Instant Pot Tomato Soup

This Instant Pot Tomato Soup is one of my favorite ways to turn an abundance of fresh garden tomatoes into a creamy, comforting soup. Fresh tomatoes cook with onion, garlic, basil, oregano and vegetable broth before everything is blended until smooth and finished with coconut milk for extra creaminess.

It’s simple, mostly hands-off and especially good during that little window between late summer and early fall when the garden is still producing tomatoes but I’m already craving a warm bowl of soup.

Why You’ll Love This Tomato Soup

This isn’t a tomato soup made from canned tomatoes or tomato sauce. Fresh tomatoes are the foundation, which gives the finished soup a brighter, fresher flavor.

The Instant Pot also does most of the cooking for you. There’s a short sauté at the beginning to build flavor, followed by 15 minutes of pressure cooking. Once everything is blended, coconut milk makes the soup creamy without covering up the tomato flavor.

And there’s very little prep. I don’t peel or seed my tomatoes. After pressure cooking and blending, I don’t find either necessary.

The Best Tomatoes for Homemade Tomato Soup

I originally developed this recipe using Roma and Costoluto Fiorentino tomatoes from my garden, but you don’t need those exact varieties.

I particularly like meaty, flavorful tomatoes for homemade tomato soup because they contain more flesh and generally less water than very juicy slicing tomatoes. Roma and other plum tomatoes are excellent choices, but ripe garden tomatoes of different varieties can absolutely be combined.

More important than choosing one specific variety is choosing ripe tomatoes with good flavor. Tomato soup concentrates what you put into the pot, so bland, underripe tomatoes won’t suddenly develop the same flavor as ripe, in-season ones.

If your garden gives you a mixture of tomatoes at the end of the season, this is also a great place to use them.

Ingredient notes

A handful of fresh vegetables and Italian herbs fill this soup with decadence. These are the ingredients you need:

• Fresh tomatoes: You’ll need 8 cups of chopped tomatoes. I use ripe garden tomatoes whenever possible; Roma and other fleshy varieties are especially good.
• Olive oil + unsalted butter: Using both gives the onions and aromatics a flavorful base. For a dairy-free version, see my substitutions below.
• White onion + garlic: I sauté these before pressure cooking rather than simply putting everything into the pot at once. This short extra step develops a more savory flavor.
• Oregano + fresh basil leaves: Oregano gives the soup that familiar tomato-herb flavor while fresh basil brightens everything.
• Vegetable broth: Keeps the tomato soup vegetarian. Chicken broth can be substituted if that’s what you have.
• Coconut milk: Optional, but I recommend it for a creamier finish. If dairy isn’t a concern, heavy cream also works.
• Parmesan: Also optional, but a little Parmesan gives the finished soup extra savory flavor.

Variations

This recipe is already naturally gluten free and vegetarian, however, there are plenty of other customizations you can make:

• Paleo and Whole30 tomato soup – Replace the unsalted butter with ghee. Also, make sure your coconut milk doesn’t contain any off-plan ingredients. 
• Dairy free and vegan tomato soup – Replace the unsalted butter with your favorite non-dairy butter substitute and omit the parmesan cheese.
• Low carb Instant Pot tomato soup – Use heavy cream instead of coconut milk for a high fat, low carb variation.

Serving suggestions

Nothing beats dipping a crispy, buttery grilled cheese sandwich into a hot bowl of tomato soup. My spinach grilled cheese sandwich is the classic choice, while my Barbacoa Grilled Cheese turns it into a much heartier meal.

You can also serve the soup with slices of artisan crusty bread or buttery garlic bread, or keep things simple with homemade croutons, freshly grated Parmesan, fresh basil leaves and a drizzle of good olive oil.

I also wouldn’t want to gate-keep this from you but my Brazilian cheese bread shines alongside this tomato soup. It’s my most irresistible combo!

For lunch, I often don’t think it needs much more than bread and a little cheese.

Best Instant Pot Soups

Instant Pot Brazilian Black Bean Soup

Instant Pot Mexican Chicken Soup

Instant Pot Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

Best Soups For Fall

Veggie Tortellini Soup Recipe

Butternut Squash Apple Soup

Best Oxtail Soup Recipe

Turkey White Bean Kale Soup

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup

Stove Top Instructions

Don’t have an Instant Pot? You can make this same fresh tomato soup on the stovetop.

⓵ Heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Sauté the onion until softened, then add the garlic, oregano, basil, salt and pepper and cook until fragrant.

⓶ Stir in the fresh tomatoes and vegetable broth. Bring the tomato mixture to a gentle simmer and cook for 30–35 minutes, allowing the tomatoes to soften and release their juices.

⓷ Blend with an immersion blender until smooth, or carefully transfer the hot soup to a stand blender in batches. Stir in the coconut milk and Parmesan, if using, and warm through before serving.

Looking for more ways to use homegrown tomatoes?

• Roasted Tomato Sauce
• Tomato Stuffed Eggplant
• Heirloom Tomato Salad
• Multi-Purpose Tomato Sauce