Instant pot tomato soup is my cozy comforting lunch nearly any day of the week. With just 5 minutes of cook time and 10 minutes of prep work, it's such an easy meal! Plus, my tomato soup has a twist you won't see anywhere else (also: no sugar added!).
Instant pot mini tomato soup
I came to tomato soup later in life, mainly because my childhood was consumed by chicken noodle, but once I had a smooth, creamy bowl of tangy tomato soup, I was hooked. I had it at a small chain French restaurant called La Madeleine, and it was well known for containing so much cream that any antioxidants provided by the tomatoes were surely cancelled out by the cream, heh.
One of the best parts of being an adult is taking your childhood favorites and making them again, but making them easier and faster, of course. My instant pot chicken noodle soup is a near identical dupe for my Mom's version, and this creamy instant pot soup is the latest and greatest dupe to come out of my kitchen. If you grew up on taco soup, I know you'll like my instant pot taco soup, too!
It's easy to make, but it does have a twist: I add a small splash of vinegar to amplify the acidity of the tomatoes. So often, sugar is added to tomato soup, which is so strange to me because it makes it taste like pasta sauce. True tomato soup should be punchy, tangy, and bursting with fresh tomato flavor (even though we're using canned tomatoes).
Instant Pot tomato soup ingredients:
- butter: Unsalted butter is the best base for soup, trust me.
- onion: ½ of a medium onion, finely diced
- garlic: 2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
- tomato paste: 2 tablespoons of tomato paste adds incredible depth of flavor
- crushed tomatoes: I like the big 28-ounce cans of crushed San Marzano tomatoes from Italy because they're slightly more tart than sweet.
- vegetable broth: 1 cup of vegetable broth to thin things out.
- dried basil: I make this soup year round, so there's no way I would call for fresh basil. You can garnish with fresh basil in the summer, though!
- dried oregano: Oregano is citrusy and peppery at the same time; it's great here
- salt and pepper: Of course. Add more to taste, if you like.
- apple cider vinegar: I add 2 teaspoons of vinegar to this soup to increase the acidity and bring out the flavors of the tomatoes. I like a tangy tomato soup, not a sweet one!
- heavy cream: We'll add ½ cup of heavy cream after the soup is done cooking, not before.
How to make tomato soup in the pressure cooker:
- Press SAUTE on the instant pot (I'm using the instant pot mini 3-quart model, but you can double the recipe and make it in your regular 6 quart model).
- Add the butter and diced onions, and cook for about 5-6 minutes, stirring often to prevent any burning of the onions. When the onions are translucent, stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the tomato paste, stir, and cook it with the onions and garlic for about 2 minutes. This helps break up the tomato paste and release all of the flavors.
- Next, add the vegetable broth, crushed tomatoes, and dried basil, dried oregano and apple cider vinegar. Press OFF to end Saute mode on the instant pot. Place the lid on the instant pot, and turn the valve to SEAL. Press PRESSURE COOK and toggle to high pressure. Use the arrows to toggle to 5 minutes. The instant pot will beep to acknowledge your selection, and then slowly begin to build pressure. The 5 minute timer doesn’t start until pressure it reached.
- When the timer goes off, use a long-handled wooden spoon to carefully open the sealing valve—BE CAREFUL the steam is very hot. This is a forced pressure release. When the pressure valve drops to indicate it’s safe to open the pot, remove the lid and give the soup a stir. Add the heavy cream, and stir again. Ladle into two big bowls, and enjoy!
If you want to bulk up this recipe, you can stir in 2 cups of cheese tortellini after the lid comes off, but before the cream goes in. Hit SAUTE on the instant pot and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the tortellini are soft and cooked throughout. Use any leftover tortellini for my pesto tortellini pasta salad the next day!
Personally, I like to keep this classic, and so I serve this tomato soup with grilled cheese, especially my grilled pimento cheese with fried pickles. If you've never had pimento cheese grilled between two slices of bread, you're about to be in heaven.
Instant Pot Tomato Soup
Creamy, cozy and comforting instant pot mini tomato soup.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ medium onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup heavy cream
- fresh basil, for serving
Instructions
- Press SAUTE on the Instant Pot mini, and set the timer to 10 minutes. Add the butter and finely diced onion. Cook while stirring occasionally for 5-6 minutes. Keep an eye on it so the onions don’t burn or turn too dark.
- Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and sauté while stirring frequently for 2 minutes.
- Next, add all remaining ingredients: crushed tomatoes, broth, spices, and vinegar. Then, press OFF on the instant pot.
- Place the lid on the instant pot, and turn the valve to SEAL.
Press HIGH PRESSURE and set the timer to 5 minutes. The instant pot will beep to acknowledge your selection, and then slowly begin to build pressure. The 5 minute timer doesn’t start until pressure it reached. - When the timer goes off, use a long-handled wooden spoon to carefully open the sealing valve—BE CAREFUL the steam is very hot. This is a forced pressure release.
- When the pressure valve drops to indicate it’s safe to open the pot, remove the lid and give the soup a stir. Add the heavy cream, and serve the soup with fresh basil on top.
Notes
*If you would like to add the tortellini: after the pressure release (and before adding the cream), press SAUTE on the instant pot and wait until the soup comes to a simmer. Add the tortellini and let simmer for 4-5 minutes.
crushed tomatoes: I like the big 28-ounce cans of crushed San Marzano tomatoes from Italy because they're slightly more tart than sweet.
apple cider vinegar: I add 2 teaspoons of vinegar to this soup to increase the acidity and bring out the flavors of the tomatoes. I like a tangy tomato soup, not a sweet one!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 419Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 83mgSodium: 1629mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 9gSugar: 23gProtein: 10g
Stephanie says
Made this for dinner tonight and it was wonderful! I added two diced carrots and blended the soup before adding the cream. Husband approved! We had your Small Batch Biscuits for breakfast with sausage gravy. I am 52 years old and just learned to make biscuits from scratch following your recipe. Poor Pillsbury, lost a lifelong customer, lol. Now that I am only cooking for two, I am really enjoying your blog. It's hard to scale down after so many years of cooking for a family but you have inspired me! Thank you!
Christina Lane says
Hi Stephanie! I made this again tonight and made it with carrots like you suggested, and I loved it, too! Thank you so much :) Your note is so sweet. Welcome :)
Carolyn Thompson says
Please, please send me your Biscuits from scratch recipe. I am a total failure at biscuits. Perhaps you can turn the tide for me. Thank you so much.
Christina Lane says
You're in luck: https://www.dessertfortwo.com/half-dozen-buttermilk-biscuits/
Katie says
Possible to double the recipe to make in a full size Instant Pot?
Christina Lane says
Yes.
Samatha says
Keep em coming...love the small batch recipes too!
Caroline says
Hey! Just wanted to say thanks for sharing these recipes for the Instant Pot Mini. It's so hard to find recipes made specifically for the 3 qt, so thanks for doing what you do, and keep it up!
Jen says
When adding cheese tortellini, do you add frozen or dried variety?
Christina Lane says
Hi Jen :)
I've never used dried tortellini, usually I buy the refrigerated ones. If you want to use dried ones, just add a few extra minutes of saute time. For frozen, it will work just like the refrigerated ones but taste before serving just to check :)
stuart says
Is it possible to use this recipe in a regular cooking pot? Thank you
Christina Lane says
Yes, just simmer until the onions are soft and bring the whole soup to a simmer. Add the cream off the heat.
Dani says
Oh my, another absolutely fantastic recipe from Dessert For Two! This soup is delicious. I cut my grilled cheese up into little "croutons" and put them right in the soup, where they got soaked with this delicious soup. We will definitely have this again and again!
Daniella says
Delicious tasting soup! I just had one issue when it was in the high pressure stage, I got the "burn" notification twice. What did I do wrong? (It didn't taste burnt thankfully)
Christina Lane says
Are you using a 3 quart mini or a larger pot? My recipes are for the mini.
Julie says
Delicious, I made it this morning and I actually followed the recipe (a rarity for me! LOL) I added tortelllini. So happy to have found your recipes for the 3 qt IP - I'm looking forward to making more of your recipes - thank you!
Myra Fisher says
I can't find your grilled pimento cheese. Sounds so good. Help. Thank you.