This easy creamy Tomato Bisque Soup Recipe is smokey, savory and so delicious! It is packed with vegetables and layers of flavor. This easy soup recipe uses pantry ingredients for a quick, delicious weeknight meal!
Because it takes only 30-minutes, it's perfect for lunch or dinner! Creamy Tomato Soup is always a family favorite! Next time try Easy Potato Soup Recipe.

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Why you'll love this recipe
You know I love a great bowl of soup, like Cream of Cauliflower Soup or my award
✔️ Only 30 minutes to make!
✔️ This easy recipe uses pantry ingredients.
✔️ This is perfect comfort food. Rich and hearty, all you need is a grilled cheese sandwich to satisfying those taste buds!!
Ingredients
- crushed tomatoes - sweet and flavorful. The recipe calls for canned tomatoes, but you can use fresh tomatoes as well, I prefer Roma tomatoes for the flavor or any organic tomato.
- fire-roasted tomatoes - to add
smokey flavor, canned whole tomatoes would be a great substitute. - tomato paste - to drive that tomato flavor home
- red and green bell pepper, carrots, celery, garlic - this bisque is loaded with vegetables
- smoked paprika powder - rich in flavor and depth, it's sweet with smokey notes!
- canned chipotle pepper - the rich adobe will add a layer of warm (not big heat to the bisque. No chipotle? Substitute with cayenne pepper.
- dried Italian herbs, salt, pepper - gotta season the soup!
- all purpose flour - to thicken the soup.
- vegetable stock or chicken broth - use whichever you prefer and have on hand, homemade chicken stock would be extra delicious!.
- half and
half - adds richness and will also thicken the soup, substitute with heavy whipping cream or even whole milk if you'd prefer. - goat cheese - add tanginess and creaminess.
- butter, olive oil - to soften and sauté the vegetables.
Instructions
- Chop the vegetables and mince the garlic.
- Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Melt butter and add olive oil.
- When hot & bubbly, add the onions, peppers, carrots and celery and sauté. Add the seasonings and continue sautéing for about 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and tomato paste, stir to combine. Add the flour, stir well. Cook for a couple of minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, chicken stock and water. Increase the heat to high and stir well until it comes to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan well. The mixture will begin to thicken.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer the tomato mixture uncovered for about 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, crumble in the goat cheese and stir until it melts through.
- Remove from the heat. In a large blender or using an immersion blender, blend until smooth consistency and creamy, velvety texture.
- Lastly, add the milk and stir until combined. Heat through, do not bring to a boil
Equipment
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- You can use a traditional blender or a stick blender (Immersion Blender) to make the soup super creamy.

FAQ's
A bisque is a soup that often contains cream. It's pureed until smooth, luscious and creamy!
Really the biggest difference between tomato soup and a tomato bisque is the bisque will contain cream and be thicker. Both soups are smooth and pureed.
Well, I can't speak for all recipes, but my recipe definitely is! It's full of vegetables - tomatoes, red and green bell peppers, carrots and celery. You can even eliminate the cream and cheese if you choose. This will not compromise the flavor!
Tips
- What do you do when you open a can of chipotle peppers or tomato paste and only need a tablespoon? Freeze the remaining. Separate the peppers into small plastic bags, date the bags and freeze them individually.
- Don't toss the parmesan cheese rind, freeze it! Place it in the soup at the beginning of cooking, it adds a ton of flavor.
- Do the same for tomato paste by 1 tablespoon increments.
- Finish the hot soup with fresh basil - delicious!
Both freeze well and are easily portioned out for future use.

Storage
Refrigerate - this creamy soup will last in the refrigerator up to three days.
Freezer - When the creamy tomato soup is complete. Place a quart in an airtight container and freeze. It freezes GREAT, up to three months.
For more tips and tricks - click here for Homemade Soup; A Complete Guide!
Related recipes
You all know I love a great bowl of soup! Whether it's a great bowl of turkey corn chowder, loaded potato soup or a mexican stew like chicken pozole!
Here are more fan favorite soups to enjoy!!
- Instant Pot Chicken Soup - don't spend all day in the kitchen! Making a homemade soup in the pressure cooker takes only minutes!
- This has been called the BEST Clam Chowder Recipe ever! It's loaded with clams. Super creamy and hearty. It's delicious!
- This Cheesy Vegetable Soup is rich, filling and delicious! More like a stew and just so darn good!
- Butternut Squash Soup - so creamy and fabulous! This recipe is made in the slow cooker.
Check this out for our BEST Homemade Soup Recipes on the blog!
Serve with
The hands down favorite side dish to serve with this classic tomato soup recipe is toasted cheese sandwiches. How can you go wrong?
- This soup would be a wonderful first course before a main dish like the Stuffed Pepper Casserole - yum!
- These rolls are amazing and no one needs to know they are frozen bread dough rolls! It doesn't get any easier!!!
- Cuban Sliders would be the next best thing. You should give this a try, I love the combination of these tangy sandwiches dipped in tomato soup - YUM!
Topping the soup with crispy croutons adds a wonderful texture and crunch!
Creamy Tomato Bisque Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 15 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 red onion chopped
- 1 red and green bell pepper seeds removed and roughly diced
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 stalk celery chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ chipotle pepper minced (optional)
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup half and half
- 2 oz goat cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
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Instructions
- Begin by chopping the vegetables and mincing the garlic.
- Place a large dutch oven over medium heat. Heat butter and olive oil. When hot and bubbly add chopped onions, peppers, carrots and celery and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the dried herbs, smoked paprika, salt & pepper and continue sauteing for about 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and tomato paste, stir thoroughly to combine. Add the flour and incorporate well. Cooking for about two minutes to cook out the flour taste.
- Add the tomatoes, chicken stock and water. Increase the heat to high and stir well until it comes to a boil. The mixture will begin to thicken. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes crumble in the goat cheese and stir until it melts thru.
- Remove from the heat. Using an immersion blender, puree the mixture until it is smooth and creamy. Lastly add the milk and stir until is combined. Heat thru, do not bring to a boil
Notes
- Heat a large stockpot over medium heat, add the butter & olive oil. Add the onions, peppers, carrots and celery and saute. Add the seasoning and continue sauteing for about 10 minutes.
- Transfer the sauteed vegetables to the slow cooker.
- Add the tomato paste and the garlic, stir to combine. Add the flour and mix well. Cooking for about two minutes to cook out the flour taste.
- Add the remaining ingredients except for the goat cheese and cook on low for four hours.
- Remove lid and crumble in cheese. Replace lid and melt the cheese (about 15 minutes).
- Puree until smooth.
- Turn the instant pot on saute, when hot add the butter & olive oil. Add the onions, peppers, carrots and celery and saute. Add the seasoning and continue sauteing for about 10 minutes.
-
Cook on Manual/High Pressure for 5 minutes. When the timer beeps allow the pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes.
- Remove lid and crumble in cheese. Replace lid and melt the cheese (about 15 minutes).
- Puree until smooth.
Nutrition
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Recipe backstory
The inspiration for this easy Tomato Bisque came from a road trip to Bend, Oregon.
Dan had a conference there and I decided to tag along. ROAD TRIP!!! Starting in Fresno, we drove up Interstate Five into Oregon. Along the way, we had a nice easy drive and stopped whenever we felt like it.
Sometimes for a picnic, sometimes for an amazing view - whatever struck our fancy! You can see all the photos and read about our adventure, just scroll down to the bottom of the blog post.
You're going to love how easy and delicious because it takes just over 30 minutes to make.
It's loaded with dried chipotle chili powder and chipotle for warm spice and the earthy flavor comes from the goat cheese with
But hey, if you're not a fan of goat cheese, that's ok - substitute with cream cheese. It will give you creaminess without the strong flavor.
On our road trip we met Mom and Dad in Bend, got to see Mount Shasta on the drive up and spent some time seeing the sights, pictured below.

Once we got to Bend, we met my folks. They had driven over from the Portland area and we got to enjoy a couple of days filled with fun and adventure!
One of the places we went was Pilot Butte in Bend (that's the photo directly above).
It's an extinct volcano that rises 500 feet above the surrounding plains. It's a State Park with a beautiful viewpoint. From the top, you can see Mt. Hood, Mt. Rainier and the Three Sisters Mountain Range. It's an absolutely amazing view!
We had lots of fun and did quite a bit of picture taking.
Bend is also famous for

Of course, we had some good eats, too. While the boys grilled up some steaks, Mom and I made a salad and sauteed some mushrooms - always a favorite with grilled steaks!
We often stay at an
How about you, have you ever used one of those services?

One meal I really enjoyed was a delicious cup of soup from a small family restaurant. I looked up this restaurant on the internet and gave them a call beforehand.
The maître d walked
This
Hope you enjoyed the pictures from our road trip! Now let's get to cooking this amazing Homemade Tomato Bisque!!
Jo Foster
Can this soup be frozen?
Bowl Me Over
Yes Jo, the Tomato Bisque will freeze well.
Bobbi Convery
Deb, Bend is beautiful, and so is this recipe. I will be making this soon!
Bowl Me Over
We've toyed with the idea of retiring in Bend - it's just so pretty! Thank you Bobbi for your support and I know you'll love this soup!
Shashi at RunninSrilankan
That view of mount Shasta is glorious! Fingers crossed y'all get the snow it needs! Speaking of needing - I think I need me a bowl of this! Spicy, Smokey, easy, delicious and only 30 minutes to make - makes this my kinda tomato bisque!
Corina
it sounds delicious and I love that it's got a bit of heat in too! I also need to clear out my freezer and make some room now Christmas is coming! I hope I find something hidden away in mine that's as delicious as this soup.
Bowl Me Over
Good luck, you have to appreciate those hidden treasures! 😀 thanks Corina!
Sharon
I love a great tomato soup! And a bisque is even better. Sooo creamy. I love your idea of adding croutons to the soup. A slightly healthier option to making a grilled cheese.
Bowl Me Over
I do love the croutons on top, <3 the creamy/crunchy texture. Thanks Sharon!
Janie
Oh you've got me craving soup for lunch! I have a nasty chest infection so this would be just perfect 🙂
Janie x
Bowl Me Over
One order of Chicken Soup coming up Janie! I hope you feel better soon!
Julie | Bunsen Burner Bakery
This soup looks so good - especially with those croutons. I never think to add croutons to soup, but it must add such a great texture contrast.
Bowl Me Over
So true Julie - it adds just that little "bit" you're looking for. Thanks for stopping by!
Liza
Wow, Debra, this soup is truly amazing! Easy to make, low-calorie&low-fat, and at the same time it looks super-indulgent! I love this type of a soup and it's hard to find a good recipe for it. But it looks like I've just found one! 🙂 And wow, how beautiful are those views! Amazing!
Bowl Me Over
Thank you Liza - this is such an amazing soup! So much wonderful flavor, lots of depth without a whole lot of work! I sure hope you give it a try!
Dan clark
Perfect for a chilly foggy valley day!
Bowl Me Over
Thank you so much! 😀 We love this soup, thank you my dear!!
Debi @ Life Currents
This looks awesome! So warm and comforting. I could go for this for lunch today. Yum!
Bowl Me Over
I hear you there - not much better than a great bowl of soup!
Sandi (@sandigtweets)
Looks like a wonderful trip and lots of quality family time. Beautiful soup.
Bowl Me Over
Thanks Sandi!
Katerina
Beautiful photos Debra and the soup goes perfectly with the scenery and the company!
Bowl Me Over
Thank you Katerina - family time is always the best time! I hope you enjoy the soup! 😀
The Food Hunter
what a cool adventure and a delicious soup.
Bowl Me Over
Gotta love a great road trip! 😀 Thank you!
Audrey
I so enjoyed your photos, thanks for sharing! This recipe looks amazing, can't wait to try it!
Bowl Me Over
Awesome! I hope you really enjoy it Audrey - appreciate your support!
Bill Schlack
My favorite soup at the Stone Soup Party.
Bowl Me Over
Thanks Bill - it was so good to see you both!
Laurie S
P.s. I visited Crater Lake in the 70s on a family vacation. Would love to go back again.
Bowl Me Over
I agree, so very amazing - what a wonderful National Park!
Laurie S
Hi Debra. I discovered your blog from a comment you left at Chemistry Cachet. I am also from California -Hayward, a suburb of SF Bay Area. This tomato bisque soup looks delicious. I look forward to reading thru your blog and discovering other recipes. Have a great day!
Bowl Me Over
Thanks Laurie - heck we are practically neighbors then huh?!! Thanks so much - nice to meet you!! Have a fabulous day also.
Michelle @ The Complete Savorist
This soup is hitting me in my happy place. I love tomato soups. What lovely photos from your adventure. Pinning
Bowl Me Over
Thanks Michelle!