Instant Pot Tomato Soup
Instant Pot Tomato Soup is a classic comfort dish with garlic-roasted tomatoes for extra flavor. It’s super creamy and with a spicy kick—hands down, this is the best-ever tomato soup. Made with simple ingredients, this fantastic recipe will win you over.
Table of contents
Instant Pot Tomato Soup is made with spicy garlic roasted tomatoes for extra flavor! It is incredibly creamy, with a delicious spicy kick. This is not your grandma’s tomato soup unless she made it with garlic-roasted tomatoes. Even after all the roasting and cooking, the soup only takes about one hour to make, and it tastes better than any tomato soup I have ever had! Just don’t tell Grandma!
My recipe has a bit of red pepper flakes for a spicy kick, but you can leave that out if you are not a spicy food lover. You can adjust this to your liking. Soup is a terrific comfort food for those who need a nice pick-me-up or when you feel like cuddling up with a book or movie on the couch with the family. It makes a great appetizer or an excellent side dish. You can add some vegetables or meat and make it a meal.
Bread always goes with soup. Whether it is breadsticks, toast, cheesy bread, or sandwiches, all are perfect for soaking up the delicious tomatoey goodness. These instant pot French dip sandwiches are so good for dipping—that is why they are called dip sandwiches. That would be a hearty meal for sure! I love making Instant Pot recipes as they are quick, easy, and delicious. I like the convenience of adding everything to the pot and let it work its magic.
Why you will love this recipe
- You can make it anything you want: a meal, a side dish, or an appetizer.
- Simple to make: Just toss it in and let it cook. The instant pot does all the work.
- Comfort food: Nothing makes you feel better than a warm bowl of soup.
- Goes with everything: Tomato soup goes with beef, chicken, turkey, pork, fish, and Asian food.
What you’ll need to make instant pot tomato soup
Special items:
- An instant pot – I use an instant pot Duo Plus.
- Baking sheet – For roasting the tomatoes and garlic.
- Immersion blender – To puree the soup.
Ingredients:
For the roasted tomatoes:
- Tomatoes – I use three pounds of fresh organic cherry tomatoes cut in half lengthwise.
- Garlic – For a full-bodied rich garlic taste, you need 14 whole cloves of freshly peeled smashed garlic cloves.
- Olive – I prefer and recommend extra-virgin olive oil for the best flavor.
- Salt – Kosher salt has a clean and fresh taste without additives or bitterness.
- Pepper – I grind my own black pepper for a tongue-tingling experience and great flavor.
- Red pepper flakes – It adds just a hint of spiciness. You can leave it out if you do not like spicy food.
For the soup:
- Olive oil – Extra-virgin olive oil has a light and mild taste, which is perfect for this use.
- Onion – I like using a large white onion for this soup. Preferably sweet.
- Bell pepper – An organic sweet red bell pepper, deseeded and diced.
- Celery – Freshly diced organic celery ribs for a fresh, crunchy taste and texture.
- Tomato paste – I use the thick, sweet tomato paste from San Marzano tomatoes.
- Vegetable broth – Organic vegetable broth is the only kind I use. It makes a difference.
- Garlic powder – A little goes a long way. Do not add too much or it will end up bitter.
- Onion powder – Same here. Too much onion powder can be overpowering.
- Basil – With its sweet and slightly spicy taste, dried basil is perfect in this soup.
- Red pepper flakes – Like before, if you do not like spicy food, leave it out.
- Heavy cream – This adds a lot of creaminess to your soup. Reminds me of the cream of tomato soup my grandma used to make. You can use less or light cream if you like.
- Parmesan cheese – Freshly grated and sprinkled on top when serving.
- Basil – Fresh basil leaves on top when serving.
How do you make Instant Pot Tomato Soup recipe?
- Prep: First, add the tomatoes and garlic to a rimmed baking sheet. Then, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
- Roast: After that, roast the tomatoes for about 25-30 minutes.
- Saute: Select the saute function on the Instant pot and once Hot add olive oil. Next, saute the onion, bell pepper, and celery. Also, add the seasonings and dried herbs.
- Add the tomatoes: Next, add the tomato paste and the garlic roasted tomatoes, including the juices.
- Broth: Afterward, add the broth and season with salt and pepper.
- Pressure Cook: Cover with the lid, lock it, and point the valve to sealing. Finally, Pressure Cook the soup on high pressure for 10 minutes.
- Natural Pressure Release: Once done cooking, do a 10-minute natural release.
- Quick Pressure Release: After that, quick release the remaining pressure and carefully open the lid.
- Diary: Select saute again and stir in the heavy cream.
- Blend: Then, using an immersion blender puree the soup. Another option is to transfer the soup to a regular blender and puree it.
- Serve: Serve the creamy tomato soup topped with parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves. Grilled cheese sandwiches on the side are a must!
Expert tip
Fresh or canned tomatoes
Because this is tomato soup and tomatoes are the main ingredients, I feel they should be fresh, organic, and of the highest quality. I like to go to my local farmers’ market to get the best, but if they do not have anything I like, I will look elsewhere or return another day. After all, if you are making homemade tomato soup, why would you want to use canned tomatoes? You may as well make canned tomato soup.
Some of you may have gardens with tomatoes in them. Others may not be so lucky. You may know someone with a garden or buy produce from someone in your area. It is always nice to buy from a local. You can support the community and get the peace of mind of knowing that the produce will not make you or your family sick. I only buy organic, so it is important to me to get it from my regulars.
Now, I can understand if you just came across my recipe and want to try it but cannot find any good-looking tomatoes nearby. Or maybe the farmers’ markets are all closed for the season. Then, I would get Muir Glen organic whole fire-roasted San Marzano tomatoes. If you cannot find those, see if you can find Cento, La Valle, or Rega.
Recipe variations and add-ins:
- Sauté the tomatoes: If you want to skip roasting the tomatoes, just sauté them in the instant pot for a few minutes for extra flavor.
- Canned tomatoes: Replace the fresh tomatoes with canned San Marzano tomatoes and skip the roasting part.
- Basil: Try adding lots of fresh basil for instant pot tomato basil soup.
- Coconut milk: Keep the soup vegan and make it extra creamy by adding full-fat canned coconut milk.
- Add meat: Add some meat, I have added diced ham, turkey, and chicken to mine, and my family loves them. Shredded meat would be great, too.
- Vegetable soup: Although this would make it more like vegetable soup, adding vegetables to your soup can also make it a hearty meal. Toss in some carrots, corn, peas, mushrooms, green beans, and even some broccoli.
- Extra spicy soup: If you know someone who likes extra spicy soup, add some jalapenos or cayenne pepper.
- Mexican-style tomato soup: Add a tablespoon of my taco seasoning and serve with salsa, tortilla chips, and sour cream for a Mexican-style meal.
- Ranch style: Instead, try it with ranch seasoning for a different twist. I love ranch with everything and so does my family.
- Slow cooker version: Simply follow the recipe card instructions to make slow cooker tomato soup.
- Stovetop version: If you prefer the stovetop version of it, I have a delicious and one of the best recipes, check the panera bread creamy tomato soup copycat recipe.
Serving suggestions:
The soup goes with everything. Especially tomato soup. Here are some ideas:
- The first thing that comes to mind is a grilled cheese sandwich, or it you want to be fancier serve it with chicken Caesar sandwiches and an Italian salad.
- You know what would be even better? Serving it in my bread bowls. No dishes to wash because you eat them! And they taste incredible.
- Serve with crunchy or cheesy garlic bread, perfect for soaking up the delicious tomato soup.
- Instead of garlic bread, try these delicious, easy-to-make homemade breadsticks.
- This soup goes great with a bottle of red wine like Chianti or Merlot.
Topping suggestions:
- Grated parmesan cheese or fontina cheese
- Fresh basil leaves
- Cheese croutons
- Drizzle of olive oil
- Pretzels or goldfish
- Pumpkin seeds
- Crispy tortilla strips
- Avocado
- Sour cream
- Jalapeños
- Bacon bits
Frequently asked questions
Can you overcook soup in the instant pot?
Although the instant pot is an incredible kitchen tool, you can overcook anything. Even if you cook a soup with just liquid, like broth, you can overcook it and cause it to scorch or burn at the bottom. And you know what happens if you get that dreaded BURN notice on your instant pot. You have to turn it off, unplug it, and start over. Also, scorching soup leaves a foul smell and a worse taste, especially tomato with garlic. Only cook the soup as long as the directions tell you.
What are the best tomatoes for tomato soup?
I love using fresh tomatoes in this recipe. Cherry, Roma, or beefsteak will work the best as they are sweet, aromatic, and flavorful. Also, if you plan on using fresh tomatoes, roasting them and the garlic is key. It will add a layer of flavor that you just won’t get otherwise. You can use canned as well, I prefer canned San Marzano tomatoes.
What is the difference between tomato soup and tomato bisque?
Technically, the only difference between these two is the cream. But in my recipe, I use cream, so you could call my recipe instant pot tomato bisque. Then again, many say that tomato bisque is not really a bisque because an authentic bisque has seafood or shellfish. It is often made with lobster, so you will often see lobster bisque in restaurants but not tomato bisque. Incidentally, I do have a recipe on my blog for instant pot tomato bisque if you would like to try it.
How can I make this with onion-roasted tomatoes instead of garlic?
Turn the garlic into onions in the roasted tomatoes recipe. Get four of the onions that you would like to use. I suggest small to medium white or yellow sweet onions. Peel, chop, and mince before smashing them with a meat tenderizer. Then, place them with the tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with oil, season, and roast for 25 minutes. After, continue with the rest of the recipe as stated.
What is the difference between a natural and quick release?
The difference between these is the speed of the pressure released. A natural release happens automatically if you do not do anything after the cooking cycle is over. It can take up to 30 minutes, depending on the amount of food and liquid in the pot. This is best for food with skin because it helps keep the skin intact. A quick release is when you open the steam release valve to remove all the steam at once. You have to be careful when you do this because the steam is extremely hot.
How to store leftovers:
- Refrigerate: First, let the leftovers fully cool and after that add them to an airtight container. Store them in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: First, let the soup cool completely before freezing. Then, use a cup to transfer it from the pot into freezer bags. I recommend using quart bags. Next, squeeze out excess air and seal the bags. Lay them flat in the freezer and freeze for up to 3-4 months.
- Thaw: When ready to eat, let the soup thaw overnight in the fridge or place the bag in a casserole under warm running water.
- Reheat: Add it to a large pot, and heat it on the stovetop, or microwave it.
More Instant Pot soup recipes:
Recipe tips:
- This is homemade tomato soup. Use the best tomatoes you can find.
- If you have to use canned tomatoes, try to find fire-roasted crushed tomatoes.
- If you still have to use canned ones, please use 2 cans of 28 ounces of fire-roasted crushed tomatoes.
- Do not add too many vegetables to your tomato soup, or it will become vegetable soup.
- For soup that is not creamy, leave out the cream or use light cream instead.
- Be careful when doing a quick release because the steam is very hot, and you can get burned.
- Follow the instructions carefully. You can still overcook soup even if you are using the instant pot.
Instant Pot Tomato Soup
Ingredients
Garlic Roasted Tomatoes:
- 3 lbs cherry tomatoes halved lengthwise
- 14 whole cloves garlic peeled and smashed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Soup:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper deseeded and diced
- 2 celery ribs diced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 tablespoon dried basil leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream or half and half
Garnish:
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Place tomatoes and garlic on a baking tray, drizzle with two tablespoons of olive oil, season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, and roast for about 25 minutes or until soft and charred on the tops.
- Remove tray from oven and set aside.
- Set up the Instant Pot to the Sauté function and wait until it reads HOT.
- Add two tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil heats up, about 30 seconds, add the diced onion, red bell pepper, and celery ribs. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, dried basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Add the garlic and roasted tomatoes with all the juices from roasting. Stir to combine.
- Add the chicken or veggie broth and stir to combine. Adjust for salt and pepper and cover with the lid.
- Cover with the lid, point the valve to the sealing, and Pressure Cook on High for 10 minutes.
- Once the 10 minutes have passed, use a 10-minute Natural Release (explained in the post) to release the pressure. After the 10-minute natural release, open the valve and release the remaining pressure. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
- Open the Instant Pot, select the Sauté function, stir the soup, and stir in the heavy cream. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. If the soup is too thick, add more chicken stock, ½ cup at a time.
- Cancel Saute function.
- Using an immersion blender or a Vitamix, puree the mixture until smooth. I transferred the soup in two batches to the Vitamix, but if you use an immersion blender, you can puree the soup directly in the Instant Pot.
- Serve garnished with grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves.
- Store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Read the post for freezer instructions.