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GET IT NOWCreamy, flavorful, and oh-so-cozy, my tomato bisque is the perfect comfort food I turn to again and again. I order it whenever I see it on a restaurant menu, but it’s actually so easy to make yourself. Much like its close cousin roasted tomato soup, this one shares the classic tomato flavor, but a cream base sets it apart and gives it a velvety smooth texture you’re going to love. Make this tomato bisque soup recipe with me when you’re craving something warm and comforting!
Why You Need My Tomato Bisque Recipe
- Super flavorful – It’s a given that the tomatoes shine here, but you also get a good dose of aromatics, fresh herbs, and of course, cream.
- Creamy, velvety texture – My tomato bisque soup is a lot like other bisques (such as my lobster bisque), and similar to other blended creamy veggie soups (hello, butternut squash soup). In other words, it’s thick, creamy, and silky smooth.
- Simple ingredients – Most of these are simple pantry staples, and they’re naturally gluten-free. Plus, there’s very little prep — this soup only takes me around half an hour!
- Perfect for cozy nights or chilly days – Tomato bisque will warm you right up! I also love serving it as a light, healthy dinner with a salad, or a meal prep lunch with a sandwich.
What Is Tomato Bisque?
Tomato bisque is a fancy name for creamy tomato soup. Unlike your run-of-the-mill types that use only broth or stock, this bisque has cream added for a texture that’s… well, richer and creamier! And I love it even more.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my homemade tomato bisque, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Canned Tomatoes – I prefer this soup with these crushed tomatoes. Feel free to use canned whole peeled tomatoes, fire-roasted tomatoes, or diced tomatoes. You can even substitute 2 pounds of fresh tomatoes instead and just dice them before cooking, but canned ones are more convenient and I find they actually produce a deeper flavor.
- Aromatics – Onions, garlic, and celery are classic in tomato bisque recipes. You could substitute shallots or leeks, or swap in 2 teaspoons of jarred garlic instead of fresh.
- Olive Oil – To saute the veggies. Avocado oil is also fine, or even butter, since we’re not using high heat.
- Chicken Broth – Like I do for most recipes, I used reduced sodium chicken broth to control the salt in this recipe. Regular is also fine, but you’d need less added salt. You can also make your own homemade chicken broth, use vegetable broth, or even swap in bone broth for more nutrition.
- Fresh Herbs – I used a combination of fresh basil and fresh thyme. You can choose other herbs, like rosemary, oregano, or parsley. Dried herbs work as well (use 1 teaspoon dried to replace each tablespoon fresh), or use 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning instead. I also garnish my tomato bisque with extra basil, which is optional.
- Heavy Cream – This gives the soup its rich, creamy flavor and texture. You can substitute half and half to lighten it up, but I don’t recommend regular milk, as it’s too thin. For a dairy-free alternative, canned full-fat coconut milk will give you a similarly creamy result.
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper – If you like some heat, throw in some crushed red pepper flakes, too.
How To Make Tomato Bisque
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Saute the onions and celery. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven (I used this one and love it) or large pot over medium heat, until shimmering. Add the diced onions and celery. Saute until the onions are translucent and starting to brown.
- Saute the garlic. Add the minced garlic and saute until fragrant.
- Simmer the tomato bisque. Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, basil, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer.
- Blend until smooth. Pour the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth.
- Make it creamy. Return the soup to the pot, and stir in heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
- Serve. I love how beautiful the tomato bisque looks with a garnish with fresh basil and an extra drizzle of cream!
My Recipe Tips
- The more powerful your blender, the smoother your soup will be. I have this one and it’s amazing for smooth soups. If yours is not very powerful, you’ll need to blend for longer.
- If the soup doesn’t all fit in your blender, work in batches. Ladle as much of the soup into the blender as you can fit below the max line, blend, and transfer to a large bowl. Repeat with the rest of it, then transfer it all back to the pot.
- Don’t have a large blender or want easier cleanup? You can also use an immersion blender to blend the soup right in the pot. I used to think an immersion blender can’t get soups as smooth as a regular one, but turns out it was just the one I had! I recently got this one and it leaves my tomato bisque just as smooth as my regular blender.
- Give it enough time to simmer. It only takes about 15 minutes in my cast iron Dutch oven, but can take a bit longer if you use a pot with a different material. Some of the liquid evaporates as it cooks, and this is important to make it thick later.
- Do you need to cover the soup? No, you don’t. I recommend leaving it uncovered when simmering — again, this helps you get a thick consistency later.
- Adjust the flavor to your taste. If the soup seems to acidic, you can add a tablespoon of sweetener of your choice, more salt, or an extra splash of cream. If it’s too salty, more cream can help with that as well.
Storage & Meal Prep
- Store: Transfer to an airtight container, cool completely, and refrigerate for up to 4-5 days.
- Meal prep: It’s one of the reasons I love this tomato bisque — it stores so well! Whip up a batch, portion it into containers, and refrigerate or freeze for convenient meals throughout the week.
- Reheat: Heat on the stovetop over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, until warm. You can also reheat in the microwave (been there, done that).
- Freeze: You can freeze this soup in any container or simply zip lock bags. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Serving Ideas
My tomato bisque recipe makes the perfect starter to dinner, or combined with a healthy salad or sandwich for lunch. Try these pairings:
- Sandwiches – My fave is a classic grilled cheese sandwich on 90 second bread.
- Salad – Pair this of tomato basil bisque with my chicken Caesar salad or steak salad for a classic soup-and-salad meal.
- Toppings – I usually just do a drizzle of cream and basil, but you can customize your bowl with other toppings, like shredded cheese (cheddar or Parmesan cheese), fresh herbs (basil or parsley), your favorite croutons, or a dollop of sour cream.
- French Mains – Tomato bisque is a French soup, so it’s perfect as a starter before serving my chicken Florentine (which is actually French, not Italian!) for dinner or with my spinach quiche for brunch.
- Italian Mains – Even though this soup is not Italian, I think it pairs very well with Italian-inspired flavors. Try it with my stuffed zucchini boats or eggplant rollatini.
More Creamy Soup Recipes
Love creamy soup recipes like I do? Try some of my other comforting favorites:
Tomato Bisque (Easy Recipe)
My easy tomato bisque recipe is the perfect cozy soup! It's creamy, thick, silky smooth, quick to make, and uses simple ingredients.
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Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or pot over medium heat, until shimmering.
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Add the diced onions and celery. Saute for 8-10 minutes, until the onions are translucent and starting to brown.
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Add the minced garlic. Saute for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
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Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, basil, and thyme. (If using canned whole peeled tomatoes, mash them before adding the broth.) Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
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Transfer the soup to a powerful blender and puree until smooth. (Work in batches if needed.) You can also use an immersion blender to blend the soup right in the pot.
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Return the soup to the pot. Stir in the heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Garnish with fresh basil and/or an additional drizzle of cream, if you like.
LAST STEP: Leave a rating to help other readers, or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram. I’d love to hear from you!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 cup
- Tips & substitutions: See the details in the post above! I’ve got tips to get your soup velvety smooth and thick, as well as how to adjust it if it’s too acidic or too salty for your taste. There are also notes on using different types of tomatoes.
- Store: 4-5 days in the fridge. My tomato bisque stores very well if you want to meal prep it ahead!
- Reheat: Heat on the stovetop over low to medium heat, or use the microwave.
- Freeze: Up to 3 months in the freezer.
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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Tomato Bisque
35 Comments
Sue Valtin
0I made the tomato bisque recipe with fresh tomatoes, basil, and thyme from my garden. It was very good but I didn’t care for the thyme. I will make it again without the thyme and maybe add a little sweetener next time.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thanks for the feedback, Sue! Yes, feel free to skip the thyme and add sweetener next time if you like. Glad you liked it otherwise!
Penny VanTassel
0Easy and delicious and quick enough.
Wholesome Yum D
0I’m so glad you liked it, Penny! Quick and delicious is what I’m always aiming for.
Nancy Thompson
0This has a great tomato flavor and so creamy which was surprising since canned tomatoes were used. It was super easy to make and there were no crazy ingredients, things you could already have on hand. It’s for Book Club tomorrow night. Hopefully everyone likes it as much as I do!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m so happy you liked it, Nancy! I hope your book club group loves it, too.
Laura
0This was good, I enjoyed it. I’m used to sweeter tomato soup, so I had to adjust my taste buds a bit (don’t get me wrong – I’m glad there was no sweetener in it!). I didn’t have fresh basil or thyme on hand so I used dried, it will be even better with the fresh herbs. I would make again with the additional of Parmesan cheese as another reviewer mentioned.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m glad you liked it, Laura! I do have an option in my tips above to add sweetener to taste if you prefer it sweeter.
Meagan
0So easy and absolutely delicious! I added a 1/4 cup of Parmesan for flavor.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m so glad you liked it, Meagan! Parmesan makes a great addition.
Rebecca Hatch
0I added hot pepper cheese when I served the soup.
Glenn
0Simple recipe with easily available ingredients. My daughter is particular about soups – consistency and flavor have to be just right, and this was just right! Didn’t add all the cream, just to keep it a little lighter, but this is definitely a go-to recipe for us!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Glenn! I’m glad you and your daughter liked it even without the cream.
Rick
0Very good receipe. Thank you very much. I used fire roasted tomatoes in place of crushed ones. I like the deeper flavor.
jersuerhodes
0Just made this soup! It is delicious! I think next time I will try 1/2 heavy cream and 1/2 coconut milk or all heavy cream. I used all coconut milk and it is very good.
Thank you for the delicious and easy recipes!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m so glad you liked it! Yes, it works great with either of those, or a combination.
Jackie
0Very good recipe, will definitely make again. After looking at the comments, I will play around with different tomatos, like fire roasted ect
Stewart Geworsky
0Thank You Maya for good recipes and great food ideas!
Dawna
0While I was growing up in the 60s and 70s Mom would heat up a can of tomato soup. She added milk and a pat of butter with buttered saltines. Cream of tomato or tomato bisque remains my favorite. I’ve made various recipes even super easy ones with Rao pasta sauce but sometimes I want to do something different. I’m going to try this. It sounds so yummy.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you for sharing, Dawna! I hope my recipe brings back memories for you even though it’s a little different. Let me know what you think!
Debbie
0Dawna, I have the same tomato soup memories! Along with a good cheese or PBJ sandwich- those were the glory days.
Denise
0This is so delicious!! 5 stars aren’t enough! So easy to make, comes together quickly, and tastes like it simmered all day long, so it’s perfect for a weeknight dinner. Pairs well with Maya’s grilled cheese sandwich or a salad. Yum!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you so much, Denise! That means a lot and am so happy you enjoyed this tomato bisque. Sounds like a perfect pairing with it!
Sherry Williams
0This recipe was so easy and delicious. I loved that all the ingredients were items I normally have so I could throw it together quickly.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Sherry! I try to make my recipes using common ingredients as much as possible. 🙂
Linda
0I have made this tomato bisque soup several times. It is so delicious and is a perfect match to a grilled cheese on Maya’s Perfect Yeast Bread! 🙂 I used fresh tomatoes from the garden instead of the canned. This is my favorite tomato soup!!!!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you so much, Linda! Sounds like the perfect combo.
Federica
0I only have tomato Sauce, can use that? ty!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Federica, Yes, you could. Tomato sauce is thinner, so you might need to simmer the soup a little longer, and sometimes they are seasoned differently so you might need to adjust the seasonings.
Laura McSparin
0Very easy and yummy tomato bisque recipe. I used a can of diced tomatoes and home grown as well. I also used no chicken broth because I am keeping a tab on my salt intake.
Blake
0My son caught something at daycare and he kept requesting the “yummy red soup”!! It pairs perfectly with homemade grilled cheese. TASTY!
Reese
0This was a really soothing recipe to make! What made it work is that you used chicken broth combined with all the other ingredients. Perfect recipe for the cold winter days. I’ll keep this one on the menu, especially the holidays. Thanks!
Rachel
0This was just what I was craving tonight! It’s been getting cooler here and this creamy tomomato soup hit the spot. Made it with grilled cheese sandwiches and my whole family gobbled it up!
Carrie
0This tomato soup is the best! It’s total comfort food with the perfect silky texture. I’m so glad I have some leftovers. Can’t wait to enjoy more for lunch today!
Macy
0I love the simple flavor and how smooth this tomato soup comes out! I added extra garlic and it was super cozy.