Tomato Bisque
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.
Quick Overview
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 (and way better). It’s not just heavy cream added to tomato soup. You have to create a thick cream sauce (aka Béchamel), and that makes the soup into a true bisque as opposed to just creamy tomato soup. There’s a little more work to it, but the end result is unlike any other! It’s very rich, smooth, and filling.
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.
Steps and Tips to Make Tomato Bisque
- Sauté the onions and garlic. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven and add olive oil. Sauté the onions until softened and browned (so much more flavor from browned veggies)! Stir in garlic.
- 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. Mix well 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.
- 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. Whisk in the flour until combined.
- Make cream sauce: Slowly pour in the milk and heavy whipping cream. Slowly stir. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, while stirring, until thickened. (You just made Béchamel sauce!)
- Mix together. Once the mixture has thickened, pour in the tomato mixture and stir until smooth. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and cook for just a few more minutes partially covered with a lid.
Variations and Substitutions (Allergy Friendly)
Gluten Free:
- This soup is so easy to make gluten free just by swapping out regular flour for 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour. Some gluten free flours doesn’t thicken as well as regular, so you make sure to use all purpose gluten free flour. (Not almond or coconut or another single ingredient ones.)
- Remaining ingredients should already be gluten free but make sure to double check the packaging label to make sure.
Lactose and Fairy Free:
- Butter: 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: 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 and it’s slightly sweet.
- If lactose is the reason and not dairy all together, use lactose free milk and half and half.
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Tomato Bisque Recipe
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.
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Servings: 4 (makes about 6 cups)
Calories: 533kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil or avocado 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
Calories: 533kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Cholesterol: 130mg | Sodium: 474mg | Potassium: 544mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1689IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 163mg | Iron: 3mg
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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
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.
For the can of tomatoes do you include the juice or drain them before adding?
Hi Jessica! Nope, no need to drain the tomatoes for tomato soup!
I plan on making this bisque for an upcoming gathering. Can I make it a day ahead of time and reheat the day of the gathering?
Yes, you could make this beforehand but you will want to wait to add the cream until you heat it back up.
Made this soup last night with a gourmet grilled cheese and it was fantastic! The only thing I’d change is the serving size as I felt it really didn’t leave much for leftovers. If I wanted to double the output, how should I change the recipe?
I am glad you liked it! You can double all the ingredients and follow the same steps to double this recipe.
This is my first time making homemade tomato soup and this recipe is phenomenal! Not only does it come together easily, it’s delicious. I paired it with some fancy grilled cheese and we loved it.
Thank you for sharing!
So glad you liked it, LeAnn! 🙂
This is the perfect soup for a chilly day along with a grilled cheese sandwich!! I’ve made this several times and it is always a hit!
Thanks !
I am so glad you like it, Lucretia!
So glad you like it, Lucretia!
Your recipe sounds yummy. I was wondering if it could be frozen?
Unfortuanilty, 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
So very good. This will be a family favorite now,
I love hearing this! Thanks, Gail!
I would like to try this recipe with fresh tomatoes since they are coming on now. Do you think this will work?
I do think it would work you would need to peel the skin off and you will have to slow-cook the soup much longer before blending it. I would recommend cooking it for about an hour, covered, over low heat.
This was absolutely amazing. I served it up with some garlic bread and it was divine. My family loved it and went for seconds and thirds! Great recipe!
Awe, thank you! I am so glad you liked it!
Saved this recipe and finally got to try it. AND my family loved it. Definitely a keeper
I am so glad you liked it, Elyn!
I can’t tell you how much I love this soup!!! This is my second day if eating it, and it’s even better after being in fridge overnight. As to blending, I intentionally kept it thick with lots of texture. Thank you!
Thank you, Angela! I am so glad you liked it!
This was so good!!! I seriously cannot say enough good things! Such an easy to follow recipie and such amazing flavor. Had this with some fresh bread to dip into it and it was the perfect pairing. I added a bit of fresh oregano to this as well and it came out so well. Will definitely be adding this to my list of go-to soups!
Awe, thank you so much for the kind comment! I am so happy you liked it! 🙂