Tomato Basil Bisque
on Aug 02, 2022, Updated Jan 16, 2025
Tomato Basil Bisque is an easy-to-make creamy soup made using roasted tomatoes, heavy cream, and fresh basil. My recipe makes the best homemade version of this soup.
Here are some easy soup recipes: Hungarian Mushroom Soup, Pumpkin Apple Soup, Clear Chicken Soup, Thai Pumpkin Curry Soup, and Chicken Sweet Potato Soup.
The weather is still cold these days, and I am making lots of soups for dinners. This tomato and bisque is my go-to recipe as everyone in the family loves it. I made a double batch yesterday, and my dinner for the next 2-3 days is sorted. Do try this recipe. You will love it too!
About Tomato Basil Bisque
Tomato Basil Bisque is a delicious creamy soup made using tomatoes, carrots, fresh basil, and other simple ingredients.
It has a deliciously rustic, earthy, rich flavor and a silky smooth, velvety texture.
This creamy tomato bisque soup recipe is the perfect comfort food that has the potential to become a family favorite. I serve it with some grilled chicken or shrimp, but you can also serve it with a nice grilled cheese.
Ingredients
Tomatoes – For this soup, choose fresh and ripe red tomatoes. San Marzano or Roma tomatoes are the best, but feel free to use any easily available variety.
If you don’t have fresh tomatoes, you can also use canned crushed tomatoes, but roasted fresh tomatoes taste the best in this creamy tomato basil bisque recipe.
Carrot – The carrots’ sweetness balances the tomatoes’ tartness very well.
Cream – Unsweetened heavy cream is added at the end to make the soup creamier and richer. You can skip it if you don’t want the extra calories in your soup.
Oil – I like to use good-quality extra virgin olive oil. You can also use avocado, grapeseed, safflower, or canola oil.
Garlic – It makes the soup super delicious.
Vegetable Stock (Vegetable Broth) – Use store-bought stock or make it at home. You can also use homemade chicken stock (chicken broth) instead of veg broth for added flavor.
Other Ingredients – You will also need bay leaves, salt, freshly cracked black pepper, cayenne pepper, fresh Italian basil leaves, butter (salted or unsalted), and sugar.
You can add regular granulated sugar or brown sugar. It balances the acidity of the tomatoes.
How To Make Roasted Tomato Basil Bisque
Roast The Tomatoes
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Cut 1 pound (500 g) of fresh ripe tomatoes into half and deseed them.
Arrange the halves on a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper.
Keep the baking tray in the middle rack of the oven and roast for 25 minutes.
Remove the tray from the oven and let the tomatoes cool down for 10 minutes. Now remove their skin using a tong or your fingers. Set aside.
Make The Soup
Heat 1 tablespoon butter (salted or unsalted) and 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a large soup pot or a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Add the following ingredients and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ¼ cup chopped onions
- 2 bay leaves
Add the following ingredients and stir well.
- roasted tomatoes
- ½ cup cubed carrots
- 2 cups of vegetable stock
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Reduce the heat to low.
Cover the pot with a lid and cook the bisque for 25-30 minutes, stirring a few times.
Remove the pot from heat and discard the bay leaves using a pair of tongs.
Add ¼ cup of packed Italian basil leaves (rinsed and roughly torn into small pieces) to the pot.
Blend the bisque using an immersion blender until creamy and smooth. You can also use a traditional blender, stick blender, or a food processor to blend the creamy tomato bisque.
Tip – If you like super creamy bisque, pass it through a mesh strainer.
Add ¼ cup of unsweetened heavy cream and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, and mix well. Cook on medium heat until it is nicely warmed.
Thin down the bisque with some water if it’s too thick for your liking.
Check for salt and add more if needed.
Garnish with cream swirl and chopped parsley, and serve warm.
Frequently Asked Questions
The difference between tomato soup and tomato bisque is very minor. Traditionally, a bisque is made using shellfish stock, but in this recipe, I have used vegetable stock. Bisque is also creamier than tomato soup due to the addition of heavy cream.
Roast the tomatoes in the oven as per the recipe.
Press the SAUTE button on the instant pot.
Follow the recipe until adding the cayenne pepper.
Close the lid and set the valve to the sealing position.
Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 6 minutes.
Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.
Release the remaining pressure manually and open the lid.
Press the SAUTE button again and cook until the bisque thickens to the desired consistency, stirring frequently.
Blend the bisque using an immersion blender until creamy and smooth.
Add heavy cream, basil, and sugar, and cook until nicely warmed.
Serve warm.
To make it in a slow cooker, add all the ingredients (except basil, cream, and sugar) to the inner pot of the slow cooker. Cover the pot and cook on high for 3-4 hours. Add basil leaves and blend the soup using an immersion blender. Add cream and sugar and cook on low for an hour. Serve.
Replace butter with olive oil and heavy cream with coconut cream (coconut milk) or cashew cream.
If you don’t want to roast the tomatoes, you can cook them in some water and use them in the recipe.
Variations
Roast a red bell pepper and tomatoes and add it to the bisque. You can also roast a garlic bulb with tomatoes and use roasted garlic instead of fresh garlic.
Add ¼ cup of sundried tomatoes for extra sweetness and depth.
Add a balsamic vinegar or red wine splash for acidity and depth.
I sometimes add a dollop of my Basil Walnut Pesto to the tomato bisque for a herbal kick.
If you like your soup spicier, then add some red pepper flakes or Asian Red Chili Paste to it.
You can add some grated parmesan cheese or sour cream to the soup to make it creamier and richer.
You can replace fresh basil with fresh parsley for a taste change.
Storage Suggestions
This tomato and basil bisque stays good in the refrigerator for 4-5 days in an airtight container. Just reheat it well in a pan or microwave before serving.
You can also freeze it. I suggest that if you plan to freeze it, then don’t add cream to it. When ready to serve, thaw, reheat, and add the cream. Serve hot.
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Tomato Basil Bisque Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh tomatoes (500 g)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided)
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste, divided)
- ¾ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper (divided)
- 1 tablespoon butter (salted or unsalted)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ¼ cup chopped onions
- 2 whole bay leaves
- ½ cup peeled and cubed carrots (½-inch cubes)
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup fresh Italian basil leaves (packed, rinsed, and roughly torn into small pieces)
- ¼ cup unsweetened heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar (white or brown)
Instructions
Roast The Tomatoes
- Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃).
- Cut tomatoes into half and deseed them.
- Arrange the halves on a baking tray and drizzle with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
- Keep the baking tray in the middle rack of the oven and roast for 25 minutes.
- Remove the tray from the oven and let the tomatoes cool down for 10 minutes. Now remove their skin using a tong or your fingers. Set aside.
Make The Soup
- Heat butter and 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Add garlic, onions, and bay leaves and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the roasted tomatoes, carrots, vegetable stock, ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, ½ tsp salt, and cayenne pepper, and stir well.
- Reduce the heat to low.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook the bisque for 25-30 minutes, stirring a few times while cooking.
- Remove the pan from heat and discard the bay leaves using a tong.
- Add basil leaves to the pot.
- Blend the bisque using an immersion blender until creamy and smooth. You can also use a traditional blender, stick blender, or a food processor to blend the creamy tomato bisque.
- Tip – If you like super creamy bisque, then pass it through a mesh strainer.
- Add cream and sugar, and mix well. Cook on medium heat until it is nicely warmed.
- Thin down the bisque with some water if it's thick for your liking.
- Check for salt and add more if needed.
- Garnish with cream swirl and chopped parsley, and serve warm.
