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.
Excellent recipe; I used the Thai verson. Next time (and there will be one) I’m going to try roasting the onions as well as the carrots just to see what that does to the flavor. Also I want to try the other versions. Thanks!
that’s a great idea. I caramelized them a bit while the carrots were roasting.
Very tasty soup! I only had powdered chicken stock and I probably used too much so I added in a few teaspoons of dark brown sugar to balance it. Next time I will just use water as you noted. Also realised too late that I was out of cumin so I subbed with ground ginger. Still delicious. Thank you!
I’m glad you were still able to enjoy it!
Got my wisdom teeth taken out and wasn’t allowed to eat anything solid so when I googled for soup recipes this was the first recipe to come out. I had only enough baby carrots to make one bowl and I didn’t have corriander so I decided to add cinnamon which surprisingly gave it a nice little twist. I love it and will be making more of it in the future!
Delcious! Really comforting and cozy soup for a cold day..
I used a low(er) sodium broth. Also topped it with crispy garbanzos. Great way to use a lot of carrots.
Sounds delicious, Liz!
I had a huge bag of carrots I had to make something with, and I’m so glad I made a double batch of this amazing soup!!!! I did the ginger variation and definitely want to try the other ones! I’ve never had carrot soup before and wasn’t sure how this would turn out but yummmmmm! This recipe is a keeper!
After reading all the comments I was excited to make this. I made the Carrot & Ginger variation and WOW it is DELICIOUS!! I have bookmarked this recipe and look forward to trying out the other variations. Thank you for sharing!! This is going to be a favorite from now on!
I’m so glad you loved it, Lisa! Thank you for your review.
It’s a perfect fall day to make this soup. It’s smells heavenly and tastes even better! I’m one for those people who tastes soap when they eat coriander so I just added curry like the variation recipe says. It turned out perfect. Adding the butter and lemon juice at the end is genius!
The recipe calls for coriander, which is made of ground-up dried seeds of the cilantro plant. It does not call for fresh cilantro leaves (which some people find soapy). Coriander is a brownish ground-up powder, and it has a delicate lemony/floral scent and taste – it does not taste like fresh cilantro at all, though they come from the same plant. So don’t be hesitant to try ground coriander!
Thumbs Up. I made the coriander and cumin version
of the carrot soup. I didn’t think a soup could taste that
creamy without the addition of any milk or cream. YUM!
Great to hear!
I just made the ginger variation — so delicious! Was looking for nutritious meals for my mom after surgery and this one hits the spot.
Absolutely delicious! Made the regular version with vegetable broth and water. So creamy and flavorful. My husband was so impressed! We can now serve this to our vegetarian son and vegan daughter in law! Thank you for a year round recipe. Soooooo good.
I’m glad you loved it, Beth! I appreciate your review.
I had a huge bag of carrots I had to make something with, and I’m so glad I made a double batch of this amazing soup!!!! I did the ginger variation and definitely want to try the other ones! I’ve never had carrot soup before and wasn’t sure how this would turn out but yummmmmm! This recipe is a keeper!
Great to hear, Samantha! I appreciate your review.
This was incredibly good. I did a few alterations based on what I had at hand.
I had chicken stock, no onion, and rainbow carrots from my garden. I used dried shallots to take place of the onion I lacked, added cayenne, and added yellow Indian curry powder as suggested. I also didn’t have lemon so I put a splash of red wine vinegar for acid. I thought I might be doing too many alterations but am happy to report that this was SO SO SO GOOD. My only complaint is that the rainbow carrots blended up weren’t nearly as pretty as your bright orange soup-mine looked a little more like a yellowy split pea
This was my first time making carrot soup and it came out amazing! Thank you for the recipe! I tried it with some curry powder and it was fantastic! Used low sodium vegetable broth.
I absolutely love this recipe! I had a surplus of carrots and was panicking about what to do with them. I found this recipe online without caring about the quality of the result — I just needed all those carrots out of the fridge! I made this recipe without broth or any variations (using an immersion blender, sorry Kate), and I was completely stunned by the result. It was so delicious. Even my super-picky son, John, loves it. I will certainly make this again. Kudos to Kate for this fantastic recipe! My family and I are completely in awe and will be returning to this site for more wholesome recipes!
That’s great to hear, Tira! I appreciate your review & how you made it.
which brand of vegetable broth do you use?
Hi Bev! I try to buy organic when I can, but I find they even vary by brand sometimes. Pacific or Whole Foods organic tend to be what I buy.
Just settling in to make this recipe today Kate! Looking forward to the spicy, creaminess of it! I’ll be trying the Thai version!
On a side note… I’m trying to print the recipe, but the “options” are not working… and it won’t let me cancel the non-relevant to me section. I’m not interested in printing 6 pages for one recipe. Don’t know if it’s a problem on my end or the websites. Thank you.
Hi Deanne, I’m sorry you were having issues. Did you get it to work? It appears to be working for me.
Hi, why my soup is lumpy and watery? How can I make smooth soup, is it because my blender is not good enough?
Hi Chloe, I’m sorry to hear that. You do need it to be well blended for the right texture.
Very good recipe! Wondering if you can can this soup?
Hi Alyssa, this isn’t designed for canning. Sorry!
This is my first time making carrot soup. On top of that, I am just home from the hospital and on a bland diet for now. Your delicious sounding recipe called to me. I made the Carrot and Ginger (ground) using basil from my garden. A half batch is the perfect amount for empty nesters. Delicious soup! Even my husband with a “delicate palate” enjoyed his meal! Looking forward to trying the other versions!
Could I add beets to this recipe? I have so many from the garden. Can’t wait to try this recipe.
I’m not sure how beets here would be. You could make my Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese & Pistachios as a side.
I made this for a very skeptical hubster. He’s not skeptical anymore. It’s a regular now in our fall and winter lineup. Thank you!
Hooray! Thank you for sharing, Ellen.
So creamy and delicious! My grandson’s loved it, A great way for them to eat more veggies!
Hooray! I’m glad it was a hit, Caroline.
Wow this soup is so rich and flavorful, I can’t believe there isn’t any cream or milk in it! The little bit of brightness from the lemon juice at the end is my favorite. Thanks for such a great recipe!
You’re welcome, Ashley! Thank you for your review.
This soup is the bomb! I bumped up the spice and used 1tsp ground cumin seeds, 1tsp coriander seeds, the same of garam masala, and used homemade elk bone broth. So good, and so simple…
I made the curry carrot soup but I added lions mane mushrooms to it and it was delicious!!!!! Love this recipe!!!!
I have a pellet grill and was thinking of roasting the carrots on it. Was even thinking of maybe smoking for 20 mins first then roasting to finish. Your thoughts please.
I have a huge bag of baby carrots from the market. Why do the carrots need to be peeled? Does it just effect the colour of the soup to leave the carrots unpeeled?
Hi Ruth, I prefer to peel my carrots as a way of cleaning them and find the outer skin more bitter sometimes. You can omit if you prefer.
Excellent soup!
We love it.
I have made it several times with the ginger and milk added to the soup recipe.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Evelyn! Thank you for your review.
Made this soup last night for dinner. OMG! It was fantastic. Can’t wait to try other variations.
I made the curried ginger version of this recipe and used ghee instead of butter. AMAZING!!!! This is going to be my autumn/winter go-to soup for sure! Thank you for another incredible recipe Kate!!
Love to hear that, Eileen! Thank you for sharing.
I made this soup today. I did add a small amount of freshly grated ginger and lime rather than lemon at the end. It is delicious and I absolutely see what you are saying about the depth of flavor because of using roasted carrots. Thank you so much for posting this recipe!
This came out amazing! I made it exactly like the directions and it was perfect. The best part is that it’s super easy and inexpensive if you are on a budget. I’m definitely going to try it with the ginger as well.
Love this soup! I did add some white beans for an added bit of protein (an addition I learned from your recipes – thank you!) This is so creamy and light, just wonderful!
Love this soup! I’ve made the original, ginger and curry ones so far. Do you think sage would work? Can I freeze this soup?
I don’t know about sage in this application. If you try it, let me know! This should be ok to freeze.
My digestive system is intolerant to garlic. What substitute would you recommend?
Hi Sharon, you could omit it and increase some of the other seasoning. Let me know what you think!
Lovely soup, Kate – thanks for experimenting!
I was running out of soup supplies and looking for something economical and tasty – found!
Threw the onions into the pan to roast with the carrots so used a little more of the oil that way but did add fresh grated ginger when cooking the spices mix. A little butter and adding the lemon juice at the end did give a fresh lift.
The taste test from family was surprised and positive although hubby thought it a little sweet ..might depend a little on the carrots which are very sweet here in Australia right now. It’s been requested for next week, so I will be making a double batch and might try adding half a tin of chickpeas for extra protein in the future. This classic is to be made in bulk for the freezer.
Many thanks.
You’re welcome! Thank you for taking the time to review, Em.
Oh wow.
I just made this (like, there’s a bowl in front of me and the rest is still in the blender). Incredible. SO creamy yet light.
I didn’t have coriander so I used dried ginger instead, and a healthy amount of black pepper. Also used veggie broth bc I had some I needed to finish off.
It’s so good. The flavor, the texture, wow.
And I toasted up a small roll with some sharp cheddar cheese and together?
I swoon.
Recipes from Cookie and Kate never let me down and this one is another to add to my list of favorites.
I’ll say it again. Wow.
I’m glad you loved it, Claudia! I appreciate your review.
This recipe is sooooo good! It’s chilly outside right now and it warmed us up. We made the ginger variation. I also love making big vats of it and freezing for quick meals during the week or packing for lunch for work.
I’m glad you loved it, Cheryl! Thank you for sharing.
Excellent recipe. Best carrot soup I’ve made. Thanks.
You’re welcome, Simon. Thank you for your review!
I just harvested pounds and pounds of carrots. I’d love to make a few of the versions you suggested and freeze it. Do you think it will freeze well?
Hi! This soup should be a good option to freeze. I hope you love it, Erin.
Thank you so much! Also, I’m absolutely obsessed with your no bake granola bars! I use oat groats and roll my own oats and local honey. Fabulous energy bar!
Hi…curious if you ever added a vegetarian protein to this? Maybe a white bean or roasted walnuts/pecans?
Hi! I think this is best served as a side. You can serve it with a main dish if you like.
I roasted the onions and garlic along with the carrots. It turned out awesome!
That’s great to hear!
It’s Saturday afternoon and I just prepared this soup for our Monday and Tuesday night dinners. Well, my husband just had 3 huge bowls so I guess I’ll make other plans for Tuesday night! This is so delicious and will be quickly incorporated into my monthly menu rotation!!
Made this for my wife who harvested a few hundred pounds of carrots this fall. I added about a 1/4tsp of Cayenne Pepper to the broth. It added just a hint of heat, and it was a huge success. We will definitely be making more batches (probably all winter).
This soup is a keeper for me. Made it many times, so fast, simple and delicious – just the thing to help me tame the 15 lbs. of carrots in my fridge today – I made your carrot muffins and the carrot waffles too…
(What else can you do when carrots are 50 cents/lb?)
Thank you Kate, you’re my stand by resource.
Great to hear, Barb! I’m glad you found this recipe to help you with all your carrots.
Hey, Kate!
I made your soup with curry, cinnamon and fresh ginger. Omitted the coriander and cumin.
Added juice of 3 small oranges for sweetness and acidity, omitted the lemon juice.
With infinite possibilities for substitutions and variations, this recipe promises unlimited improv fun. Thanks!
Delicious! Best carrot soup I ever had. Hard to believe there is no cream.
Absolutely delicious! LOVE this recipe! Budget friendly to boot! It’s definitely on my favorites list.
GREATEST carrot soup recipe ever. I follow the original and add :
1 tsp. garam masala
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp crushed curry leaves (a sprig of fresh ones is way better if you can get)
Red pepper flakes
Sometimes–depending on sweetness of the carrots at the end, a tbs. of sugar.
Just wanted to share that I made this soup but had to improvise a bit. I only had one pound of carrots but didn’t want to cut the recipe in half so used 3 zucchini I had in the fridge to substitute for the other pound of carrots. I roasted all (in olive oil and the salt) for about 50 minutes. It took a little longer for all to get browned. (Some actually got a bit charred, but they tasted great lol). Just followed the recipe as is, otherwise, but the flavor of the soup with the carrots and zucchini is REALLY, really good. I’ve now had carrots-only, and the carrots and zucchini, and both are equally good. Thank you for this lovely recipe!❤ P.S. We also had the soup with buttered sourdough toast (dipping in) and that was really good too!
I’m happy to hear you were able to enjoy it with your changes too, Mary. Thank you for sharing!
We made the original version and it was SO good! I just wanted to keep eating more!! Wish I had made a double batch. We followed the recipe exactly and it was perfect, I also want to try the variations, they all sound delicious. I’m so grateful for your recipes Kate, you are amazing!
Thank you for sharing, Kelly!
I had two pounds of carrots that I just knew I wasn’t going to eat enough on salads before having to compost it. I started poking around the internet for a carrot soup recipe and found this. It is ABSOLUTELY YUMMY! I made the Thai Curry version, and we loved it! SO CREAMY yet SO HEALTHY. Thanks for this recipe!!
You’re welcome, Linda! I appreciate your review.
I was gifted 4 pounds of carrots and went looking for something to do with them. I made the Thai version of this recipe using massaman curry because that’s what I had in the house. With chopped roasted peanuts and cilantro it’s a lovely combination of flavors! I’ll definitely be making this again. Thank you!
Soooo yummy!!! I followed the recipe and then decided to add some madras curry powder. I also used fresh carrots from the garden! Thanks for the post!