This gluten free tomato soup with cheddar is a delicious hot soup even your pickiest eater will love! It is thick and creamy, and full of sweet tomato and basil flavors! This delicious homemade soup is made with simple ingredients and cooks in under 30 minutes.
Creamy and hot, this is the perfect soup to enjoy with a grilled cheese sandwich. This gluten free tomato soup recipe is much better than canned tomato soup. It is velvety smooth with lots of melty cheese in every spoonful!
My kids love to take this soup to school in a thermos with their lunch on cold days. It adds some warm comfort to lunch!
I also include dairy-free options if you need this to be a dairy-free tomato soup! If you love soup as much as we do, you will want to check out my delicious gluten free soup recipes.
Last week, I bought a case of heirloom tomatoes at our local farmer's market, and I had a few left to use, so I decided to make soup! Soup does double duty in our house. I love to serve it with grilled cheese for dinner, and it works perfectly in a thermos for lunch! It is the perfect comfort food!
I love using fresh tomatoes in season because they are sweet and delicious. Summer is the best time for fresh heirloom tomatoes. Each year, we had a garden and grew our tomatoes. California is stuck in a horrible drought cycle, and we let our garden go to help conserve water. Hopefully, we can restart it again in the spring!
Another fresh item in this soup is basil. Basil can be grown year-round, which takes this tomato soup to a new level of yumminess! I love to grow fresh herbs in my kitchen window! I like to pick up a fresh plant every few months from our grocery store, so I always have fresh basil on hand for my recipes like this cream of tomato soup.
Ingredient Notes:
- Heirloom tomatoes - If you can't find heirloom tomatoes, you can use regular tomatoes.
- Chicken or vegetable broth - I recommend low-sodium broth.
- Heavy cream - You can also use Silk's new dairy-free heavy cream.
- Garlic cloves - I recommend using fresh garlic, but jarred minced garlic works.
- Onion powder - As with any spice, check the label to ensure your spices are gluten free.
- Cheddar cheese - I use a lot of cheese in this soup for flavor. You can use sharp or mild cheddar cheese.
- Fresh basil - Fresh is my favorite to use, but dried will work if you can't find fresh basil.
- Oil - Use either avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil.
This Vitamix is one of my favorite kitchen appliances of all time. I use it to make soup, ice cream, sorbet, smoothies, cream sauces, and more. It is quick and powerful. Clean up is also really easy!
Recipe Step by Step Directions:
Step 1: Wash the tomatoes and remove the green stem. Cut up the tomatoes on a cutting board.
Step 2: Add the tomatoes and garlic to a high-speed blender, food processor, or Vitamix. Pulse the tomatoes for 15 seconds until they are a smooth consistency. If you are using a Vitamix, you can put the whole tomatoes in without the stems.
Step 3: Pour the mixture into a large pot. Add the chicken stock, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Cook over medium heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer for 10 minutes.
Step 4: Add the cheese and cream and stir with a wire whisk to mix them in. The cheese will melt into the soup, making this creamy soup full of flavor. Cook on low heat for an additional 5-10 minutes.
Serve hot. Top with shredded fresh basil and popcorn or these homemade Gluten Free Croutons.
As I mentioned, my kids love having this soup with grilled cheese sandwiches to dip in. The soup gets even better the next day as the flavors mesh together!
Variations:
If you are like me, sometimes you like to change things up. Here are a few substitutions and ideas for this creamy gluten free tomato soup:
- Try roasting your fresh tomatoes with olive oil and garlic on a large baking sheet in the oven. Roast at 300º F for 20-30 minutes until they are soft.
- Instead of fresh basil, try fresh thyme for a new flavor.
- Feel free to change the cheese and use a smokey gouda.
- Add some sautéd spinach cooked with olive oil to add some healthy greens. Ensure you chop it up a little before adding it to the soup.
- If you want a creamy garnish, top with a little sour cream or yogurt.
This is my favorite product! You can freeze leftover soup, pasta sauce, chili, stews, and even smoothies in single-serving portions!
Storage:
Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can also freeze this soup for up to 4 months. I love to use Souper Cubes because you can freeze the soup in single-serving blocks. Once the soup is frozen, move it to a large zipper bag.
You can reheat this gluten free tomato soup in a saucepan on the stove or in the microwave oven.
Tips and Recipe FAQ:
You can make this soup with canned tomatoes, but you will lose some of the sweetness you get from ripe heirloom tomatoes.
You can make this soup dairy-free by using Silk brand dairy-free cream or coconut cream.
You do not need to peel the tomatoes to make tomato soup. The peels will break into tiny bits in the blender or Vitamix.
You can thicken your tomato soup with tomato paste if you want to make it thicker. I would add 2 tablespoons to the tomato mixture in the blender.
📖 Recipe
Gluten Free Tomato Soup
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Ingredients
- 2 cups tomatoes heirloom or regular tomatoes
- 1 cup chicken broth low sodium
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup water
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil
Instructions
- Wash the tomatoes and remove the green stem. Cut up the tomatoes on a cutting board.
- Add the tomatoes and garlic to a high-speed blender, food processor, or Vitamix. Pulse the tomatoes for around 15 seconds until they have a smooth consistency. If you are using a Vitamix, you can put the whole tomatoes in without the stems.
- Pour the mixture into a large soup pot. Add the chicken stock, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Cook over medium heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the cheese and cream and stir with a wire whisk to mix them in. The cheese will melt into the soup making this creamy soup full of flavor.
- Cook on low heat for an additional 5-10 minutes.
- Serve hot. Top with shredded fresh basil and popcorn or these Gluten Free Croutons.
Notes
- If you can't find heirloom tomatoes, you can use regular tomatoes.
- You can use chicken or vegetable stock.
- To make this soup dairy-free, use Silk brand heavy cream.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze this soup for up to 4 months. I love to use Souper Cubes because you can freeze the soup in single-serving blocks. Once the soup is frozen, move it to a large zipper bag.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn't test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
This post was updated from an old August 2016 post with better photos and more detailed instructions.
Fearless Dining
Simplifying the art of baking and cooking gluten-free recipes.
Ashton
Can this be made in the crockpot?
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Ashton, I haven't tried it in a crockpot, but I would think it would work well.