This creamy tomato basil soup is a dairy-free twist on the classic! Delicious, healthy, and packed with flavor, this is the only tomato basil soup recipe you'll ever need. Whole30 friendly and with Instant Pot cooking options, too!
Having a baby is one of the few times in your life where food shows up at your house, cooked and ready to eat.
Of all the meals that made their way into our house in the first few weeks after my son was born, a version of this creamy tomato basil soup was at the top of the list. It was comforting, warm, filling, and easy to heat up.
The friend who brought it knows we eat dairy free, so she used this recipe for Quick and Easy Tomato Basil Soup from Shared Appetite. but replaced the heavy cream with coconut milk, and it was delicious.
So delicious, in fact, that I decided to make it again.
When I remade it, though, I wanted to make it my own, and change up a few things. I wanted to make it even creamier, make sure it didn't taste like coconut, and give the tomato flavor a little more depth.
Creamy soups (that don't taste like coconut) can often be hard to come by when you're eating paleo, and particularly when you're on a Whole30. This creamy tomato basil soup is one I'm going to come back to again and again.
Thick, tasty and filling. And perfect for eating when it is 20 degrees outside in South Carolina (What is up with that?! No thank you. I didn't move to the north for a reason.)
Two whole red onions?
When you first look at this recipe, you're going to think, "Two whole red onions? That's aggressive and my creamy tomato basil soup is going to taste like onions." I assure you, it will not.
Trust the process here. The onions cook down, get a bit sweet and tender, and then get blended into the soup later on and you won't even know they're there.
Admittedly I don't know a whole lot about the science behind red onion and coconut, but if I had to guess I would say that the red onion actually helps eliminate the coconut flavor in the end product!
If you're still skeptical about the coconut milk, you can sub another dairy free milk. Check out this guide to dairy substitutes to determine which one you want to use.
Why this soup uses canned tomatoes
Other creamy tomato basil soup recipes will often use fresh tomatoes. I'm all for fresh tomatoes, but they aren't always in season. They also have a high water content, which can make the soup runny.
By using canned diced tomatoes, we can keep both the flavor and the texture of this soup consistent.
Tomato basil soup in the Instant Pot
Yes! You can make this soup in the Instant Pot. Instructions are included in the recipe card.
You'll start with the sauté function for the onions, then switch it over to cook the soup the rest of the way.
If you're still nervous about your Instant Pot, check out this post to get easy instructions and start using it today.
Can I cook it longer than 10 minutes?
The recipe calls for this soup to simmer for just 10 minutes before you can blend it up and it's done.
Here's the beautiful thing about a soup - you can basically cook it for as long as you want. (Within reason, of course!) If you're cooking it in a pot on the stove, let it simmer. The flavors will blend more the longer it simmers.
If you're cooking it in the Instant Pot, it will switch over to the "Keep Warm" function once the timer goes off. I've left this soup in there for hours (not joking) and it's been fine.
Freezing creamy tomato basil soup
This soup freezes really well. We freeze our soups in large ziplocks that we label, then lay them flat on a baking sheet to freeze.
We can then stack or stand them up and they take up minimal space!
Looking for other soup recipes? Check out my award-winning Curried Sweet Potato Soup and my Creamy Broccoli Soup!
Recipe
Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
This creamy tomato basil soup is a dairy-free twist on the classic! Delicious, healthy, and packed with flavor, this is the only tomato basil soup recipe you'll ever need.
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium red onions, diced
- 1 ½ teaspoons jarred minced garlic
- 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 32 oz box vegetable stock
- ¾ cup coconut milk
- 5.4 oz can coconut cream
- ½ cup torn basil, packed
- salt & pepper
Instructions
Stovetop:
- In a large dutch oven or stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the red onion, season well with s&p, and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes more.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and vegetable stock to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for about 10 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk, coconut cream, and basil to the pot. Using an immersion blender, puree the whole mixture until smooth and creamy.
- Serve immediately. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge, and flavors get better after a day or two! Also freezes well.
Instant Pot:
- Set Instant Pot to sauté function and add olive oil.
- Add the red onion, season well with s&p, and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes more.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and vegetable stock to the pot. Put the lid on and set on manual, high pressure, for 10 minutes.
- When done, open the lid and add the coconut milk, coconut cream, and basil to the pot.
- Using an immersion blender, puree the whole mixture until smooth and creamy.
- Serve immediately, or switch to the keep warm function and put the lid back on until ready to serve.
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge, and flavors get better after a day or two! Also freezes well.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 257Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 677mgCarbohydrates: 25gNet Carbohydrates: 0gFiber: 3gSugar: 20gSugar Alcohols: 0gProtein: 3g
Looking for other paleo soup recipes? Try my Roasted Red Pepper Soup, Creamy Broccoli Soup, Curried Sweet Potato Soup, Paleo Chicken Noodle Soup or Bahamian Chicken Souse!
I may earn a small commission off purchases made through affiliate links in this post from Amazon and other sellers. This helps me continue to run the blog and keep providing you fresh content. Thank you for your support!
Leave a Reply