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Clear your sinuses with this easy, homemade, Indian spiced tomato soup. Seasoned with garlic, cumin, coriander and turmeric, it’s a perfect meal on a chilly evening or when you’re feeling under the weather. This recipe was originally published in Sept 2016
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This super easy spiced tomato soup is brimming with flavor from lots of Indian spices. It’s warming with a mild spiciness, perfect if you have a stuffy nose or just need a warming meal.
You can make this spiced tomato soup using fresh tomatoes, canned diced tomatoes, or a mix. This flexibility means that you can make this cozy soup year-round, whether you want to make the most of summer’s tomato bounty or are craving tomato soup when tomatoes are out of season.
It’s a spiced, tangy tomato soup with notes of coriander, cumin, bay leaf, and turmeric. It also has loads of garlic and some cayenne and black pepper for heat and flavor and to warm you up from the inside.
If you prefer a creamy tomato soup, add a handful of cashews or pumpkin seeds in while blending, or use white beans for creaminess plus some protein. This is a simple and versatile tomato soup. Use spices and herbs of choice for variation.
I love this spiced tomato soup with a vegan grilled cheese to go with it. Or, you can cut the sandwich into bite-sized croutons and float them in the bowl!
Why You’ll Love Spiced Tomato Soup
- soothing, warming soup ready in 20 minutes
- easy to make in 1 pot
- full of warming Indian spices, like cumin, coriander, turmeric, and black pepper
- naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free with an easy oil-free option
More Cozy Soups
Spiced Tomato Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon oil
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup chopped carrot, or 1 medium carrot, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or a combination of black and white pepper
- 15 ounces canned tomatoes, or chopped fresh tomatoes or a mix
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 small bay leaf
Instructions
- Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add cumin seeds and cook for 1 minute or until the cumin seeds get fragrant. Add chopped onions, garlic, carrot and a pinch of salt. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until onions are translucent, stirring occasionally. Add the coriander, turmeric, cayenne and pepper, and mix for a few seconds.
- Add the onion mixture to a blender along with the tomatoes and water and blend until pureed.
- Transfer the pureed tomato mixture back to the saucepan. Add bay leaf, salt and sugar and cook over medium heat for 12 to 14 minutes. Taste and adjust salt, sweet and heat. Adjust consistency by adding more water if needed. Garnish with green onions, vegan butter or non dairy cream and serve with crusty bread, croutons, or vegan grilled cheese sandwiches.
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- oil – to saute. You can dry roast the cumin seeds and use water or broth to cook the veggies instead, for oil-free.
- cumin seeds – Roasted cumin seeds give this spiced tomato soup such a rich flavor!
- aromatics – Onion and garlic add a ton of umami.
- carrots – Adds some sneaky extra veggies and a little sweetness to offset the acidity of the tomatoes.
- ground spices – Coriander, turmeric, cayenne, and black pepper give this soup an amazing flavor!
- tomatoes – You can use fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes, or a mix of the two.
- sugar – To offset the acidity of the tomatoes a little bit more.
- bay leaf – To boost the flavor.
💡 Tips
- Chop the onions, carrot, and garlic in a food processor to save time.
- To make this creamy, add 2 to 3 tablespoons cashews or pumpkin seeds or a 1/4 cup chickpeas or white beans when blending the onion-tomato mixture.
How to Make Spiced Tomato Soup
Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add cumin seeds and cook for 1 minute or until the cumin seeds get fragrant.
Add chopped onions, garlic, carrot and a pinch of salt. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until onions are translucent, stirring occasionally. Add the coriander, turmeric, cayenne and pepper, and mix for a few seconds.
Add the onion mixture to a blender along with the tomatoes and water and blend until pureed.
Transfer the pureed tomato mixture back to the saucepan.
Add bay leaf, salt and sugar and cook over medium heat for 12 to 14 minutes. Taste and adjust salt, sweet and heat. Add more water if needed.
Make your vegan grilled cheese, if using.
I make mine with some curry leaves, pepper flakes and vegan cheese. Heat a pan over medium heat, add some vegan butter. Tear some curry leaves and add to the butter. Then add cheese and pepper flakes or gochugaru pepper flakes and place the bread slices on the cheese. Once the cheese melts, flip the bread slices and add more cheese and pepper flakes. Then press the slices together until toasted and the cheese melts. Slice and Serve with the soup.
Garnish the soup with green onions and serve with crusty bread, croutons, or vegan grilled cheese sandwiches.
What to Serve with Spiced Tomato Soup
Serve this with crusty bread for dipping or with a vegan grilled cheese alongside it.
Frequently Asked Questions
This spiced tomato soup is naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free.
Nice way to use a can of diced tomatoes! Thanks!
Hi Richa,
I made the soup this morning–very tasty! And quite spicy for me. Love the way it totally cleared my sinuses; at the same time, I think I’ll start with half the cayenne next time and see how that is. I was lucky to be able to use farmers market tomatoes. Oh, and I cannot tell a lie: I used a tablespoon of coconut oil to saute the onions, etc, instead of a half-teaspoon. Sorry, Dr. McDougall et. al. 🙂
We ate the soup with rice and had crispy cabbage-radish salad also. Thanks for another yummy recipe!
Trying to find a spicy tomatosoup since I’m addicted to peppers. Thought let’s google a recipe in stead of looking at Vegan Richa (like I always do). But nope, you amaze me every single time. You win, I love your taste!!
Made this today in my thermomix. Yum!
Finally made this today. It is excellent!! Thanks again for another terrific recipe.
awesome!
When I got my wisdom teeth removed, I basically went on a soup cleanse, lost weight and got SO sick of any liquid-based meals! Well, except for curry 😉
But I’ve always loved tomato soups because they’re so flavorful, nicely tangy and colorful! Your take on this is wonderful–so many spices!
Yes, I got very bored of all the soups and dals for the week. I think i made up by eating only burgers and pizzas 2 weeks later 🙂
A new twist on tomato soup! And perfect segue into cooler fall evenings. Thank-you!
I’m drooling! Just need to decide if I want to add more turmeric—I have lots of fresh—do you think it could handle more turmeric?
You can omit the dry and add some grated fresh or blend it with the tomatoes. Fresh turmeric will add a slight bitter flavor profile, which is quite pleasing once you get accustomed to it.
Richa, I guess I’ll have to make an adjustment to this week’s menu plan. With an open can of tomatoes in the refrigerator, I can’t pass this one up. Thanks for another enticing recipe!
Awesome! Its super quick and so delicious.