Warm up with this rich and creamy vegan tomato soup. This soup uses cashew cream for the ultimate soy free creamy consistency. Top it with homemade croutons for a satisfying fall soup. Made in under 20 minutes!
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This recipe was originally published on 9/24/2018
Who loves tomato soup?
I do! I do!
Just because you're eating vegan, does not mean you can't enjoy a classic bowl of creamy tomato soup that is just as good as the original. It is rich, sweet, tart, velvety, and perfect for dunking those vegan grilled cheese sandwiches.
And best of all? This soup is soy-free and coconut-free. It is made with a thick cashew cream that adds no unwanted flavors for the ultimate texture. This vegan tomato soup is my go-to fall soup. It is comforting, warm, and nostalgic - everything you want in a vegan soup.
Recipe Video
Ingredients & Substitutions
This soup is creamy, rich, and velvety smooth. And better yet, it's made with 10 simple ingredients that you likely already have on hand. Anything else can be easily found at your local grocery store.
Here is everything you need.
Ingredients Notes
- Canned Whole Tomatoes - This recipe calls for 28 ounces canned tomatoes. You can also use diced if that is what you have on hand.
- Granulated Sugar - Check out my guide to vegan sugars and alternative sugar replacements. For a healthier sugar alternative, I recommend coconut sugar.
- Raw Cashews - Cashews are added to create the rich creaminess of tomato soup. If you would rather make this recipe without cashew cream, you can omit the cashew cream and substitute ½ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk or creamer.
- Baguette (optional) - This is for the croutons. For a gluten-free tomato soup, simply omit.
Recommended Equipment
Most importantly, you will need a good soup pot. I love my Dutch Oven from Le Creuset for soups. Made from cast iron, they are perfect for slow cooking and simmering soups and stews. Although it’s a bit pricey, you will use it over and over again (for soups, stews, sides, bread, and even desserts!) and it will last you a lifetime.
In addition, you will need a good chef’s knife, cutting board, immersion blender, and basic kitchen utensils.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step One - Make the Cashew Cream
Begin by making the cashew cream. When it comes to cashew cream, you really should use a high-powered blender as it is the only type of blender that can make a smooth cream.
Add all the ingredients for the cashew cream to the blender and blend for about 30 seconds until you have a smooth cream. It should be the consistency of heavy cream.
Pro Tip: If you don't have a high-powered blender, you can soak the cashews for about 6 hours ahead of time and they will blend up fairly well. For a nut-free version, feel free to use unsweetened non-dairy milk or coconut milk.
Step Two - Make the Soup
In a medium soup pot, heat up oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes until onions are translucent and fragrant.
Add the tomatoes in their juices, vegetable broth, cashew cream, sugar, and spices. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it is thicky and creamy.
Pro Tip: If you don't have an immersion blender, feel free to do this in a blender or food processor. Be careful not to overfill your blender; you may need to blend it in batches.
Step Three - (Optional) Homemade Croutons
You don't need croutons for this recipe but they do add a lovely flavor and crunch.
Chop a rustic baguette into 1" pieces and toss the pieces in olive oil and salt. Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 425F until the croutons are golden and crunchy. This should take about 10 minutes.
Serving and Storing
Serving - Serve this soup immediately. Because the tomatoes are already cooked, it just takes about 10 minutes to heat all the way through. Serve it with homemade croutons and a big salad or a hearty sandwich.
Storing - Store leftover soup in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. To serve frozen soup, let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Once it's mostly thawed, gently reheat the soup in a small soup pot or in the microwave.
To store leftover croutons let them cool completely before transferring them to an airtight container. Keep them at room temperature. They will stay crunchy for 4-5 days.
Tips and Tricks
- If you don't have a high-powered blender, you can soak the cashews for about 6 hours ahead of time and they will blend up fairly well.
- This recipe calls for 28 ounces of canned tomatoes. You can also use diced if that is what you have on hand.
- For a nut-free version, use unsweetened non-dairy milk or coconut milk. Do note that the coconut milk will add a slight coconut flavor.
- If you don't have an immersion blender, feel free to blend this soup in a blender or food processor. Just make sure not to overfill your blender or it may make a mess.
Frequently Asked Questions
I do love cashew cream for this soup but if you don't have a Vita-mix or access to raw cashews, the creaminess of this soup can be substituted with unsweetened non-dairy milk or non-dairy creamer. I recommend cashew or soy as they then to be thicker and have less flavor.
While I don't recommend it, it can be done. Simply soak the cashews for about 6 hours ahead of time and they will blend up fairly well.
Yes, if you use gluten-free bread or omit the croutons all together.
If your tomato soup isn't thick enough there are a couple of things you can do to make it thicken up.
1) make sure to drain the water and access liquid out of the tomatoes before adding them to the soup.
2) try reducing the liquid in the cashew cream by up to 50%.
3) let the soup simmer 10-20 additional minutes to cook off excess liquid.
More Vegan Soup Recipes
- Baked Potato Soup
- French Lentil Soup
- Cream of Cauliflower Soup
- Broccoli and "Cheese" Soup
- Miso Noodle Soup
Vegan Tomato Soup with Cashew Cream
Ingredients
Vegan Tomato Soup
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small white onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes
- ½ cup vegetable stock
- ½ cup cashew cream, recipe follows
- 2-3 tsp. granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- salt and pepper, to taste
Cashew Cream
- ½ cup raw cashews
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- ½ tsp. salt
Croutons (optional)
- 1 ½ cups French baguette, cubed into 1" pieces
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- ¼ tsp. salt
Instructions
- If you are making croutons, preheat the oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Begin by making the cashew cream. In a high-powered blender, such as a Vitamix, combine all the ingredients for the cashew cream, placing the water at the bottom. Blend on high until completely smooth. Set aside.
- In a medium soup pot, heat up 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes until onions are translucent and fragrant. Add tomatoes in their juices, vegetable broth, cashew cream, sugar, and spices. With the back of a wooden spoon, break down the tomatoes as best as you can. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
- While the soup is simmering, place the cubed bread in a big bowl with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and salt, tossing to combine. Spread the bread in a single layer onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes until golden and crispy.
- Using an immersion blender, blend your soup until it is rich and creamy. Serve immediately with fresh croutons.
Video
Notes
- Do I have to make cashew cream? I do love cashew cream for this soup but if you don’t have a Vita-mix or access to raw cashews, the creaminess of this soup can be substituted with unsweetened non-dairy milk or non-dairy creamer. I recommend cashew or soy as they then to be thicker and have less flavor.
- How do I thicken my soup? If your tomato soup isn’t thick enough there are a couple of things you can do to make it thicken up. 1) make sure to drain the water and access liquid out of the tomatoes before adding them to the soup. 2) try reducing the liquid in the cashew cream by up to 50%. 3) let the soup simmer 10-20 additional minutes to cook off excess liquid.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Ashley says
Absolutely incredible! I was lazy and didn’t want to make cashew cream so I substituted with 1/2 cup Nut Pods original flavor (unsweetened). Amazing. I have been craving the tomato soup from Panera bread, but it’s not vegan. This recipe blew that out of the water!!
Aileen says
This soup is perfect. I make it exactly as stated, except I triple, yes triple the recipe, because it is SO delicious that I don't want my family to come to fisticuffs over how much each person is taking. The first time I made it I was hopeful but when my daughter started crying because it was a taste she had missed so much, well, that was that.
I serve it with my husbands homemade gluten free bagels and a big vegan Caesar salad. I roll out of the kitchen and feel so happy, seriously just soak your cashews, we don't have a vitamix. you too can make the best soup. I can't thank you enough for this!
Amanda says
Absolutely delicious! This will be my new go-to tomato soup recipe.
Idara says
I made this soup the other night and I was absolutely shocked at how flavorful it was...on my goodness it was so delicious! I can't even say in good conscience that I followed the recipe to the letter (for instance I used diced tomatoes instead of whole peeled tomatoes, veggie broth instead of stock and I omitted the sugar entirely) and it was still awesome...and the cashew cream added a wonderful richness that was really great-and, oh! THANK YOU THAT IT'S SOY-FREE! A miracle in and of itself in the world of vegan cooking...this will be a permanent recipe in my culinary repertoire...thank you very much!
Andrea says
I decided to make this soup super last minute when I was already hungry. I had everything but an onion, so I used carrots instead. I also threw the cashew cream ingredients in the pot to boil with everything else so the cashews would soften. I blended it in my Vitamix and it turned out great! I will definitely make this again with onion. I love how quickly it came together.
Thank you!
Andrea
Laura says
I made this soup because I had all of the ingredients on hand and was searching for something quick to cook. This is not your typical tomato soup! This has flavor, zing, substance. My husband could not get enough of it. The homemade croutons allowed us to use up some bread that wouldn't have been consumed because there wasn't enough for a sandwich. I did end up replacing the cashew cream with lite coconut milk. We'll definitely be making this again.
Alexia says
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. This is the best tomato soup I’ve ever tried. I still can’t believe there is no dairy in it. My son and husband loved it. My son hates tomatoes and he said “mom I think I love tomatoes now”
Thank you!
Carrie Britten says
Great recipe, my husband and grandkids (and I!) loved it! Made it just as written, I wouldn't change anything. Thanks!
benita says
i found your recipe and made this tonight with vegan grilled cheese sandwiches. it was joyfully simple and delicious! i didn't have any cashews to make the cream, but i did have some leftover vegan sour cream so i used that instead. thank you!
Sarah Wallace says
It’s perfect the kids loved it! Thanks for sharing
Tamara Hanel says
This is the best cream of tomato soup I've ever head vegan or non vegan. The flavor profile is perfect. I used 2 14.5 oz cans of chopped tomatoes and added the veg stock to the cashew cream to aid in blending. It's a fantastic soup. We had with a vegan grilled cheese.
Sarah says
Thanks so much for sharing. Your review made my day 🙂
Rose Cunningham says
Absolutely delicious! No changes necessary! It’s what's for dinner with salad and sour dough rolls!
Lori says
This is the best tomato soup! Though I'm not vegan, I was searching online for a recipe using cashew cream and canned tomatoes as I had both leftover from another recipe and came across this recipe. Made exactly as written with homemade stock and love it. Thank you!
Sarah says
I'm so glad you liked it! Thanks for your review.
Nikkigo says
I was looking for a recipe for garden tomatoes... Will this work?
Sarah says
Yes, that should definitely work!
Marci White says
Love this soup! My 11 yr-old daughter has been missing the creamy tomato soup she used to eat before we became vegan (which was her idea). I told her surely we can find a good, vegan, creamy tomato soup - and this is it! She loved it. We kept the recipe the same except only used 1 T of sugar, and added 1/3 c. coconut milk.
Patty says
I made this again today and I made it with the cashew cream. Oh My Goodness this stuff is amazing!! Creamy and so good!! Thanks for helping me like whole food plant based way of eating!!
I had tried it a couple of weeks ago with the coconut milk because I hadn't gotten my raw cashews yet. It was good, but not near as good as with the cashew cream.
Sarah says
I'm so glad you liked it. Thanks for sharing your review 🙂
Patty says
I made this recipe. I used coconut mild instead of the cashew cream, but I think I might try the cream nuxt time just to see what the taste difference is. I also did not make the croutons. Your recipe is easy to follow. I had no trouble following your directions and it turned out wonderful. The soup is creamy and tasted wonderful.
I had been using the great value tomato soup and adding almond milk so thank you so much for a whole foods alternative that isn't hard to make at all.
Thank you so much. I am looking forward to making more of your recipes!
Run 3 Unblocked 88kgames says
I made this today and it was SO good! I like my tomato soup creamy and used half coconut milk and half coconut creme. It was perfect!
Christy says
This soup is YUMMY!! You would never guess it's dairy-free because it's so rich and flavorful. One thing I deleted was the sugar - doesn't need it. Can't wait to make it again - probably tonight!!!