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This easy carrot soup is creamy, comforting, delicately spiced, and ready in 30 minutes! Even better, it’s budget-friendly and can be made with dairy or coconut milk!
Soups are one of my favorite low-effort, minimal-prep, quick, satisfying meals, made with low-cost ingredients. This appetizing carrot soup combines hearty root vegetables with ginger and cream and perfectly balances sweet, savory, spicy, and creamy. Best of all, this recipe can be ready in 30 minutes and is meal-prep friendly – perfect for making ahead for the holidays.
Table of contents
The ingredients
The ingredients list for this simple carrot ginger soup recipe is minimal and packed with pantry staples.
- Carrots: Plenty of carrots, whether from the supermarket or bushy-topped farmers’ market carrots. Peel them if preferred, but there’s no need to, as long as they’re cleaned well.
- Ginger: I recommend using fresh ginger for the best flavor. However, you can use ginger paste as well.
- Other vegetables: The addition of onion and celery round out the mirepoix combination alongside the carrot. Additionally, I’ve added a potato for thickness and body.
- Vegetable stock: I use homemade lightly salted vegetable stock. Adjust the amount of salt in the recipe based on how salty the stock you use is. You can also just use water.
- Butter: Or olive oil, to sauté the veggies.
- Heavy cream: Or for a vegan version, use full-fat canned coconut milk.
- Seasoning: cardamom, salt, and black pepper (adjusted to taste).
How to make carrot soup?
Step 1: Prepare the Ingredients: First, wash and cube (or thinly slice) the vegetables (carrot, celery, onion, and potato). Using a vegetable chopper (as I did) or a mandoline to chop them can help cut down prep time. Also, take the cream out of the fridge, so it doesn’t chill your soup too when added.
Step 2: Sauté the Ingredients: In a large, thick-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, add the butter (or oil) and heat over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and sauté, stirring often for a few minutes until softened. Then add the chopped potato, sauté for a couple of minutes, and then add the grated ginger. Stir fry for about 1 minute. Finally, add the carrots and celery.
Step 3: Simmer the Gingered Carrot Soup: Next, add the vegetable stock and seasoning (salt, pepper, cardamom – to taste). Then bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, covered, for a further 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are all fully tender.
Step 4: Blend the Creamy Ginger Carrot Soup: Using an immersion blender, carefully puree the soup directly in the saucepan until smooth and creamy. Next, add the cream and stir to combine. Then finally, give the soup a taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. If the soup requires further heating, do so on the stovetop. Otherwise, you can serve the soup and enjoy it!
Alternatively, you can use a blender. First, make sure to leave plenty of space in the blender (blending in small batches is best). If it has a chute, leave it open for steam to escape. Otherwise, carefully hold the lid down with a clean kitchen towel, lifting it occasionally to release the steam.
How to serve?
Enjoy the soup alone or make It more of a meal with:
- Crusty bread: or homemade croutons.
- Sandwich: a grilled cheese sandwich is my favorite option.
- Side salad: for a light meal, use a light and refreshing leafy green salad (like a simple lettuce salad or massaged kale salad). To make more of a complete meal, focus on more protein-dense salads like chickpea salad or lentil tabbouleh.
- Extra garnish: Add a drizzle of cream or carrot leaf pesto or a sprinkle of parsley.
How to make ahead and store?
- Make ahead: You could also wash and chop all the veggies 1-2 days in advance. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to cook the soup. You can also prepare the soup 1-2 days in advance. Just leave the cream out of the soup until you are ready to serve.
- Store: Allow the soup to cool and then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
- Freeze: If you’d like to freeze it, I recommend leaving out the cream. You can then transfer it to either freezer-safe containers or Ziplock bags (with headspace). Freeze for 3 months. Then allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Reheat: Use either the stovetop (for several minutes of medium heat) or microwave (2-3 minutes, stirring halfway) until warm.
More hearty soup recipes
If you try this carrot soup recipe, let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d appreciate a recipe card rating and would love to see your recipe recreations – tag me on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
Easy Carrot Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2.2 lb carrots peel if preferred, but not necessary
- 1 oz ginger fresh is best, OR ginger paste
- 3.6 oz potato OR sweet potato, pumpkin, or butternut squash
- 3.3 oz onion
- 2.8 oz celery
- 50 fl oz vegetable stock 6.25 cups; OR water
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- salt to taste, if needed as the vegetable stock might be salty
- 1 oz butter or olive oil; use vegan butter if preferred
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom powder
- 1/3 cup heavy cream (double cream) OR full-fat coconut milk (vegan)
Instructions
- Wash and cube (or thinly slice) the vegetables (carrot, celery, onion, and potato). Using a vegetable chopper or mandoline to chop them can help cut down prep time.Take the cream out of the fridge, so it doesn't chill your soup too when added.
- In a large, thick-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, add the butter and heat over medium heat.Once hot, add the onion and sauté, stirring often for a few minutes until softened.
- Add the chopped potato, sauté for a couple of minutes, and then add the grated ginger. Stir fry for about 1 minute. Finally, add the carrots and celery.
- Add vegetable stock and seasoning (salt, pepper, cardamom – to taste). Then bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, covered, for a further 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are all fully tender.
- Using an immersion blender, carefully puree the soup directly in the saucepan until smooth and creamy.Alternatively, you can use a blender – make sure to leave plenty of space in the blender; if it has a chute, leave it open for steam to escape, or carefully hold the lid down with a clean kitchen towel, lifting it occasionally to release the steam.
- add the cream and stir to combine. Then finally, give the soup a taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
