Instant Pot Tomato Soup Recipe - Peas and Crayons (2024)

FAQs

Why do you add baking soda to homemade tomato soup? ›

A small pinch of baking soda will tame any unwanted acidity in the soup.

Sometimes that's great, infusing our home with delicious smells and warmth, but a lot of the time, we're craving soup NOW. Enter: the Instant Pot. It can make delicious, hands-off soup, usually in just under an hour. Check out our best Instant Pot soups, stews, and chilis—you'll be feeling all warm and cozy in no time.

Select “Manual” (if you have a newer Instant Pot and don't have a manual option, select “Soup/Broth” and make sure the setting is on “High Pressure”) and adjust the time to 120 minutes. When cooking time is done, allow pressure to naturally release (this should take 20-30 minutes).

You don't need to worry about removing the seeds if you're making a soup or sauce. The seeds will actually add an extra dimension to your dish and if you blend well you won't have to worry about them getting stuck in your teeth. It's a different story if you're making a salad, salsa, omelette or casserole.

This is a bad practice, however, and you should avoid adding baking soda when boiling any type of vegetable. It has various unwelcome effects, such as softening the vegetable, altering the vegetable's flavor, destroying thiamine content, and hastening the loss of vitamin C.

A small amount of sugar can help round out the flavor, while too much can make it overly sweet and potentially ruin the dish. Adding sugar may also reduce the acidity in a soup, making it taste less acidic. What makes tomato soup taste good?

The Verdict: While the pressure cooker prepared a superior tasting dish, it all comes down to how you want to spend your time. The slow cooker is great for hands off cooking. The pressure cooker is fast and provides a better result, but you need to be in the kitchen the entire time it's on the stove.

Citrus juices are just so refreshing, enlivening and brightens up the soups. You can opt for lime, lemon, grapefruit, and other citrus fruits. Oh yeah! You can go with a bit of orange juice to give a unique flavor to your regular instant soup.

What tomatoes are best for homemade tomato soup? I like to use plum or roma tomatoes for homemade tomato soup because they have the best flavor when roasted. I recommend using garden fresh or organic to keep the soup as flavorful as possible!

If you are making a tomato soup that is blended at the end to ensure the consistency is perfect, then you could leave the skins on the tomatoes, but personally, I still take them off.

How do you thicken tomato soup? ›

If your tomato soup is too thin, try adding cubed sweet potatoes, butternut squash, or other veggies to absorb some of the excess liquid. Alternatively, you can add quinoa or lentils, which will absorb water as they cook in the soup, thickening it naturally.

The ingredient helps vegetables break down, creating the smoothest possible texture.

Great tomato flavor is all about balancing acidity and sweetness. Too much of either can leave you with asauce that tastes one-dimensional. Many sources recommend adding a pinch of baking soda to a sauce that's overly tart, which raises the pH and makes it less acidic. We've always preferred adding a bit of sugar.

Baking soda will work too, but may add a bitter taste if you use too much. So if you must use it, start with ⅛ tsp or a pinch of it in a very small amount of water to dissolve. Stir it in well then taste it. Add another pinch if it's still too acidic for you.