Dairy Free Creamy Tomato Soup

If you live in the UK, you may or may not know that the big soup brands Heinz and Campbells add milk to their canned tomato soup to give it that creamy flavour. If you live in the US, the white and red brand also sneaks in wheat (gluten) as a thickener.

So I took on the challenge to create a creamy soup that contained neither dairy or gluten and that’s where my dairy free creamy tomato soup was born! I also made it gluten-free and vegan-friendly too(just like my sweet potato, coconut & chilli soup), making it a great option for people with different dietary requirements.

 It took a few goes to get this recipe right. I tried adding coconut milk to the soup as this is usually a good replacement for dairy in sauces & I have seen other recipes use coconut milk instead of regular milk. Personally, I found the coconutty taste overpowered any other flavour and the end result wasn’t great.

I then swapped out the coconut milk with butter beans and the result was just what I was looking for! The butter beans provided the creamy taste and texture while still letting the tangy tomato flavour take the spotlight.

Butter beans are a great store cupboard ingredient and can be used in such a huge variety of dishes like my smoky mixed bean chilli & dairy free butterbean dip.

You will find everything you need for this soup in your store cupboard and it will be on the table in under 40 minutes!

❤️ Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Dairy Free & Gluten Free: Unlike a lot of store-bought tomato soup, this homemade tomato soup recipe is totally free from dairy and gluten, making it suitable for people with those food allergies.
• Vegan: This recipe is also vegan friendly as unlike most canned soups this tomato soup is made without cream or milk!
• Quick & Easy To Make: Make up this creamy tomato soup in one pot, ready to eat in just 40 minutes!
• Great Recipe To Batch Cook: Cook double the recipe amount and freeze the other half for those days when you need a quick healthy & filling lunch or dinner!
• Family Friendly Meal: The whole family will love this soup, from the kids to the adults!

🍅 Ingredients Notes & Substitutions

✋ Double check all packaging for allergens ✋

• Tinned/Canned Tomatoes - Use either whole plum tomatoes or chopped tomatoes, whatever you have in the cupboard! Try and buy the best quality tinned tomatoes you can afford, you will taste the difference. If you have a surplus of fresh tomatoes this is also a great way to use them up! Simply swap the same weight of canned tomatoes called for in the recipe with fresh tomatoes. Try cherry tomatoes for some added sweetness.
• Butter Beans - The secret ingredient! These are what help to give the tomato soup its creamy taste and texture. They are blended into the soup, which also helps to thicken it.
• Soffritto - Soffritto is a mix of carrot, onion and celery and is used to form the base of the soup.
• Garlic - I love garlic and its health benefits. It’s a great anti-inflammatory and adds a nice flavour punch to the soup.
• Vegetable Stock - Most stock cubes contain milk or gluten. I always use Knorr Vegetable Stock Pots, as they are gluten and dairy free, but they do contain celery. (always double check packaging) You can also use chicken stock but note that the soup will not be vegan. 
• Tomato Puree - Or paste as it's known in the US. This really helps to intensify the rich tomato flavour in the soup.
• Sugar - A sprinkle of sugar is used to help to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes.
• Salt - If you are cooking for young children you can leave out the salt and just season your own bowl afterwards.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

✏️ How To Make - Step-By-Step Instructions

⬇️ Here you will find an overview of how to make the recipe. For full information on ingredients and quantities please see the recipe card at the bottom of the page ⬇️

Step 1:Start by chopping the onion, celery, carrot and garlic into small bite-sized pieces. You don't need to worry about the pieces being even in size as you will blend the soup with a stick blender before serving.

Step 2:  Grab a large saucepan and heat up some olive oil over a low to medium heat. Once the oil is nice and hot, toss in the onion, celery, and carrot. This is your “soffritto” which is a base of vegetables fried in oil to be used for a stew or soup.

Give everything a good stir and let it cook for about 5 minutes, making sure to stir regularly.

Step 3: Next, add the garlic and tomato puree to the mix. Keep cooking it all together for another 5 minutes until the mixture becomes soft and fragrant. You want it to be nice and soft but not overly browned. 

Step 4: Now it's time to drain the butter beans. Pop them into a sieve and give them a good rinse under the tap. Then prepare the vegetable stock by following the instructions on your stock pack.

Step 5:  To the pan add the crushed tomatoes, made-up vegetable stock, salt and a dash of sugar to balance the flavours. Give everything a good store & bring the mixture to the boil.

Step 6: Once the mixture has boiled, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer gently for 20 minutes to let all the flavours intensify and come together.

Step 7: The final step is to blend the soup. I use a stick blender for ease (less washing up!) but feel free to put it in your jug blender. The jug blender will also give you a smoother soup. Check the seasoning and add more if needed.

It’s as easy as that!

💡 Tips & Tricks

• You can also add around ½ cup (120ml) of dairy-free cream to the soup just before serving to make it even creamier!
• If you have opted to use fresh tomatoes, cut them into small chunks and once the soffritto has softened, add the fresh tomatoes to the pan and let them cook down for 15-20 minutes before adding the stock.
• You can leave the soup a bit chunky or keep blending until it's super smooth, the choice is yours!
• Sprinkle through some chopped fresh basil leaves before serving for added flavour.

🍱 Storage, Freezing & Reheating

If you have leftovers they will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for around 3 days. Re-heat the soup in a saucepan on a medium heat on the hob for around 5 minutes until piping hot. 

Alternatively, you can microwave the soup for a couple of minutes until hot, just be sure to rest a lid on the top of the container to avoid it spitting all over the microwave and stir it halfway through heating.

This dairy-free tomato soup also freezes really well for up to 3 months. Store in a freezer-safe container. When you are ready to eat, leave to defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat as above.

💬 Recipe FAQs