This dairy-free Tomato Basil Soup recipe is one everyone will enjoy! It’s a great Whole30 soup packed with a variety of veggies. This soup get’s it’s ultra creamy texture from a cauliflower-cashew cream, and is sweetened with vegetables!
Contents
A Healthy & Hearty Tomato Soup
When I have a tomato soup craving, I make it myself. Years ago, I reached for a jar at the store, only to realize that they all had wheat flour as a thickener and added sugar.
Creamy tomato soup at a restaurant always has heavy cream, so if avoid dairy, it’s not a good option.
I created this version with an ultra creamy base, made from steamed cauliflower and soaked cashews. If you haven’t tried this “cashew cauliflower cream” trick yet, you’ll love the incredible texture!
In order to add a sweet taste with no added sugar, I used sweet onion and carrots.
The soup is a blend of 6 vegetables, with fresh basil added in the end. It’s the tomato soup of my dreams.
Plus, it’s gluten free, paleo, dairy free, and whole-30 friendly.
This recipe makes a large batch, so it’s perfect for freezing and reheating when a bowl of hot soup is needed on a cold day.
What You’ll Need:
- Cashews (these soak overnight in water, so plan ahead!)
- Cauliflower
- Olive Oil (or avocado oil)
- Garlic
- Yellow Onion
- Carrots
- Celery
- Diced Tomatoes (San Marzano tomatoes are recommended, see notes for using fresh tomatoes)
- Vegetable Broth (vegetable stock or chicken broth)
- Fresh Basil
- Sea Salt and Black Pepper
How Do you Make Tomato Basil Soup?
Step 1: Soak cashews in cold water overnight (or at least 12 hours). If you don’t have time for this, soak cashews in boiling water for 15 minutes.
Step 2: Add cauliflower to a large pot with a steamer, and steam for 15 minutes over medium heat, until cauliflower is very tender.
Step 3: Add the steamed cauliflower and soaked cashews to a blender, and process on high until a very smooth, creamy texture is formed. Set aside.
Step 4: In a large soup pot, add the olive oil, garlic, and onions. Sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes to soften. Add the carrots and the celery and sauté another 10 minutes.
Step 5: Into the pot with the vegetables, add the diced tomatoes and vegetable broth. Bring the mixture to a low boil, and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes.
Step 6: Into the blender with the cashew cauliflower cream, ladle in some of the vegetable soup mixture. Process until a smooth texture. Add the mixture into the soup pot, and repeat with the rest of the vegetable mixture until the soup is all smooth and creamy. Adjust the thickness of the soup by adding additional vegetable broth, if desired. *Alternately, add the cashew cream to the soup pot and use an immersion blender to process it.
Step 7: Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Add freshly chopped basil.
Step 8: Serve soup garnished with more fresh basil, olive oil, red chili flakes, or a swirl of the creamy sauce.
Tips for Vegan Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
Once the soup has fully cooled, store in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to a 5 days.
To Freeze: Add soup to freezer jars or other freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to 3 months. This is great to add to meal prep!
Variations for this Easy Tomato Soup Recipe
Can I use coconut milk in this dairy-free tomato soup? Yes, if you’d like to skip making the cashew-cauliflower cream sauce, substitute 1 cup of full fat coconut milk or 1/2 cup of coconut cream blended in to the soup in step 6. This will leave a slight coconut flavor, while the cashew cream just adds a creamy texture without tasting like either cauliflower or cashews.
Can I use fresh tomatoes in this soup? Yes! If your grocery store or farmers market has beautiful fresh whole tomatoes, use 6-8 cups of chopped tomatoes in place of the cans of diced tomatoes. Increase the time the soup simmers by 20 minutes to concentrate the flavor of the tomatoes. If necessary, add 1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste to thicken or amp up the tomato flavor.
Other Fresh Herbs: Thyme, oregano, and Italian parsley are all great flavors with this gluten-free tomato soup. Chop whatever herbs you have on hand and stir them in to the finished soup.
How to Serve Tomato Basil Soup
Serve this creamy soup as is, or garnish with:
- A swirl of reserved cashew cream sauce
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Additional Basil
- Red Chili Flakes
It’s the perfect soup with crusty bread or a grilled cheese sandwich, if your diet includes gluten!
I have been using cauliflower thins, toasted with some sharp cheddar cheese, to dip in this soup. It’s incredible!
We also LOVE the Simple Mills garlic and rosemary crackers served with this soup.
Other Whole30 Soup Recipes
- Butternut Squash Roasted Red Pepper Soup
- Carrot, Apple, Fennel Soup
- Creamy Sausage, Potato, Kale Soup
- Winter Root Vegetable Soup
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Creamy Tomato Basil Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups cauliflower roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup cashews soaked overnight and drained
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic fresh, chopped
- 1 large celery stalk, chopped
- 1 carrot peeled, chopped
- 3 15-ounce diced tomatoes cans
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup basil leaves chopped
- sea salt & black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Soak cashews in water overnight. Drain when ready to use. If there isn’t time for this step, soak cashews in boiling water for 1 hour and drain to use.
- Add cauliflower to a steamer, and steam over medium high heat for 15 minutes.
- In a blender, add steamed cauliflower, soaked cashews, and 3/4 cup water. Process until a very smooth cream is formed. Set aside.
- In a saucepot, add olive oil and onion and garlic, and saute for 5 minutes until lightly browned.
- Add chopped carrots and celery, and saute another few minutes, then add diced tomatoes, water, and vegetable bouillon . Bring back to a boil, and then simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes.
- Reserve 1/2 cup of the “cream, then add tomato soup to the blender, and process until very smooth.
- Return soup to pot, mix in fresh basil, and season with sea salt and black pepper to taste.
- Garnish soup with “cream”, and then add extra fresh basil and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese if desired.
Yum! I love tomato basil soup. This looks so good! Thank you for sharing my cream of celery soup with your readers. 🙂
The soup turned out better than I imagined! I am in love with using cauliflower and cashews in soups now.
This looks perfect for the chilly weather we are getting!
It looks so good. I bet it tastes fabulous
I love tomato soup, your version sounds very creamy and delicious!
I wish that I had a bowl of this beautiful soup in front of me right now! It looks incredibly delicious and healthy.
This is so wonderful and delicious! I made it for my husband this weekend and he couldn’t tell it was vegan! Thank you for posting vegan recipes – I look forward to trying more! Thanks Michelle.
I am glad you liked it Abbee! I really love the blend of cauliflower and cashews in soups– so rich and creamy 🙂
Michelle made this for me. It is wonderful.
What could I substitute for the cashews? I’m deathly allergic to tree nuts! This recipe actually kind of scares me, because I would never think to ask if there were tree nuts in my creamy tomato soup!!! I hope people who make and serve this are sure to inform everyone of the cashews present in it! However, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE tomato and basil soups, so I would LOVE to try the recipe with a cashew substitute, or just leave them out if it wouldn’t significantly affect the taste and texture of the soup. Thanks for any tips you can offer!
I have life threatening food allergies as well — peanuts and soy, so I totally understand how you feel! Whenever I see soy used in a strange recipe, I think the same exact thing! Because of my experience, I do always ask people about nut allergies, because I use nuts in a lot of my recipes to replace gluten or dairy ingredients. FYI — cashews are an extremely popular ingredient right now- people are using it as a cream substitute, but there is also cashew flour being used in baked goods! My best recommendation for this recipe is to use the cauliflower, but then sub 1/4-1/2 cup of full fat canned coconut milk to give it some extra creaminess. You can also just add some whipping cream or half and half, if you’re not dairy-restricted! GOOD LUCK! 🙂
Have you tried making this in a crock pot?
This soup cooks so quickly I wouldn’t think it needs a crockpot. I would still brown the onions and garlic, and then throw everything else into the crockpot and blend when everything is softened if you want to try it!
i made this last night and it was so so so good! i’m such a tomato soup fan but always have been too scared to make it myself in fear of it tasting like tomato sauce! the carrot really helped sweeten it up! i subbed the cashews out for lentils and added in a bay leaf and topped it with homemade croutons. i’m having this for dinner all over again tonight!
Oh, I love this soup! Thanks for bringing it to my attention. This is one I make a lot in the winters and freeze portions for quick lunches. Love that you added lentils for a protein boost! I will have to try that.
Hi! Would this work with no carrots? We have a carrot allergy in the family, but we LOVE tomato soup. Any suggestions we can try? Thanks!
The carrots give this soup the sweetness that we are used in with tomato soups, since they typically have sugar. I would just omit the carrots, and then add honey — maybe start with a tablespoon, and add a little more to your taste! I think it would work out great even without it.
It needed a little extra seasoning for our personal tastes but this recipe is THE BOMB-DIGGITY! It’s really very simple to make and doesn’t require weird ingredients that you can’t readily find and keep on hand. I made a batch this week and had to sit next to the fan to eat it (It’s hot here in AZ in August) but it’s totally worth it. Thanks for sharing a creamy, simple, dairy & gluten free recipe! You’re my hero!
Thanks for this Tammy! I will definitely turn on the AC to enjoy soup year round 🙂
A little tart. Not savory, certainly not sweet. I ended up adding 1/2 cup unsweetened canned coconut milk to make it a bit more mild in taste.
The cauliflower cashew cream is incredible! The perfect addition to this soup.