A rich, creamy, vegan tomato soup with crisp roasted chickpeas and a drizzle of cashew cream. This pairs amazingly with fresh basil and a few (hah, a few) slices of cheesy, gooey garlic bread for dipping.
Creamy, Dreamy, Vegan Tomato Soup
Vegan tomato soup. Ahhh. So creamy, so soothing, and so full of deeply developed flavors. Cashew cream lends a rich and velvety feel, while the seasoned roasted chickpeas add a nice crisp crunch. Throw together a little cheesy garlic bread or a grilled cheese sandwich for the ultimate comfort duo.
The tomatoes in my garden have finally started to reach peak ripeness, and the basil is tall and bright green. All I can think about is how we should’ve planted them earlier. The cold air is biting already, and next week we’re supposed to have freezing cold temperatures. I fear for my sweet little tomato plants, but at least with recipes like this I’m getting to use them up.
This tomato soup recipe is 100% vegan, gluten free, oil free, soy free, and easily nut free too! There are no refined ingredients or added sugars. It’s wonderful how wholesome and healthy this soup is, all while tasting so deeply rich and satisfying.
This recipe is truly the best tomato soup I’ve ever had. Itwas adapted from and inspired by the queen herself, miss Angela Liddon of the “Oh She Glows” business. She has wonderful cook books, and an entire blog and website with thousands of recipes and ideas. Please go check her out here. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t know chickpea croutons were a thing, and that would be absolutely tragic.
In fact, she just came out with a new cook book for dinner recipes specifically. I’m so, so excited for this! Her cook books are some of the most used books in my repertoire, so naturally, I’m going to highly recommend this one.
Now without further ado, let’s get into the recipe.
Who needs croutons when you have crispy chickpeas?
Back to the crispy roasted chickpeas; these are GAME CHANGERS! Especially if you have a gluten intolerance.
The roasted chickpeas in this soup act as croutons in a sense, but they are a thousand times better! Seriously, I mean it. The seasonings I use on these chickpeas give them a garlicky savory smokiness that compliments the tomato soup so well. After roasting, they develop the perfect amount of crunch and texture. They are also much more nutritionally dense than traditional croutons.
Be sure to store these chickpea croutons separately just as you would with regular croutons. They soften up when stored in the soup, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing since they are beans after all. Just another pro to using chickpeas as croutons vs. bread. (because unlike soft chickpeas, soggy bread is not so great)
You can make a big batch of these and store them in the fridge for about a week at a time. They’re great for a variety of soups, salads, or just healthy snacking. Give them a try, and let me know how you like them in the comments section below.
Making this tomato soup nut allergy safe
The cashew cream in this vegan tomato soup plays a pretty big roll in adding richness and depth. However, I don’t believe cashew cream in the only thing in the world that can do this.
Coconut milk (or coconut cream for even richer flavor) is a wonderful substitute for the cashew cream. It’s also ideal if your looking for a short cut, and don’t have time to spend on making the cashew cream.
Coconut milk may impart a subtle coconutty flavor, but the flavors from the tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients in the soup are bold enough to mask the flavor pretty well.
You can try light coconut milk if you’re trying to keep the fats down. It wont be as rich or creamy, but a touch healthier if that’s what you’re going for.
Either way, the soup will be delicious.
Sundried, Fire Roasted, or Fresh?
I say use them all! You can’t use one without the other in this soup if you want the true full bodied flavor I’m raving about. Fire roasted tomatoes add a strong tomato flavor with subtle smoky notes. Sundried tomatoes have such a uniquely strong tomato flavor and sweetness.
I couldn’t imagine making tomato soup without either of them.
Of course, it’s also important to use excellent fresh tomatoes too. They should be bright, plump, and bursting with flavor.
Each of these different tomatoes plays a big roll in the flavor of the soup, so I don’t recommend you changing things around too much. If you can’t find fire roasted tomatoes at your local market, you can easily make some at home yourself.
I found this helpful guide that explains how to fire roast the tomatoes at home in a variety of different ways.
Some tasty cheesy garlic bread
Vegan cheesy garlic bread is so attainable and so easy to make. It’s anything but impossible! Me and my sister are known for making cheesy garlic bread pretty spur of the moment, whenever the craving strikes. We can home make the cheeses and garlic butter ourselves in less than 30 minutes.
It’s definitely on my to do list to share that recipe with you guys here. I promise I will soon! But until then, I felt like I had to at least give you somewhere to go after shoving all of these evil delicious pictures of garlic bread in your face.
Sam Turnbull with “It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken” has a wonderful cheesy garlic bread recipe that I’ve tested and made myself many times. If you make this recipe, be sure to remove the mozzarella cheese from the stove as soon as it starts to come together so that it’s nice and spreadable for your garlic bread.
So, until I get the time to make a post for my own cheesy garlic bread recipe, Sam’s recipe is the way to go!
How’s life been treating you?
Tomato soup is one of those dishes I will always associate with feeling better. Whether I’m feeling sick, stressed, sad, or down, this soup is a big push in the direction to try to feel okay again. Chicken noodle soup is another great example of this!
If this soup could speak, I feel like it would comfort all of my worries away with a simple statement like “It’s okay to feel sad. It’s okay to be imperfect. Find joy in what is, and carry on.”.
Oh, tomato soup, my love! (you know you have to be a little food obsessed to be personifying a bowl of soup.)
But you get what I mean!
If you’re looking at this recipe because you need some deep comforting, I just want you to know I’m right here with you. You’re a brilliant human being, and you can accomplish anything you put your mind to.
Share some pictures of how beautiful your tomato soup turns out and tag me @alderspirit or use #alderspirit so I can see it too!
Say hi in the comments below, or shoot me an email. I’d love to hear from you!
Creamy Vegan Tomato Soup with Roasted Chickpeas
Ingredients
Roasted Seasoned Chickpeas
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas / garbanzo beans
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp oregano (dried)
- 1/2 tsp thyme (dried)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
Cashew Cream
- 3/4 cup raw cashews, soaked (soak at least 30 minutes in boiling water)
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice, fresh
- 1/2 tsp salt
Creamy Tomato Soup
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 2 cups water
- 2 tsp vegan chicken bouillon (Better then Bouillon, "No Chicken" base)
- 1 28oz can fire roasted crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
- 4 medium roma tomatoes, fresh
- 1 tsp oregano (dried)
- 1 tsp thyme (dried)
- 1 tsp basil (dried)
- 1/2 tsp sage (dried)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper (dried)
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper (up to 1/4 tsp for a spicier soup)
Other Garnishes
- fresh basil
- cracked black pepper
Instructions
Roasted Chickpeas
- Preheat the oven to 425° F. Drain the chickpeas from the can (reserve and freeze the bean water for later, it's a great egg white substitute) and lay them out on a clean dry cloth. Lay a second clean dry cloth over the top of the chickpeas and gently pat them dry.
- In a small bowl, combine the garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, thyme, salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika. Add the chickpeas to the bowl and toss to coat.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the seasoned chickpeas out on it. Place them in the oven on the center rack to roast for 30 minutes, shuffling every 10 minutes to ensure even cooking. They will be crisp and crunchy when they're finished. Set them aside to garnish the soup later on.
Cashew Cream
- If you haven't already, soak your cashews for a minimum of 30 minutes in boiling water. Strain from the water after soaking
- In a high speed blender, combine the cashews, water, lemon juice, and salt. Blend on high for 60 seconds, or until smooth. Remove 1/3 cup of the cashew cream from the blender to reserve for later. Leave the remaining cashew cream in the blender for now.
Creamy Tomato Soup
- Preparation: Mince the garlic finely, and cut the onion into a small dice. Quarter the tomatoes. Open all of the cans, and measure out your ingredients.
- In a large saucepan, bring 1/2 a cup of water to a simmer. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Add more water if necessary as you cook to prevent sticking or burning.
- Next, add the water, bouillon, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, sundried tomatoes, and fresh tomatoes. Add the oregano, thyme, basil, and sage. Cook for 3 minutes to soften the sundried tomatoes.
- Pour the contents of the saucepan into the blender with the cashew cream. Blend on high for 30 seconds. Return to the saucepan.
- Place the sauce pan over low heat. Set the lid over the soup with a small crack for air to escape, and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Stir every 5 – 7 minutes.
- Add the salt, pepper, and cayenne to the soup. Adjust the seasonings to taste.
- Serve the soup hot with a drizzle of the reserved cashew cream and a sprinkling of the roasted chickpeas. Add fresh cracked pepper and fresh basil. This soup pairs amazingly with cheesy garlic bread! Enjoy!
Notes
This post contains affiliates links through which I may earn a small commission should you purchase anything. I only ever recommend products I know, love, and trust. Thank you for your support!
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