30-Minute Instant Pot Tomato Soup (With Stovetop Version!)

Name: 30-Minute Instant Pot Tomato Soup (With Stovetop Version!)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil (for sautéing the vegetables); 1 large onion (chopped finely (red, white or yellow onions all fine, although yellow is the sweetest when cooked)); 1 large carrot ((1-2) peeled and chopped into small pieces); 2 sticks of celery ((2-3) chopped finely); 2 garlic cloves (peeled (but you can leave whole)); 28 ounces canned tomatoes (whole or chopped (two regular cans or 1 large) whole or chopped); 4 cups chicken broth ((stock) best quality, use vegetable stock if you want to keep the recipe vegetarian/vegan); ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste); ¼ teaspoon pepper (or to taste); 2 tablespoons fresh basil; ½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar (optional); 1 tablespoon honey ((or a teaspoon of sugar)); toasted bread drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt; a little cream or Greek yogurt to stir in at the table

By Helen Schofield

on Oct 27, 2022, Updated Nov 07, 2022

63 Comments

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This delicious instant pot tomato soup recipe is so simple (not to mention healthy!). Make it in just 30 minutes with canned tomatoes, fresh basil and a few other simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry and fridge. Prefer to make it on the stovetop? No worries – you can do that if you prefer!

Closeup overhead shot of a bowl of instant pot tomato soup with a spoon in and fresh basil on top and with fresh basil in the top left corner.

Why you’ll love it
About the ingredients
How to make it
Helen’s Top Tips
How to serve it
Variations
Recipe FAQ
More easy soup recipes
30-Minute Instant Pot Tomato Soup (With Stovetop Version!) Recipe

Why you’ll love it

When you’re in the mood for something healthy, simple and comforting, let’s face it, you can’t go wrong with a bowl of homemade tomato soup. Even better if you have an Instant Pot (or other electric pressure cooker!) which makes the recipe a little more hands-off.

Here’s what I think you’ll love about making this easy tomato soup in your Instant Pot!

✔ Super easy to make with just canned tomatoes, fresh basil and a few other simple pantry ingredients.

✔ Ready in just 30 minutes (this includes the prep time, and the time for the Instant Pot to come to pressure and release the pressure at the end).

✔ A ‘healthy’ tomato soup recipe. Low in calories, and… hello ‘hidden’ nutrition with added carrots, onion and celery!

✔ Easy to customize to ‘make it your own’. Switch up the seasonings, or add a dash of cream or cheese for extra richness, for instance. Or check out more ideas below!

✔ Instant Pot or stovetop – it’s your choice. I love the IP since it’s so hands-off, but this soup is almost as easy to make on the stove if you prefer!

About the ingredients

Overhead of all the ingredients needed to make instant pot tomato soup including canned tomatoes, chopped carrots, celery and onion, chicken broth, salt and pepper, balsamic vinegar, honey, and fresh basil.

There are very few recipes that you can truly make with just a few pantry ingredients and still end up with something very delicious. This Instant Pot tomato basil soup is definitely one of them!

If you’ve got these ingredients, you’re all set.

Some simple vegetables: a chopped onion, a large carrot or two, and 2-3 sticks of celery (you can skip any of these you don’t have). I’ve used a red onion in the photo shown above, but a regular white or yellow onion is perfectly fine, as well.

Fun fact: Yellow onions are the sweetest when cooked.

Garlic: 2 large cloves. No need to crush or chop, since you’ll be blending the soup.

Liquid: Canned tomatoes and broth/stock. You can use either chopped tomatoes or whole. I usually use chicken stock but use vegetable broth if you’d like to keep the recipe vegetarian (actually, vegan!).

Seasonings: Adding half a bunch of fresh basil definitely elevates the flavor of this simple soup. By all means, you can substitute the fresh basil for a heaped tablespoon of dried basil (or any dried herb!). Adjust the amount of salt and pepper to taste.

To balance the flavours: I like to add two ‘secret’ ingredients to any tomato-based recipe – a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a spoonful of honey (or sugar if you don’t have it). Purely optional, but you’ll be surprised what a difference these simple additions make!

Top tip: To substitute fresh basil for dried, simply use 1 teaspoon of the dried herb for every 1 tablespoon of fresh. In this recipe, use around a heaped tablespoon of dried basil.

How to make it

The step-by-step guide below should help you make the recipe perfectly first time. Scroll down to the end for the full recipe including ingredient amounts.

It takes just 10 minutes to prep the ingredients to make tomato soup in an Instant Pot!

Step 1: Add a drizzle of olive oil to the bowl of your Instant Pot. Cook all the chopped vegetables plus the garlic on the sauté fuction for a couple of minutes (optional step, but recommended!).

Closeup overhead shot of chopped carrots, celery and onion in an instant pot ready to make soup, all on a marble background.

Step 2: Add the liquid (tomatoes and broth), then seal the Instant Pot.

Overhead of all the ingredients for tomato soup in an instant pot on a marble background and with a red and white tea towel.

Step 3: Pressure cook for 10 minutes. Choose ‘normal’ mode, and then adjust the time to 10 minutes. Or, you can select the ‘soup/broth’ mode and adjust the time to 10 minutes. If you have a different brand of electric pressure cooker, simply cook on medium pressure (5psi) for 10 minutes. At the end of the cooking time, open the valve to release the pressure quickly.

Step 4: Open the Instant Pot and blend the soup. You can do this either with a hand-held immersion blender (my choice!), or in a regular blender or food processor.

Closeup of immersion blender in tomato soup just about to blend on a blue background with a red and white tea towel.

Step 5: Add the basil, balsamic vinegar, honey or sugar, and salt and pepper and blend again – just for a few seconds until the basil is finely chopped but not fully blended into the soup.

Closeup of an immersion blender in an instant pot of tomato soup with fresh basil and balsamic vinegar on top.

And just like that… your Instant Pot tomato basil soup is ready. Add any desired toppings (ideas below!), and serve.

Overhead closeup shot of tomato soup in an instant pot with a blue ladle in it and with a red and white checked tea towel and fresh basil in the corner.

Stove top instructions

If for any reason you would prefer to make your soup on the stovetop, you can absolutely do that!

The only difference is that instead of pressure cooking your soup, you’ll let it simmer in a large saucepan for about 10 minutes.

So actually the pressure cooker method takes slightly longer since you have to wait for the appliance to come to pressure. But I love that you don’t have to be in the kitchen to watch the pot!

Helen’s Top Tips

Consider buying ready-chopped vegetables e.g. ready-chopped onions, diced celery, or ‘mire-poix mix’ (this is a French word meaning a mix of chopped celery, carrots and onions, and it’s available at some supermarkets including Wholefoods). Fresh or frozen chopped vegetables are fine.
So that you don’t waste any of the canned tomatoes, swish some of the broth around in the cans before emptying the liquid into the Instant Pot!
Remember to taste the soup before serving. You might like to add a little more salt and pepper, or a touch more honey for extra sweetness.

How to serve it

My favorite way to serve this Instant Pot tomato basil soup is with a little more salt, black pepper and fresh basil sprinkled over the top, plus a little grated cheese. Parmesan is perfect, but to be honest it’s usually a sharp cheddar that I have in my fridge!

If I have it, I might add a swirl of cream on top as well. I also LOVE to serve this soup (or any kind!) with either this surprisingly delicious 2-minute toasted bread with olive oil and salt or these easy toasts with parmesan cheese. Pangrattato, regular croutons or crusty bread are fine too, of course.

Or got an air fryer? Try quick and easy air fried garlic bread!

Wild card soup topper options? How about this crispy air fryer cauliflower, or this amazing 3-ingredient gnocchi with ricotta? 😉

If you’re serving the soup to guests, consider making this no-knead Italian focaccia bread or this amazing Greek bread (also no-knead!). It’s so easy, and totally worth the extra effort!

Other options? Well, we all know that tomato soup goes perfectly with a grilled cheese sandwich! I vote for this artichoke and bacon grilled cheese. This would make a great simple-yet-fancy lunch for guests.

If you’re looking for something a bit more interesting than regular bread to dip into your soup, how about these 4-ingredient cheese twists? Or these mini Greek feta cheese pies? Yep, it’s all about the cheese!

If you’re looking for tomato soup dinner ideas, how about serving it with this delicious traditional Spanish omelette, this classic quiche lorraine or this crustless quiche, this spinach and feta filo pie, or perhaps just with a Greek salad and bread?

If you’d like even more serving ideas, check out all my light meal ideas.

A bowl of instant pot tomato soup with a spoon in and fresh basil on top with another bowl in the background and on a blue table.

Variations

I love that this is a very simple and classic soup. All you really need to elevate it to the next level is plenty of basil and the right amount of seasoning. However, there are no rules against using this as a ‘base’ instant pot tomato soup recipe, then adding your own fancy twist!

Here are some great ideas.

For a richer, creamy tomato soup, blend half a cup of heavy cream into the soup (this is called a tomato bisque rather than a soup!). Or how about a little parmesan cheese? To keep the soup vegan, try coconut cream.

For a super healthy but creamy and satisfying version, try adding a can of white beans. Either add them before blending the soup or after to keep them whole.

Add different fresh or dried herbs. Sauté a teaspoon of mixed Italian herbs, for instance, along with the chopped vegetables. No basil? No worries. Blend in any other fresh herb you like instead.

Add a pinch of either red pepper flakes, chilli flakes or cayenne pepper for a hint of spicy heat. Go easy at first. You can always add more.

There are no rules against adding some bacon or chopped chorizo when you sauté the vegetables.

Alternative toppings for your soup could include pumpkin seeds, tortilla strips, chopped avocado and/or a swirl of sour cream. My top suggestion? Switch out croutons for these incredible fried halloumi bites!

Recipe FAQ

Do you really have to sauté the vegetables when making soup in the Instant Pot?

No. Strictly speaking, you really don’t have to saute the veggies first. But I think it’s worth it. This takes just a few extra minutes but it ‘sweats’ the vegetables, bringing out more flavor along with a bit of extra sweetness.

How long will this last in the fridge?

A simple homemade tomato soup keeps pretty well. So you can make a big batch and keep it in the fridge for lunches for 3 to 4 days. If that’s too much soup in one week for you, of course just like any soup you can freeze it (see below!).

Can you freeze homemade tomato soup?

Definitely. Just like any soup, homemade tomato soup freezes excellently. Just pour leftovers into plastic or glass containers with lids. Or you can freeze them in freezer bags.

Just remember to let the soup cool completely before freezing. Also don’t overfill your containers. Liquid expands as it cools so leave a bit of space at the top of your container or bag.

Your soup will keep for 4 to 6 months in the freezer.

More easy soup recipes

You can make this Olive Garden chicken gnocchi soup in your Instant Pot, or in your slow cooker. Either way, the whole family will love it!
Butternut squash season? Why not combine it with tomato to make this easy butternut squash tomato soup? (no butternut squash chopping required!)
This creamy lemon chicken orzo soup is pretty much perfection in a bowl. Ready in just 30 minutes.
This easy pumpkin and red lentil soup is the perfect choice for Fall – or any time!

Or check out all my soups.

5 from 1 vote