Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Updated Aug 18, 2026
Roasted red pepper soup made with jarred roasted peppers and finished with Greek yogurt. A smooth, one-pot soup with sweet peppers and a little heat.
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This roasted red pepper soup is one of my favorite ways to use roasted red peppers! I do use a shortcut when making this recipe most of the time by using jarred roasted peppers, but I have made it with my homemade roasted peppers, too, and both work really well. It’s also ridiculously easy to make this roasted pepper soup. Everything cooks in one pot before being blended, and a little Greek yogurt at the end makes it creamy without feeling heavy. I usually serve it with some bread for dipping, but really, I could just eat it straight from the pot with a spoon.
Recipe testing notes
For the past 10 years, I’ve tested every recipe multiple times before sharing it! These notes give you a peek into my process of developing and testing.
The jarred roasted peppers were a deliberate call, not just laziness, though I’ll take the time savings too. I tested this with peppers I roasted myself and with good jarred ones, and the jarred version was honestly just as flavorful for a fraction of the effort, since they’re already roasted and peeled. The one thing I do is drain them well before they go in, so all that packing liquid doesn’t water down the soup.
The Greek yogurt is where I had to be careful. When I stirred it in while the soup was still boiling hot on the heat, it wanted to curdle and go grainy. Turning off the heat first and stirring the yogurt in at the very end keeps it smooth and creamy, and that’s also what preserves its tang instead of cooking it out.
The blending step matters more than you’d think for this one. Because it’s a smooth soup, any bits of onion or celery that didn’t fully soften show up in the final texture, so I make sure to simmer everything until it’s really tender before blending, and then puree it completely. I also keep the crushed red pepper in even though it’s a smooth, mellow soup, because that little bit of heat keeps all the sweetness from the peppers from tasting one-note. Seriously soo good.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
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Roasted Red Pepper Soup Ingredients
- Roasted red bell peppers: Drain them well before adding them to the pot so the roasted red pepper soup doesn’t get watered down by the liquid from the jars.
- Vegetable base: Onion, carrots, and celery get cooked in olive oil until softened. Here are tutorials on how to chop onions, how to chop carrots, and how to chop celery. Cut everything fairly small and evenly so the vegetables soften at about the same rate and blend smoothly later.
- Garlic and fresh herbs: The garlic, basil, and thyme go in after the vegetables have softened so they don’t cook for too long. Read my tips on how to chop garlic. Frozen garlic or ½ teaspoon of garlic powder per clove of garlic works, too. If you don’t have fresh herbs, use 2 teaspoons dried basil and 1 teaspoon dried thyme.
- Tomatoes and broth: Canned crushed tomatoes already have a smooth consistency, which works well for a blended soup. You can also pulse whole canned tomatoes in a blender, or use fresh ripe ones, adjusting the cooking time for proper breakdown and thickening. I use low-sodium vegetable broth so I have more control over the salt.
- Oil: I prefer olive oil for this soup, but you can sub in avocado oil or another neutral oil.
- Greek yogurt: I use plain Greek yogurt to keep the soup lighter, but sour cream also works.
- Seasoning: Salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper are all this needs. The crushed red pepper adds a little heat, but at ¼ teaspoon it doesn’t make the soup particularly spicy.
How to Make Roasted Red Pepper Soup
These step-by-step photos walk you through how to make creamy roasted red pepper soup. For the full ingredient list and detailed instructions, head to the recipe card below, or skip straight to the → Roasted Red Pepper Soup Recipe
1. Cook the vegetables
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottom pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook until softened and the onion looks translucent, then season with salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper.
2. Add the peppers and herbs
Stir in the garlic, basil, thyme, and drained roasted red peppers. Keep everything moving in the pot until the garlic and herbs smell fragrant.
3. Pour tomatoes and broth
Add the crushed tomatoes, followed by the vegetable broth, and stir everything together.
4. Simmer the soup
Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer. This gives the carrots and celery time to soften completely before blending.
5. Stir in the Greek yogurt
Turn off the heat before adding the Greek yogurt so it doesn’t separate. Stir until it disappears into the tomato and roasted red pepper mixture.
6. Blend until smooth
Use an immersion blender to puree the soup directly in the pot until no pieces of vegetables or peppers remain. Serve with torn fresh basil on top.
Full Roasted Red Pepper Soup Recipe
Roasted Red Pepper Soup Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
- 3 celery stalks chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 2 12-ounce jars roasted bell peppers drained (about 4)
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottom pot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery and cook until soft and translucent, 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper.
- Add the garlic, basil, thyme, and roasted red peppers, and cook until fragrant, 1–2 more minutes.
- Add canned tomatoes and broth, and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth and completely blended. Stir in the greek yogurt until well combined. Serve with fresh torn basil.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Variations
- Add spinach: Stir 2 cups baby spinach into the soup after blending and let it wilt before serving.
- Add white beans: Add a 15-ounce can of drained and rinsed cannellini beans along with the tomatoes and broth. They’ll blend right into the soup and make it more filling!
- Add Parmesan: Stir in ½ cup finely grated Parmesan after blending, while the soup is still warm.
Recipe Tips
- Let the vegetables soften before adding the liquids. The carrots and celery need a head start. If they’re still firm when the broth goes in, the soup may need longer to simmer before it’s ready to blend.
- Simmer uncovered. Leaving the lid off allows some of the liquid to evaporate as the roasted red pepper soup cooks, which helps keep it from being too thin.
- Be careful when blending hot soup. Keep the head of the immersion blender fully submerged before turning it on so hot soup doesn’t splash out of the pot.
Serving Ideas
- Make grilled cheese: This is a great dipping soup for my classic grilled cheese sandwich, grilled cheese dippers, grilled mozzarella sandwich, or veggie grilled cheese sandwich.
- Serve with bread: Sometimes I keep it simple with bread for sopping up the soup. My favorites are garlic cheese bread, homemade dinner rolls, and homemade pita.
- Add protein: If I want the soup to be part of a more filling dinner, I’ll serve it with grilled lemon chicken, grilled chicken kabobs, or pesto grilled chicken on the side.
Troubleshooting
It may need more time to simmer uncovered so some of the liquid can evaporate. If it’s already blended, return it to low heat and simmer gently until it reaches the consistency you want.
The carrots or celery may not have softened enough before blending, or the soup may simply need more blending time. An immersion blender can take a few minutes to puree everything completely, especially the pepper skins.
The soup was probably too hot when the yogurt went in. Turn off the heat first and stir in the yogurt before blending. The immersion blender can also help smooth out minor separation.
Comments
We make this ALL the time, it is the best roasted red pepper soup we’ve ever had. Thank you!!
That makes me so happy to hear! I’m glad you love it so much!
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