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
Watch How to Make Carrot 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. 
NN
Hey Kate
Can I use water instead of vegetable broth ?
Regards,
NN
Kate
Hi NN! Yes, you can use water as the ingredients list states.
Jeannie
BEST carrot soup recipe EVER. I didnt change a thing. Perfect. Thank you so much for sharing- so happy I stumbled upon this. And so creamy without adding milk or cream. Amazing. Roasting carrots is key. Thank you!
★★★★★
Katie K.
The recipe is perfect. I never had carrot soup before making this – so glad I tried it. Even my 4 year old liked it.
★★★★★
Ariel
This was great!!! I’ve never had carrot soup before, and I didn’t know if I would like it. Even using an immersion blender, I’d rate this recipe 10/10!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Ariel! I appreciate your review.
Shelley
I’ve never made carrot soup and have never used coriander before (only had coriander seeds on hand, so ground them myself in mortar and pestle). My husband tasted it and rated it 13/10 and said it was my best soup yet! Thanks for this uber-yummy recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Shelley! Thank you for your review.
Tiffany C
Loved this! I made the thai red curry version. I roasted the carrots with the spices, then subbed the 2 cups of water for a can of coconut milk. My husband said it was one of the best soups he has ever had! Thank you for the inspiration!
Kate
You’re welcome! I’m happy you liked it, Tiffany.
Lisa
We have been receiving carrots in our weekly CSA share; I’m looking forward to trying this recipe! Looks great and like the suggestions for variation.
Carol Mason
The link to the butternut squash soup in your list of favorites (just above the video) is going to the pumpkin soup instead. They all look yummy!!
Carol Winkelman
Could I use all vegetable broth and no water
Kate
Hi, Sure if you like.
Jean
Hello. Everyone that knows me knows that I don’t cook. If I can’t use the microwave or George Forman Grill, oh well… But I just finished making your soup and I’m so proud of myself. I made a few minor mistakes but the soup is delicious. It wasn’t hard or complicated and the only thing I had to look up was how big is a medium onion!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m proud of you too, Jean! I’m excited you loved it. Thank you for your review.
Nadia Richardson
I made this soup last night it was absolutely delicious, one of the best soups I have ever made. Think I will try the carrot & ginger soup next when I have made it I will let you know how it goes.
★★★★★
Suzie
I’ve just made this soup and it was the best none carrotty tasting carrot soup we’ve ever had, absolutely delicious. I added just a tsp of Swiss Boullion to the stock and used ginger and a little cumin and coriander. The butter and lemon juice really added the wow factor though. Off to explore your other recipes now.
★★★★★
Marg Field
Delicious soup. Loved it. Am going to triple the batch next week and freeze it. I would like to reduce the saturated fat to 1 gram per serving. Any suggestions? Marg
Kate
Hi, sorry I can’t advise on the nutritional changes as I’m not a registered nutritionist.
Ava Liss
I made this recipe tonight for the first time and it was exquisite. I reduced the amount of olive oil to 2 tablespoons, omitted the butter and lemon, added a wee bit curry and ginger root. This is now a stable in my soup collection. I believe I will get your cook book!!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Ava! Thank you for your review.
Sally
Best soup I’ve ever made. Love the way the butter and lemon juice take it to another level. Going to try your vegetable one next.
★★★★★
Morgan
This turned out FANTASTICALLY! It was so warm and fluffy – accompanied it with some homemade rye bread. I added about a teaspoon of Turmeric as well, which was nice.
★★★★★
Jeanette
I felt the recipe needed some additional sweetness so I added orange juice in addition to the lemon juice. I may just add orange juice instead next time. In addition I added about 2 T of granulated sugar although Maple syrup would even be better. One cup of coconut milk made it even better. I love ginger so added that as well.
★★★★
Ardel Sikora
Beyond delicious!!!
★★★★★
Cassandra Ramos
Hi Kate,
I hope you brought in 2021 with positive vibes ! Happy New Year’s .I made this soup today , and May I just say … it’s super delicious and creamy . This is going in my recipe book. I was super excited to let you know and Thank you so much. I look forward to making many more of your amazing recipes . .
★★★★★
Sandra
Made this for dinner tonight, we really enjoyed it!
Sandra
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for reporting back, Sandra! Thank you for your review.
Diane
I just made this soup and it’s addictive! I followed the original recipe and added a teaspoon of ginger and a half teaspoon of turmeric.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Diane!
Cynthia Walker
Hi Kate, I can’t tell you how often my son and I both use your website and amazing recipes!
I’m just finishing off your Carrot Soup and will also make your delicious pumpkin muffins who our 6 year old granddaughter loves.
Thanks so much for sharing with all of us.
Cheers Cynthia in Kelowna,BC Canada
★★★★★
Kate
I’m delighted to hear that! Thank you for sharing, Cynthia.
Amy
This is an AWESOME recipe! I used only water (no broth). Also I had no coriander so I used oregano. Just creamy and fantastic. Thank you!!
★★★★★
David Ziegler
Very good soup. One of these two methods took it from delicious to incredible or amazing:
For fantastic texture: Strain through a fine-mesh strainer, using a spatula to push as much liquid through as possible.
For amazing texture and even better flavor: Place blended soup in a fine-mesh strainer placed over a sauce pan. Shake or twirl the strainer repeatedly to allow liquid to drip through, but do not press soup through. Cook the soup until it is reduced down and thicker. Comparing the results of this method with the above method, the difference is surprising. I couldn’t believe it was the same recipe.
Jennifer
Awesome soup recipe! Thank you for the inspiration!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Jennifer!
Lilly Formanek
I’m 20 and this was my first time making soup – and it was amazing! I love soups like this one and it turned out great! I wish I made a double batch. Thanks for this great recipe.
★★★★★
Nicole
I needed 3-4 carrots for a different recipe, so I went searching for what to do with the rest of the bag so they wouldn’t go to waste. I was a little skeptical at first at the idea of a creamy carrot soup, but figured it was worth trying. I did the curried ginger variety and it came out great! I’m pleasantly surprised. I plan on serving this soup in lieu of tomato soup with a fancy grilled cheese!
★★★★★
Connie Cheung
I thought this recipe was very good– a great base to swap in other spices to vary the flavor profile of a simple and satisfying soup.
I was curious why you didn’t roast all the veggies together with the spices and then blend with broth to save a few steps/pot to clean? I tossed the carrots, onion, garlic with all of the spices until caramelized and then added to my stand blender with veggie stock. I thought it turned out fantastically, even without the extra step to saute the onion and then add the broth to a pot prior to adding everything to the stand blender.
Kate
Hi! I found it worked best this way for the flavors to really meld together.
Jill
This was exactly what I was looking for! Creamy without the cream! I made recipe without corrinder as I didn’t have a grinder, it was great but I think the corrinder would have taken it to the next level!
★★★★★
Liz Primeau
I loved this recipe! I made the Thai Lime version for dinner last night and it was delicious. Served it with some homemade dinner rolls. Definitely a winter staple from now on!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Liz! I appreciate your review.
Emily McPherson
Hello! Could you use Chicken Broth instead of Vegetable broth?
Kate
Hi Emily, I’m a vegetarian so I haven’t tried it. But it may work. I hope you enjoy it!
Sam
I’m very excited to try this soup. Will salted butter be OK to use instead of unsalted? I assume the salted butter would just make the soup a little saltier overall.
Emma
This is so good! I only had one pound of carrots so I halved everything. Made the curried ginger version too. Worked perfectly!
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great to hear, Emma! Thank you for your review.
Pauline Martin
Made this soup today, it was beautiful, I had to leave the garlic out as my husband can’t stand it(I love it) I made fresh bread rolls to go with it. We both really enjoyed it!
I now have a lot of parsnips, could I use this same recipe but replace the carrots with parsnips?
★★★★★
Carol
Wow! So delicious! Flavorful and creamy, yet light and healthy.
★★★★★
Brooke Westover
I absolutely love this recipe. This was my first time making my own homemade soup and this was so easy to follow!! Low cost and good amount of servings!! The best part is that it turned out even better and more delicious than I expected!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Brooke! Thank you for your review.