It is officially transition-to-fall season here in the Northeast, which means transition-to-soup season is also upon us, and there is nothing I can think of that better fits the bill for this than Caramelized Gochujang Tomato Soup. It’s spicy, hearty, packed with flavor and uses those late summer tomatoes to their fullest potential. It’s also plant-based and incredibly easy to whip up. The key to its powerhouse flavor is the caramelized gochujang, which is cooked slowly with the onion until its sugars begin to cook down and darken. This leaves you with a spicy, deeply flavorful soup that is light enough to eat in the early fall, but warming enough to last you through winter. Tender herbs lighten up the heat and kick, and when you serve it with rice or crusty bread, it’s the ideal transition-to-fall recipe.
Table of contents
Ingredients you will need for this tomato soup
In the summer, this soup works amazingly well with fresh tomatoes, but in the winter canned are much cheaper and just as delicious. The bright, acidic tomatoes with the rich and slightly spicy gochujang is a match made in heaven, and it’s so simple to make. Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this comforting soup:
- 1 large yellow onion sliced, 12 ounces
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
- 3 garlic cloves grated
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons gochujang paste, go to 3 tablespoons if you like heat
- 1 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 cups vegetable stock or 2 teaspoons Better than Bouillon vegetable base whisked into 2 cups of warm water
- 1 13.5-ounce can of full-fat coconut milk
For serving:
- Assorted tender herbs like dill, mint, cilantro, scallions
- Chili crisp
- Cooked white rice or scallion pancakes
What is gochujang?
A common question I get is what is gochujang? And it’s something I love to answer.
Gochujang is a Korean red pepper paste that is fermented. The fermentation gives it a unique flavor that you can’t replicate with other condiments. The paste is also so easy to cook with and so versatile for adding to quick soups, stews, and sauces.
My favorite thing about gochujang is it’s simultaneously savory, sweet and spicy. The most common preparation involves gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes), glutinous rice, meju powder, yeotgireum and salt. The sweetness comes from the starch of rice, which is then cultured with saccharifying enzymes during the fermentation process.
Gochujang is one of my favorite ingredients to cook with, and its flavor profile changes as it caramelizes, which is why it is one of the best techniques for a soup like this.
How to caramelize the gochujang
The key to this tomato soup is to caramelize the gochujang, which deeply changes how the red pepper paste eats. Caramelizing it mellows out its spiciness, but also brings out the sweetness and depth of flavor that you usually associate with gochujang. With enough fat in your pan, caramelized gochujang turns into something pretty magical.
Start with a large dutch oven over medium heat, then add in the olive oil and let it warm up for a minute or so. Add in the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, 5-6 minutes. Add in the gochujang and stir. Cook together, stirring often, for 10-12 minutes or until you see the gochujang begin to turn a shade darker. This is the sugar in it caramelizing. Continue to stir to ensure nothing burns on the bottom of the dutch oven.
After the gochujang has caramelized, follow the rest of the recipe as written. With only a few minutes of work, you will have a HUGE base of flavor that you will appreciate later.
Tips for serving this tomato soup
I’m a girl who loves soup, but not without its fair share of toppings! I personally think that toppings to soup can go a long way, adding extra elements of flavor and texture that complete it. If you’re like me and love a textured soup, here are some topping ideas for this gochujang tomato soup that will give it a little something extra:
- White or brown rice, or another grain like farro
- Assorted, tender herbs like dill, mint, cilantro and scallions
- Chili crisp! (Here is one of my favorites!)
- Scallion pancakes or a great grilled cheese
FAQ
Yes! I love immersion blenders because it saves time and dishes, but a stand blender works just the same. If you’re in the market for an immersion blender, here is one I recommend.
The caramelized gochujang is what really makes this tomato soup pop, but if you don’t have it on hand, you can opt for tomato paste and chili flakes, or even swap to harissa.
This tomato soup will keep in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. To reheat it, microwave it in a bowl for one minute and serve with the toppings suggested above!
Absolutely, it will last frozen for up to six months. Move it to the fridge 24 hours before you plan to eat it so it can gently thaw.
Looking for more soup recipes?
It’s almost full-fledged soup season. Here are some favorites on the blog!
Gochujang Sweet Potato Soup with Dill
Tomato Soup with Anchovy Oil
Gochujang Brothy Beans
And that’s everything for this Caramelized Gochujang Tomato Soup!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, 12 ounces
- 2 tablespoons gochujang , or 3, if you like it spicy
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
- 1 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 cups vegetable stock, or 2 teaspoons Better than Bouillon vegetable base dissolved in 2 cups water
- 1 13.5-ounce can of full-fat coconut milk , plus extra for serving
For serving:
- Tender herbs such as scallions or mint
- Chili crisp
- Cheesy Scallion Pancakes
Instructions
- Place a large dutch oven over medium heat, add in the olive oil and let it warm up for a minute or so.
- Add in the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, 3-4 minutes. Stir in the gochujang and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until the gochujang is darker a shade in color, slightly caramelized and the onions are jammy.
- Add the grated garlic and ginger and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the garlic no longer smells raw.
- Add in the tomatoes, soy sauce and vinegar. Stir and pour in 2 cups of vegetable stock.
- Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth. Reduce the heat to low, stir in the coconut milk, cover and then simmer for 45 minutes.
- After the soup has simmered, taste and season with salt as preferred, but I find it never needs any.
- To serve, portion into bowls and top with scallions, mint and chili crisp. You can either eat this with white rice or the cheesy scallion pancakes also on my site. Enjoy warm!
Comments
I knew I had to make this the moment I saw it- and it was incredible! Served with rice and some crispy homemade tofu. It was absolutely delicious. Definitely don’t skip the fresh herbs!
This was amazing! I didn’t have chili crisp, so I made some crispy rice for something crunchy on top. Definitely a keeper.
I saw this on TikTok and new I had to make it! This was pretty easy to make with delicious flavor. I LOVE this. I will definitely be making this again and will be looking for more recipes on here to try!
Amazing depth of flavor. A little too spicy for my husband but perfect for me. I used kimchi paste instead of gochujang as a gluten free alternative. Served with grilled cheese and added scallions to the cheese to mimic kind of/sort of scallion pancakes. Yummmm. Will make on repeat.
This is going to be the only tomato soup recipe I use from now on. It was so yummy and quick to make. We ate it with grilled cheese.
This makes me so happy! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
Awesome soup recipe! Served with toasted baguettes with feta. Thanks!
This is one of the best soups I’ve ever had… DEFINITELY the best tomato soup I’ve ever made. I’m obsessed! It’s so warm and comforting to eat. Bought gochujang for the first time for this and it’s a keeper. Thank you!
I loved this tomato soup recipe. These ingredients are pantry staples for me. The use of the cherry tomatoes really celebrates the fresh summer produce but I could still see making with canned tomatoes in the winter. I served it with crispy quinoa, and it was a great quick dinner!
I was thinking the same thing….San Marzano would be awesome
Would I need to make any adjustments if I use frozen cherry tomatoes? We have so many this year I can’t keep up!
Just thaw them before using, but no adjustments needed!
Thanks! This soup is SO Amazing!! I made one 4-serving batch and we both loved it. My cherry tomatoes are crazy this year (picked 9 lbs again today) so made a double batch last week and froze some. Today, it’s a triple batch to put in the freezer. This will be a staple over the winter. Now I’m going to look at some more of your recipes. 🙂
I knew I had to make it the second I saw the recipe. Extremely easy to make and so good. I ate it with rice and chicken on the side
Oh that sounds so delish – I’m so glad you made it!
We cut up the chicken and added it to the soup!
ridiculously good! will definitely be making it again
Music to my ears!! So thrilled you loved it <3
Was craving homemade tomato soup and I had everything for this recipe. So good!
So so delicious and easy to make! Made me feel like I can actually cook 🙂
Music to my ears! I’m so thrilled you liked it!
I saw this recipe while I was still in bed in the morning. I couldn’t wait to try it, so made it for lunch! It’s only at the point where it has to simmer, but already incredible! I will be making this again and again.
So SO thrilled you like it!! Hope you enjoyed 🙂
This came out so good and was easy to make!
Music to my ears! I’m so thrilled you liked it!
This found my feed in 2025 and I couldn’t be happier. Hands down my favorite soup I’ve had all year – so simple but such a good depth of flavor. Will be making again!
So SO thrilled you like it!!
Made this for desk lunches this week! I added 1c of red lentils when I added the coconut milk (and maybe 1c extra water?) and it turned out delicious! Scallion pancakes sound super yummy but for office cooking aren’t super feasible so I made these instead and they pair nicely! https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1027592-sesame-scallion-buns?smid=ck-recipe-android-share
So glad you liked it!!
I saw the reel and then came to your website to check out the recipe and then I saw your sweet potato version with gochujang and I combined both of these recipes to make an equally delicious soup. In addition to the sweet potato, I added broccoli, kale and mushrooms at the end. It was a clean out your fridge situation and it was so delicious.
My caramelized Gochujang burnt instead of caramelizing. More photos/guidance at that stage would have been helpful — I see the potential though!
Hi PKCB, I’m so sorry this happened! A good rule of thumb is to think of it like tomato paste, you want it to darken a shade in color to caramelize. Stirring often, making sure you have enough fat in the pot and keeping the pot over medium heat will also help. The good news is a slightly charred gochujang shouldn’t have ruined the soup, so I hope it was still useable! And I hope it will work out for you if you ever make this again!
Truly excellent soup recipe and really couldn’t be easier. We made it with sourdough “scallion pancake” grilled cheese loaded up with 1/2 cup of scallions. Truly delicious. Will be adding this to our regular soup rotation!
So happy you liked it!
Just had this for dinner with bean quesadillas and it was delicious! We used 3 shallots, because we didn’t have yellow onion and coconut cream instead of milk and it was great, super flavorful! You definitely warned us about 3tbs of gochujang being spicy so it was a sinus opening soup!!
It does get hot haha, but I’m glad you liked it!
[…] Source: Caramelized Gochujang Tomato Soup – Justine Doiron […]
I will be thinking about this soup for a while. So good, such great depth of flavor. Thank you for the recipe!
Turned out perfect! Pairs great with the cheesy scallion pancakes! Love the twist on tomato soup 🙂
I’m so so happy you liked it!
Hey Justine! Saw this on YouTube and decided I HAVE to make it. I am a little concerned that it might be too spicy for a 6 year old, but what are your thoughts? Might give her a bit of yogurt on top to cool it down if it’s too hot for her
Hey Ami! Could you cut the gochujang in half? It will be significantly less spicy that way, and I think she may be able to handle it. You can also double the coconut milk (it’s rich, but delicious) and add a few pinches of salt and that will mellow out the soup.
Okay, I’ll do this! Thank you
This has so much f-ing flavor! I don’t know how else to describe this. Ultra tomato-y but not traditional in the best way possible. I only had a can of coconut cream and it was a spectacular swap to coconut milk. You did it again, Snack Master!
I’m so so happy you liked it!!
First soup of 2026 and it did not disappoint! Loved the heat and depth of flavor. We have friends coming over in two weeks and I can’t wait to make this again. Will be trying the spring onion pancakes along with it next time! Thanks Justine 🙂
So so thrilled you liked it!! Hope they’ll like it, too 🙂
I’m so so thrilled you liked it!! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review <3
I made this yesterday as written (except I used diced tomatoes since I didn’t have whole) and it came out excellent. Thank you!
I’m so glad you liked it!!
I stumbled across this recipe and instantly knew I wanted to give it a try. I was a bit suspicious about if there would be enough flavor because I hadn’t tried any of your recipes before but it was absolutely fantastic and so flavorful! My friend and I made it together and just kept on saying, “dang this soup is so good. We are such good cooks.” Thank you for sharing this, I highly suggest it to anyone looking for a new soup recipe.
This means the world to me!! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
So tasty – made last night and it was the perfect winter weeknight meal. Served with milk bread + smoked cheddar grilled cheese and now I think I want to use the rest as a pasta sauce base, maybe? Your recipes are always thoughtful, well-tested, and with clear instructions. In the age of AI and “recipe” overload, you are appreciated.
This is so beyond kind <3 And as a pasta sauce base this sounds DELISH, I hope it was good!!
I made this recipe after seeing it on Youtube and it’s amazing! I put in about 4-5 tbsp gochujang and left out the herbs (and I skipped blending the soup)
Next time I will probably only use half a can of coconut milk, I prefer it less creamy and more spicy. Nevertheless a great recipe!
So glad you liked it! Let me know what you think of the more spicy version 🙂
Yum! This was so comforting but I also loved the spice. The six year old didn’t like it, but maybe in a few years Had it with some cheesy sourdough scallion pancakes + delicious!
This is so, so good! My only feedback is keep an eye on your gochujang when it’s caramelising- mine only needed about 4 minutes before it turned darker and was on the verge of burning very quickly. It all melted in as I finished the recipe, but 10-12 would have been way too much (I was using a large metal saucepan, though, a cast-iron pot etc. may not have the same issue)
Hi Justine! So excited to make this soup! I bought all necessary ingredients, but was going by the list you have above where the actual recipe starts, in which you list the tomatoes needed as a 28 oz can of plum tomatoes. This is different from the recipe lower down. Is there a way I can use the can I already bought as opposed to the fresh cherry tomatoes?
Hi! I am so sorry about this, as you can see my site updated and it populated the old recipe for this. I’m away from my desktop right now and can’t populate it the way I would like to, but you should be able to find the correct recipe (with the 28 ounce can!) in the post titled “13 Soups to Make in a Snowstorm.” I’m racing back to my desk to get this right for you!!
Wow, thanks for the quick reply! Sorry for the duplicate comment right below this, please ignore. No worries, and thanks again!
At my desk and working on this for you! I am so unbelievably sorry about this, give me 15 min!
Hi Rachel, this is the last frantic comment from me, but the right recipe should be up now! New image means = correct recipe.
Ah, perfect. Thanks so much, Justine!
Hi Justine! So excited to make this soup! I bought all necessary ingredients, but was going by the list you have above where the actual recipe starts, in which you list the tomatoes needed as a 28 oz can of plum tomatoes. This is different from the recipe lower down. Is there a way I can use the can I already bought instead of the fresh cherry tomatoes?
Loads of snow today and I decided this would be perfect. It’s delicious! Our new favorite tomato soup
I am ready to get my friends and family hooked on soup (and your revamped blog)! I just made this, and this recipe + the toppings knocked it out of the park. I’ve shared the link, thank you!
In the new recipe, the directive for how to prep the onion is missing. I diced it like in a picture above, but not sure if that is for the old recipe, like the one of the halved fresh tomatoes. Since it eventually is blended, I know it didn’t affect outcome much… or if it did, loved it this way. Thank you for another easy hit!
THIS SOUP IS LIQUID GOLD and the new website format is fire
AHHHH I’m so glad you like it (both the soup and the site!)
Excited to make this! If using fresh tomatoes what would be an equivalent amount to a 28oz can do you think? And would you change anything when not using canned? Thankyou!
Hi Becky! Great question, you can use 1 1/2 pounds of fresh vine tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, just add them in when the onion is halfway through cooking so they have some time to get softened and jammy. Hope you enjoy!
This recipe is SO incredibly good. Really simple to make, minimal ingredients required (and they’re all stuff I had in the pantry already), and absolutely delicious. Thanks Justine!
So glad you liked it!!
Such a delicious soup! I threw in some tomato paste with the gochujang and used 1Tbs. chili oil and 3 Tbs. olive oil to sauté the onions at the beginning rather than all olive oil to give it a little kick!
Served with a side of peanut butter sandwiches to dip in the soup and it was awesome – don’t knock it ’till you try it! 😉
So so glad you liked it! I’m so intrigued by the peanut butter sandwiches I will definitely try it next time I make this soup!
Thank you Justine! This is the second recipe of yours that I have made and I really enjoyed it. I was surprised that this did not necessarily read Asian despite the addition of soy sauce/ginger/rice vinegar/gojujang- it just was tasty and slightly different from a traditional tomato soup. I used equivalent fresh tomatoes for canned that needed to be used up. I also had leftover heavy cream so I substituted 1/4 cup heavy cream and the difference in broth instead of coconut milk. If someone else wanted to also substitute heavy cream you likely could add 1/3 or 1/2 cup instead- but I did not want it to be too heavy. With the 2 tbsp gojujang it is still spicy (though to a good level for me)- but if you do not like spice I would maybe reduce it to 1-1.5 tbsp. Thank you for the fun recipe!
So glad you liked it! And thank you for the feedback!!
Simply delicious. Followed exactly used the extra Gochujang. No notes just yum
I’m so so thrilled you loved it!
So glad you liked them!
Delicious! I didn’t use quite a whole can of coconut milk, and I added a can of chickpeas for a full meal. Ate with rice and cucumber salad on the side.
That sounds perfect – I will always support the addition of beans. So so glad you liked it!
Great recipe! The gochujang makes it so fruity while the coconut milk makes it the silkiest tomato soup I’ve personally ever made. Added lots of black pepper when serving, and I think I’ll use fennel in lieu of onion next time to see how that goes with the gochujang (or maybe leek). 10/10
I’m so thrilled you liked it! I would love to hear how it turns out with fennel or leek, so if you do make it that way please let me know! Thanks so much for your review <3
Loved this recipe, it’s been so nice as lunch especially in this cold weather. I put cannelloni beans in mine for some protein and some dill for freshness.
I’m so glad you loved it! I will always support the addition of beans. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
I’ve been trying to make different soups that aren’t quite the usual. This was nice and cozy but with that nice little funk from the gochujang. Next time I think I’ll do the three tablespoons. I like that it is made with basic stuff that I usually have on hand so I can easily make again. I made with the cheesy scallions as suggested. I froze the extras of both so this will be a gift that keeps on giving.
I’m so glad you gave this one a try and enjoyed it (and have more to look forward to)! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review <3
This one was fuuuun! I saw it on insta, also made it with the scallion pancakes, and really enjoyed it. I think I would up the salt-to-taste choices I made (a bit of a theme for me), but otherwise delish. I might even up the gochujang? I dunno i loved the flavor profile and was ready for even more punch.
I’m so glad you liked it!! If you do up both, please let me know how it turns out 🙂
Made this for a soup night with friends, and everyone loved it! I used about 2 tbsp of gochujang, but might try 3-4 tbsp next time for a more pronounced flavor & extra kick. I served it with homemade sourdough. Thank you for sharing your beautiful videos and recipes!
I’m so glad everyone loved it! Thank you so much for making this recipe and sharing it with others! Let me know how it comes out with more if you make it 🙂
Hi! I am really excited to make this, but realized I only have gochujang sauce, not paste. Will it still work? Thanks!!
Hi Morgan, optimistically I would say it should work! If the sauce is particularly sugary, it might change the flavor profile a bit, but otherwise I would go for it.
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