Iceland grows very little outdoors — the growing season is short and the summers are cool — but at Friðheimar, a family farm in Reykholt on the Golden Circle, geothermal heat and round-the-clock electric lighting power greenhouses that produce tomatoes all year, even through the dark heart of winter. The farm's restaurant sits right among the vines, bees humming in hives nearby for pollination, and its tomato soup, served with unlimited refills and fresh bread, is the dish most visitors remember.
It is a plain soup by design: ripe tomatoes, water, a little stock, a pinch of cayenne, and — the one surprise — a spoonful of mango chutney for sweetness instead of the cream or sugar most tomato soups lean on. Blended smooth and ladled out hot with basil on top, it tastes like concentrated sunshine, which in Iceland is exactly the point.
Serves 4–6 · Prep 10 minutes · Cook about 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 kg ripe tomatoes, quartered (skins left on)
- 1 litre cold water, or enough to just cover the tomatoes
- 2 vegetable stock cubes (or use 1 litre vegetable stock instead of water and cubes)
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more to taste
- Salt, to taste
- 3–4 tablespoons mango chutney, or 1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
- Fresh basil leaves, to serve
- Crusty bread, to serve
Preparation
- Put the tomatoes in a large pot with the water, stock cubes, cayenne and a good pinch of salt.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer and cook uncovered for about 30 minutes, until the tomatoes have completely collapsed and softened.
- Stir in the mango chutney or diced mango.
- Blend directly in the pot with a hand blender until completely smooth. For an ultra-silky result, pass the soup through a sieve afterward to catch the skins and seeds.
- Taste and adjust the salt, cayenne and sweetness.
- Ladle into bowls, scatter with fresh basil, and serve hot with crusty bread.
Chef's tips
- This soup has nowhere to hide, so use the ripest, reddest tomatoes you can find.
- Add the mango chutney gradually and taste as you go — it should round out the acidity, not taste sweet on its own.
- A little cayenne goes a long way; start with a pinch and build up.
- Blending the tomatoes skins-and-all keeps things rustic and quick; sieving afterward gives a restaurant-smooth texture instead.
Variations and substitutions
- Out of season: two 800 g tins of good whole plum tomatoes work well in place of fresh.
- No mango chutney: use 1 ripe, diced mango, or 1–2 teaspoons sugar with a squeeze of lime.
- Creamier: stir in a splash of cream or coconut milk at the end — not traditional, but common outside Iceland.
- Heat: leave out the cayenne entirely for a milder soup, or add a chopped fresh chili for more kick.
What to serve with it
At Friðheimar the soup comes with a basket of fresh bread for dipping; at home, a slice of rúgbrauð or any crusty loaf does the job. For more plain, warming Icelandic cooking, browse our soups and stews collection, or start with our guide to traditional Icelandic food.
Storage and reheating
Cool completely and refrigerate for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat gently on the stovetop, stirring, until steaming hot throughout; loosen with a splash of water if it has thickened.
Tomato Soup FAQ
Why is Iceland known for tomato soup?
Because of geothermal energy. At Friðheimar, a tomato farm near Reykholt, geothermal heat and extra lighting let the greenhouses produce tomatoes year-round despite Iceland's cold climate and short winter days. The farm's restaurant, built right into the greenhouse, made its tomato soup famous with visitors touring the Golden Circle.
What makes this different from a classic cream of tomato soup?
No cream or butter. It's just tomatoes, water, stock, cayenne and a little mango chutney for sweetness — thickened by nothing but the tomatoes themselves.
Can I make it vegan?
Yes — it's naturally dairy-free. Just check that your stock cube and mango chutney don't contain any animal products, which most don't.
Sources
Ingredients and method follow Friðheimar's own published recipe for their tomato soup.
About Sigrún Ólafsdóttir
Sigrún grew up baking rúgbrauð with her grandmother in Akureyri and has spent the last decade collecting recipes from kitchens all over Iceland. She writes Icelandic MAT's recipes, one dish at a time.