Tomato Soup made from Fresh Tomatoes. Contains No Cream, No Cornflour or Cornstarch. Absolutely no artificial thickeners. Classic Indian Vegetarian Soup Recipe that is Dairy free, Gluten free and Vegan. Serve with pasta, croutons or focaccia bread.
Tomato Soup, a classic Indian Vegetarian Soup Recipe, popular in most restaurants. It can be easily replicated at home without any thickeners, additives or cream!
The best part about this soup is that you can make a big batch, store it in the refrigerator and it is also freezer friendly. Ideal for meal-preps. Plus if you check our "Accompaniments to Tomato Soup" section as you scroll through this post, you will never be in short of ideas to please your family.
The soup is naturally thick, deliciously sour and sweet. It is perfect with warm dinner rolls or a bowl of pasta. It also makes a great starter or appetizer followed by an elaborate Indian Meal especially when entertaining.
If you are someone who believes in using minimally processed ingredients in your kitchen, this soup is perfect!
We prefer light soups sans the cream and butter. This recipe is excellent for weight watchers (skip the sugar from the recipe below) and anyone who prefers light and easy meals during the day.
Summers are the most ideal time to grow tomatoes. Ripe Red firm tomatoes make the best soup. If you've had a bounty harvest of tomatoes this year from your backyard garden, do try this soup!
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We sadly don't have a backyard to grow vegetables and I usually buy tomatoes from local market. Indian Cuisine especially the curries require onion-tomato as the base or gravy. Tomatoes are always stocked in our pantry and that means No excuses for making the soup.
Pro Tip - Never refrigerate Tomatoes. Store them in an open basket or tray at room temperature.
Of all the soups, Tomato Soup and Vegetarian Manchow Soup are my favorites. I make this regularly at home on weekends when we need a change from the usual meals. Bread and Pasta are my better half's popular choice of accompaniments!
Soups are great during winters and rainy days. I love sprinkling loads of black pepper on top especially when I am having cold or feeling under the weather. They provide much needed warmth and comfort to the body.
Also, let me add here that this is a kid-friendly soup. It is low on spice.
Fresh Tomatoes vs Canned Tomatoes
This soup is made from scratch using fresh ingredients. Since we are also aiming at using fresh produce and minimally processed ingredients, I have used ripe red fresh tomatoes.
Use tomatoes that are bright red in colour. They have the perfect balance of sweet and sour.
Having said that, you can use canned tomatoes for this recipe as well.
A 14 oz can should be sufficient replacement for 4 large tomatoes, which is approximately 2 cups of diced tomatoes.
Step by Step Vegan Tomato Soup Recipe
(1) Heat a stainless steel sauce pan, add 2 tsp olive oil, finely chopped garlic and onions. Saute this until the onions are translucent (on low flame to avoid burning).
(2) Add roughly chopped 4 tomatoes along with salt to taste and 1/2 cup of water. Cover the sauce pan with a lid and allow it to cook for a couple of minutes.
(3) Once you open the lid, the tomatoes would be mushy and must have left a lot of moisture. Switch off the flame. Allow it to cool before transferring to a mixer grinder jar. If you have an immersion blender, you can simply blend the soup immediately in the sauce pan itself.
(4) Blend the ingredients with some water (around 1/2 cup) into a smooth consistency.
(5) Now pour this mixture through a sieve. This is an important step for a creamy texture soup. The strained mix will be free of seeds and thick skin or peel of tomatoes.
(6) Place the strained tomato puree back on the stove top. Check seasoning and add, if required. Add kashmiri red chilli powder or paprika (optional but recommended) and black pepper powder.
(7) At this stage, check for the soup consistency. Add extra water, if you find the soup too thick. Once you add water, always check and adjust seasoning.
(8) Once the soup starts simmering, add a tsp of sugar. Mix well, allow it to simmer for a couple of seconds before switching off the flame. Serve hot with croutons or garlic bread.
Recipe Notes -
- Each tomato variety is different. Always taste check before proceeding with the recipe.
- Sugar is added to the soup to balance the tartness from the tomatoes. It is optional and should always be added after checking the taste.
- The soup can be refrigerated up to 4 to 5 days. It can be reheated on stove top and / or microwave. It is freezer-friendly as well.
- Kashmiri Red chilli powder or paprika is optional. It imparts a lovely color to the soup. Not a mandatory ingredient to add when serving for kids.
Accompaniments or Serving Suggestions
One of our family favorite ways to serve this soup is with croutons. Cut any Sourdough or regular bread into small cubes. Drizzle olive oil or garlic oil, herbs and sprinkle some salt. Air Fry this or bake in the oven and add it to your favorite soups.
BREADS - Garlic Knots, Garlic Pull Apart Bread, Onion and Mushroom Focaccia Bread and Cloverleaf Rolls are some whole wheat bread options you can try.
PASTA - Vegan Pumpkin Sauce Pasta OR Pasta Salad with vegetables.
SALADS - Strawberry Feta Arugula Salad, Chickpea Salad and Sprouts Salad are great choices.
Frequently Asked Questions
A slurry of cornflour and water can be added to thicken the soup. Alternatively, you can also add a roux of all purpose flour and butter or potato starch. If you are gluten sensitive, use boiled and mashed potato to thicken the soup.
Butter enhances the taste of tomato soup and you can always serve the soup with a dollop of butter along with freshly ground black pepper and croutons. For a Vegan recipe, use olive oil.
Fresh Cream can be drizzled on top of the soup while serving. Store bought cream or home made can be used. For a Vegan alternative, use cashew cream, coconut cream or almond cream.
You can add dried or fresh basil, oregano, thyme while the soup is simmering. Indian spices like bay leaves and nutmeg make an exceptional choice. Add bay leaves while sautéing onions and remove it before grinding the tomatoes. Nutmeg can be grated just after adding sugar.
It can be refrigerated up to 4 or 5 days, reheated in the microwave or stove top and consumed. Can be frozen for a month.
Recipes using Fresh Tomatoes
TOMATO RICE - South Indian one pot rice dish.
TOMATO CHUTNEY - Spicy and tangy accompaniment for Indian Vegetarian Breakfast.
TOMATO OMELETTE - GF Vegan Savory Pancake
TOMATO PACHADI - South Indian Raita with Curd and tomatoes.
Other Soup Recipes to try
Sweet Corn Soup - Indo Chinese Style soup without cornstarch
Pumpkin Soup Recipe - Fall Favorite Soup
Broccoli Soup - Hearty and filling soup without cream
Mushroom Soup - Vegan and Gluten Free
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Fresh Tomato Soup Recipe (No Cream)
Equipment
- Blender or Processor
Ingredients
1 cup is 250 ml, 1 tbsp is 15 ml and 1 tsp is 5 ml
- 4 Tomatoes (4 big Ripe Red tomatoes used here)
- 5 Garlic Cloves Finely chopped
- ½ cup Onions (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp Sugar Read Notes Below
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper Powder
- ¼ tsp Kashmiri Red chilli powder or substitute with paprika powder
- 1 ½ cup Water or use low sodium Vegetable Stock
- 2 tsp Olive Oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat a sauce pan, add 2 tsp olive oil, finely chopped garlic and onions. Sauté until the onions are translucent (on low flame to avoid excess browning).
- Add roughly chopped 4 tomatoes along with salt to taste and 1/2 cup of water / stock. Cover the sauce pan with a lid and allow it to cook for 5 minutes. Keep stirring the mixture in between.
- After 10 odd minutes, the tomatoes would be mushy. Switch off the flame. Allow it to cool before transferring to a blender. Note - You can use a immersion blender to blend the soup directly in the sauce pan.
- Blend the mixture by using some water / stock (around 1/2 cup) into smooth consistency.
- Now pour this mixture through a sieve. Note - This is an important step for a creamy texture soup. The strained mix will be free of seeds and thick skin or peel of tomatoes.
- Place the soup back on the stove. Check seasoning, add kashmiri red chilli powder or paprika and and black pepper powder.
- Adjust the soup consistency by adding water / stock as desired.
- Once the soup starts simmering, add a tsp of sugar. Mix well, allow it to simmer for a couple of seconds before switching off the flame.
- Serve piping hot soup with garlic bread or croutons.
Notes
- I have used ripe red fresh tomatoes. You can use canned tomatoes for this recipe as well. A 14 oz can should be sufficient replacement for 4 large tomatoes, which is approximately 2 cups of diced tomatoes.
- Each tomato variety is different. Always taste check before proceeding with the recipe.
- Sugar is added to balance the tartness from the tomatoes. It is optional and should always be added after checking the taste.
- The soup can be refrigerated for a week, reheated on stove top and microwave. It is freezer-friendly as well.
- Kashmiri Red chilli powder or paprika is optional. It imparts a lovely color to the soup. The ingredient can be omitted when serving for kids.
- Contains No Cream, No Cornflour or Cornstarch. Absolutely no artificial thickeners. The Recipe that is Dairy free, Gluten free and Vegan. Contains No Nuts.
- To naturally thicken the soup, add boiled and mashed potato. If you are not gluten sensitive and / or Vegan, you can thicken the soup using a roux of flour and butter.
- Leftovers, Storage and Freezing - The soup can be refrigerated up to 4 or 5 days. Ensure it is stored in an airtight container. Reheat only the portion required either on stove top or microwave. The Soup can be frozen for a month. Freeze 1 cup of soup in separate containers or zip lock bags so that it can be thawed easily and consumed.
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We will be back again with yet another exciting recipe .. Until then, stay healthy and happy!
Vidya Narayan