’!
Awesome!! Thanks guys for your feedback, I am so glad you enjoyed my recipe 🙂
Do you use fresh or dried basil in this recipe?
Yes, preferably!
Is it possible to can this soup using a water bath for use later? If a water bath can be used, how long should it be?
Hi Lynne, I am sorry but I have no experience with canning. I have frozen this soup but that’s about all I have tried as in storing this soup long term. Hope this helps!
I have garden tomatoes that are frozen. How much extra time should I add using frozen tomatoes?
Cook for 12 minutes to be safe and if possible do NPR all the way or for at least 10-15 minutes of NPR.
If I use dried basil, how much would be equivalent?
I don’t have coconut milk, but I have coconut cream–can I use a splash of that? 🙂 I have zero experience with coconut milk/cream/water! 😀
a splash of coconut cream will do, if too thick add a couple tbsp of water to water it down 🙂
This is so good. I used evaporated milk instead of coconut mill, added some garlic power and basic grated parm at the end before sautéing. I used fresh beef steal tomatoes from my garden. Sooooo good. Thank you! I believe it’s fairly keto as well, not strict keto of course.
If tomatoes are frozen do you cool in pot from frozen or wait till their thawed out
you can cook from frozen!
what is DF and whole30?
DF stands for dairy-free and Whole30 is actually a diet program where you eat certain food (or rather avoid certain foods) for 30 days. Hope this helps!