Tomato Bisque Soup
Tomato Bisque is a creamy variation of a classic tomato soup with rich tomato flavors and smooth, creamy texture. This heartwarming soup goes perfectly with gooey grilled cheese, crunchy croutons, or simply shaved Parmesan cheese on top. It’s a perfect comfort food for colder seasons!
Enjoy more of my favorite tomato soup recipes like Zucchini Tomato Soup and Tomato Basil Soup.
Table of Contents
So what is tomato bisque and how is it different from a classic Tomato Soup? Tomato bisque is actually a twist on a classic tomato soup made with a thickened cream mixture to create a smooth, hearty pair for your grilled cheese. A “bisque” is a rich, thick, and creamy soup that is pureed into smooth consistency.
I make my tomato bisque a little different. It’s not just heavy cream added to tomato soup. This makes the soup into a truer bisque as opposed to creamy tomato soup. There’ss a little more work to it, but the end result is unlike any other! It’s very rich and filling.
This soup is wonderful once the weather starts getting cooler. You can serve it with a grilled cheese sandwich, croutons (parmesan croutons are the best), any other sandwich, or with a simple sprinkle of shaved parmesan cheese on top.
Ingredient Notes
Tomatoes – I usually use a can of San Marzano peeled whole tomatoes. Crushed tomatoes will also work as well if you need to.
Garlic – It’s always best to use fresh garlic, smash it to release the oils for the most flavor, and then mince.
Onion – A yellow onion will work well, but a white or Vidalia will make a good substitute.
Flour – all purpose flour works well to thicken the sour and if you need to make it gluten free, use gluten free all purpose flour.
Heavy Whipping Cream – To make your soup beautifully rich and creamy, don’t substitute with lower fat dairy products.
Whole Milk – I don’t recommend swapping whole milk with any other ingredient. (Scroll down to my FAQs to see how you can make it dairy free if needed).
Butter – I recommend using unsalted butter. That way, you can control how much salt is added to the soup.
See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Tomato Bisque
Sauté the onions and garlic. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven with oil. Sauté the onions until softened and transparent and add minced garlic (1).
Add tomatoes and seasonings. Add the tomatoes and crush them up with the spatula. Sprinkle in the garlic powder, salt, sugar, black pepper and basil (2). Mix well (3) and cover with a lid. Simmer for about 15 minutes and stir occasionally.
Blend. You can use an immersion blender or food processor for this step. Blend everything together until smooth (4).
PRO TIP: if you choose to blend the soup in a blender or food processor, make sure it is heat resistant and especially made for hot foods! (This is the Hot/Cold Blender I have but it is not available at the time, you can look at this alternative blender.)
Make a roux. Melt butter in the same pot (5). Whisk in the flour until combined (6).
Make it creamy. Slowly pour in the milk and heavy whipping cream (7). Slowly stir. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, while stirring, until thickened (8).
Add the tomato mixture. Once the mixture has thickened, pour in the tomato mixture and stir until smooth (9). Bring the mixture to simmer and cook for just a few more minutes covered with a lid (10).
Recipe FAQs
This soup is so easy to make gluten free just by swapping out regular flour for gluten free all purpose flour. Some gluten free flour doesn’t thicken as well as regular, so you may need to use one or two extra tablespoons of gluten free flour. Make sure to use all purpose gluten free flour.
Remaining ingredients should ready be gluten free but make sure to double check the packaging label to make sure.
Sure thing. You can make this tomato bisque dairy free, but the taste will be affected slightly. Substitute butter for the plant based “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter,” “Earth Balance,” or another plant based butter substitute you prefer. If you have access, Green Valley Creamery dairy free products are wonderful, it’s my personal preference, and you won’t notice the difference!
Milk and cream can be substituted by lactose free or dairy free alternatives. Some brands make plant based heavy whipping cream but check your stores for availability. You can also use a 13 oz. can of unsweetened coconut cream. Size of the can varies from brand to brand but they’re all about 13 oz. The taste of soup be slightly sweeter and it might have a mild hint of coconut.
You can also try using oat milk, but it’s not as thick so more flour may be needed.
If lactose is the reason and not dairy all together, use lactose free milk and half and half.
Something crunchy is always the best texture compliment to any smooth blended soup. So think croutons, whether homemade or store-bought, pepitas, sunflower seeds, dried chickpeas, tortilla strips, or crackers.
A grilled cheese is always the perfect compliment to all the tomato soup varieties. You can also mix in some shredded or grated cheese into the soup.
The difference is the consistency. Regular tomato soup isn’t quite as thick and creamy as tomato bisque. The thickened creamy mixture that’s made with butter, flour, cream and milk is what makes this soup so much sturdier and richer than your average tomato soup.
Storing and Reheating Instructions
Properly stored, tomato bisque will last 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. Make sure to store it an air-tight container that is plastic or glass.
Reheated it in a microwave, just make sure to cover the bowl with a microwave-safe lid or with another plate turned upside down. This soup tends to splatter so covering the bowl will save you a lot of clean up!
If you need to reheat the whole batch of soup as opposed to just one serving, use a medium pot and reheat it over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or until completely heated through.
Try More Vegetable Soup Recipes
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Tomato Bisque Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves crashed and minced
- 28 oz peeled whole tomatoes (or crushed tomatoes)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
- 6 tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk or 2% milk
- salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat a large pot over medium heat and add canola oil. Saute diced onion until transparent and add minced garlic.
- Add tomatoes and crush them up with the spatula (unless using crushed tomatoes). Add garlic powder, salt, sugar, black pepper, and dried basil. Mix well and cover with a lid. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Use either an immersion blender or a food processor to blend the tomato mixture and set aside.
- In the same pot (or a separate pot), melt butter and whisk in flour until combined and slowly pour in milk and heavy whipping cream, while slowly stirring. (I like to use a whisk because it blends flour in with milk much better.)
- Season the milk mixture with some salt and pepper and cook while stirring until it’s thickened.
- Once the mixture is thickened, pour in the tomato mixture and stir until smooth. Bring the mixture to simmer and cook for just a few more minutes covered with a lid.
- Take off heat and serve.
Video
Notes
- Gluten Free: This soup is so easy to make gluten free just by swapping out regular flour for gluten free all purpose flour. Make sure to use all purpose gluten free flour, not other kinds.
Remaining ingredients should ready be gluten free but make sure to double check the packaging label to make sure. - Dairy Free Options: You can make this tomato bisque dairy free, but the taste will be affected slightly. Substitute butter for the plant based “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter,” “Earth Balance,” or another plant based butter substitute you prefer. If you have access, Green Valley Creamery dairy free products are wonderful, it’s my personal preference, and you won’t notice the difference!
Milk and cream can be substituted by lactose free or dairy free alternatives. Some brands make plant based heavy whipping cream but check your stores for availability. You can also use a 13 oz. can of unsweetened coconut cream. Size of the can varies from brand to brand but they’re all about 13 oz. The taste of soup be slightly sweeter and it might have a mild hint of coconut.
You can also try using oat milk, but it’s not as thick so more flour may be needed.
If lactose is the reason and not dairy all together, use lactose free milk and half and half.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in August 2019.
All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
Love this, Instead of the croutons, I made grilled cheese and cut them into crouton size and put on top of the soup.
Sooooo good.
Yum! I love doing that! Glad you liked the soup! 🙂
You’re right!! I tried!
Let me start by saying I’m not normally a fan of tomato soup, but I made this recipe on request of my hubby. I was blown away, it was delicious! Very creamy and hearty and flavorful. Excellent compliment to a soup and salad night. We originally planned on soup with grilled cheese sandwiches, but upon tasting the soup decided that would be too rich together. Just sprinkled some croutons on top of the soup instead. I used one 14-oz can of tomatoes plus three fresh tomatoes from the garden, and simmered a little longer to soften them up to a canned tomato consistency. I highly recommend this soup!
I am so glad you liked it, Niquey!
Made this for the 3rd time today. I never leave reviews on cooking recipes but this one is a winner. With an overload of tomatoes from the garden I’m able to whip this up on a Sunday and have several lunches through the week. It’s so good and it really hits the spot after a long day! Thank you so much for this recipe.
I am so glad you like it, Jessie!
Can this recipe freezer friendly?
Unfortunately, heavy cream doesn’t freeze well the overall taste and texture may change once thawed. You could freeze after step 4 then reheat in a pot and follow steps 4-7
I made this soup and added broth to the soup.It was a winner
Glad you liked it, Maxine!
Made this soup for the first time and it was delicious! Easy to make and my family enjoyed it,. I will definitely be making it again.
First time making a tomato soup and this recipe was so easy and super delicious. I did add a large grated carrot for extra veg when I sauted the onion but that’s the only adjustment I did. Will definitely make this again.
Glad you liked it and were able to make it your own.
Was awfully thick and lacking flavor. Any idea what I can do to improve it?
Hi Sharon, this is a smooth and mild soup, definitely. If you want more flavor, you can adjust your seasoning to your taste. Add a little more salt, pepper, and a little more garlic powder. You can also make it spicier if you wish by adding some crushed red pepper flakes. If you find it too thick for your taste, no worries, you can thin it out with some chicken or vegetable broth.