Made with simple ingredients, this recipe for Instant Pot Tomato Soup comes together quickly and puts store-bought tomato soups to shame!
Made in just over 30 minutes, this Instant Pot Creamy Tomato Soup makes a perfect lunch, especially when paired with a grilled cheese sandwich or topped with homemade croutons and fresh basil.
When homemade soup can be prepared in just over 30 minutes without sacrificing flavor, that is something to truly get excited about!
Just like my recipes for Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup, Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup, and Instant Pot Baked Potato Soup, this recipe for Instant Pot Tomato Soup comes together quickly to deliver a hearty, nostalgic soup, that will put canned soups AND restaurant soups to shame.
And even though this soup is incredibly nuanced and flavorful, it is prepared using affordable pantry staples and with very little prep work. By using an electric pressure cooker and just the right combination of herbs and fresh vegetables, this soup delivers a rich broth that is spot-on in terms of flavor.
Ingredients Needed
- Tomatoes: Because the star of this dish is tomatoes, I highly recommend using San Marzano tomatoes, as the flavor is truly superior. That said, any brand of whole or diced tomatoes will work in this tomato soup recipe and I have provided directions below if you would like to prepare this soup using fresh tomatoes (which is EXCELLENT when you have freshly picked tomatoes.)
- Tomato Paste: A little bit of tomato paste really adds a deep, rich tomato flavor to the soup.
- Carrots: Adding a carrot to your tomato soup will help to sweeten the soup naturally and balance out the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Onions & Garlic: As with most soup recipes, starting this recipe with a combination of onions and garlic builds depth of flavor and makes a quick-cooking soup taste as it has simmered for hours.
- Spices: This soup is seasoned with a combination of dried thyme leaves, crushed red pepper flakes, bay, and oregano. You can adjust the amount of red pepper flakes to control the level of spice as desired.
- Broth: Use low-sodium store-bought or homemade vegetable broth. If you aren't looking to keep this soup vegetarian-friendly, feel free to use low-sodium homemade chicken Stock in place of the vegetable broth.
- Balsamic Vinegar: I know this sounds like an odd ingredient, but the balsamic vinegar will help to brighten and deepen the flavor of the tomato soup--don't skip this ingredient!
- Cream: If you would like a creamy tomato soup, add in heavy cream after the soup has been pressure cooked. Omit the cream for a lighter soup or a dairy-free/vegan-friendly recipe.
How to Make Instant Pot Tomato Soup
- Turn the Instant Pot to saute, add in the olive oil, and let heat for 1-2 minutes.
- Once the oil is heated, add the sliced carrots and minced onion and saute for 3-4 minutes, or until beginning to soften.
- Add the garlic and tomato paste, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, pepper, and salt to the inner pot and saute for just 30-60 seconds. Sauteeing the tomato paste with the spices will really help to develop the flavor, but we don't want to burn our spices or garlic.
Tip: Gently crush the dried spices in your hand before adding them to the soup. This will help to release the natural oils of the spices and really amp up their flavor.
- After 30-60 seconds, or just as you begin to smell the garlic, hit cancel to turn off the saute function.
- Pour ½ cup of the broth into the inner pot and scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of the inner pot. This will help to prevent a burn notice from occurring.
- Add the remaining broth, canned tomatoes, and bay leaves to the inner pot. Gently stir just to combine.
- Place the lid on the inner pot, seal the vent knob, and set the cooking time by using the manual or pressure cook button to cook the soup on High Pressure for 10 minutes.
- Once the cooking time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for at least 15 minutes. This is crucial so you do not have hot liquid spewing everywhere!
- After pressure has been released, remove the lid from your pressure cooker.
- Remove the bay leaf and stir in the balsamic vinegar.
- At this time, you want to blend the soup carefully to create a smooth tomato soup. You can do this with an immersion blender right inside the inner pot OR blend in a blender. To use a blender, transfer the soup to a blender and blend with the lid slightly open to allow steam to escape, blend until smooth and then pour the pureed soup back inside the inner pot.
- To give this tomato soup a rich and creamy finish, add in the heavy cream and stir to incorporate. Place the lid back on the Instant Pot for just a couple of minutes to let the cream warm through.
Serving Suggestions
Of course, this Instant Pot Tomato Soup pairs beautifully with a homemade grilled cheese sandwich for the ultimate comfort food meal.
However, another idea is to top your tomato soup with homemade croutons for crunch and fresh basil for an herby, fresh finish. Add a Copycat Panera Greek Salad or Easy Caesar Salad Recipe for a meatless meal that is easy enough to whip up any night of the week.
Instant Pot Tomato Soup with Fresh Tomatoes
Tomato soup is delicious, albeit a bit more effort to prepare, when using fresh tomatoes in place of canned tomatoes.
If using fresh tomatoes, you will need 10-12 Roma tomatoes or 3-½ cups of peeled and seeded tomatoes to replace the 28 ounces of canned tomatoes.
To prepare your fresh tomatoes for this Instant Pot Tomato Soup:
- Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil.
- Score the top of the tomatoes by cutting an "X" on the top of the tomato.
- Drop tomatoes into boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove tomatoes with a slotted spoon and place them into an ice bath.
- Cut tomatoes into quarters and gently squeeze out seeds over a bowl, sink, or garbage.
- Measure out 3-½ cups of tomatoes to use to prepare the tomato soup.
More Instant Pot Vegetarian Soup Recipes
- Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
- Instant Pot Cabbage Soup
- Instant Pot Minestrone Soup
- Instant Pot White Bean and Kale Soup
- Instant Pot French Onion Soup
- Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
- Instant Pot Lentil Soup
If you tried this Instant Pot Tomato Soup, please leave a comment and review below.
Instant Pot Tomato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- â…“ cup onion minced
- ¼ cup carrots finely sliced
- ¼ cup celery minced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves (not ground thyme)
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 28 ounce whole tomatoes or diced tomatoes see note
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 dried or fresh bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
- ½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup cream optional
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to Saute and add in the olive oil and let heat for 1 minute.
- Add the onion, celery, and carrots and saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the onions begin to soften, add in the garlic, oregano, thyme, and tomato paste and saute for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Turn the Instant Pot OFF.
- Add in ½ cup of the vegetable broth and vigorously scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the inner pot.
- Add the remaining broth, canned tomatoes, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and crushed red pepper flakes if using. Gently stir just to combine.
- Place the lid on the inner pot and be sure the vent knob is sealed. Set to cook on HIGH pressure for 10 minutes. To do this, hit manual or pressure cook and use the +/- buttons to adjust the time to read 10.
- Once the cooking time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes before doing a quick release of any remaining pressure. Stir in balsamic vinegar.
- Discard the bay leaf and then using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. Alternatively, transfer the soup to a blender and blend with the lid slightly ajar to allow steam to escape. If using a blender, you will more than likely need to do this in batches.
- If using, stir in the cream. Serve the soup with fresh basil if desired.
Lois
Oops, forgot the rating!
Lois
Great recipe. Full disclosure, I did make some alterations, based on my stove top recipe. After blending the soup, I added a slurry of 2 T each of cornstarch and water, turned on the sauté function, and let it bubble and thicken a bit. I turned off the sauté function and added 1 1/2 c. oat milk, which I’d warmed a bit first in the microwave .I might add less the next time, but it was still delicious. We love homemade tomato soup, and I've added this recipe to my favourites.