Creamy Roasted Carrot Soup
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 1, 2024
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
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.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Made this soup yesterday. It was delicious. Everyone in my family loved it. First time ever, making carrot soup.
Wonderful to hear, Lori!
I just loved this soup. Lots of flavour and so easy to make.
Best carrot soup I’ve had! I added turmeric, dried ginger, parsley, and some cabbage I had. Blended it all up and it was delicious!!
Made it with ginger and it was delicious.
I’m excited you liked it, Bob!
Wow delicious sooo yummy! Thank you I made the simple recipe but next time will try with ginger. So good! Much better than what I have made previously with other recipes.
You’re welcome, Lottie! Thank you for your review.
Absolutely exceptional. I made this on a whim one day because I had extra carrots leftover and wow, I have fallen in love with carrot soup! So healthy, flavourful, warm and delicious. The spoonful of butter is a fantastic add, really makes any soup rich and subtly creamy. Thanks to your recipes, I actually prefer making homemade food than food outside!
Would you not recommend Miyoko’s vegan butter to sub for animal butter? Just wondering. Many thanks!!!
I haven’t tried it. If you do, let me know what you think!
Oh my gosh! What a treat! I grew up hating carrots. If I had this soup as a kid it would have changed my life. YUMMY! Thank you Kate.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Dave!
My soup once blended was not smooth. Tiny bits.
What did I do wrong?
Soup does taste great, though.
Hi Kathy, What type of blender are you using? Be sure your carrots are being cooked enough.
I added a cup of red lentils and an extra cup of broth before cooking. Once blended down it was delicious and smooth, with extra iron to boot!
Next time I would add more ginger and red thai curry. I like a lot more spice than the authors, but that’s an easy fix.
Thank you for sharing how you made this recipe with your adaptions!
Omg this was amazing! I actually didn’t add any spices. Just roasted carrots, onion, garlic, stock. Added some butter and cream at the end. Hubby thought it was the best soup I’ve ever made. Delicious!!
I’m excited you loved it, Meaghan!
Omg, this soup is amazing. I followed the ingredients and instructions as shown except that once it came to the boiI had to leave it sitting for about 2 hours as I had to go out so the flavours had loads of time to meld. It is so yummy!! Will definitely make it again and try the variations. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Wonderful to hear, Fiona! I’m glad you plan to make it again.
Delicious. I’ve used this recipe several times
Cleo in Ms
That’s great to hear!
This is one of my favourite recipes. I do the curried variation and it’s amazing.
I made this today and I LOVED it. Inflation is causing me to pinch pennies and this recipe is budget-friendly while tasting like a million bucks! I just discovered Cookie+Kate about a week ago and I really like the way your recipes are written. I plan on trying many of them!
I’m glad you were able to enjoy it, Julie!
I love this recipe! Have made it many times now and always taste sooo good! Thank you for posting this recipe for all to enjoy!
I’m glad you love it, Natalie! I appreciate your review.
I LOVE this recipe. My husband, who refuses to eat carrots, even loved it. Thank you so much!
You’re welcome, Emily!
I have TONS of carrots left over in the garden from last year. Does this recipe freeze? Thanks!
This would be a great option to freeze! Let me know what you think,Linda.
Hello ! I just tried your curry version of the creamy carrot soup (without ginger). The taste is sooo good ! I never thought carrot soup could taste so good !
I did use an immersion blender (Kitchenaid) and it made the soup into a lovely creamy texture. Exactly like the pictures in your recipe! I will add this recipe to my favorites !
Thank you
Nathalie
Thank you for sharing, Nathalie! I appreciate your review. I’m glad it worked with your immersion blender.
I love your recipes!! I did the carrot soup – version if the Thai – added coconut milk! Rave reviews from the family!! Thank you!
Ps my very favourite dog was named “cookie” growing up!
This soup is absolutely delicious, even more so than I thought it would be. I prefer this to pumpkin soup! We have just entered Autumn in Australia and the weather has finally cooled down enough for us to start craving soups and yummy warming things. Mods: I didn’t peel the carrots as the skin has additional, beneficial nutrition. I also fried some haloumi to have 3-4 small torn chunks in the bowl, for extra flavour and texture. YUM!
Thank you for sharing what you did, Michaela! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Just made this soup with no variations and it is SO good. It’s so rich and flavorful. Wow. Every time I have carrots I will think of this soup moving forward lol.
Thank you for sharing, Sarah!
Just made this soup. I doubled the recipe. Serving it to guests tomorrow evening. Hope they love it! I think it’s very yummy.
I made this for my mother in law this evening as she has just had oral surgery and is on a soft diet. It was a hit. Super easy to make and fairly quick after a long day of work. I will definitely be making this again. My only complaint is that I didn’t make more.
Solid recipe! I added ginger and shishito peppers, topped with sesame oil and scallions. This is so riffable. I love sweet potato soups but only had a 5lb bag of carrots in the house. This was the top google result for “carrot soup” and I am so glad I clicked. Made my day.
Thanks for sharing! Sounds creative. I appreciate your review, Julie.
This recipe was amazing. I chose to sub 1 cup of chic broth, 1 cup water, to 2 vegetable broth. And also add just a little coconut milk at the end.
Ver Good!
Great to hear, Andrea! I appreciate your review.
Amazing soup!! Turned out smooth and flavorful. Used beef bouillon cubes because we didn’t have veg broth so added nice meaty/stewy flavor. Also garnished with chili oil and pumpkin seeds which I’d highly recommend. Saving this one for sure!!
I had a lot of carrots left in my veggie garden and they were well passed their prime ( like me). Your recipe was excellent with baking the carrots first. I added some home made tomato relish when blending and voila. Thank you.
You’re welcome, Peter! Thank you for your review.
This is the best carrot soup I have ever had! I didn’t even know carrots could taste this good! I followed the recipe to a tee and it was easy and delicious.
Thank you for sharing, Julie! I appreciate your review.
WOW ! This is a hecka-delicious soup . and easy to prepare. Of course the true review was that my wife raved about how amazingly good it is ….
Thank you Kate,
David S
Thank you, David! I’m glad you enjoyed this soup.
This soup is delicious! Its my 3rd time making it and its a hit every time. This is an incredible recipe!
That’s great to hear, Jade! I appreciate your review.
This soup is delicious! Its my 3rd time making it and its a hit every time. This is an incredible recipe and I will be making this all the time.
My soup turned out delicious! I needed to have some protein in it so I added chickpeas and tahini- so filling and yummy!
That’s great to hear, Tonia! I appreciate your review.
This is the best carrot soup I’ve made. Thanks to you! I added the ginger after putting in the carrots as I didn’t know where to put it at first but still tastes great! I had some cashew butter I made myself and added that instead of butter and was great and buttery
So easy and sooo delicious recipe. I am glad that I lost my previous carrot soup and found this. The roasted carrots on their own are already yummy. I have to make extra because my daughter loved them so much that she came to steal carrots from the tray . Thanks a lot
Thank you for sharing, Marik! I appreciate your review.
Want to make this soup, but wondering if you have any advice for adding more protein? I plan to use chicken stock instead of veggie, but I’m wondering if collagen powder or something else would work. Or maybe actual milk in place of part of the water? I dunno.
(First trimester cooking is hard….)
Hi Deborah, I’m sorry to hear that. You could serve it with something on the side. Try Favorite Grilled Cheese Sandwich and adjust it as you need to. Hopefully that helps some!
Turned out SO good! Did the recipe exactly how it was written. This is a keeper :)
The only spice I had cumin 1.5gram after sweating off onion and garlic
It seems that we couldn’t taste the roasted carrot but only the cumin.
I’ll try again with no spice but still add garlic and see if that’s better to taste the carrots
I’m sorry to hear that. You can omit next time.
Made this delicious and healthy soup x 2. First doubled the spices per other comments, then round 2 added 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper for some heat. Will try the curry suggestion next time. Friends and family had multiple servings of this incredibly healthy and tasty soup. Thanks so much for posting this!
I’m glad you made it fit your tastes, Bobbie! I appreciate your review.
Soooo good! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! I did not have coriander on hand so used curry. I did not read the recipe thoroughly and also roasted the onions with the carrots. Oops! Still turned out amazing. When served I added a bit of half and half to my bowl. Not that the soup needed to be any more creamy! It really is a great recipe.
That’s great to hear, Jenny! I’m glad it still turned out well.
My carrots were home-grown, but I ran a little short so I supplemented with potatoes. I used about 2 tsp grated ginger and 2 tsp curry powder. For the broth, I used Better Than Bouillion Organic Seasoned Vegetable Base. I gave my stand blender away, so I used my immersion blender – I blended until it was silky. It was delicious. We’ll definitely make this again!
I’m glad it worked with your variation, Cathy!
Amazing! Doubled the recipe as I had many lbs of carrots in the fridge. Used the Thai variation and added a couple of tbsp minced ginger plus most of a carton of leftover coconut milk at the end. Had 3 different kinds of half-used broth containers in fridge so used them up too. It is beyond delicious (and my fridge has more space too!)! Thanks for this recipe, so glad I have leftovers. It will be going into the regular rotation!
Thank you for sharing, Gigi! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
I made this tonight! It was great, though I only have an immersion blender. I added a bit of ginger but otherwise kept the recipe as written. Here, we are trying to add more vegetable soups for lighter dinners. Hope to keep this one in rotation.
That’s great to hear, C! I appreciate your review.
Creamy roasted carrot…Made this soup a few times now and kept to the recipe ……no need to change it perfect…..
Hiya,
A few month ago I followed your wonderful recipe perfectly. The subtle balance of spices to the main carrot flavours is just perfect! But last night, I was short on time so I decided to ROAST EVERYTHING; the Carrots, Onion, Garlic, Cumin, Corriander, Curry Powder, Olive Oil & Salt. I also added to the roast very finely grated Ginger and Lemon Rind, this intensified their flavours also. Once roasted, and the final simmer had melded everything even further, I then added the Lemon Juice and Butter for the final blending.
The result was even moooore magical roasty flavours.
I also did what MARIANA ISHIDA mentioned in her comments below, by adding some chicken stock that was already in the fridge. Thank you Mariana, this is such a simple and great suggestion heighten the umami savouriness.
This recipe has quickly become a fan favorite among my family. It’s easy and so tasty. Toast some French bread with it!
Thank you for your review, Katherine! I appreciate your review.
Came out great! Very tasty.
Thank you for your review, Amber!
I made this yesterday and my teenage daughter said it’s the best soup I have ever made. It is very creamy and just looks like it contains so much goodness in it! It was easy to make and I will be making it again!
Wonderful, Rachel! Thank you for your review.
Roasted the carrots last might but bagged it up till today. Finished the soup today & its amazing. I used an organic chicken broth because I thought I had a vegetable broth but didn’t. Put more garlic in. But oh so yummy. Smooth & creamy. Thanks
You’re welcome, Sherry! I’m excited you enjoyed it.
This soup is amazing!! I can’t believe how delicious this turned out and so simple and quick! I’ve been trying to meal prep things I can serve to my family during the week and freeze for later on, and this was perfect. Even my picky 4 year old liked it!
That’s great, Angela!