Instant Pot Creamy Tomato Soup

If you have an Instant Pot, you need to make this recipe IMMEDIATELY!  This Creamy Tomato Basil Soup is super simple and can be made super quick with the help of your pressure cooker!  This recipe is absolutely my go to in cold weather and makes a wonderful simple lunch or dinner!

I am so excited to be posting my first Instant Pot recipe today.  I got an Instant Pot several months back and have been playing with it and learning a lot along the way in hopes that I can start sharing more recipes for it here.  You might have seen some of the fun on my Instagram Stories since I have been showing you my crazy dinner ideas over there.  I even shared a sneak peek of this recipe!

Now I want you to prepare yourself because this recipe is pretty amazing.  I always get nervous to over promise, so I usually don’t go too over the top, but this recipe is absolutely one of my favorites and since everyone that tries it pretty much says the same thing, I feel pretty confident in saying, STOP WHAT EVER YOU ARE DOING AND MAKE THIS!

If you love tomato soup I really think you will love it!  This recipe is adapted from this stovetop creamy tomato basil soup here, which has always been one of my favorites, but I think it might be even better in the Instant Pot!

I am going to detail all of my tips below and go through a couple of different options and variations you have in making this soup, but if you just want the recipe feel free to just scroll on down to the bottom to grab it.

Instant Pot Creamy Tomato Basil Soup Recipe – Step by Step

First gather up your ingredients:

• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes– You can use one large can or two small cans.  There is a slight volume difference but it won’t affect the outcome.
• 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes – You can also use 2 small cans here as well.  This recipe makes a slightly chunky tomato soup.  If you want a smooth tomato soup, use all crushed tomatoes instead of using dices tomatoes here.  You can also use an immersion blender to smooth it out if you want to use the diced tomatoes.
• 1 tbsp crushed garlic- You can usually grab this in the produce section.
• 1 14 oz can of chicken broth, or 2 cups– You can see how I make chicken broth from left over rotisserie chicken here if you want to make your own.  It is so easy!
• 2 Tbsp sugar – This is super important because it cuts the acidity
• 1/3 cup butter, cut into 1/2″ cubes– The butter adds richness to the soup but really isn’t too much per serving when you dish out the soup.
• 1 cup heavy cream- You can lighten it up by using half and half.  I have done this, but heavy cream really is so much tastier and really only breaks down to about a tablespoon or so per a serving.
• 15-20 basil leaves -OR- 1 Tbsp dried basil leaves– This soup is super yummy with fresh basil, but it is pretty hard to keep on hand during the winter so I often use dried basil instead.  It is still really good with dried, but you make it slightly differently depending on which kind you use, so make sure to keep an eye on the instructions!

Instructions:

1. Pour the tomatoes, broth, and garlic into the Instant Pot bowl. If you are using dried basil, also add it now. Then close the lid and set on Soup mode and reduce the cooking time to 20 minutes. If using a different pressure cooker brand, then set to pressure cook for 20 minutes.The important things to note in this step is that if you are using dried basil you add it here, but if you are using fresh, then you will wait until later.  This step will really meld the flavors together.  When I set my pot to soup mode it went by default to 30 minutes and I had to reduce it to 20 minutes.  Once I had set it the first time it remained on 20 minutes when I selected soup mode as long as I didn’t manually change it.
2. When it is done, release the pressure and stir in the sugar then stir in the butter and stir continuously until melted and well combined.If you are running around like crazy and can’t get to it right away it can sit and will be just fine.  Really with this soup this step is just really combing the flavors so you don’t have to worry about anything over cooking if you can’t get there to release the pressure right away.I always like to stir in the sugar first which is super quick, then add the butter, which I chop into cubes just to help it melt faster.  You want to stir it until all the butter is melted and combined into the tomato mixture.
3. Next stir continuously while pouring in the heavy cream very slowly. Continue to mix until it is incorporated throughout. If you are using fresh basil stir in the basil now.This step is super easy, but very important to do correctly.  You really need to pour the cream slowly and stir it as you pour.  If you dump it in all at once it doesn’t mix as well and you won’t get the super pretty creamy red color or have the super smooth texture unless you do it slowly.
4. Serve hot, topped with a dollop of pesto, croutons and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.This is my favorite way to serve it, but feel free to serve it up with a nice hot grilled cheese, or any other way that you love!  It is also especially good with homemade croutons or with a Spinach Artichoke grilled cheese if you are feeling fancy!

I truly hope from deep, deep, down in the bottom of my heart that you absolutely love this soup as much as I do  and it is everything I promised it would be.  If you get a chance to try it, please let me know in the comments.  It absolutely makes my day to hear about people who find and are making my recipes.  Also, feel free to tag me on Instagram –> @easyfamilyrecipes, or just follow along for all the easy recipes I share each day!

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4.80 from 10 votes

Instant Pot Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

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Author:Kimber

Print Review Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 tbsp crushed garlic
• 1 14 oz can of chicken broth or 2 cups
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/3 cup butter cut into 1/2" cubes
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 15-20 basil leaves -OR- 1 Tbsp dried basil leaves

Instructions

• Pour the tomatoes, broth, and garlic into the Instant Pot bowl. If you are using dried basil, also add it now. Then close the lid and set on Soup mode and reduce the cooking time to 20 minutes. If using a different pressure cooker brand, then set to pressure cook for 20 minutes.
• When it is done, release the pressure and stir in the sugar then stir in the butter and stir continuously until melted and well combined.
• Next stir continuously while pouring in the heavy cream very slowly. Continue to mix until it is incorporated throughout. If you are using fresh basil stir in the basil now.
• Serve hot, topped with a dollop of pesto, croutons and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)

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