This warm and comforting Indian vegan tomato soup recipe is made in the Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker. This easy, homemade tomato soup is fail-proof, so give it a try! It can be made in 40 minutes.
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Tomato Soup Is The Best Soup
Tomato soup is one of the most popular soups and is loved by almost everyone. No one can resist a warm bowl of homemade tomato soup. This classic soup's intense, rich tomato flavor is very comforting and appetizing.
The right balance of sweet, spicy, and tart flavors in this soup will create a riot in the mouth when devoured. Sometimes it's difficult to nail the flavor. I have always felt that only certain restaurants manage to get the flavor and consistency right (neither too thick nor too thin) until I found the perfect soup recipe to make at home using a pressure cooker.
My favorite soup
To date, if I visit an Indian restaurant, I have to order tomato soup if it is on the menu! I picked up this habit from my mom. It's her favorite soup and we would always order 2 by 4 (2 bowls of soup divided into 4 bowls) tomato soup whenever we went to a restaurant.
While many restaurants serve this Indian-style tomato soup, not many get the flavor or consistency right. It usually is a HIT or a MISS. Over the years, we have made tomato soup at home many times following many different recipes. The pressure cooker soup recipe I now use is a mix of all of those experiments.
In Indian cuisine, we call it Tamatar ka Shorba which is similar to Dal Shorba. I featured a stovetop version of this recipe in my cookbook. I got many requests to share the Instant Pot version as well, so here it is! My recipe for tomato bisque or soup is vegan and so convenient to make in the Instant Pot. BTW, I am currently obsessing over Broccoli Soup! You have to check it out.
Benefits of Tomato Soup
Tomato soup is healthy especially if it's homemade. It is made with fresh ingredients, low in sodium, and no preservatives, additives, or artificial colors are used. Also, tomatoes, in general, are rich in vitamins, easy to cook, and taste great when eaten raw or when cooked.
This zesty and flavorful soup can be enjoyed during spring, summer, and even in the winter. If you are feeling low or under the weather, this hot bowl of soup acts like comfort food, similar to Rasam.
Some tomato-based recipes are Sindhi Tomato Kadhi, Tomato Rice, Eggless Tomato Omelet, Almond Tomato Chutney, Tomato Rasam, Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Gnocchi, and Cauliflower Tomato Rassa.
Why make this
- It's a vegan and gluten-free tomato soup recipe
- Made with basic pantry ingredients
- No cream required
- It's an Instant Pot/pressure cooker soup recipe
- One Pot meal
- Easy to make
- Can be made in 30 minutes
- Creamy and delicious
- It's one of the best homemade tomato soup recipes
Ingredients needed 🧾
Tomatoes - Use ripe red juicy plum Roma tomatoes when making this vegan soup. Whole canned tomatoes with juice or even canned diced tomatoes are a great shortcut too. Fresh tomatoes or canned tomatoes, both will work. It really depends on what you have handy but fresh ones always bring in more flavor.
Other than tomatoes, I also add onions to give this Instant Pot tomato soup a mild sweet taste and to balance the flavors.
Spices - ginger, garlic, peppercorns, cardamom, turmeric powder, and chilly powder are the basic spices you will need to make this Instant Pot soup.
Herbs - I use cilantro with their stalk. It brings in so much flavor an aroma.
Butter - Since this is a vegan tomato soup recipe, I have used dairy-free butter.
Bread for croutons. You can use any kind of bread for this purpose. You can also use store-bought croutons. I use white bread, and toast and cut them into cubes.
Apart from these ingredients, you will need an Instant Pot and an Immersion Blender. The blender will ensure the soup gets a smooth velvety texture.
How to make it 🔪
- Turn on the Instant Pot in saute mode and add vegan butter. Once it melts, fry the peppercorns, ginger, and garlic along with cardamom for 30 seconds. Then add the roughly chopped onions. Saute till they turn soft and translucent.
- Add the roughly chopped tomatoes. Mix and cook for a minute.
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- Then add turmeric powder and chilly powder along with salt.
- Follow it with cilantro along with their stems.
- Add vegetable stock or water and mix it all. Ensure nothing is stuck at the bottom. Turn off the Instant Pot and close the lid. Cook in pressure mode for 15 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Then manually release it.
- Open the lid. Use a handheld immersion blender to puree until the soup is smooth and creamy. There should be no chunks or pieces left. Chef Tip - If you feel the need, pass it through a sieve to remove any tiny chunky bits. Press it with a spoon to get the most juice out of it.
How to make vegan croutons
Spread bread slices with vegan butter. Toast them in a pan, oven, or toaster till the bread turns brown and crisp. Cut them into cubes and add them to the soup as topping. This step has to be done just before serving the soup as the croutons will lose flavor if made ahead of time. You can also use store-bought croutons and skip this step. Use gluten-free bread if you need it.
Serving Suggestions 🍽
Serve the soup in individual soup bowls. Garnish with cilantro, Parmesan cheese, oregano, and pepper. This vegan soup is great for cool weather, you can enjoy this ultimate cozy meal any time of the year. Sometimes we have it as a meal with some rusty toasted bread or breadsticks!
Enjoy this delicious and creamy tomato soup as the first course of your meal. On a weeknight, you can pair it with Tomato Cheddar Scones or a light salad like Cucumber Salad, Tomato Salad, Mushroom Spinach Pasta Salad, and/or Breadcrumbs Pasta Salad.
Naan dippers also pair well with this rich, comforting, and nutritious Indian tomato soup especially when served at a party! Italian bread grilled cheese sandwiches, Bombay Sandwich, Chilli Cheese Corn Toast, or Mashed Potato Cheese Sandwich also go very well with this tomato soup.
Top Recipe Tips 💭
You can add carrots and potatoes to give this soup more flavor and body. In terms of herbs, you can add thyme or basil. Grill the tomatoes and onions before to give them a more earthy flavor. Add some coconut milk at the end if you want to give it a different flavor.
If you want, then add 2-3 tablespoons of tomato ketchup or sun-dried tomatoes along with the regular tomatoes to enrich the color and flavor. Adding sugar or vinegar helps cut the acidity of the tomatoes. Do not skip it.
Instead of whole tomatoes, you can also use canned tomatoes. To pack it with more flavor, use tomato juice, or vegetable broth instead of water. When using the immersion blender, be careful to not scrape the bottom of the Instant Pot. Try not to touch the bottom of the pot with the blender.
Recipe FAQs 📖
You can also blend the soup in your blender or food processor. But for that, you will need to cool the soup mixture first and then grind the soup in batches.
If the soup is too runny, prepare a slurry of cornstarch, arrowroot powder or any flour and water in a small bowl. Add this to the soup. Then cook the soup on simmer or in saute mode till it thickens. 1-2 tablespoon of cornstarch for every cup of liquid is ideal.
Alternatively, you can also add a boiled mashed potato or finely chopped carrot to thicken it. If the soup is very thick, dilute it with some water or stock. The consistency of the soup is a personal preference. I like my tomato soup to be thick and creamy.
If the tomatoes do not give the desired deep red color, mix in tomato paste, ketchup, or Kashmiri chilly powder. You can also mix canned crushed tomatoes with fresh tomatoes.
The Instant Pot Indian soup stays well in the fridge for 4-5 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Thaw it overnight in the fridge and then reheat the soup in the microwave/Instant Pot or on the stovetop. Add the croutons when the soup is hot. Leftover soup can also be used as a pasta sauce.
You can make this vegan Indian tomato soup without the Instant Pot. Pressure cook the tomatoes along with the spices in a pressure cooker. I have shared the recipe in detail in my cookbook. You can also make it in the crockpot.
Add some tortellini after you open the Instant Pot. Cook it for 3-4 minutes on saute mode till the tortellini is done. You can also add carrots, potatoes, and celery along with the tomato in this easy homemade soup recipe.
More soup recipes
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Recipe 📖
Instant Pot Tomato Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- 5 peppercorns
- 1 inch ginger
- 7-8 cloves garlic
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
- 1 onion
- 8 tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoon chilly powder
- ½ cup cilantro
- 2 cups water or vegetable stock
- salt
To make the croutons
- 2 bread slices
- ½ tablespoon vegan butter
Instructions
- Turn on the Instant pot in saute mode and add vegan butter. Once it melts, fry the peppercorns, ginger, and garlic along with cardamom for 30 seconds. Then add the roughly chopped onions. Saute till they turn soft and translucent.
- Add the roughly chopped tomatoes. Mix and cook for a minute.
- Then add turmeric powder and chilly powder along with salt.
- Follow it with cilantro along with their stems.
- Add vegetable stock or water and mix it all together. Ensure nothing is stuck at the bottom. Turn off the Instant Pot and close the lid. Cook in pressure mode for 15 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Then manually release it.
- Open the lid. Use a handheld immersion blender to puree until the soup is smooth and creamy. There should be no chunks or pieces left. Chef Tip - If you feel the need, pass it through a sieve to remove any tiny chunky bits.
- Spread bread slices with vegan butter. Toast them in a pan, oven or in a toaster till the bread turns brown and crisp. Cut them into cubes and add them to the soup as topping.
- Serve the soup in individual soup bowls. Garnish with cilantro, and/or Parmesan cheese, oregano, and pepper.
Margaret P says
I made this for dinner tonight with a vegan grilled cheese and thought it was fantastic! I did add a little cornstarch at the end to thicken it up. The spice level is perfect and it was a great way to use up some fresh tomatoes from the garden. Thank you!
Priya says
Thank you so much. So glad you enjoyed the recipe. Fresh tomatoes from the garden sounds amazing!
Rajinder says
Hi Priya, interesting recipe, instead of fresh tomatoes, what size tomato tin would you recommend to use in this recipe.
Thank you
Rajinder
Priya says
You can use 2 14-oz cans. Hope this helps. Thank you.
Monica Joseph says
Just so easy to make it and it's delicious too...
Priya says
I am so glad you loved it. Thank you.