This viral recipe promises to be "the easiest soup you'll make in your life" - and believe it or not, it's made in an air fryer

One Instagram user has revealed how you can make soup in just 20 minutes with this air fryer hack - yep, you read that right. 

The popularity of air fryers is showing no sign of waning, and if you're thinking of gifting one of the best air fryers to a loved one for Christmas - or just investing in one for yourself - you're not the only one. These handy kitchen devices make for a great present, because not only are they easy to use and cheap to run, there's a never-ending list of foods you can cook in an air fryer.

And believe it or not, included in that list is soup. Home cook and content creator Nathan Anthony - aka Bored of Lunch - recently shared his air fryer red pepper soup recipe, and not only does it look delicious, but he promises it will be "the easiest soup you'll make in your life". 

Nathan has a huge 1.7 million Instagram followers thanks to his incredible air fryer recipes and hacks that make cooking for the family super simple. He also has two Sunday Times bestselling books filled with his creative meal ideas, so even though it might sound strange, we reckon this air fryer soup is worth trying. 

It takes just 20 minutes and you can make the whole thing (including the cheese toastie on the side) in your air fryer basket - which saves on washing up too. Starting off by air frying his veggies and then blending with cream and stock, Nathan rightly says, "It's that time of year when you want to start dipping cheese toasties into soup." 

So, if you're looking for a quick and easy lunch or a healthy dinner you can batch make ahead of time, then this air fryer soup recipe has arrived just in time for the colder months. Here's how to make it...

• Buy Bored of Lunch: The Healthy Air Fryer Book - £9.50 | Amazon

How to make soup in an air fryer

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 500g of cherry tomatoes
• 3 red peppers
• 1 red onion
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp mixed herbs
• 250ml vegetable stock
• 150ml double cream
• Handful of fresh basil
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Chop up the onion and red pepper and peel the garlic, before placing in your air fryer basket along with the tomatoes, oil, mixed herbs and a pinch of salt and pepper
2. Air fryer for 20 minutes at 200°C
3. Add the basil, stock and cream and blend with a stick blender until smooth - you can do this in the air fryer basket or transfer the mix to a separate bowl
4. Optional: Serve with a cheese toastie for dipping

Nathan's recipe has proved popular with his followers, with one commenting, "I'll be making this soon," while another said, "Just made this soup, delicious". 

And it seems like the recipe has arrived just in time for the colder months, with another follower adding, "The winter soups are back," while one said, "That's my dinners sorted for next week."

Nathan made a cheese toastie to dip in the soup, also using his air fryer. To copy Nathan's recipe, simply butter two slices of bread on both sides, sandwich some cheese in the middle and air fry for seven minutes at 200°C. 

You'll probably want a dual air fryer to do this, so that you can make your soup in one drawer and the toastie in another. Goodto Money Editor Sarah Handley tested the Salter Dual Air Fryer and gave it an impressive 4.5 out of 5 stars, rating it the best air fryer for dual cooking. 

Salter EK4750BLK Dual Air Fryer - £169.99 | Amazon

Sarah says: "In terms of size, it’s perfect for a family - each of the frying trays has a 3.7L capacity. For times when you don’t need to cook for the whole family, you can use the trays individually, which is very handy."

More Bored of Lunch recipes

• Air fryer sweet potato and chorizo hash
• Air fryer fish tacos
• Air fryer Creme Egg croissants
• Air fryer French toast bites

Looking for more easy air fryer hacks? Check out this three-ingredient recipe for s'mores dip, and this easy cinnamon doughnuts recipe. For something savoury instead, you only need three ingredients to make sausage rolls in your air fryer, or find out how we got on when we tried making bagels in our air fryer. 

And if you're ready to embrace soup season, check out this recipe for Gordon Ramsays' pumpkin soup or this carrot and butternut squash soup recipe. We've got recipes for cream of tomato soup and chicken tom yum soup too.