Creamy Slow Cooker Tomato Soup
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This Crockpot tomato soup turns out creamy and rich every time, includes a few semi-secret veggies for good measure, and marries a comfort food favorite with all the set and forget convenience of any slow cooker meal. You’ll be happy to have this one waiting for you at home; add grilled cheese and call it a night!
The slow cooker is one of those appliances most people either love or simply don’t think about at all. I go through seasons of using it more and using it less, and during a “slow cooker season,” I find myself wondering how I solved so many busy weeknights without it.
If you haven’t tried making tomato soup in the slow cooker, you’re in for a treat. It’s classic and completely fool-proof. Let everything simmer all day, blending flavors and getting tender and rich, then blitz to creamy perfection. It’s easy, flexible, and extremely delicious.
Why You’ll Love This Slow Cooker Tomato Soup
- Simmer all day convenience and taste—the flavors meld and deepen with every hour
- Rich tomato flavor from everyday ingredients
- Carrots, celery, and onion blitz right in for a nutritional boost
- We all feel a bit like a superhero when the hard part of dinner is done before lunch!
Love the classic? Add other versions to your arsenal such as my 20-minute tomato soup, tomato butternut bisque, and oven-roasted tomato basil soup for late summer gems.
Ingredient Notes
How To Make Tomato Soup in the Slow Cooker
There’s no better feeling than tossing a bunch of ingredients into the Crockpot in the morning and then just walking away!
Combine all ingredients in a large slow cooker. Be sure to include all juices from the cans of tomatoes.
Cook for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low, or until all the vegetables are fork tender. Another bonus of a Crockpot soup like this is that it’s really not possible to overcook it, since there is no meat involved, so don’t worry if you’ll be away longer than that.
Blend into a smooth soup. It’s extremely easy to do this directly in the slow cooker using an immersion blender, or you can transfer batches to a traditional blender and return to the Crockpot to keep warm.
Finish it off. If adding a smidge of cream and/or pesto, it can go in before or after you blend. I usually do it after, for no particular reason, and just stir well to incorporate evenly. Sample and season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
Get Creative with the Pesto
Mixing in a couple Tablespoons of traditional basil pesto may be the most obvious flavor enhancer, but sun-dried tomato pesto also works beautifully in this and virtually any other Italian-inspired soup.
Keep warm until ready to serve. This soup is a great solution for those nights when you have no choice but to serve dinner to different people at different times, because it naturally stays warm in the slow cooker for hours if needed.
Variations and Swaps
- Add a touch of sweetness. Add 1-2 teaspoons granulated sugar or honey. I find that using a sweet onion plus carrots, which have natural sugars, is plenty to counteract the natural acidity of canned tomatoes, but to each his own, and adding a bit of “extra” sweetness may be especially desirable if you used a yellow onion vs. sweet.
- Make it vegetarian or vegan. Simply opting for vegetable broth or stock will make this tomato soup vegetarian. To keep it vegan, omit cream or swap it for coconut milk or another plant-based product.
- Add a touch of heat. Add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or smoked paprika along with the dried thyme for a subtle kick.
Serving Ideas
Tomato soup is always perfect with grilled cheese, breadsticks, garlic knots, or just thick slices of crusty bread for dipping. Add a big green salad to round things out.
This also makes a delicious side dish to fancy wraps, sandwiches, or simple main dishes like pesto artichoke chicken or Tuscan white beans.
More Easy Soups and Stews
- Creamy Carrot Red Pepper Soup
- Crockpot Chicken Gnocchi Soup – another set and forget favorite!
- Tuscan Chickpea Stew – a personal winter go-to!
- Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup
- Italian Chickpea Soup – super quick and easy yet full of flavor
Creamy Slow Cooker Tomato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 large (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes or crushed tomatoes
- 4 large whole carrots peeled and chopped into coins
- 1 large sweet onion peeled and chopped
- 2 ribs celery diced
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 4-5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, 1/4 cup pesto optional add-ins
Instructions
- Add all soup ingredients—tomatoes through black pepper—to the bowl of a large slow cooker. Cook for at least 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low, until the veggies are fork tender.2 large (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, 4 large whole carrots, 1 large sweet onion, 2 ribs celery, 2 Tablespoons tomato paste, 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock, 4 Tablespoons butter, 4-5 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Blend, either directly in the slow cooker with an immersion blender, or by transferring batches to a traditional blender and returning to the slow cooker to keep warm.
- Stir in cream, Parmesan, and/or pesto, if using. Sample and season with more salt and pepper to taste.1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, 1/4 cup pesto
- Keep warm in the slow cooker until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- Equipment: This is the slow cooker I switched to early in 2026 and adore. I also always use an immersion blender because it is so, so easy for soups like this.
- Mix-Ins: The cream, grated Parmesan, and/or fresh pesto are definitely not necessary, but any or all will definitely give your soup a little something special, so I include them as options!
- Storage: If stashing leftovers, transfer to an airtight storage container—these lidded deli containers are the best for soup—and keep in the fridge. It lasts at least 3-4 days.
- Freezing: Stash in any freezer-safe container and leave several inches of room because the liquid will expand as it freezes solid. Store for up to about 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and warm as needed.
