Jun 16, 20216 min read

Tomato Soup - Vegan

Updated: Aug 24, 2021

When it's cold and freezing outside, all I want to do is snug up to a steaming cuppa tomato soup. Is it just me or do you feel the same?

Among all, tomato soup is the first soup that springs to my mind in winter. It's been my favourite soup for as long as I can remember. Somehow, it resurrects that familiar, comforting feeling.

As I type, I'm already craving this soup. Sooooo....... you know what, I'm going to swiftly slip out to put this soup on simmer in the pressure cooker and then return to continue with the writing. The soup will be ready for me to slurp up by the time I finish this post. Yes, this dish is that simple, quick, and delectable to prepare.

Oh, and I also snuck in some herbed croutons in the oven to go with my soup. The comfort is in biting into soup-soaked crunchy croutons.

Make tomato soup with only a few ingredients and a secret trick that distinguishes your simplest tomato soup from other complex tomato soups. Believe me, people are going to want to return to your soup. Read more to find out.

Skip to recipe Tomato Soup - Vegan Recipe or continue reading for tips and stages of making the recipe

Ingredients for Tomato Soup

All you need is tomatoes, onions, garlic, oil, cornflour, and seasoning easily found in every (Q)Kitchen.

Pressure cooker...

I use an electric pressure cooker. A gas top pressure cooker will do equally well. My recipe has instructions for both types of cookers.

Personally, I like my electric cooker for many reasons (some stated below) which makes cooking easier, faster, and fewer vessels to clean.

1. It comes with a stainless steel cooking container, better than the non-Stick container, and it can go straight into the dishwasher for cleaning.

2. It doesn't whistle and spurt liquid vapour all over my countertop. Again, one less job of unnecessary cleaning.

3. I can set the cooking time and it will turn off by itself when done. Perfect, for times when I am busy running errands for the day.

4. It has a sauté option which is handy to heat up the oil and sauté spices and vegetables prior to pressure cooking. I also use this setting for further heating or boiling food. Ideal to make recipes in one pot and less washing to do.

If you have any queries related to the recipe or equipment I have used please feel free to drop a line in the comment box. Always happy to help my followers to make their cooking experience fun and hassle-free.

Stages of making - 6 simple steps

1. Heat up oil on sauté setting in an electric cooker or on gas in the gas top pressure cooker. Sauté garlic and onions.

2. Here comes the secret step that I was talking about earlier. It is a simple step but a crucial one that will make the flavour sing. Sweating and caramelization of onion it is. This is what will make a big difference to the taste. It adds that beautiful depth to the flavour which instantly elevates the soup. So, do not skip this step. You have to trust me on this. I have tried omitting this step and the soup tasted flat. However, if you are making a jain version (i.e no onions and garlic), then add a pinch of asafoetida (heeng) in place of garlic and move on to step 3.

Sauté garlic and onions on low heat. Add salt to help onions sweat. Sweating will gently cook the onion to soften its texture, increase its sweetness, and reduces the sulphur content, making it sweeter in taste and caramelizing it. I sometimes cover it with the lid for a few minutes to speed up the process. Continue sweating and caramelizing onions till it turns translucent but not burned or browned.

3. Add Tomatoes and sauté for few minutes then add water. Place the pressure cooker lid and cook. The last pic shows how tomatoes have shrunk and water is visible on top after pressure cooking.

4. Blend using a stick blender and sieve the soup. Discard any seeds, skin, and fibre collected in the sieve.

5. Making the Roux (thickener)

This step is optional. However, I like to make a roux for soups that are too watery, especially this tomato soup. Roux not only acts as a thickener but also as an emulsifier, keeping water and solids from separating. Thereby, rendering a smooth, silky, and creamy texture to the soup.

Now few things to note while making the roux.

1. Oil should be warm and not too hot before adding cornflour to it.

Use a whisk instead of a spoon to mix oil and flour. This will help in removing any flour lumps easily.

2. Keep stirring and cooking oil and flour mixture until flour turns lightly pale and not pink. We just want to get rid of the rawness of the flour. If this mixture turns pink and/or darker in colour then the roux has gone a bit too far. Discard and start roux making again cause over cooked roux will give a grainy texture to the soup and will also taste a bit funny.

3. As soon as the oil and flour mixture turns pale, add sieved soup one ladle at a time and constantly mix with the help of a whisk tool. The mixture will thicken immediately but keep stirring to make a smooth paste. It is important not to add all the soup in one go as roux will clump up and it will be much harder to dissolve all the lumps.

4. Once all the soup is added and mixed well, continue cooking and stirring on medium heat until the soup thickens. My recipe will not thicken the soup too much but just enough to give the rich creamy consistency.

6. Season with salt and black pepper to your liking. At this point have a taste of the soup.

If it's too acidic, add only 1/2 teaspoon of sugar to balance the sweet and sour flavours (note we do not want to make it sweet so do not add too much sugar). You wouldn't require to add sugar if the tomatoes used for soup are ripe and deep red. Heat the soup, garnish and serve warm. Check out the garnish options below to add some flair to your soup when it's time to serve.

What type of tomatoes is best for the soup?

The ideal tomatoes for this soup are those that are fresh, plump, and juicy. So plum, truss, or Roma tomatoes are your best bets. Always choose those tomatoes that are dark red in colour. That's where the sweetness and flavour are concentrated. Lighter-colored tomatoes will be sourer, necessitating the use of sugar to offset the acidity.

How to alter soup consistency?

Tomato soup is usually watery unless you use very little water during pressure cooking, which makes sieving more difficult. So I prepare a roux and gradually add sieved soup to thicken it (details mentioned in step 5 above). In any case, if you don't want to make a roux, simply decrease the liquid by simmering the soup on low heat with continual stirring. Without the roux, the solids and liquids will separate after a while.

Garnish options?

There are many ways to garnish the soup. You can have a simple garnish of crushed pepper and chopped coriander leaves, or enhance with roasted pine nuts, sesame, pumpkin, pepita, and /or sunflower seeds or you can go fancier by topping the soup with my crispy herbed croutons.

Can it be made ahead of time?

Yes, it is possible to prepare it ahead of time. The soup tastes yummier the next day.

This soup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also stock it by freezing it. It will stay good for a couple of months in the freezer.

Note: Do not re-freeze once thawed. Freeze in smaller batches so you can just take out what you need.

What special dietary needs does this recipe cater to?

This is the ideal recipe that covers a wide range of dietary requirements. It is perfect for Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-free, Nut-free (do not add nuts as garnish), and Lactose-free diets.

Final Result

Look at this rich, velvety, warm soup. Isn't it appealing to the eye? I just can't wait, I'm taking a swig.