My savory carrot soup gets its rich flavor from roasted carrots, a touch of cream, and spices like coriander, thyme and smoked paprika. It’s simple comfort food that’s great for serving year ’round.
Simple (but Incredible) Carrot Soup
While carrot cake will always be my preferred way to eat carrots, this roasted carrot soup recipe is a close second. It’s creamy (without being overly indulgent) warming, satisfying soup that’s richly flavored and shockingly good, especially considering its short ingredient list.
I tested this recipe many different ways and with different ingredients; adding a drizzle of maple syrup, cooking the veggies in rendered bacon grease (like I do for my potato soup!), etc. All were good, but surprisingly the simplest version was the best. Cooking the veggies in butter and adding just a few basic spices enhances the flavor while still allowing the carrots themselves to shine!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Savory & satisfying. A lot of carrot soup recipes really lean into the sweetness of the carrot (like I did with my butternut squash soup) using ginger, coconut milk instead of cream, cinnamon, or other lighter, sweeter flavors. While my recipe embraces the sweetness of the carrots some, it also balances it with savory flavors like onion and garlic cooked in butter, smoked paprika, thyme, coriander and white wine. I really think you’ll enjoy this version!
- Creamy, but not too rich. My recipe uses less than a cup of cream; just enough to create a velvety smooth texture and balance the flavor.
- Easy & flavorful. Roasting the carrots first (rather than cooking them in the pot) deepens their flavor and makes them easy to work with.
- Vegetarian-friendly if you swap the chicken broth for veggie broth. My meat loving family gladly eats this though!
What You Need
- Carrots. You’ll need two pounds of carrots for this recipe. Make sure to wash and dry your carrots well–there is no need to peel them if you do this. Baby carrots would work too!
- Aromatics. Including garlic and onion, which we will cook in melted butter–yum.
- Spices. Including coriander, smoked paprika, and thyme. All of these spices add a savory flavor, and the coriander works especially well with the carrots! All of these spices are important, but coriander is an absolute MUST for this recipe, it has a bright, subtly spiced flavor that works wonderfully with the carrot.
- White wine. To deglaze the pan, add complexity, and balance the flavors. If you don’t have wine or don’t want to open a whole bottle for just a splash, you can alternatively use white wine vinegar (my preferred alternative) or white vinegar. Note you’ll need a bit less vinegar, I detail how to substitute properly in the recipe card.
- Broth. I use chicken broth (or my homemade chicken stock!), which gives a nice depth of flavor. You could substitute veggie broth for a vegetarian carrot soup, but make sure to pick a good, flavorful one or your soup could seem a bit bland. Kettle & Fire makes a great vegetable broth, which I use in my vegetable soup recipe (not affiliated, just a fan!).
SAM’S TIP: If your carrots still have long green tops like mine, you can use them to make pesto! I’m all for reducing food waste, though usually my kitchen scraps go to my chickens.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Carrot Soup
Roast the carrots
Toss the carrots in olive oil and salt and pepper until evenly coated, then spread onto your baking sheet. Make sure to use a baking sheet that gives your carrots some breathing room. I like to line mine with parchment for easier cleanup.
Bake until fork tender, about 25-30 minutes (but could be longer, it depends on on how thick your carrots are).
Cook the aromatics
In a large Dutch oven, saute the onion in butter until softened, then stir in the garlic and spices. Make sure to stir frequently once you add the garlic, as it can quickly burn and won’t taste good if it does.
Add the roasted carrots to the pot, then drizzle in the wine. Use the wine to loosen and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan (flavor!!). Cook until the wine evaporates; when it has, you’ll notice the steam coming off the pot is no longer pungent or smells like alcohol.
Add broth & blend
Drizzle in the broth and let the soup simmer for about 10 minutes to help develop the flavor.
Blend until smooth and creamy. An immersion blender works really well for pureeing, but you could use a blender instead. If you do, make sure to do it in batches (especially if using a glass blender!) so it doesn’t explode. I usually use 4 or 5 cups of broth, depending on how thin I want my soup to be. If you opt to use more for a thinner soup, you may need to adjust your spices, too.
A splash of cream
Add the cream and stir until incorporated, then taste test. If your soup tastes at all bland, just add more salt (a good general rule for cooking).
Serve with your favorite toppings and sides (suggestions below!) and enjoy!
SAM’S TIP: If you have extra carrots after making this recipe, use them to make my carrot muffins or maple glazed carrots!
What to serve with carrot soup
Croutons (recipe coming soon!), parmesan cheese, bacon bits, everything bagel seasoning, and sour cream are all great toppings. Sometimes I add a drizzle of cream or olive oil on top, but I bet a drizzle of balsamic would be nice, too!
For sides, serve with your favorite bread, like sourdough bread, a hunk of crusty artisan bread, garlic knots, crescent rolls, etc. or a grilled cheese.
I’ll be sharing my recipe for homemade croutons (pictured here!) very soon. Stay tuned! Oh, and if you’re looking for a sweeter carrot recipe, try my carrot cake cookies 😉
Enjoy!
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Roasted Carrot Soup
Ingredients
For roasting the carrots
- 2 lbs (907 g) carrots
- 1 ½ Tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper
For the soup
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter
- 1 ¼ cups diced yellow onion (about 1 large onion)
- 1 ½ Tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon table salt plus more to taste
- 2 Tablespoons dry white wine (see note for substitute)
- 4-5 cups (946-1182 ml) chicken broth (may substitute vegetable broth)
- ⅔ cup (158 ml) heavy cream
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
Roast the carrots
- Preheat oven to 425F (220C).
- Wash and dry carrots and remove/discard the ends. Cut each carrot into 3 pieces (if the thicker ends are particularly thick, cut these in half lengthwise so they cook evenly with the other pieces). Place in a large bowl, add olive oil and salt and pepper and toss until carrots are evenly coated with oil.2 lbs (907 g) carrots, 1 ½ Tablespoons olive oil, Salt and pepper
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the carrots in an even layer over the baking sheet. Transfer to center rack of 425F (220C) preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes (or longer if needed) until carrots are tender and easily pierced all the way through with a fork. Set aside while you prepare the soup.
Make the soup
- Heat butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.2 Tablespoons salted butter
- Once melted, add onion and cook until softened (about 5-7 minutes).1 ¼ cups diced yellow onion
- Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).1 ½ Tablespoons minced garlic
- Add the coriander, paprika, thyme and salt and briefly stir until well combined with the onion/garlic.1 teaspoon coriander, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon table salt
- Add the cooked carrots to the pot and stir.
- Slowly drizzle the wine into the pot, if any browning is on the bottom of the pot use your spatula or spoon to gently scrape it up. Cook the wine until it’s completely evaporated.2 Tablespoons dry white wine
- Slowly drizzle in broth. Bring to a simmer and simmer 5-10 minutes.4-5 cups (946-1182 ml) chicken broth
- Reduce heat to low and either use an immersion blender to blend until completely smooth or transfer the soup in batches to a blender to blend until smooth (do this in batches to avoid the possibility of the soup exploding out of the blender!) and then return to the pot.
- Stir in cream and stir until completely combined. Taste-test and add additional salt if needed. Serve warm, garnished with an additional drizzle of cream, a dollop of sour cream, croutons or pepitas, or just leave it plain!⅔ cup (158 ml) heavy cream
Notes
Wine substitute
Swap the wine for 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar or white wine vinegar (preferred). Follow the instructions of cooking until evaporated.Storing
Allow to cool then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. For best results, reheat in a pot over medium/low heat. Sometimes the soup thickens as it sits, so you may want to add additional chicken broth or even water when reheating it to thin it (taste-test as you may need to add more salt/spices to account for this).Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
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