This roasted red pepper soup recipe is comforting and flavorful. It's easy to make with simple ingredients like jarred roasted peppers and tomato paste!
This roasted red pepper soup recipe is so comforting on a cold fall or winter night. It’s one of those back-pocket soups that comes together with pantry basics: jarred roasted red peppers, tomato paste, veggies like carrots and onion, and a splash of balsamic vinegar for tangy flavor. I blend in a few white beans to give it a lightly creamy texture, but if you’re in the mood for a more traditional soup, a little cream would be delicious too.
I originally shared this recipe in my first cookbook, The Love & Lemons Cookbook. I’ve heard from so many readers who love it—and I’ve made it so many times myself—that I thought it deserved a home on the blog too. Here’s hoping it becomes one of your cold weather go-tos!
Why You’ll Love This Roasted Red Pepper Soup
- The prep is quick and easy. Using jarred roasted peppers makes this recipe a breeze. You only have to chop up an onion, a couple carrots, and a fennel bulb before you start cooking!
- The ingredients are super simple. You probably have most of them in your pantry right now. I’m also sharing a few easy ingredient swaps in this blog post so you can adapt the recipe to use what you have on hand.
- It’s cozy and nourishing. This lightly creamy, flavorful soup tastes like comfort food, but it’s packed with good-for-you veggies, beans, and olive oil. Go on, get a second bowl!
Roasted Red Pepper Soup Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this roasted red pepper soup:
- Roasted red peppers, of course! I typically make this recipe with jarred roasted peppers. They make it super simple to throw together, and they add a slightly acidic, deeply concentrated red pepper flavor. But if you prefer to make your own roasted red peppers in the oven, feel free! In that case, just season the soup with extra salt to taste.
- Onion and garlic – They create the soup’s savory base.
- Carrots – They bring out the peppers’ sweetness and make the soup lightly creamy.
- Fennel – I love its rich, anise-like flavor in this soup, but if you don’t have it on hand, don’t worry—2 celery ribs are an easy substitute!
- Fresh thyme leaves – For earthy, woodsy flavor. Dried thyme works well here too. Just reduce the quantity to 1 teaspoon so the flavor isn’t overpowering.
- Balsamic vinegar and tomato paste – For bold, tangy flavor. I use a regular thin balsamic vinegar here. If you’re using a thick balsamic reduction, use just 1 tablespoon instead of 2. If you don’t have balsamic on hand, skip it, and season the soup with lemon juice to taste before serving.
- Cooked white beans – Any kind works—cannellini beans, navy beans, Great Northern… They make the soup lightly creamy without any dairy. Raw cashews or a splash of heavy cream (if you’re not vegan) both work well as substitutes.
- Vegetable broth – Use store-bought, or make homemade vegetable stock for extra depth of flavor.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – For richness.
- And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!
Optional, but delicious: I add red pepper flakes to this recipe for a subtle spicy kick. Skip them if you’re sensitive to spice!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Roasted Red Pepper Soup
This creamy roasted red pepper soup recipe is super simple to make:
Start by sautéing the veggies. Cook the onion on its own until translucent, then add the fennel, garlic, carrots, and thyme and cook until the carrots begin to soften.
Next, simmer the soup. Add the vinegar, red peppers, beans, tomato paste, and salt to the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook until the carrots are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
Here’s what the soup will look like at that stage:
Then, blend it. Allow the soup to cool slightly, then transfer it to a stand blender with another 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Blend until smooth, then return the soup to the pot.
- Tip: Got an immersion blender? It would be great for blending this soup! Just blend the soup right in the pot with the remaining oil.
Season to taste and serve!
Serving Suggestions
As a contrast to the smooth texture of this soup, I like to top it with more chopped roasted red peppers and extra herbs. It’s a small detail, but the chunky diced peppers give it a nice texture. A few croutons or roasted chickpeas on top would be a fun addition too, for crunch!
If you’re serving this soup as part of a larger meal, try pairing it with crusty bread, homemade focaccia, or a grilled cheese sandwich.
I also love it with a salad on the side. A classic Caesar salad, this kale salad, and this beet salad are some of my favorites!
How to Store and Freeze
Like most soups, this one can be made ahead and kept in the fridge—the flavors just get better and better. It keeps well in an airtight container for about 4 days.
It also freezes well. Allow the soup to cool completely, then seal it in an airtight container or jar, leaving an inch of space for it to expand at the top. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
This soup reheats perfectly in the microwave or over low heat on the stovetop!
More Favorite Soup Recipes
If you love this easy roasted red pepper soup, try one of these healthy soup recipes next:
- Vegetable Soup
- Tomato Soup
- Best Lentil Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup
- French Onion Soup
- Or any of these 35+ Best Soup Recipes!
Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 small fennel bulb, coarsely chopped
- 3 medium carrots, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 3 jarred roasted red bell peppers
- ¼ cup cooked cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- ½ to 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
For Serving (all optional):
- 1 jarred roasted red pepper, diced
- Finely chopped fresh parsley or fresh basil leaves
- Red pepper flakes
- Microgreens
- Warm baguette
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and pinches of salt and pepper and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, fennel, carrots, and thyme leaves. Stir and cook until the carrots begin to soften, about 10 minutes.
- Add the balsamic vinegar, red peppers, beans, tomato paste, broth, and ½ teaspoon salt. Simmer until the carrots are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Allow to cool slightly, then transfer the simmered soup to a high-speed blender with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and puree until smooth. (Alternatively, use an immersion blender to blend the soup in the pot.)
- Season with more salt and pepper, to taste. If you would like more punch, add a few more drops of balsamic, to taste. If you would like a little heat, add ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes.
- Serve with generous drizzles of olive oil, desired garnishes, and warm baguette.
Â
Delicious soup a meal in a bowl!
I had most of the veggies in the fridge from a vegetable box we ordered
Although a fairly complex soup(flavour wise)
It was so good and I def will make it again……one to impress!
Hi Ann, I’m so glad you loved the soup!
Fantastic soup – full of flavour and loved the addition of the beans to add that creamy texture. I replaced the fresh fennel with toasted crushed fennel seeds which worked perfect. Thanks for sharing this.
Hi Terry, I’m so glad you loved the soup!
I’ve been making soup all week with my gf, and this one is by far the worst.
I love balsamic vinegar, but it’s really overpowering in this recipe, and there’s a lack of roasted red pepper flavour.
Maybe because I used aged balsamic of Modena? I can’t imagine that this is how the soup should taste.
Hi Rob, if the aged balsamic is very thick or syrupy, it might be overpowering. I’m sorry you didn’t like the soup.
I made this for my boss. He couldn’t have beans so I substituted a potato. It was thick & so flavorful. I sprinkled some chili flakes for an added kick. He loved it!! Thank You
Really, REALLY loved this soup. I used fresh peppers and roasted them myself, which added an extra step but I really enjoy the peeling process. This soup has so much flavor. The fresh fennel truly adds such a special element to the soup. The flavors are rich, bright, hearty, soothing and warm with a bit of a punch from the balsamic (which absolutely took this soup over the mark). 10/10 from me! Thanks for sharing!
You knocked this out of the ballpark! This is UHH-MAAAZING. I just finished making a pot. I was going to give all of it to a neighbor recovering from surgery …. but I just had to eat a bowl right away, and save a small cup for tomorrow’s lunch. She’ll get the rest. I fixed it just as you have given to us in the recipe. This one’s a keeper!
Sounds so good! Is there something I could use as a substitute for the cannellini beans? My bf is allergic to beans. Thanks!
you could leave them out – they add just a bit of creaminess, but there are so few, it’ll be fine without them!
Amazing soup- my husband and I absolutely loved it. Extremely flavorful, healthy and seems low in FODMAP too!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This soup was seriously excellent! I had to chop my veggies a little smaller so I could use an immersion blender, but it was well worth the extra effort. This will be going in the regular soup roation for sure.
Hi Kat, I’m glad you loved the soup! Thanks for the tip about the immersion blender. xo, Jeanine
I was scrolling through the comments, looking for some tips for immersion blender use. Totally makes sense!
Was delicious! I might’ve added more beans than the recipe called for; I used the entire 10.5 oz can. Made for a nice, hearty soup, perfect with a grilled cheese panini.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Me too on the beans, figured why not. ?
Super delicious and healthy recipe – absolutely loved it, as did the bf! Made a huge pot-ful and had leftovers for a couple of days. The perfect antidote to cold winter evenings. Thanks for another delicious and beautiful recipe!
What a perfect recipe for the cold winter days! I love the combination of roasted pepper and carrots so I’m sure this tastes amazing. Thanks for sharing the recipe and the mouthwatering photos! 🙂
Hi, do your jarred red peppers contain vinegar in the liquid they’re preserved in? The ones I have in my pantry contain white vinegar and I don’t know if they will be good.
Hi Natalia, the ingredients on mine are: water, sea salt, and citric acid (These are the ones I get: https://amzn.to/2C8X52l). If they’re preserved in vinegar, it will change the flavor of the soup, I can’t say how exactly without trying it myself. You could try using them and omitting the balsamic vinegar from the recipe. Or you could add the balsamic at the end, just to taste, if you feel like the soup needs more zing. Hope that helps!
Yes thank you it’s very helpful! These peppers are not very acidic in taste, so I will give it a try. Pickles are very popular in Poland and red peppers are only preserved this way. Though they’re not very acidic in taste. Hope it will turn out great 🙂
It sounds like they’ll work just fine!
I always like cheese to go in or on the side of my soup. Is there a cheese you would recommend to go with this? Thank you! It looks so yummy and perfect for the weather!
Another reader said she topped hers with gruyere cheese and I really love that idea. Hope you enjoy the soup!
Do you think I could use fresh red peppers instead of jarred? If so, how many do you think I need?
Yep, you can roast fresh red peppers (blister them, cover in a bowl for 10 or so minutes, then peel the skins). I would use the same amount. Hope that helps!
So would that be three roasted bell peppers or three jars of roasted bell peppers? I was going to use fresh peppers but wasn’t sure exactly how many I should use.
Thanks
Yes, use 3 small red peppers for the soup (plus a 4th if you would like diced roasted red pepper as a garnish). The jarred red peppers are kind of small, so if your peppers are very large, you could use 3 total instead of 4 total.
Mmmm, can’t wait to add this to my soup season rotation!
You said first cookbook in the post…does that mean you guys are working on another one?
Ha, I really let that one slip out, good catch :).
So funny you posted this today… after browsing through your book on a very rainy day yesterday, my boyfriend and I decided to try this recipe. We added a pinch of red pepper flakes at the end and then topped it with some Gruyere. We’ll definitely be making this again, thanks!
What a coincidence! I’m glad you loved the soup – I really love your Gruyere idea, I’m going to do that next time 🙂
Looks wonderful. Did you use unsalted or salted vegetable broth? And if you use salted broth wondering if unsalted could be used and additional salt added as necessary? Also how necessary is the tomato paste?(have to watch the tomatoes in my diet)
Hi Roxane, I used 365 brand vegetable broth that is salted. You can add salt to your liking, but I found that the 1/2 teaspoon salt was the perfect amount of seasoning. I think the tomato paste balances the red pepper flavor nicely, so I prefer this soup with it, but you can taste it before you add it if you like.
Thanks, I am sure it will taste better using the paste and perhaps that small of an amount won’t cause me problems. Probably will do what you suggest and taste it before adding. Probably the hardest part for me of having to go to a low acid diet to manage GERD (medications didn’t work and had too many side effects) was eliminating tomatoes and tomato products from my diet.
Can I skip or substitute fresh fennel?
Hi Jill, I haven’t made this specific recipe without the fennel – it’s so delicious, there’s not a strong fennel flavor, I recommend giving it a try!
this is gorgeous lady! xoxo
Thanks Dana!