Need a quick homemade tomato soup for a busy day? This 3 ingredient tomato soup is made with canned tomatoes, onion, and evaporated milk for a smooth, creamy bowl that’s ready in just 25 minutes. No heavy cream, fresh tomatoes, or long simmer required. {Gluten-free & vegetarian}
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Our Favorite 3-Ingredient Tomato Soup Recipe
Elysia’s Recipe Recap
This three ingredient tomato soup recipe is one of those meals I can pull together almost entirely from pantry staples. With a busy family schedule, I love recipes like this one: just canned tomatoes, onion, and evaporated milk, ready in 25 minutes!
The onion cooks until soft and sweet, then the evaporated milk goes in after the tomatoes simmer, giving this tomato soup with evaporated milk a creamy consistency without needing heavy cream. As a Registered Dietitian, I also like that it’s genuinely nutritious: tomatoes bring vitamin C, potassium, and lycopene, and the evaporated milk adds protein and calcium.
It’s fairly light on its own, so for a main meal I like pairing it with a grilled cheese, roasted chickpeas, or a hearty kale broccoli salad. You can also easily customize it with garlic, herbs, red pepper flakes, or your favorite toppings like parmesan, fresh basil, or croutons!
For more creamy soups, check out this Cottage Cheese Tomato Soup, Sweet Potato Coconut Soup and Butternut Squash Apple Carrot Soup too!
Key Ingredients
- Onion: Properly cooked onion brings out natural sweetness that helps balance the acidity of the tomatoes. Yellow or sweet onions both work well.
- Canned diced tomatoes: No peeling or prepping fresh tomatoes required in this quick tomato soup recipe with canned tomatoes! I typically use a 28-ounce can of low-sodium diced tomatoes so I can control the salt in the finished soup. Don’t drain them. Fire-roasted tomatoes are fun, too!
- Low-fat evaporated milk: This is my secret weapon! Because some of the water has been removed, evaporated milk is more concentrated than regular milk, which is what gives the soup its creamy consistency without any heavy cream. I use partly skimmed 2% evaporated milk, though regular works fine too. It’s also shelf-stable until opened, which makes it an easy thing to keep on hand for quick meals like this.
- Olive oil, salt and pepper: Add seasonings to taste. Cooking tomatoes with olive oil increases the concentration of lycopene which may help protect skin from UV damage (1); it may have protective effects on bone density (2); and may assist in lowering LDL cholesterol and promoting overall heart health (3).
How to Make 3-Ingredient Tomato Soup
- Sauté the onion. Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a medium saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.
- Simmer the tomatoes. Add the canned diced tomatoes along with all their juices. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for about 15 minutes.
- Add the evaporated milk and blend. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the evaporated milk. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup directly in the pot until smooth and creamy. If using a high power blender, let the soup cool for about 10 minutes first, then blend carefully in small batches. Hot liquid can expand and force the lid up!
- Season and serve. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Return to the stove over medium-low heat if it needs rewarming. If you want a thinner consistency, add a bit of chicken broth or vegetable broth to thin it out. Top with grated Parmesan and basil, if you like, and serve warm.
Scroll to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
Storage & Reheating Guidelines
To store: Store cooled tomato soup in a large sealed airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat: Reheat on the stove over medium heat or in the microwave. Avoid a hard boil, as high heat can cause the dairy to separate.
To freeze: You can also freeze the leftovers for later. We usually use freezer-safe bags and store them for up to 3 months. Let the soup thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating. It may separate slightly once thawed because of the evaporated milk; a thorough stir or quick blend will bring it back together.
Toppings for Homemade Tomato Soup
A few toppings can really take this soup to the next level and allow you to make it your own. Try adding any of these options to your bowl:
- Freshly grated parmesan and fresh herbs (my go-to!)
- A drizzle of pesto (try this dairy-free pesto!)
- Store-bought or homemade sourdough bread croutons
- Grilled cheese croutons
- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Sour cream
- Tortilla strips
- Roasted chickpeas
- Tortellini or other pasta
- Healthy beef meatballs
What to Eat with Tomato Soup
Tomato soup and grilled cheese are hard to beat, but if you’re serving it as the main meal, add something with a little extra protein, fiber or healthy fat.
My kids love it when I serve this soup with pasta, like this 5-Ingredient Mac and Cheese, or something hearty, like Chicken Parmesan Burgers or these BBQ Meatloaf Muffins.
Recipe Variations
- To make dairy-free/vegan: Omit the evaporated milk or use an unsweetened plant-based milk such as oat or soy milk, or use cashew cream. Flavor and texture will vary by substitute.
- Give it some heat: Add red chili flakes or top with diced jalapenos or sriracha. Readers have also had success adding Italian herbs, cayenne or hot sauce.
- Go fire-roasted: swap in fire-roasted canned tomatoes for extra depth.
- Make it garlicky: add 1–2 cloves of minced garlic in the final minute of cooking the onion.
- Extra herbs seasoning: Add a bit of Italian seasoning, celery seed, or blend in fresh basil before serving. You can also drizzle the finished soup with a flavored oil.
- Make a double batch: With such simple ingredients, you may as well make two batches and store the leftovers in the fridge for later!
Yes, although the soup will likely be thinner and less creamy. Evaporated milk gets you closest to the original.
Tomatoes are acidic, and dairy can separate when it hits high heat. Remove the tomato mixture from the heat before stirring in the evaporated milk, then rewarm gently and avoid a vigorous boil.
Yes, if you don’t mind a chunkier soup! Just make sure the onion is finely diced and fully softened. Some readers actually prefer leaving it unblended.
More Healthy Soup Recipes
- Lazy Lasagna Soup
- White Bean Pasta Soup
- Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Crockpot Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Ground Beef and Noodle Soup
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a star rating and review!
3-Ingredient Tomato Soup
Video
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, low sodium
- 1 cup partly skimmed 2% evaporated milk
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Optional Toppings:
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan or Dutch oven, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add diced tomatoes to the saucepan. Bring to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Add in the evaporated milk.
- If using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth. You may need to tilt the pot for the blender to work effectively. If using a regular blender, allow the soup to cool for 10 minutes before transferring it to the blender and blend until smooth and creamy. If soup is too thick, you can blend in a little broth or additional milk. Return to saucepan.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Reheat over medium heat if necessary.
- Garnish with a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan cheese and thinly sliced basil if desired. Serve warm.
Notes
- For a bit of an upscale version: If you want to take this easy tomato soup to the next level, I recommend adding a couple of minced garlic cloves when frying up the onion and 1-2 teaspoons of honey when you add the milk. You can even add a pinch of red pepper flakes for a little extra kick.
- Adapt texture to taste: You can easily switch up the texture of this soup depending on how much you blend it. For an ultra smooth and creamy soup, use a high power blender rather than an immersion blender to puree the soup. Blend in small batches and don’t overfill the blender to prevent the hot soup from exploding all over the kitchen.
- For a deeper flavor: Try subbing in a can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes instead of regular diced tomatoes.
- This soup tends to thicken a bit as it sits. If you want a thinner consistency, add a bit of chicken broth or vegetable broth to thin it out.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in January 2023 and the text and formatting were updated in January 2026 and again in September 2026.
I made this with the fire roasted tomatoes and added the honey, garlic and some red pepper flakes. this is fabulous soup. thank you for the recipe and the suggestions of what to add.
Love it!! Those are my favorite ingredients to add to bring it up to the next level :) So happy you enjoyed it!
I made this today, and I must say it was delicious and filling. I used a crushed tomatoes, l didn’t have diced, and added a pinch of Italian herbs and a dash of cayenne. I didn’t bother to blend it smooth in a blender, which made it more delicious with the finely chopped onion in it, but I can see blending it smooth if I was serving it to children.
Love your modifications! I bet it was delicious with the Italian herbs and cayenne. That’s good to know that it turned out well without blending it too. Thanks so much for taking the time to share this feedback!
When did you add the Italian herbs and cayenne pepper? Thanks.
This recipe is quite versatile. I appreciated the tips on adjusting the soup’s thickness and experimenting with spices. I added a dash of hot sauce for a bit of heat, which worked wonderfully.
So happy you enjoyed the recipe and found the tips to be helpful! Love the addition of the hot sauce :)