Spicy Indian Tomato Soup

As two fans of spicy food, we love drawing inspiration from Indian cuisine for new recipes. This spicy Indian tomato soup was inspired by one of our favorite dishes, butter chicken – a creamy, buttery, tomato based curry with a little bit of kick. While not quite as decadent as the curry found in butter chicken, our spicy tomato soup recipe is the perfect cozy dinner for the colder months ahead! 

While authentic Indian style tomato soup recipes do exist, this isn’t exactly one of them. This is our fusion food take on tomato soup, flavored with Indian spices that remind us of our favorite dish. It’s creamy, warm, and just a little bit spicy, and goes great with a side of naan for dipping. Next time you need an easy weeknight dinner that’ll warm you right up, you’ll want to have this recipe on hand!

Spicy Indian Tomato Soup Ingredients

Our creamy Indian spiced tomato soup is essentially a simple tomato soup recipe, seasoned with flavorful Indian spices. Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe at home:

• Vegetable oil
• Minced garlic
• Yellow onion
• Crushed tomatoes
• Water
• Tomato paste
• Kashmiri red chili powder
• Ground coriander
• Dried oregano
• Ground turmeric
• Garam masala
• Cumin
• Powdered ginger
• Salt
• Heavy cream
• Dried fenugreek leaves

Kashmiri red chili powder is quite spicy, and is what gives this soup its kick! This ingredient can be hard to find, but it’s worth the hunt. If there’s a spice shop or an Asian, Indian, or Himalayan store near you, check it out and see if you can find it. If you can’t find this seasoning, you can substitute with ground red cayenne pepper. However, note that you may need to increase the amount of cayenne to reach the desired heat level.

Likewise, fenugreek leaves can be hard to find at traditional grocery stores, so check your local specialty shops. If you can’t find this ingredient, you can simply omit it from the recipe. We like to use it for a hint of added earthiness and some color in the soup, but it won’t majorly affect the flavor if it’s missing.

How To Make Spicy Indian Style Tomato Soup

You can make this simple Indian style tomato soup in less than 45 minutes with just a large pot and a blender (traditional or immersion). Here’s how:

1. First, heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add minced garlic and diced onion and sauté until onions are softened and translucent.
2. Next, stir in the crushed tomatoes and water until everything is combined.
3. Then, transfer the soup to a blender, or use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth. If you’re using a traditional blender, make sure to hold the lid down with a kitchen towel to prevent it from popping off due to steam buildup, and blend only at low speed. Higher speeds will increase the pressure inside the blender, making it much easier for the lid to come off or the soup to splatter through any tiny openings in the lid. (The kitchen towel is to protect your hands in case it splatters – we’ve been burned by this before!).
4. Transfer the soup back to the pot if needed, and return to medium heat. Stir in tomato paste, kashmiri red chili powder, coriander, oregano, turmeric, garam masala, cumin, powdered ginger, and salt.
5. Simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes to let the flavors develop, adjusting the heat as needed.
6. Finally, stir in the heavy cream and fenugreek leaves and serve immediately.

Kashmiri red chili powder can be quite spicy. We use a conservative amount in the recipe so as not to overpower the dish with heat. But if you like your food extra hot, you can always add more! Or, if you’re substituting with cayenne pepper, you may want to use extra since it’s not quite as spicy. Start with the amounts called for in the recipe, then taste-test just after stirring in the spices and adjust to taste.

Keep an eye on the soup as it simmers, adjusting the heat as needed. If it’s bubbling too much, lower the heat. If it doesn’t look like it’s cooking at all, then you’ve lowered the heat too much!

Spicy Indian Tomato Soup Serving Suggestions

We highly recommend serving this Indian style tomato soup with a side of naan for dipping! Here are a few of our favorite naan variations to enjoy with this soup:

• Butter naan by Foodess
• Mini garlic naan (the Stonefire brand is a great store-bought option)
• Cheese stuffed naan bread by El Mundo Eats

If you’re a fan of the classic grilled cheese and tomato soup combo, you’ll love eating our creamy tomato soup with a side of cheesy naan. 

Storing & Reheating Leftovers

Leftover tomato soup will stay good in the fridge for up to 5 days. Make sure to let the soup cool to room temperature before storing in an air-tight container.

To reheat single servings, microwave for about 2 to 3 minutes, stirring halfway through. To reheat a larger batch of soup, warm in a saucepan over medium-low heat for about 10 to 20 minutes, depending on volume.

When To Make Indian Spiced Tomato Soup

This cozy soup recipe is great when you need an easy dinner that also makes plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day. We also love making this recipe for meal prep and freezing 1-cup portions in our Souper Cubes tray for easy reheating.

This tomato soup is one of the best recipes for fall and winter since it’s super creamy and a little spicy. Every spoonful is like a warm hug for your insides! Nothing sounds better than digging into a bowl of this soup after a long, cold day spent hiking under the foliage or perusing the shops downtown for holiday gifts.