Slow Cooker Tomato Soup

Slow cooker tomato soup is velvety and rich with irresistibly sweet tomato flavours. Simply add the ingredients to the slow cooker at breakfast time for an appetising and healthy lunch!

Slow Cooker Cream of Tomato Soup

Whilst creating the perfect slow cooker tomato soup recipe the obvious question was “do I use fresh or tinned tomatoes”?! After much testing, I found that tinned tomatoes work fantastically well for tomato soup and they have the added benefit of removing the need for any preparation or pre-roasting of tomatoes. What’s more, you also can be assured that the recipe will taste the same every time, which is always a win!

This recipe is everything a tomato soup should be. It has a rich tomato flavour with a hint of sweetness, a sumptuous texture and a little creaminess. As it’s made in the slow cooker in just four hours it’s the perfect option for lunch. I simply add everything to the pot first thing in the morning, and then look forward to an appetising, healthy lunch!

What You’ll Need

Here’s what you need to make an easy tomato soup in the slow cooker. The full list of ingredients with quantities can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• Tomatoes – Tinned, peeled plum tomatoes work best and I opt for the best quality tinned tomatoes I can. I find that this really makes a difference with their flavour and natural sweetness.
• Sweet Potato and Carrots – I confess, I really like the consistency of certain well-known brands of canned cream of tomato soup and tried to emulate it with this recipe! I find that adding root vegetables helps to achieve that delicious naturally sweet flavour and thick velvety texture.
• Onion – Provides a savoury balance to the tomatoes.
• Seasoning – I use vegetable stock cubes, garlic powder, celery salt, paprika, salt, pepper and dried basil to season the soup. I like to use dried basil because it’s convenient and provides a lovely subtle flavour. If you are using fresh basil leaves, about 10 large leaves will be enough as their flavour is more intense.
• Milk – Milk is a perfect balancer of tomato acidity in soups, ragùs and sauces, reducing any tartness.
• Sugar – A small amount to compliment the tomatoes.

Equipment

Slow Cooker – As a guide, this recipe makes 1.5 litres of soup and so any slow cooker with greater volume than this amount will be fine. I use a 5L DuraCeramic Crockpot.

Jug Blender or Stick Blender – I have the Kenwood MultiPro food processor and I use the jug attachment for blending my soup. A hand-held stick blender will also work.

How To Make Slow Cooker Tomato Soup

It takes around five minutes to prep the ingredients and add them to the slow cooker, then a few minutes more to blend the soup mixture once it’s cooked. It’s that easy! Here are the steps:

1. Peel and chop the onion, carrot and sweet potato and place in the slow cooker.
2. Add all of the remaining ingredients, apart from the milk.
3. Stir well and cook on high for 4 hours.
4. Check the vegetables are soft and then add the milk then cook on high for a further 15 minutes.
5. Next, transfer the soup mixture to a jug blender and pulse until smooth. You can also do this with a stick blender directly in the slow cooker.
6. Serve immediately or allow to cool and store in the fridge or freezer.

Serving Suggestions

As with any soup, Slow Cooker Tomato Soup tastes wonderful served with fresh crusty white bread and butter, or any bread for that matter! I sometimes like to scatter a little grated cheese on the top.

If you are entertaining guests and wish to serve it as an appetiser, why not swirl a little cream through the top and garnish with chopped parsley for a more decadent look?

Top Tips

• Dice the vegetables into 2cm chunks to ensure that they are cooked through within the cooking time.
• Take the cooking times as a guide as there can be variances due to different brands and sizes of slow cooker.
• Add the milk or cream at the end of the cooking time to prevent it splitting in the tomato and vegetables juices during cooking.
• Ensure all of the vegetables are fully blended together to make the soup smooth and velvety. This may involve switching off the blender half way through and stirring to release any pieces that may have caught under the blades.
• If blending the soup directly in the slow cooker with a stick blender, ensure that the blender is under the surface of the soup at all times to prevent any splatters of hot soup.
• This recipe makes a thick soup, if you would prefer a thinner consistency then add more water or milk. Start by stirring in 100ml of extra liquid and checking the texture.
• If you’re using fresh tomatoes, roast them before adding to the slow cooker to increase their depth of flavour.

FAQs

Recipe Variations

Here are some ideas of simple adjustments or additions to this recipe.

• Fresh tomatoes – Fresh tomatoes taste best if they are pre-roasted in the oven and the heat also allows their skins to be easily removed. Simply cut them in half, place them on an oven tray, drizzle with oil and roast on a medium to high heat for 15-20 minutes. Use these in place of the canned tomatoes in the recipe. Note that you may need to make adjustments to the volume of milk and sugar in the recipe to balance any variances in sweetness and acidity .
• Chopped tomatoes – You can use chopped tomatoes but be aware that these are more processed and tend to have a higher water content.
• Potato – Sweet potato thickens and provides a subtle sweetness to this soup. You can use a large white potato in it’s place, peeled and diced. A waxy, low starch variety works best.
• Milk – I achieve the creamy flavour of this tomato soup using either whole or semi-skimmed milk. I find that fully skimmed milk (red top milk here in the UK) doesn’t cut through the acidity of the tomatoes to the same degree.
• Cream – Use single cream in place of milk for a more decadent taste, start by adding 2/3rds of the stated recipe amount of milk and test for taste
• Seasoning – Add half a teaspoon of dried, ground chilli powder to add heat to the soup.
• Homemade Tomato and Basil Soup – This recipe can be adapted to make a deliciously fresh tasting homemade tomato and basil soup. Simply half the quantity of milk stated in the recipe card and double the amount of dried or fresh basil.