Creamy and loaded with bright, fresh flavors, this Easy Keto Tomato Basil Soup will quickly become a new family favorite – especially served with my Keto Cheesy Herb Muffins!!!
When I was a kid I used to love condensed tomato soup from a can, which my mom would usually serve alongside grilled cheese sandwiches made on cheap white bread with lots of butter. It was one of my favorite lunches and tasted even better when we’d just come inside from playing in the snow and were frozen to the bone. There was nothing better than having the day off from school for a snow day and trudging in and getting hit in the face with that sweet and pungent tomato soup smell at lunchtime.
Soup from a can isn’t something I’ve had in many years, but when I set out to create a tasty and easy keto tomato soup recipe, I started with the flavor and smell I remembered from my childhood in mind. Since my taste buds have gotten more discerning over the years, I wasn’t quite as enamored with the basic flavor of the tomato soup as is, so I threw in some dried basil and finished it with some pesto I had kicking around in the fridge at the end.
The addition of basil and pesto really took this already tasty keto tomato soup to the next level of “this is so good that I can’t stop eating it!”
Since we’re rounding the corner into Spring, this is a great transition soup that is still creamy and comforting, but also sports the brighter, fresher flavors that we’re all starting to crave about now. And you won’t have to stand over the stove for hours to make it, leaving you more time to enjoy the warmer (maybe) and sunnier (hopefully) days ahead.
The tasty looking muffins that you see in the photos are the Keto Cheesy Herb Muffins that I posted recently – and they are amazing. Tender and flavorful, they are the perfect accompaniment to this easy Keto Tomato Basil Soup and stand in perfectly as a keto replacement for the grilled cheese sandwiches of my childhood.
It’s my hope that this easy low carb tomato soup recipe will bring back pleasant childhood memories for you as it did for me, but even if it doesn’t, or if you haven’t been a fan of tomato soup in the past – I hope you’ll give it a try anyway and report back!
Easy Keto Tomato Basil Soup Recipe Note:
Be sure to use good quality canned tomatoes for this recipe since there aren’t a lot of other ingredients to mask the bitter or metallic flavor that you may get with low grade canned tomatoes. Homegrown, organic and/or San Marzano region tomatoes will typically give the best flavor. I use Cento brand (not getting paid for this, just really like Cento) when I can find them and I’m never disappointed – but any brand of tomatoes grown in and imported from Italy will likely yield delicious results.
That’s not to say this easy keto tomato basil soup won’t still be tasty made with U.S. tomatoes, just maybe not quite as good as it could be.
Easy Keto Tomato Basil Soup – Low Carb
- Total Time: 12 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
A creamy and delicious low carb tomato soup recipe that takes just minutes to prepare! Keto, Atkins, and gluten free – this is an easy and tasty soup that you can feel great about serving to your family!
Ingredients
- 1 can (28 ounces) whole plum tomatoes (San Marzano preferred)
- 2 cups filtered water
- 1.5 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese
- 2 tablespoons granulated erythritol sweetener
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil leaves
- 1/4 cup prepared basil pesto, plus more for garnish if desired
Instructions
- Combine the canned tomatoes, water, salt, onion powder and garlic powder in a medium saucepan.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then simmer for 2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and puree with an immersion blender until smooth (or transfer to a traditional blender and blend, then return blended soup to the pan.)
- Return to the stove and add the butter and mascarpone cheese to the soup.
- Stir over low heat until melted and creamy – about 2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the sweetener, apple cider vinegar, dried basil, and pesto.
- Serve warm.
- Store any leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to three months.
Notes
Net carbs per cup = 3 grams.
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 258
- Fat: 23g
- Carbohydrates: 6g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 4g
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Carol says
Absolutely lovely! Didn’t need to add the sweetener but the vinegar was a brilliant touch! Thank you for posting.
★★★★★
MaryAnn says
I really want to try this, but could I leave out the sweetener and vinegar? How much would it affect the overall taste?
Lori says
Hello! I’m really excited to try this recipe! I found organic San Marzano tomatoes at my local store but they are fire roasted. Is that okay or should I look for regular ones? I don’t want to mess up the flavor if they shouldn’t be fire roasted. Thank you!
Mellissa Sevigny says
I didn’t use fire roasted so the flavor might be a bit different, but probably in a good way!
Jill L says
This recipe was so very delicious. I made it exactly except I substituted cream cheese for mascarpone because that’s what I had on hand. It waz amazing! Thank you so much
★★★★★
Jill Lawson says
Wanted to add this: I made this recipe again, this time using mascarpone cheese. I MUCH prefer the cream cheese vs mascarpone. I realize cream cheese adds a few more carbs but it also makes a richer, creamier more flavorful soup. The recipe as is is tasty as well but I highly recommend new makers to use cream cheese. It takes a little more manipulation to entirely melt (mascarpone melts much faster) but it’s worth it, imo.
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for weighing in Jill!
PA says
I made it per the recipe and it’s delicious!
Thank you for upgrading my favorite soup to keto-worthy!
★★★★★
Chelsie says
Keto or not, this is the recipe I recommend to everyone for tomato soup. It does not get better than this!
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much! 😘
Chelle Simms says
My mother-in-law is diabetic, so she is very careful with her carbs. I’m Keto, so I’m rabid about my carbs. We had a conversation recently about tomato sou and grilled cheese sandwiches. We are having dinner with her tonight so I decided I would do this. First of all, this soup is beyond amazing. It is flavorful, rich and so easy to make. I used Healthy Life white bread for her sandwich (12 net carbs) while I used 1/2 of a Joseph’s Pita bread (7 net carbs). Even my carb eating husband loved it. Thank you so much for such an amazing and easy recipe for one of my favorite comfort foods. Seriously delicious – I’ll be making this a lot this winter!!
★★★★★
Mary says
This was excellent and will become a regular in our household!
★★★★★
Cherie Caldwell says
Made this soup last night. It was delicious.
★★★★★
Kathy Collins says
Absolutely the best homemade tomato soup … period! I make it regularly, and my family loves it.
★★★★★
Janet says
Wow! The absolute best soup! Thank You!!
★★★★★
Courtney says
Do you think diced tomatoes would work?
Kady says
I have made this soup twice in the last two weeks because I am absolutely obsessed with it! My husband and I are on Keto and I really miss my Campbells tomato soup in the winter. This hit the craving and has became my favorite Keto meal. My only problem is….I cant stop at one bowl
★★★★★
Christina says
Made this tonight, it was amazing! I only had a couple oz of mascarpone left over from another recipe, so used that plus some heavy cream. I also used bone broth instead of water, because I had some extra that needed to get used soon. I strained my tomatoes (San Marzano) after blending to get the seeds out, just a personal preference. It was so good!
★★★★★
Tracey Lago says
I’ve been meaning to write a review of this amazing soup for a while. Have made this at least 10 time or more over the past year. It’s worth springing for the real San Marzano canned tomatoes. It’s good with regular tomatoes, but the San Marzano takes it over the top. I make this exactly according to recipe (which is something I rarely do) because it always comes out perfect. It is creamy, indulgent and satisfying. The mascarpone is a MUST and worth the splurge. I took this soup to a family and friends soup party last night where we had a friendly “People’s Choice” vote and my soup won over 1 3 other soups. Thank you so much for this recipe, Mellissa! It will be a favorite forever!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much for this review Tracey – I’m so thrilled to hear that it won over so many other soups at your party! And I totally agree that the San Marzano tomatoes make a big difference in flavor! ??
Katie M says
Low Carb Creamy Tomato Soup
I LOVE tomato soup, but I’ve never made it at home before today. I am on the keto diet, so have been being careful about the amount of carbs I eat. I was soooo excited to find a low carb recipe for homemade tomato soup!
This recipe was written for the stovetop, but it adapted beautifully for my pressure cooker. The adaptations I made were to add all ingredients other than the mascarpone cheese to the pressure cooker pot, pressure cook on high for 16 minutes, allow NPR, add the mascarpone cheese before using my immersion blender to make it silky smooth and creamy. It’s delicious!
★★★★★
Christine says
I really miss soup in the winter. Made this soup it is so good. Than you. Glad to be able to soup and grilled cheese again
Rose says
could you share the brand name or the recipe of the low carb bread you’re using to make the grilled cheese with? thanks!
Rebecca Cramer says
Oh Melissa! This is such a fantastic soup! I couldn’t get regular basil pesto but could get basil peso with sun dried tomatoes and Parmesan cheese for the same amount of carbs. I toasted a piece of low carb bread – slathered it with Kerrygold butter , cut it into small squares and used it as croutons in the soup. This was to die for! And all for eight grams of carbs with the bread! It was the perfect meal for someone recovering from a nasty sinus infection.
Thank you so much for all the work you do to keep us in recipes. Love you and all your comments! Have a wonderful New Year!
Lori says
I used 4 oz of cream cheese and 1/2 c HWC as its what I had on hand, YUMMY!!! A cup of this with a keto roll was heaven on this cold day! thanks so much
★★★★★
Rebecca says
Please tell me what HWC is. Thanks!
Mellissa Sevigny says
heavy whipping cream
Sabrina says
Can you make this without the pesto?
Mindy says
Utterly fabulous! I picked up a box of local organic tomatoes yesterday and this recipe just perfected these perfect tomatoes! With the mascarpone flavor it seemed like I was eating a cheese pizza without the crust! I shared my creation w/ a neighbor. :)
★★★★★
Cheryl says
So yummy! I came home today on a cold fall night and didn’t feel like cooking. This was fast easy and delicious ! As always I love your recipes ❤️ THanks!
Christy says
Is regular cream cheese and acceptable replacement for Marscapone cheese? Thanks!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Completely different flavor and texture, you could try it though.
Gretchen says
The flavor is there and the recipe is easy enough.
My only complaint is the salt! SO SALTY. Will definitely try not adding salt and maybe using less pesto.
★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
The recipe calls for kosher salt which is large grains and therefore less sodium per teaspoon – if you used table salt or fine sea salt instead, it packs much denser and will result in a much saltier end result unless you reduce the amount accordingly.
Jaima says
Thank you!! Just made this and it’s delicous. I did substitute one cup of water with chicken bone broth also couldn’t find Erythritol so used a packet and a half of Truvia instead. Topped it with some grated Parmesan and some crumbled up original Parm Crisps.
★★★★★
Anne says
I made this tonight but I substituted ricotta for marscapone, because I didn’t have any. I didn’t add any sweetener either. I thought it was a little salty – and I did use kosher salt. With salty basil pesto and regular tomatoes, that was too much salt. I did like it though, and I will add less salt next time.
★★★★
Amy says
I made this tonight and it was just a delicious as I hoped! I never knew making a tasty soup from scratch could also be so easy. :)
Only question I have… is there a reason why you use water instead of chicken broth? I followed your recipe and used water, but I couldn’t help wondering if I was missing out of a certain depth of flavor the broth would have added.
Anyways great recipe!
★★★★★
Anna says
I loved this recipe! Pretty easy to make. I kept a quart in the fridge and enjoyed it throughout the week. My favorite compliment to it was making some parmesan crisp chips for dipping. I will definitely be making this again.
★★★★★
Beth says
Simply delicious!
★★★★★
Ally E says
I made this tonight and I genuinely feel bad that I don’t have anyone to share this with! But because I’m lonely but because no one was home for me to show off for! HOLY COW this stuff was amazing. One of my favorite dishes before keto was a nice grilled cheese and some tomato soup. When I eat this it tastes like the grilled cheese is part of the soup cravings were completely satisfied with only one cup AND I was full!
I used Hunt’s while tomatoes and u didn’t have onion powder and it tastes AMAZING!
I am a terrible terrible cook and all of your recipes I’ve tried so far we easy enough that I could make them! You truly make it so easy to eat this wonderful food.
I’m a huge fan of your Italian meatballs too (with the mozzarella and Marinara) so good.
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Ally!
Ashley B says
Delicious!
Marcia says
Delicious!
★★★★★
Steph says
My daughter made this and it was incredibly delicious! I’m not even a fan of tomato soup, but this tomato soup is something else. I ate two bowls!
★★★★★
Barbara Moreda says
This soup was lovely! You have been holding out on me. :) Tomato soup is my favorite and I have missed it. I will be honest, I never tried to make it as I figured it would be impossible to get the creaminess (when I used to use canned, I would only make it with milk). I might need to buy tomatoes by the case now …
Jennifer says
I entered this recipe into My Fitness Pal and it came back with 18.6g of carbs and 3.7g of fiber (I omitted the sweetener). How did you calculate your numbers? I wasn’t surprised with this carb count since tomatoes naturally have so much sugar.
Thanks!
Mellissa Sevigny says
I calculate all of my recipes line by line manually using Calorie King and I’m confident in my numbers. The MFP database is loaded with errors and uses averages by brand so is notoriously inaccurate with carb count.
Maria says
I tried a tomato soup recipe from another site that, although perfectly edible, didn’t have a true tomato flavor. Based on that experience I didn’t have high hopes that it was possible to make keto tomato soup that really tasted like the old familiar store-bought soups. Boy was I wrong!
I loved the idea of pesto in the soup, but omitted it (and the sweetener, vinegar, and basil) because I knew my kids would balk at it. So to get the pesto flavor in, I added a smear it to my grilled cheese–yum! I haven’t found a good mascarpone where I live but I used a mix of cream cheese, sour cream, and heavy cream per online substitution suggestions and it was still delicious!
Thanks for making a favorite comfort food keto-friendly!
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
Glad you were able to make it work for you Maria!!!
Crys says
What pesto do you use?
Heather says
I LOVE tomato soup and since it’s chiller than usual around my area, I’d love to make it for my son (and myself!). I would probably omit the sweetner just cause it triggers my personal cravings and my gut doesn’t really like them either. Is there something I would need to omit/add if I make it without sweetner?
Love your blog, been a long time reader! <3
Mellissa Sevigny says
If you’re using really good quality tomatoes then you probably won’t miss the sweetener at all – it just helps balance out the flavors but isn’t essential to the recipe.
Heather says
Thank you so much! That really helps me :)
Julie says
You are a star! Or should I say 5 star! Your tomato soup recipe sounds wonderful. I’m going to make it. Your blog is so inspirational. Keep up the good work!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much Julie, hope you love the soup!