Instant pot tomato soup is perfect for chilly nights of fall and winter. It's loaded with flavors and tastes creamy rich yummy. This tomato soup is vegan as well.
Tomato soup is one of the easiest and most popular soups across the world I would say. Love for tomato soup is irrespective of the age group of people. It's one of my and my family-favorite too. I have started loving my hassle-free instant pot tomato soup.

Though you can make this instant pot tomato soup any time of the year, I would say soup is the best cozy food for fall and winter. This is the time when we need a bowl of soulful soup to keep our energy high or just spend less time outside the comforter. However, since tomatoes are widely available all the time, enjoy this simple yet yummy tomato soup.
Instant pot tomato soup
I normally make tomato soup with roasted tomatoes. And I love it too. But it takes a good amount of time and effort to make the tomato soup this way. So if I have 1 hour time, I will go for my roasted tomato soup. But when you are looking for a quick solution for a busy day, the instant pot is a lifesaver. You can make the soup in less than 20 minutes or so (including the chopping and blending job).
Why does this recipe work the best?
This is a quick soup for a lazy dinner.
It's gluten-free and no thickener added (You can add it optionally).
Best in flavors and tastes delicious.
It's light to the tummy yet filling.
Healthy food at a cheap cost.
It's vegan and can be customized too.
Ingredients
Tomatoes - 1 lb (5 large-size organic tomatoes) - Go for bright and pulpy tomatoes.
Carrot - 1 medium - This helps in thickening the soup without adding any thickener.
Red bell pepper - 1 medium or 1/2 large - This adds a nice sweetness to the soup along with its bright color.
Onions - white onion or red onion - substitute - 2 tsp for 1 onion. or less for less onion flavor
Garlic - 7 - 8 large pods - Add garlic generously. It makes the soup with a strong garlic flavor. Garlic and tomatoes go well together. (I add 2 garlic for each of the tomatoes)
Seasonings - Salt and black pepper. You can also add a pinch of cayenne pepper for extra heat or increase the amount of black pepper.
Sugar - A little sugar balances the sourness of the tomatoes and makes the soup slightly sweet and sour. For low carb, substitute sugar with stevia.
(Yes, tomato soup is keto-friendly with a few modifications.)
Herbs - Bay leaf, Basil leaves - Substitute basil leaves with dried basil herb. You can add any favorite herbs (fresh or dried). Rosemary also blends well in this recipe.
Vegetable oil - or butter or vegan butter
Vegetable stock - can be substituted with water. If adding stock/ broth, check the salt before adding extra salt to the soup.
Coconut cream/ Coconut milk - This is for a dairy-free vegan version. For a vegetarian soup, substitute with heavy cream.
Instructions
Start the instant pot in SAUTE mode for 5 minutes. Add bay leaf, and garlic to the pot. Chop the onion roughly and add it to the pot. Saute for 2 minutes stirring occasionally till it looks translucent.
Then add chopped carrots, and red bell pepper and saute for another minute. Then add the diced tomatoes and mix all. Add chopped basil leaves (2 - 4) or dried basil.
Pour in stock/ broth followed by a teaspoon of sugar. CANCEL the SAUTE mode if any time is left. Close the lid and start the PRESSURE COOK mode manually on high pressure for 4 minutes. Turn the venting knob to SEALING. It will take approximately 4 - 5 minutes for the instant pot to come under pressure.
Once it beeps after 4 minutes, let it sit on NPR (natural pressure release) for 5 minutes. Then quick release the rest of the pressure.
Now remove the bay leaf (and a string of rosemary if adding) and blend it into a smooth puree with the help of a hand blender.
Or transfer the content to a high-speed blender and blend it smooth, once it's warm. Otherwise, it may cause accidents if the blender doesn't permit it. Then simmer for a minute, for a piping hot soup.
Add low-fat coconut cream to the soup. Give it a nice stir. Add cream just before serving. For vegetarians or non-vegans add heavy dairy cream.
Taste and adjust salt and pepper accordingly. Serve the tomato soup hot with your favorite toppings.
Toppings Ideas for Tomato Soup-
- Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on top
- Add heavy cream, if not vegan
- Drizzle some extra cream while serving
- Try with toasted bread croutons
- Toasted peanuts,/ almonds,/ or walnuts add a slight crunch
- Add finely chopped basil leaves (1- 2) on top
- Dollop of vegan butter or butter on top
Can I make this tomato soup completely oil-free (WFPB)?
Yes possible to customize the soup completely oil-free too. Skip the sauteing step mentioned in the instructions. Dump all the ingredients into the pot. And start with the PRESSURE COOK mode and follow the rest of the steps.
Extra Tips
- Feel free to adjust the seasonings and herbs as per your taste.
- Carrots and red peppers are optional and can skip them if not available. Here, for a good consistency, add 2 tbsp corn starch slurry in the end and keep stirring while adding it to the soup. Stop at the consistency you need.
- Add garlic generously. Garlic enhances the flavor in it. Substitute with garlic powder if fresh garlic is not available. But I strongly recommend the fresh garlic.
- Black pepper adds perfect heat to the soup and it's healthy for our throat in winter. It helps in healing the sore throat as well as cough and colds.
Can I make tomato soup without an instant pot?
Yes. You can make the tomato soup on the stovetop Dutch oven or with oven-roasted tomatoes. But with instant pot, the timing and effort are very low as compared to other methods we can make our tomato soup. Check out below tomato soup recipes below for reference.
Instant Pot Tomato Soup
Instant Pot Tomato Soup
Equipment
- 1 Spatula
Ingredients
- 1 lb tomatoes
- 1/2 onion sub - 1 tsp onion powder
- 5 - 6 garlic cloves sub - 2 tsp
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 red bell pepper
- 7 - 8 basil leaves
- salt to taste
- 2 - 3 tsp black pepper or to taste
- 1 ½ tsp sugar
- 1 cup vegetable broth
Instructions
- Start the instant pot in SAUTE mode for 5 minutes. Add bay leaf, garlic to the pot.
- Chop the onion roughly and add it to the pot. Saute for 2 minutes stirring occasionally till it looks translucent.
- Then add chopped carrots, red bell pepper and saute for another minute. Then add the diced tomatoes and mix all. Add chopped basil leaves (2 - 4) or dried basil.
- Pour in stock/ broth followed by a teaspoon of sugar. CANCEL the SAUTE mode if any time is left.
- Close the lid and start the PRESSURE COOK mode manually on high pressure for 4 minutes.
- Turn the venting knob to SEALING. It will take approximately 4 - 5 minutes for the instant pot to come on pressure.
- Once it beeps after 4 minutes, let it sit on NPR (natural pressure release) for 5 minutes. Then quick release the rest of the pressure.
- Now remove the bay leaf (and string of rosemary if adding) blend it into a smooth puree with help of a hand blender.
- Or transfer the content to a high-speed blender and blend it smooth, once it's a little warm. Else it may cause accidents if the blender doesn't permit it. Then simmer for a minute, for a piping hot soup.
- Add low-fat coconut cream to the soup. Give it a nice stir. Add cream just before serving. For vegetarians or non-vegan add heavy dairy cream.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper accordingly. Serve the tomato soup hot with your favorite toppings.
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