Creamy Eggplant Tomato Soup
Roasted eggplant and ripe tomatoes come together for an irresistible and creamy soup that’s secretly vegan and gluten-free!
I feel a little crazy for posting soup today considering the brutal heat wave that’s currently overtaking the Bay Area. But it’s just too good to wait so I’m banking on one of two things:
1. You live somewhere that’s currently chilly/rainy enough for soup
2. You’ll save it for as soon as the fall weather starts rolling in
Either way, trust me, you’re going to want to give this one a try!
This is another recipe that was inspired by our recent trip to Lake Tahoe. I love recreating meals from our travels because I feel like it’s a way to relive those memories and share them with you all.
We had this soup at the Lone Eagle Grill which sits right on the lake and has the most gorgeous views. If you ever get a chance to go, I highly recommend eating there during sunset. It’s so beautiful!
They also happen to have an entire vegetarian menu full of creative dishes which included this eggplant tomato soup. It was one of the first things we ordered and it blew us away!
If you don’t like eggplant because of the texture then this a great option for you. It gives the soup a delicious roasted flavor but other than that, you can’t even tell it’s there.
The version we had at the restaurant was served with dill crème fraiche but I wanted to see how it would turn out if I recreated it without dairy. Instead of using crème, I incorporated soaked raw cashews to give it a similar creamy texture.
The result? Pretty amazing, if I don’t say so myself. In fact, Brandon called it, the soup that’s going to break the internet. Lol, can you imagine if I let him name my recipes for me?
But seriously, it’s super tasty and it’s a great way to use up all of those ripe end-of-summer tomatoes. All you have to do is roast all of the veggies in the oven and then blend it up with the cashews and reheat!
I hope when the weather cools down that you get a chance to try it! And possibly dip your favorite crusty bread or grilled cheese in it too. :)
Creamy Eggplant Tomato Soup
Yield: 6 cups or 4 bowls
Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 25
Total Time: 35
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1 medium-size eggplant, diced into 1” cubes
- 5 large tomatoes, cored and diced
- 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- salt & pepper, to taste
- 1 and 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce (optional)
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400°F and then line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Fill a small saucepan with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Remove from heat, add the cashews and allow to soak for at least 30 minutes.
Divide the eggplant, tomatoes, onion, and garlic among the baking sheets then pour half of the olive oil on each and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Use a spoon to stir the vegetables until they are evenly coated in oil. Transfer the baking sheets to the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the eggplant is very tender. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Once the vegetables have cooled down, transfer them to a blender. Drain the cashews then add them to the blender as well along with the vegetable broth, tamari and herbs. Blend on high until smooth.
Reheat the soup on the stove top or in the microwave before serving. Garnish with chopped cashews and fresh herbs and enjoy!
Did you try this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out by rating the recipe, leaving a comment below or sharing a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #makingthymeforhealth. I love hearing your feedback! 
Your soups are always so incredible! This one sounds amazing. I love blended soups like this one cause I have an immersion blender that’s the funnest thing ever to use. Terrible reason to make soup, but I’m going with it anyway.
Yay for vegan and gf! Pinning!
It’s cloudy cold and sad right now, so yes! Perfect!
It’s a brisk 49 degrees here in Minnesota this morning so I am all about the soup! I never know what to do with eggplant so this recipe is perfect for me! Looks delicious and I’m pretty sure it IS breaking the internet ;)
Send some of that cool weather our way, mama! :)
I LOVE that you added cashews to creamify this soup! That’s such a creative idea! :D And it was quite cool this morning here in CT so this soup is perfectly timed :)
YUUUUUUUHS! The eggplant soup you were telling me about! I must make this! And FTR, I’ll this whether or not it’s hot outside..I just love a good bowl of soup! I’m sensing the internet breaking as I type these words, ha!
Bahaha I think you should totally rename this to the soup that’s going to break the internet!! It’s been crazy hot by us too but I am so ready for soup! Totally adding this to my meal plan next week! I love finding new ways to use eggplant!
I died laughing when he said that because it was so ridiculous! lol
Michigan is doing this fantastic thing where it can’t decide what season is it. Fall today, maybe Summer tomorrow. Regardless, this soup looks like the perfect lunch on a rainy day.
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If I wanted to leave out the cashews would it still work? Or should I substitute potatoes or rice for thickness?
Looks yummy!
Hi Bridgit! Yes, you can make it without the cashews. I would try using a little bit of plain unsweetened non-dairy milk (like almond, cashew, or rice milk) to add a creamy texture. It won’t be quite as creamy but it should still be thick from the eggplant and tomatoes. I hope that helps! :)
How much of the dill creme fraiche was it supposed to be if we decide to use that instead of the cashews?
Hi Carly! I would start with about 4 ounces (roughly 1/2 cup) and taste test it. If you prefer a creamier texture, you can always add a little more but I think 4 ounces should do it! :)
Can I use non-raw cashews like from a tin if they are unflavored and unsalted?
That’s a good question, Alexus! I’ve never tried soaking roasted cashews so I’m not 100% sure but my guess is that it would work the same. Please let me know how it turns out if you try it that way!
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This soups sound great I was wondering if I can put in ball jars and can it for next year?
Hi Cathi! I’m not sure. I don’t have any experience with canning. It might be something you can find an answer to if you Google it. :)
I can my tomato soup as long as there’s no dairy, so this should work.
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This soup is absolutely delicious! My husband is not a soup eater so I gave him a cup to eat with his steak while my daughter and I pigged out on it. He came back looking for leftovers, lol. I just made it again only doubled the recipe. Taking some to my college vegetarian daughter. Thanks for a great healthy alternative. YUM
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that. Thanks for the feedback, Liz! :)
This was so yummy! I didn’t have any raw cashews on hand so I just made it without, but it was really creamy tasting anyway. It was a great way to use up some tomatoes and eggplant from my garden too. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m happy to hear it’s still good without the cashews! Thanks for the feedback, Jillian!
Has anyone calculated the nutrition for this recipe yet?
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Made this to the recipe and it just came out perfect. So simple and delicious. Thank you :)
So happy to hear that! Thank you for the comment!
Can this be frozen if it is not eaten right away?
Hi Jen! I haven’t tried freezing it but I don’t think it would be a problem. Please let me know if you do!
Hello, do you have to bake it? Or can I just saute it?
I recommend roasting it for the best flavor but you are welcome to saute it if you like. Just make sure it is soft enough to blend.
Delicious! I skipped the tamari, and it was excellent!
Thank you, Patrice!
Your husband is right, or at least this SHOULD be the soup breaking the Internet. It is yummy deliciousness itself, so maybe “Umami Soup”? I can’t stop dipping into it. It’s definitely being saved onto my Favourite Recipes Board and will become a regular on our table. Thanks for creating it, Sarah.
Haha! My husband will love it when I read him your comment. :)
Thank you for the review, Donna!
I am making this delicious sounding soup this week. I’m new to vegan cooking and loving all of your recipes. Can you tell me if the eggplant needs to be peeled before cooking or do the peels get thrown in with all the other ingredients.
Thanks for your amazing blog.
Hi Frances! I’m so glad you found me and that you are enjoying cooking vegan! :)
The eggplant does not need to be peeled. The skin will get blended in the blender and you won’t notice it.
I made this for our vegan dinner club get together last night.
It got rave reviews from EVERYONE. Even the dog who got to ‘pre-wash’ the dishes before they went into the dishwasher just about licked the pattern off the plate. I think a few of the diners would have liked to have done the same.
I couldn’t take all the compliments and kudos and not pass them on to you. Great, easy recipe. I especially loved the fact that I didn’t have to peel the eggplant……a job I despise.
My husband, who has just finally decided to join me in this vegan way of life is on his way into town as I type this to pick up some eggplant so he can have this soup for his lunch tomorrow.
Thanks so much.
This comment made my day. Thank you so much, Frances!
This was amazing. Easy to make and very filling. My husband loved it. Thank you for a unique, healthy and very tasty soup recipe. I am so glad I ran across this when I was searching for an eggplant recipe.
Thank you for the feedback, Patty!
What do you soak the cashews in?
Sorry I didn’t elaborate on that, Danielle! You are supposed to soak them in water. I’ve found that if you using boiling hot water you only have to soak them for 30 minutes. I just added it to the directions. :)
Hi Sarah, This looks AMAZING! I have a question. Tomatoes are out of season for me right now and I can’t find great ones at the store or at my farm stand. Could I substitute with canned tomatoes? If so, should I use canned whole tomatoes or should I used canned diced tomotoes and drain them? And how much should I use? I’m sure it would be the best with fresh tomatoes but I really want to try the recipe soon so I may have to use canned. Thanks!
Hey Kimberly! Canned tomatoes should work. I would use whole tomatoes and dice them. Make sure to drain them well. As far as the amount I think 28-ounces would be about the same. It’s hard to say for sure but I’d start with that amount and see how it turns out. I hope that helps!
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I’ve made two batches of this soup and it is absolutely delicious! I gave two (omni) colleagues a taste and they said it was amazing! Would highly recommend and freezes well
I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you for the review, Poppy!
This was SO good!! I only wish I made more :)
Super delicious!
Someone told me to make eggplant soup by poking with a fork and roasting an American eggplant (325F, 1hour long!) until it’s cimpletel cooked and lost half its size. Then blend it with chicken broth.
After my eggplant was cooked, I thought the soup would be bland if adding only chicken broth so I searched a recipe and came across this one. My hubby is vegan so this recipe is perfect, especially I already bought some raw cashew nuts for another recipe but hadn’t used them.
I used 3/4 of a Roma tomato because that was all I had in hand, 1/3 of a red onion, a huge garlic clove, cut them I pieces, coated with a little olive oil and roasted them a little charred to get the flavor. In the meantime, I soaked a handful of raw cashews for maybe an hour or more.
I blended the roasted onion, tomato pieces and cashew nuts, half teaspoon of homegrown dehydrated oregano and vegetable broth to the consistency I like. Then cook the concoction on low heat, added a pinch of cayenne pepper. I never had any eggplant soup this good!
Thank you so much for this awesome vegan recipe.
I swapped out the basil and oregano for cumin and ground ginger. Was fantastic!
Realized that I never commented on this recipe. It is so good! I make it in the summer with tomatoes and eggplant from the garden and freeze it to have in the cooler months. Freezes well and tastes wonderfully fresh! Thank you for the recipe!
Having made this soup every year for the past (at least) 5 years, I figured it was time to leave a comment. It’s a great way to use the extra egg plant from the CSA. I have fed it to multiple families and they have alll enjoyed it! My pickiest kid who hates everything is willing to have a cup (but that’s the limit for him). :) I should also mention that we are a family of tomato haters, but love this annual soup.
Thank you for taking the time to leave a rating. It is greatly appreciated!