Slow Cooker Tomato Soup (Canned Tomatoes, No Cream)
A delicious homemade tomato soup that’s no-stress? Coming right up! Slow-cooked in the crockpot, and with just 5-minutes to prep, this easy slow cooker tomato soup is made from canned tomatoes and is lusciously creamy with no cream or milk! Yes, it just-so-happens to be dairy-free but trust me, it’s still seriously comforting and cozy.

5 star review
“This is the very first homemade tomato soup I have made that my kids did NOT say they like ‘Campbell’s tomato soup’ better! A win!!! FINALLY’!!”
– Jill
Creamy Homemade Tomato Soup (No Cream Required!)
For this easy homemade tomato soup, I set out to create a simple, flavor-packed recipe that can be made ahead in a slow cooker and can be prepped in just 5 minutes! The best part is that this tomato soup from canned tomatoes leans on shelf stable pantry ingredients, which means you can make it year round. It’s easy to keep everything on hand so you can whip up this soup for dinner anytime the mood strikes. And I use soaked cashews blended in at the end of the cook time to provide a luscious, creamy flavor without adding any cream, milk, or dairy.
I am personally a huge fan of easy slow cooker soups, and while my hearty roasted red pepper and tomato soup is one of our family’s favorite meat-free meals, this dairy free tomato soup might just be our all-time favorite!
Make It In the Instant Pot
If you’d rather make this dairy free tomato soup in the pressure cooker, try this recipe for Instant Pot Tomato Soup!
Visual Guide: How to Make Slow Cooker Tomato Soup







Tips for Success
- Maximum Flavor: This crockpot tomato soup gets it’s tomato flavor from two kinds of canned tomatoes, including diced or pureed tomatoes and tomato paste, plus and additional tomato hit from sun dried tomatoes. Because there are so few ingredients in this simple soup, I recommend using all 3 types of tomatoes, as the results will not be as rich or creamy if you skip one or more.
- Super Creamy: I find this recipe is easiest and has minimal clean up with the use of a hand-held immersion blender, as you can blend the soup directly in the slow cooker. Or you can transfer the soup in batches to a high speed blender.

Key Ingredients & Substitution Suggestions
- Raw cashews: Keeps this soup vegan and dairy free and makes for a creamy tomato soup without cream or milk. Be sure to use raw cashews (not toasted or salted) and start them soaking per the directions prior to cooking the soup.
- Onion: Adds depth of flavor; sometimes I like to swap in red onion for a slightly different flavor.
- Vegetable stock: Keeps this soup vegetarian and vegan, but store-bought or homemade chicken stock can also be used.
- Canned crushed tomatoes: Adds richness and body to this recipe. Diced tomatoes and even whole tomatoes will also work.
- Sun dried tomatoes: Adds depth of flavor, so don’t skip them! If using sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, drain off the oil before adding to the soup.
- Tomato paste: Thickens the soup, so don’t skip it.
- Honey: Is optional, but helps to balance out the acid from the tomatoes.


Slow Cooker Tomato Soup (Canned Tomatoes, No Cream)
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
- 1 (28 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes (or diced tomatoes)
- ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 (6 ounce) can of tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon no-salt-added Italian seasoning
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon honey (optional)
Optional Topping Suggestions
- chopped fresh basil
- parmesan cheese
Equipment
Instructions
- Place the cashews in a small bowl and cover with water. Set aside.
- Place the onions, garlic, vegetable stock, crushed tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, salt, and honey (if using) into the base of a slow cooker, stirring to combine.
- Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.
- When the soup is finished cooking, drain and rinse the cashews. Place the soaked cashews into the slow cooker, stirring to combine.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until well combined and very smooth, about 2 minutes. If you don’t have an immersion blender, carefully ladle the cooked tomato mixture into a blender, working in batches. Make sure the lid is on tightly, cover with a towel, and blend until well combined and very smooth.
- Serve with toppings, if desired.
Notes
- Storing: This homemade tomato soup keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days, in a sealed container. It also freezes well, store in a sealed freezer friendly container for up to 3 months.
- Nut-Free: If you want a nut-free alternative, feel free to add a 1/3 cup of heavy cream in place of the cashews.
I made this for friends last night and it was delicious! The morning prep was super easy too. This recipe is a winner and I’m excited to try more of your recipes!
Jenny, I’m thrilled this worked for you and your friends. Don’t you love an easy morning-prep slow cooker recipe? Cheers!
Have you tried freezing this?
Jenny, I have an it works quite well. It separates a tiny bit when it defrosts, but with a good stir it tastes just as good!
Do you know what I could use in replacement if the cashews? My son is allergic to nuts and peanuts.
Hi Nicky, If you can have dairy you can just use about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of heavy cream. If he can’t do dairy either you could also try 1/4 to 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk from a can.
I made this tonight and it was amazing! My husband, who hates tomato soup, liked it. Success!
That’s fantastic, Julie! My husband’s not a fan of tomato soup either (he thinks it tastes too much like pasta sauce), but he’s come around to this version, too. Happy it was a hit for you!
Have you tried or would you recommend serving this soup chilled? I’m hosting a baby shower and hoping to serve this chilled with mini grilled cheese squares.
I haven’t tried it, Allison, but I think it would be lovely. Let us know how it turns out! 🙂
Hi,Our good friends brought over a whole crock pot of this soup while my husband is recovering from surgery. And it’s delicious! It’s the perfect comfort meal with grilled cheese sandwiches. And the first tomato soup the whole family likes. But, do you have you the nutrition facts per serving? Calories? Fat? Sodium? Fiber? Protein?Thank you!
Nicole, I’ve added nutrition information to the recipe card. Hope that helps!
A wonderful recipe with clearly laid out step-by-step directions.
So glad you enjoyed this one, Roger, and thanks for the review!
This is the very first homemade tomato soup I have made that my kids did NOT say they like "campbells soup" better! A win!!! FINALLY’!! And so so healthy! Just started whole 30, and happy to have a recipe we can ALL eat and LOVE! Yay! Thank you so much! New to your site and love it!
Hi Jill, yay, so glad you and your crew enjoyed this one! I hope you explore and find some others you love. Plenty of Whole30 options and many more for when your done with the 30 days. Cheers!
Hi Robyn,This soup is the first of your recipes I make and it certainly won’t be the last! It is delicious!!!Thanks for sharing it with us!
Elizabeth, so glad you enjoyed this one!
LOVE this recipe! Made it for two families recently and they loved it too!
Sarah, woohoo, so glad you and your crew enjoyed!
Delicious!!!!!! Better than any restaurant soup – hands down.
Yay, so glad you enjoyed this one, Ethel!
Made this today with Monte Cristos and it’s was delicious!
Anna, so happy to hear this was a hit. Serving with Monte Cristos sounds absolutely perfect. Cheers!
This soup!!! It is our go to meal on cross country meet nights. We make a side of red lentil pasta to add to the bowls.
Thank you for this great recipe!
Laura, yay, so happy you’re enjoying this one and that it’s making meet nights a little easier. Love the idea of adding a little lentil pasta at the end. Thanks for the tip!
This looks amazing! About how many servings does it make? I’m preparing dinner for six adults. Would you recommend doubling it?
Hi Katie! This one makes 5-6 dinner sized servings. I’d probably double it to be sure you have enough and if anyone wants seconds. You might need to add a bit more time for the extra liquid to come to temperature, but otherwise the recipe should work as written. I hope you enjoy!
Making this for the second time in a month, and simple grilled cheese to go along with it, we’re hooked! Love the recipe, thanks!
Yay, so glad you enjoyed this one, Ashlee. I agree, a simple grilled cheese make the perfect match. Yum! Thanks so much for leaving a review!
This is the absolute best tomato soup I have ever tasted and I LOVE that it is dairy-free for my kiddos! No substitutions needed. I add cooked ground beef after the soup has been blended because we do love meat in our home. Soooo good!
Heather, yay, so happy to hear this one is a hit, and I love the idea of adding some extra protein in at the end like ground beef. Such a great idea. Thanks so much for leaving a review!
A hit with the family – thank you! Used the dairy creamer but I want to use the cashews next time. It’s also good with rice 🙂
Yay, so glad this one was a hit! Dairy free creamer is a great option, but cashews definitely add that extra creamy fat element that’s really tasty. Great tip on serving with rice, too. Thanks so much for leaving a review!
The link for the IP adaption is broken. Please fix.
Hi Ethel, I’m not sure which link you’re referring to — I tested the link in the post and it worked for me. I went ahead and added a second link in the recipe card notes section as well. Hope that helps!
Delicious!! Easy recipe to follow, I used heavy whipping cream because they were out of raw cashews at the store, so the substitute worked out great! My 3 year old loved it too! Will definitely make again!
Amanda, yay, so glad you enjoyed this one — cream is such a great sub (and less expensive) than the cashews, so glad you were able to make it work with what was available. Thanks so much for leaving a review!