Caprese Soup

We’ve taken all of the classic flavors of caprese and turned it into a delicious soup. This easy soup has a rich and creamy tomato soup base with melted fresh mozzarella on top, fresh basil, and drizzled with a balsamic vinegar glaze. Ready in under 30 minutes!

For more velvety soups, try our Easy Tomato Basil Soup or our Butternut Squash Soup.

Caprese love has swept the world over the past decade thanks to blogs, Pinterest, and all the people who can’t get enough of the tomato, basil, cheesy goodness. We love it just as much as everyone else! This soup is topped with fresh mozzarella, which is then lightly toasted in the oven and finished a drizzle of a balsamic glaze for an added touch of sweetness. You can easily find a balsamic vinegar glaze at your local grocery store or, if you’re feeling ambitious, make this homemade version and save the rest for later.

Ingredient Notes

• Olive Oil: Substitute with any neutral cooking oil, such as avocado or vegetable oil.
• Onion: Use a yellow or white onion. Dice it into small pieces.
• Garlic: Freshly minced garlic provides the best flavor, but jarred minced garlic works in a pinch.
• Chicken Broth: Using a low-sodium option allows you to best control the flavor—it’s a great chef tip.
• Diced Tomatoes: Fire-roasted diced tomatoes add even more flavor.
• Heavy Cream: You can substitute with half-and-half, though the dish may be less creamy and thick.
• Mozzarella Cheese: Use fresh mozzarella cheese for this recipe—trust us.
• Fresh Basil: Freshly chop your basil leaves or slice into ribbons. Stack several fresh basil leaves on top of each other, then roll the bunch lengthwise and cut it into slices and voilà—perfect basil strips.
• Balsamic Vinegar Glaze: Garnish with a drizzle on top. And, adds a touch of sweetness.

Mozzarella Choices

I strongly recommend using fresh mozzarella in caprese soup. You can use pre-sliced fresh mozzarella no problem. It’s just all about that fresh mozzarella for the gooeyest of cheese pulls. You can even double up on the cheese slices if you want. No judgment here! Only encouragement.

If you’ve only got the brick-style of mozzarella cheese, you can shred it and add piles of cheese to the soup, but keep in mind that pre-shredded cheese contains additives to prevent clumping, which gives a gritty texture to the cheese and doesn’t let it melt quite as well.

Canned vs Fresh Tomatoes

Canned tomatoes are a great option for making a quick and easy tomato soup. Canned tomatoes are preferred over fresh for most cooked applications like soups or sauces. The tomatoes are preserved at the peak of freshness so that you can enjoy them all year long. We prefer using a fire-roasted tomato for extra flavor.

Fresh tomatoes don’t always have the best flavor due to transportation and seasonality. You can use fresh tomatoes to make your own tomato soup, of course, but it does require significantly more work.

Balsamic Glaze

Balsamic glaze is really just balsamic vinegar that’s been reduced down until it thickens into a syrup. It’s rich and sweet, with that vinegar tangand it is perfect for drizzling. You can buy it bottled in most grocery stores near the vinegars, or easily make your own by simmering balsamic vinegar on the stove until it reduces by half.

Puréeing Options

When puréeing this soup, you can either use an immersion blender or transfer it to a regular blender. We prefer to use an immersion blender for the easy cleanup, but if you don’t have one, your standard blender will work just fine. Remember to vent out the blender so that pressure doesn’t build up due to the hot liquid—you don’t want a tomato explosion! You can make it as smooth or as chunky as you’d like.

Oven-Safe Bowls

This soup gets finished under the broiler to melt that fresh mozzarella into a bubbly, cheesy perfection so you’ll want to make sure you’re using oven-safe bowls. Ceramic soup bowls or oversized ramekins (12 to 18 ounces) are ideal. They’re the perfect size for an individual serving and can handle the heat without cracking.

To make things easier (and safer!) when transferring the hot bowls in and out of the oven, set them on a sturdy baking sheet before broiling. It not only helps with stability but also catches any drips of melty cheese. If you’re not sure whether your dish is oven-safe, check the bottom or packaging for a label—some bowls look oven-friendly but aren’t rated for high heat.