Instant Pot Creamy Tomato Soup

4.93 from 14 votes

Instant Pot Creamy Tomato Soup is delicious and comforting soup made with fresh tomatoes, carrots, bell pepper, onion, herbs and garnished with cream.

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword instant pot tomato carrot soup, instant pot tomato soup, tomato basil soup

Diet Gluten-Free, Vegetarian

Method Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker, Stovetop

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Total Time 25

Servings

Calories 285kcal

Author Bhavana Patil

Equipment

Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

5 large tomatoes (about 3 cups)
1 medium onion chopped
1 large carrot diced (about ½ cup)
½ medium red bell pepper diced (about ½ cup)
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon butter (or olive oil)
1 bay leaf (optional)
2 teaspoons dried basil (or 2 tablespoons of fresh basil chopped)
salt + black pepper powder to taste
2 cups vegetable broth (or water)
¼ cup heavy cream (or milk or half and half)

Garnish:

few bread croutons
extra cream

Instructions

Instant Pot Method:

Firstly, press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Next, add Olive oil (or butter) and once it's hot, add bay leaf and minced garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
Next, add onions and saute until they soften.
Then add carrots, red bell pepper, diced tomatoes, vegetable broth (water), black pepper powder, and salt. Carrot adds creamy texture, sweetness and brings bright color to the dish.
Red bell pepper gives a nice smoky flavor and color to the soup. But it's optional. You can also use celery for this recipe.
Close the lid securely, and turn the vent to "SEALING". Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL (High Pressure) setting and set the cooking time to 6 minutes.
When the instant pot beeps, allow the pressure to release naturally before removing the lid.
Remove the Bay leaf and puree the soup until smooth using an immersion blender. ( Or transfer the mixture to a traditional blender in batches and puree until smooth).
Then strain the puree using fine mesh sieve and discard the residue, but this step is optional.
Add dried basil, black pepper powder, heavy cream (or milk or half and a half), and stir well. It is entirely up to you which of these three you want to use; remember that the higher the fat content, the creamier the soup. Adjust seasoning at this stage.
If you think the soup is too thick, you can add water or milk and simmer it for 2 minutes.
Serve hot and top with croutons and a drizzle of heavy cream.

Stovetop Pot Method:

Follow the same steps as above for STOVETOP, instead of pressure cooking here we have to cover the pot and simmer until the tomatoes and other vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes and blend.

Video

Notes

I have prepared this dish in my electric pressure cooker, Instant Pot DUO60 6 QT.

Tips to Make the Best Tomato Soup

Dice Veggies into the same size: Dice the tomatoes and other veggies roughly the same size (about 1-inch cubes) for even cooking.
Saute the Aromatics: Be sure to sauté the aromatics, like onion and garlic, in a little olive oil or butter first, it will help to elevate the soup flavors.
Canned Tomatoes: You can also use canned diced, or crushed tomatoes instead of fresh ones.
Roasting Tomatoes: You can also roast the fresh tomatoes in the oven or air fryer before using them in the soup.

Variations

Extra Creamy Texture: For a richer, creamy tomato soup, I have added heavy cream to the soup. You can substitute it with cream cheese, sour cream, greek yogurt, or Parmesan cheese.
Vegan: You can substitute heavy cream with coconut cream, full-fat coconut milk, or almond milk to make vegan tomato soup.
Herbs: If you don't have basil, try adding different dried or fresh herbs like Italian seasoning, thyme, chives, etc.
Other Veggies: You can also add diced celery, and beetroot to this soup to make it extra nutritious.

Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition