Proof that the simplest of recipes can blow you away, this is my new favorite Tomato Soup. Just a few simple ingredients and a quick cook in the Instant Pot, and you’ve got a perfect bowl of silky tomato soup.
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All my lazy dinner lovin’ people, listen up! I’ve got a new recipe that will make your “I don’t want to do anything productive right now” self so, so happy!
It will also make your “I kicked butt today and I deserve an incredible meal” self happy too 🙂
Crazy, easy, ultra-tasty, award-winning Tomato Soup! (The award came from my daughter; that still counts)
Inspiration for this tomato soup recipe comes from one of my favorite food blogs, Pinch of Yum. I tweaked it just a bit to make it less buttery, more tomato-y, more cream-blushed (I’ll explain in a sec), and a bit more Instant Pot friendly.
Tomato soup is one of those recipes I’ve always felt had to be complicated to be “THE BEST”. For example, it needed caramelized onions or roasted tomatoes or maybe bacon grease . . .
In fact, my First Love Tomato Soup involves a sauté of veggies, including fennel, which gives it the most unique, wonderful flavor.
But today’s recipe is unbelievably simple and has quickly become my favorite tomato soup of all time.
The tomato flavor is super tomato-y (not sure how else to describe that), the texture is smooth and luscious, and it’s the perfect consistency, meaning you’re not wondering if you’re eating soup or pizza sauce.
AND IT COULDN’T BE EASIER!
I’m talking “5 minutes to throw everything in the pot” simple while I get to work on my beloved Turkey Bacon Avocado Sandwich (or a quickie grilled cheese is always fab).
A couple notes about the recipe:
Now, you’re going to read the recipe and wonder why I’m quartering an onion and then removing it at the end. Because this trick is genius! It takes 5 seconds to quarter an onion, it gives the soup amazing flavor (better than onion powder), and since it gets removed before you puree the soup, it doesn’t overwhelm the soup.
Let’s talk about tomatoes.
Where this recipe is so simple, the flavor of the tomatoes MATTERS. I HIGHLY recommend getting canned San Marzano tomatoes. They are easy to find with the other canned tomatoes.
What are San Marzano tomatoes and why are they so essential? They are plum tomatoes that are longer and thinner than the typical plum tomato. They cost a bit more, but the flavor is just better than the regular “canned whole tomatoes”. My favorite brand is Cento. The Hunt’s brand is also good.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE INSTANT POT TOMATO SOUP
- EASY: Throw everything into the pot. No sautéing, barely any measuring, zero sweat and stressing.
- HANDS-OFF: No need to stir on the stovetop while it splatters everywhere. Just set the Instant Pot and walk away.
- CREAMY BLUSH: That hit of cream right at the end that turns the soup from fire red to a pinky blush – money.
- HEALTHY: When healthy is easy, life is good.
HOW TO MAKE TOMATO SOUP IN THE PRESSURE COOKER
- Toss all the ingredients into the pot; pressure cook
- Blend until VERY smooth
- Add cream; stir and serve
SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR DETAILED COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
TIPS FOR SUCCESS
- THE ONION: I prefer sweet onions, hands down. Use a yellow onion if that’s all you can find. And definitely remove the onion (or at least most of it) before blending so the flavor doesn’t take over the tomato.
- PUREE WELL: I love the immersion blender, but it just doesn’t cut it with this soup. I throw it in the tabletop blender and the texture becomes silkier than I thought possible.
- THE CREAM: Oftentimes, tomato soup recipes add sugar to cut down on the acidity of the tomato, but I’m not a fan of sweet soup, so I add cream. It makes it rich and smooth while cutting the acidity perfectly.
- LAYERING TECHNIQUE: Add the broth first and don’t stir. This keeps the thinnest ingredient on the bottom, which means your tomatoes won’t burn to the bottom of the pot.
HOW TO STORE, REHEAT, AND FREEZE
- STORE: Cool leftovers, then store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- REHEAT: Soup reheats well in the microwave or on the stovetop.
- FREEZE: Scoop leftovers into a freezer-safe container or ziptop bag and freeze for up to three months. When ready to eat, let it thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat as directed above.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH
- SANDWICH: This is the perfect match for grilled cheese! Also, serve it with my FAVORITE sandwich, the Turkey Bacon Avocado Sandwich.
- SALAD: My FAVORITE Italian Salad is perfect for this soup!
- DIPPERS: Of course, anything you can dip and dunk is amazing. Pesto Breadsticks, Rosemary Asiago Crusty Bread, Swirly Garlic Rolls, etc.
Trust me, I know you’ve all likely made 5 or more recipes for tomato soup. It’s a pretty common recipe.
So it’s with much confidence that I insist you try one more new recipe! It’s so easy and delicious — I’m sure it’ll become a new favorite!
Let me know what you think in the comments below!
Enjoy!
MORE INSTANT POT SOUP RECIPES
- Instant Pot Southwest Chicken Corn Chowder
- Instant Pot Creamy Cauliflower Soup
- Instant Pot Creamy Vegetable Soup
- Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup
TOOLS/INGREDIENTS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT QUINOA FRIED RICE
PrintEasy Tomato Soup | Instant Pot Recipe
Quick and easy Tomato Soup made right in the Instant Pot! Get your grilled cheese ready!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- ½ cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 (28-ounce) cans San Marzano Whole Tomatoes
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 1 sweet or yellow onion, peeled and cut into 4 chunks
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ – ½ cup heavy cream or half-and-half
Instructions
- To the pressure cooker pot add broth, tomatoes, butter, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper; don’t stir.
- Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for 15 minutes.
- When cooking is complete, use a natural release for 5 minutes, then release any remaining pressure.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the onion chunks.
- Blend soup with an immersion blender or a high-speed tabletop blender to get it extra smooth. Add ¼ – ½ cup of cream and add extra salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve hot with crusty bread, grilled cheese, crackers, etc. or just sip it up all on its own!
Notes
The onion is cooked with the soup for flavor, then removed before blending so it doesn’t have too strong of an onion flavor.
Wow! I was actually excited to eat this soup for lunch every day this week. I am a leftover hater, so that is quite the compliment!
Maegan, that is a good compliment :). I”m glad you loved it!
Hi there, I I just made this soup and ate it with a homemade toasted cheese sandwich on great bread. Wonderful recipe. I followed it exactly and used half and half, as that is what I had on hand. I am wondering if next time I could add a bit of sugar to the soup? Or perhaps heavy cream might have added a bit of sweetness? Great recipe and I did use my Bamix hand immersion blender and it worked well. Thank you!
Patsy, yes, you can definitely add some sweetness to the soup. I would start with a tablespoon of sugar to the whole batch and see what you think. Let me know what you think if you try it!