This fantastic vegan tomato soup is inspired by South Asian flavours, with loads of spice and coconut milk for creaminess instead of heavy cream. It’s a bit of a departure from the classic tomato basil soup, but I promise it’s a good one.
If you have a cold, you should eat this soup. I know many people swear by chicken noodle soup (or chickpea noodle soup!) when they’re sick, but there’s a lot to be said for something spicy when you’re feeling poorly. We make this every time one of us is sick – Graham swears by it, and it’s one of the few soup recipes he knows. It’s easy to eat, as it’s pureed but not thick, great for a sore throat.
The soup is packed with plenty of cold-fighting ingredients like garlic, ginger, and turmeric, and it always helps. The hot pepper may also hurt your lips if they’re cracked, so go carefully.
That being said, it’s not as though you need to be sick to have this soup. It’s a great pantry recipe, using just canned tomatoes and coconut milk, vegetable broth (or water!), and spices.Â
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Since it’s such a basic recipe, with only five main ingredients outside of spices, I am hesitant to include my normal substitutions list. There are a few things you can switch up though.
- Spices: this soup is made with a couple of main spices: turmeric, cumin, and fresh ginger. If you want to take it up a notch, add some coriander, cardamom, fenugreek, whatever spices you really love.
- Canned tomatoes: whole tomatoes are often better quality, but it doesn’t really matter. You can use fresh, too (see below).
- Coconut milk: full-fat, canned – the coconut adds a nice subtle sweetness that I recommend. I have made it with oat cream as well but it isn’t as good.
Recipe Notes
You could also try adding a couple of slow roasted tomatoes before blending this up, for a bit more sweetness and concentrated tomato flavour. Serve it with a side of spelt naan or overnight bread and some red lentil patties to make a full meal.Â
Or, just go with the classic, good old bread and soup. Even better, with grilled cheese sandwiches! I also sometimes blend some chickpeas, red lentils, or white beans into this creamy tomato soup to increase the protein content – you don’t really notice them – but if I’m really sick I prefer it as is.
Use Fresh Tomatoes
As is, it’s a great healthy tomato soup that’s easy to make year round. If you want to use fresh tomatoes instead, try to leave them on the counter until they’re almost too ripe. The sweeter, the better.Â
Use about 500 grams (1 pound) of tomatoes. Cut the fresh tomatoes into chunks and add them when you would the canned, then follow the recipe as written. It is a really lovely soup in late summer when tomatoes hit their peak.
How to Store
Storage: keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Freezing: freeze in an airtight container for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat as usual.
Newsletter
Expert Tips
- Season to taste: with any soup, it should be tasted and salt added based on your preference before serving.
- Use the can: to measure the broth or water, simply fill the can from the tomatoes. This will also help to rinse out any remaining tomato from inside the can.
- Adjust the spice: if you are sensitive to heat, reduce or omit the hot pepper and use only black pepper to your taste.
- Grate the ginger: if you are concerned about having pieces of ginger in your soup, finely grate it before adding instead.
More Great Soup Recipes
A whole collection of cozy cold weather soup recipes
Roasted Tomato, Zucchini, and Eggplant Soup
Creamy Cauliflower Potato Soup
Kale, White Bean, and Lemon Soup
Carrot, Red Lentil, and Spinach Soup
If you make this Coconut Milk Tomato Soup or any other vegetarian soup recipes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.
Spicy Tomato Soup with Coconut Milk
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 thumb ginger minced (about 5-6cm)
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon hot pepper flakes to taste
- 400 ml canned tomatoes
- 400 ml vegetable broth or water*
- 1 teaspoon sea salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 400 ml canned full-fat coconut milk
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over low-medium heat.1 teaspoon olive oil
- Add the onion to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes, or until translucent. Add the ginger and garlic, and cook for another minute.1 small onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 thumb ginger
- Stir in the cumin, turmeric, and pepper flakes. Add the canned tomatoes and vegetable broth. Season with salt and pepper.2 teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoon turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes, 400 ml canned tomatoes, 400 ml vegetable broth, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Cover and bring to a low boil. Reduce and simmer for half an hour, then turn off the heat and add the coconut milk.400 ml canned full-fat coconut milk
- Puree until very smooth with an immersion blender (or carefully with a heat-safe mixer) and season to taste.
- Serve hot. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days and freeze well.
Notes
* For American cup measurements, please click the pink link text above the ingredient list that says ‘American’.
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
This recipe was originally published in August 2015. It has been updated most recently as of June 2021.
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