Like carrots? You’re going to love this carrot soup recipe. It’s luxuriously creamy and full of incredible roasted carrot flavor.
This classic carrot soup is a wonderful soup to serve with your favorite winter salads, sandwiches, and even holiday entrées. Since carrots go well with so many other flavors, it’s a versatile soup to keep in your repertoire.
You might be pleasantly surprised to learn that this creamy soup is actually made without cream. It’s a light and healthy soup, not to mention budget-friendly, too.
I tried making the soup with sautéed carrots instead of roasted, but roasted carrots give this soup magical powers. If you’re a fan of my butternut squash soup or cauliflower soup, the method for this recipe will be familiar already.
Since I can’t help but play around with flavors, I came up with three fun and simple variations—carrot ginger soup, curried carrot soup, and Thai curried carrot soup with lime. You’ll find details in the recipe notes. It’s about time this food blog had a proper carrot soup recipe, and it’s really four in one!
How to Make the Best Carrot Soup
You’ll find the full recipe below, but here are a few key factors.
1) Roast the carrots
Roasting the carrots condenses their flavor, which brings out the carrots’ best sweet-and-savory notes. This step makes all the difference between a ho-hum carrot soup and a why-is-this-so-good carrot soup.
2) Cook some aromatics and spices
Meanwhile, we’ll sauté some chopped onion in oil until tender. Then, we’ll add some fresh garlic, plus ground coriander and cumin. The spices make the soup taste more interesting in a subtle way. (If you’re out of coriander or cumin, though, you can omit them.) Cooking the spices in oil for about 30 seconds wakes them right up, while it mellows the garlic.
3) Simmer to bring it all together
Then, we’ll add vegetable broth, water, and the roasted carrots when they are out of the oven. We’ll gently simmer them all together for 15 minutes to bring all the flavors together.
Of note: I’ve been experimenting with using water instead of vegetable broths in soups, and I rarely miss the broth. If you’re cutting costs or watching your sodium intake, water is a great option here. I’ll share my notes on this subject in greater detail soon.
4) Blend in a stand blender
Stand blenders always yield ultra creamy results. Immersion blenders don’t come close! That’s why I always recommend blending soup in a stand blender instead. I don’t like cleaning extra dishes, either, but the resulting texture is worth the effort. You can find my favorite blenders in my Amazon shop (affiliate link).
Be careful while blending. Let the soup cool for a few minutes before transferring to a blender, never fill past the maximum fill line (it could explode), and be careful near the steam escaping from the lid (it’s hot!).
5) Finish with butter and lemon
You won’t believe how much difference a tablespoon of butter makes at the end. Once blended into the rest, it makes the soup taste more luxurious without dulling the other flavors like cream does (did you know that soups could be this creamy, without cream?). Adding some lemon juice brightens up the finished product and brings it all together.
Three Delicious Carrot Soup Variations
You know me—I couldn’t help but play around with this recipe. Here are three truly delicious variations on the “basic” recipe. Actually, let’s call the “basic” version classic instead. It does not taste boring!
1) Carrot Ginger Soup
Another classic! The carrot ginger variation is especially good if you are under the weather, or trying to warm up from the inside out. Add freshly grated ginger along with the garlic (see amounts provided in the recipe notes).
2) Curried Carrot Soup
This might be my favorite option. Simply add some Indian curry powder along with the other ground spices. Carrots and warming curry spices are a perfect match. You can also add some ginger to this variation, if you’d like.
3) Thai Curried Carrot Soup
You guessed it—add some Thai red curry paste for a lively carrot soup with irresistible Thai flavors. At the end, blend in some lime juice instead of lemon. This variation is especially beautiful when garnished with chopped peanuts and fresh cilantro leaves.
Please let me know how your soup turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Wondering what to pair with this carrot soup? Here are a few suggestions:
- Arugula and Wild Rice Salad with Zippy Lemon Dressing
- Farro and Kale Salad with Goat Cheese
- Green Salad with Apples, Cranberries and Pepitas
- Kale Pecan Pesto over pasta
- My Favorite Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Mujadara (Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions)
Looking for more creamy, lightened-up soups? Here are a few more favorites to bookmark:
- Classic Tomato Soup (Lightened Up!)
- Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup
- Creamy Roasted Pumpkin Soup
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Creamy Roasted Carrot Soup
- Author:
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 bowls 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Blended
- Cuisine: Various
This homemade carrot soup recipe is ultra creamy (yet cream-less) and full of rich, roasted carrot flavor! It’s the best carrot soup you’ll ever have. Recipe yields 4 bowls or 6 cups of soup.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds carrots
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, divided, to taste
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 4 cups vegetable broth (or water)
- 2 cups water
- 1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, to taste
- 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup, if desired.
- To prepare your carrots, peel them and then cut them on the diagonal so each piece is about ½″ thick at the widest part (see photos).
- Place the carrots on the baking sheet. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Toss until the carrots are lightly coated in oil and seasonings. Arrange them in a single layer.
- Roast the carrots until they’re caramelized on the edges and easily pierced through by a fork, 25 to 40 minutes, tossing halfway. (Heirloom carrot varieties will roast in as little as 25 minutes, but regular carrots are more dense and typically require 35 to 40 minutes.)
- Once the carrots are almost done roasting, in a Dutch oven or soup pot, warm the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and turning translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the garlic, coriander and cumin (if following a variation, see recipe notes for additions). Cook until fragrant while stirring constantly, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Pour in the vegetable broth and water, while scraping up any browned bits on the bottom with a wooden spoon or sturdy silicone spatula.
- Add the roasted carrots to the pot when they are out of the oven. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, to give the flavors time to meld.
- Once the soup is done cooking, remove the pot from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes. Then, carefully transfer the hot soup to a blender, working in batches if necessary. (Do not fill past the maximum fill line or the soup could overflow!)
- Add the butter, lemon juice (or lime, if following the Thai variation), and several twists of black pepper. Blend until completely smooth. Add additional salt and pepper if necessary, to taste. Add another tablespoon of butter if you’d like more richness, or a little more lemon juice if it needs more zing. Blend again, and serve.
- This soup keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for about four days, or for several months in the freezer.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my creamy roasted cauliflower soup and roasted carrots recipe.
Carrot ginger soup variation: Add freshly grated ginger with the garlic and ground spices. Use 1 teaspoon for subtle ginger flavor, 2 teaspoons for more prominent flavor, or 1 tablespoon for relatively spicy carrot-ginger flavor.
Curried carrot soup variation: Add some curry powder with the garlic and ground spices. Use 1 teaspoon (mild) or up to 2 teaspoons (somewhat spicy), depending on your preferences. For curried ginger soup, also add 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger at this time.
Thai curried carrot soup variation: Add Thai red curry paste with the garlic and ground spices (be sure to choose a vegan/vegetarian option if you’re avoiding fish produces, such as Thai Kitchen). Use 1 ½ teaspoons (mild) or up to 1 tablespoon (relatively spicy), depending on your preferences. Substitute lime juice for the lemon. You might like to garnish your bowls of soup with some chopped roasted peanuts and fresh cilantro leaves.
Make it dairy free/vegan: A few options. One, if you enjoy the flavor of the blended soup without butter, you can skip it altogether. For more richness, you could blend in a tablespoon of good olive oil or use cashews instead of butter. Soak ¼ cup cashews for 4 hours, then drain and rinse them (if you have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec, you can skip this). Add the cashews when you would add the butter.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Nora Crane
I’m always on the lookout for another carrot soup recipe. This recipe looks delish, but my expiration date on pureed soups has long ago passed. I’m going to try this without pureeing, as I love a soup with a broth. Bon Appetit!
Kate
I’m not sure how this will taste without pureeing as that really helps the flavors shine. I would be interested, though!
Hayley
I LOVE so many of your soup recipes; I know this will be another favourite too. Can’t wait to make it!
Kate
Let me know what you think, Hayley!
Hayley
ALSO just FYI for anyone who wants to make this soup vegan, I use vegan becel (margarine) in all of Kate’s soups that call for butter to make it vegan & it works perfectly!
Kathleen
Hi Kate
It’s summer here in Australia, but i can’t wait to make a big pot of this delicious sounding soup!
A quick question, why peel the cartots? I’ve heard that a lot of vitamins and fibre are in the outer coating of vegetables. Apart from onion and garlic, i keep my peels on.
Thanks in advance :)
Looking
Nancy Nurse
So what’s making this soup so creamy? Please don’t say butter, since we don’t do dairy… it’s absolutely unbelievable but for the life of me, I can’t see any ingredients that would make it soooo creamy? Are you adding cashew cream perhaps? Although, I don’t see them.
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Nancy! It’s how everything plays together. The olive oil helps, too. Let me know if you try it!
Donna
Much better when you roast everything together first, then put in Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot. I added a few parsnips to mine and thyme instead of cumin & coriander and definitely no lemon. This is now my favourite soup.
Kate
Thanks for trying it, Donna!
Mark
Hi Kate,
Wondering what I should substitute for the cheeses in your recipes. I follow a vegan diet and would like to try your recipes but can’t use the cheese.
Mark
Kate
Hi Mark! It really depends on the recipe. Typically, I provide a substitution at the bottom of the recipe in the notes section when I can.
M.E.
Carrot soup is surprisingly luxe. Even without butter – it tastes like butter. My favorite variation is adding tarragon and sometimes a swirl of coconut milk. It mimics a recipe from San Francisco’s MOMA restaurant where it was topped with coconut milk foam. That’s too fancy-pants for my kitchen, but wonderful.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your comment!
Nancy W
Excellent soup! The butter and lemon were just the right finishing touch. I made it with water instead of veg broth. I’m going to make it again soon I’m sure.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Nancy! I’m happy you loved it.
Alec Whitelaw
Hi Kate, try as I might (overnight), your recipes will not download. I know being an old male fart doesn`t help, but is there another route, as in pathway. After eighteen years I still get the s..ts with the way the language has been buggered up here. The recipes are great but easy to follow, and certain!
Regards Alec
Kate
I’m sorry to hear that! Everything is working on my side and I don’t see an issue. Possible a connection issue on your side? Let me know if you are still having problems.
Rose
Oh Kate. Kate, Kate, Kate. Yet another outstanding recipe. Just finished making this and what a silky, smooth bowl of deliciousness! I did find I had to add a bit more stock paste (I use Better Than Bouillon organic veggie paste) and a tad more salt, but otherwise, bang on. This soup would make Bugs Bunny drool! Thanks so much Kate, and will definitely make again!!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Rose! I’m so happy you loved it.
Elia a
Love this idea- can I roast the carrots in advance (like 3 days prior to making the soup?)
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Elia, Possibly. However, since I didn’t try it I’m not sure if they will loose any flavor or freshness sitting for a few days.
Paige Cassandra Flamm
This soup look so yummy and easy! I can’t wait to try it soon!
Paige
★★★★
Kate
Be sure to let me know what you think!
KareninStLouis
This sounds great. I will veganize it when I make it. Will sauté in vegetable broth to eliminate the oil, and won’t be adding the butter at the end. I bet it is going to be fantastic. Thank you for this recipe.
★★★★★
Joanne Rushen
I made the Thai version this evening am doing it was excellent. I am throwing all my other carrot soup recipes away! Thank you for another 5* recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you loved it, Joanne!
Jessi Summers
Ooooh, I want to try this soon! The carrot ginger variation sounds especially appealing.
Robin
Delicious! This is soup is so comforting on a chilly night, and I love the creamy smooth texture without any cream. I made the curried ginger variation – will definitely make again.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you tried it and loved it, Robin!
Edith
This is an absolutely delicious soup! I made the version with curry powder and ginger. We loved it. We have been inundated with lovely carrots in our CSA winter share. This soup helped to make a dent in them. I didn’t use all the water because we like our soups quite thick but that was the only change I made in the recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Edith!
Carole LaRivee
I just made the ginger carrot soup version and it was AMAZING! Perfect supplement to aid in the speedy recovery or a bad cold virus. I added a cup of half and half instead of the lemon for a creamier taste. However, lemon would be slightly less calories so I may stick with that next time. Very good recipe that I will make again!
★★★★★
Eva
My husband and I liked it! Soup was delicious! We will now have to try the other variations. Thank you.
★★★★★
Kathleen
Hi Kate
Wondering why you peel the carrots?
Kate
Hi Kathleen! I find the outsides tend to leave a bitter taste and also helps to clean them. I hope this helps!
Cara
Really lovely soup and I’ve never been a fan of carrot soup. I presume roasting is the key here!. I was skeptical of all that liquid before pureeing but it turned out just right. Another reliable recipe from Kate!
★★★★
Kate
Yes, roasting is key! I’m glad you liked it, Cara.
Cheryl Dennis
Hi Kate,
I made your creamy roasted ginger soup last night. It was very good and extremely tasty! However, I did finish it off in my Vitamix. Couldn’t help think I might have been able to make the whole thing in the Vitamix and not had to worry about chopping onions etc… Thought it best to follow your recipe since I was making it for the first time. Would enjoy your thoughts on this please. Thanks again for yet another great recipe. I will make this a regular at our house!,,,,
Kate
Hi Cheryl! You want to chop everything and follow the instructions to get the best flavor. Trust me, it’s worth it!
regs
That’s definitely delicious soup. Really good for my kids. I will do that this dinner
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your comment and review, Regs!
Laura
I am obsessed with your site! Make one of your salads as lunch for the week almost every week and a cooked recipe for dinner very often too (I’m cooking for one so most of your recipes last me just right for a week of meals.) Made this the other night (with over a tablespoon on ginger) and it is amazing, even better the next day and feels perfect for my bad cough! Never been a fan of cooked carrots so may not have made it if I hadn’t already had such luck with your blended soups- before you I didn’t think I liked cooked cauliflower either :)
You’re amazing! Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
I love to hear that, Laura! Thank you for sharing :) I’m glad you gave this recipe a try!
Mert Bradshaw
This is so good, perfect for lunch on a chilly day! My husbands comment, “Outstanding!”
★★★★★
Kate
Love to hear that, Mert! Thank you for sharing.
Julianne Bramley
Made this tonight and it was amazing!! Thank you!!
Jeanne
Made the curry ginger version. Garnished with a sprinkle of fresh parsley. It was perfect! This soup is amazing!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Jeanne!
Nicole
This was delicious. I used cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne to season.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Nicole!
Karen Coupe
This is the greatest carrot soup I have ever made! Thanks.
Kate
You’re welcome, Karen! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Eve
Love this recipe!!! I just made it and roasted all my veggies – carrots, sweet potato, red onion and garlic. Adding the lemon juice and butter really added to the flavour!!
SEa
Thank Kathryne, My child love carrot so much, They will love this soup. You are a super Chief
Catherine
I made this recipe yesterday in order to have lunch for this week. Turned out very good.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Catherine!
Mickey
I made this soup for my boyfriend who had a terrible cold. It was delicious and he felt much better the next day!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad it was just what he needed! I appreciate your review, Mickey.
Theresa
Fantastic idea for a wonderful winter soup. I love the detail and tips you give with your recipes.
I changed things up a bit as I didn’t have a lemon so I added orange marmalade. I also threw in a handful of dry-roasted cashews.
I’ve never used my blender for a hot soup, boy that worked like a charm and I’ll never go back to using my immersion blender for that process again.
Loved this recipe so much that I’ll be stopping by my local Barnes & Noble today to purchase your cookbook!!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing how you made this your own. Also, thank you for getting my book! I hope you love it.
Kipchumba Enock Chepkuto
Tasty recipe, thank you
★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome!
Cassandra Ruff
WOW! This recipe is bang on. I can’t get over how creamy, rich and flavourful it is! I normally find carrot soup to be a little flat…but this recipe is extraordinary. I added a little extra garlic, but otherwise, I made it exactly as written. I am already planning on making my next batch!
Another winner of a recipe Kate, thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Jordan
I thought I didn’t like carrots, but I made the curried ginger variation, and it was so good! I used two cups broth and the rest water, as the broth I have on hand is very salty. Now to test if it freezes decently for later consumption…
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you still tried it, Jordan! I appreciate your review.
Jordan
Following up in case anyone else is wondering – I froze several jars’ worth and have now thawed and eaten them, and it worked great. No weird changes in texture or flavor or anything.
Kate
Kate, this was unbelievably good! Followed your recipe exactly and we loved it. Can’t wait to experiment with the variations. So so good. Thank you from another Kate.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Kate! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
KL
Absolutely loved this soup. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, KL!
Jess T
I made this for my family tonight and we all loved it! Another 5 star winner. Thank you, Kate!
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! I love to hear that. Thanks for sharing, Jess.
Maggie
Tedious, chopping all the veggies, but well worth it in the end. I made the Thai Red Curry Paste version as we like heat. 2-thumbs up!!
★★★★★
Aunt Sunshine
I’ve made a ton of your recipes, have your cookbook etc. but this did not turn out well at all for me. Even after I did a lot of “doctoring” to recipe it was sub par. Too many other good carrot soup recipes out there to rely on this one. Sorry Kate, but I’m still a fan of yours. You get a “fail” every here and there.
★★
Kristin Heather
I love this roasting method for cream soup, shook. Ran out of butter, used Earth balance spread, was “ok”, also used some Moroccan spice blend Ras el Hanout bc didn’t have the separate ones called for, but the lemon balanced it out. Think the butter would have made it richer, lol totally yummy.
★★★★★
Annie
So good! I misread the directions thanks to multi-tasking and added coriander, cumin and garlic to the roasting carrots (added a little more when I was supposed to during onion step). SO tasty, will definitely be making this again.
★★★★★
Nicole
This was yummy! I don’t usually go for pureed soups but I had some carrots to use up so I went for the ginger curry version. I halfed the recipe for the amount of carrots I had but kept the spices at full strength as I like a lot of flavor. I didn’t have broth and so used water as per the suggestion, and didn’t add butter, and it was still delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★
Silvanna Manrique
I had been craving carrot soup for 2 weeks so I gave this classic carrot soup recipe a try and it was the bessssssst! I am about to print this recipe to keep it in my recipe book. THANK YOU!!
ps: I used vegan butter to make it vegan!
★★★★★