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.
I love this soup! The color, texture and taste are supreme. Kate, I don’t have a good stand blender and don’t like handling hot liquids. I just used my immersion blender and it worked beautifully.
Thanks for all the yummy recipes.
Just wanted to let you know this soup is the best! My husband loves Carrots and this is now my second time making this. Your recipes are always the best… my only additions included a teaspoon of red pepper flakes to give it a little kick and 3 tablespoons of white wine. Finishes nice and quick in my Vitamix! Hoping to get it in the freezer before it’s all gone… Thanks Kate
I made this recipe today and it is DELICIOUS!!! I am not a chef, by any stretch of the imagination — I wish I could say I even enjoy cooking (I really don’t), but I am lucky enough to be married to a man who LOVES to cook and create. However, today he had oral surgery and I knew he would need something easy to eat without chewing. I found your recipe and followed it to the letter – and it was perfect. It was actually much easier than I thought it would be. I used an immersion blender in the soup pot instead of transferring to a blender and that made it even easier. Thank you for this wonderful, delicious and savory soup. Amy
p.s. My German Shepherd was a little disappointed that there were no non vegetarian items in the ingredient list, as she usually likes to “help” with the extras. Next time. :)
Made the ginger carrot version last night – trying to make sure my family keeps eating veggies during our isolation. We don’t eat dairy, so I threw cashews into the broth during simmer, then pureed. Very delicious and satisfying, thick and creamy. Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you loved that version, Tamara.
can you freeze this soup?
This soup keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for about four days, or for several months in the freezer.
I never thought carrot soup could be this creamy and flavourful. This might be one of my new favourite soup recipes and it was so easy (I am not a good cook but this turned our great). Instead of powdered spices I used whole coriander and cumin seeds and crushed them which I think increased the flavour intensity. And I sprinkled some smoked paprika on the carrots before roasting. Thanks for a great recipe.
I made this yesterday to use up some carrots and gosh it’s divine!! Really easy, very comforting soup. I’m making it again today, Thankyou for a great recipe
Hi, I made the carrot ginger soup and it was delicious! I made it slightly thicker than the picture but loved it. I am going to use as a sauce over spinach ravioli!
Wonderful to hear, Eileen! Thanks for sharing and for your review.
Hi Kate,
I’ve made this soup four times now and it gets better every time. My husband loves it and thinks I’m a chef now! This has been my gateway soup into trying lots of others…thanks for sharing such a delicious recipe. I think I will try the Thai version next time!
Robyn
I was addicted to the cauliflower soup recipe until I made this. Now it will be a toss up!
So I just got my order of canned goods. I thought that I had ordered small cans of carrots, but imagine my surprise to get 6 six pound giant cans! Long story short, I tried this recipe stuck here at home and it was absolutely fantastic, thank you!
So easy to make – I doubted the lemon but a little squeeze gives it the perfect zing. New favorite soup.
Thank you for sharing, Christina! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it and it’s a new favorite.
This was absolutely delicious. Made the recipe as is and pureed it with my Blendtec on the soup setting.
Kate! I just made this soup and it was absolutely delicious! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
So delicious ad easy to make! After roasting the carrots, I used my instant pot to sautés the onions (and leeks) and added the liquid and pressure cooked it for 10 min. Blending in a Vitamix blender made it like carrot mousse!
Best carrot soup I’ve made in a long time! Followed your directions exactly. Simple and delicious. Thank you!
The roasted carrot soup was beautiful – we all enjoyed it. I persevered with a stick blender and it became lovely and creamy. Diners were surprised there was no cream involved. Thanks I will definitely make it again – it is cheap to make and very classy.
Hi Kate, thank you for this recipe. Fabulous taste, I used ginger variation. I am definitely a fan, I could have eaten a pan full!
Fresh and delicious! Followed recipe but did not have coriander or veggie broth. I used low salt chicken broth. Also added dashes of thyme, curry, fresh ginger, and honey. Very easy recipe to follow and to make. Love the taste and creamy texture. I am a fan. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing how you were able to work with what you have, Autumn! I appreciate your review.
Tastes amazing! Even my kids LOVE it!
The Thai paste and a bt of lemon brought the soup into the ‘yum’ category. Thank you for your suggestions!
I made the curry version of this, and topped it with a little mango chutney and pumpkin seeds (I stole this idea from a popular restaurant in Denver). Really wonderful and leftovers are just as good.
Thank you Kate!
Thank you for sharing, Jeannie! I appreciate your review.
Hi Kate,
Can you use chicken broth with this recipe? It’s the only one that I have in my cabinet!
Yes, or even water would work!
Seriously don’t skip any steps! This soup is awesome
I just made this recipe. So creamy and flavourful. One of the best carrot soup recipes I have tried. Love the spices you recommended.
That’s great to hear, Laura! I appreciate you taking the time to comment and review.
Absolutely stunning. Just got a Vitamix today and had a bunch of heritage carrots. Figured I’d check if Kate had a recipe for carrot soup because her recipes are always :chefkiss:. Kept the recipe pretty close but didn’t peel the carrots and added cashews and vegan butter because why not?
Felt like I’d just gone to a fancy restaurant for tea. Great recipe, looking forward to trying the variations at some point!
A great first use of your new blender! Thank you for sharing, Gwen!
This recipe is the jams!!! My new favorite soup! Thanks for all of your amazing recipes.
Love that, Cassie! Thank you for sharing.
I just made this with the ginger added. Absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome! Thank you for your review, Bernadette.
I love my soupmaker but went the extra mile this time and roasted the carrots and make it all on the stove top, adding a frozen ginger cube. The flavour was amazing. Thank you.
I added both ginger and curry to the mixture – placed in the Vita-mix and WOW FABULOUS!! I had not roasted carrots in some time I would just snack on them but I made the delicious soup
Just made the Thai version omg delicious thank you for the recipe
Made this, and your Roasted Cauliflower soup, last Sunday. Started w/ the cauliflower that was saying bad things about me from inside the fridge (it was being ignored while the broccoli and green beans were getting the most attention) and it was so delicious I moved to your carrot soup.
Long story, really short – both were fabulous. The cauliflower soup didn’t stand a chance in our house and the carrot soup made enough to share w/ some co-workers the next day.
Minor substitutions due to what I had on hand but let me say – truthfully, two of the best tasting, rich and creamy soups I’ve made in 40 years of cooking.
Keep going, keep sharing, keep cooking! You are an inspiration to us all. A clear and defining light for all of us struggling, coping and “getting by” in this rare, new situation.
This soup is very tasty and was a great way to use up an abundance of carrots! Does the nutritional information reflect 1 tablespoon of butter used for the whole recipe or is it for 1 tablespoon of butter used per serving (bowl)? Thank you!
Hi Jessica, glad to hear it! The nutrition information is based on 1 tablespoon butter used for the entire batch. Any time my recipes offer varied amounts or ingredient options, my nutrition info is always based on the first amount or ingredient option suggested. Hope that helps.
Absolutely the easiest and most delicious recipe for soup ever!
I’ve just made this and I’m having it for lunch as I write, along with some homemade soda bread. The soup is delicious.I didn’t have quite enough carrots so added a sweet potato but flavour is still of carrots.
Best creamy thick and Flavorful soup ever! ( and without cream! ) Thank you for sharing! I made your original recipe to a tee, and only added one teaspoon of curry. Fantastic!
First timer, curried soup requested by kids to be made again. Yeah!!
I would luv to be a regular, l am a novice and very time poor in the kitchen.
A special request, could you also add measuring units eg grams / kg. Please. I know other sites who do this and its universal.
I’m also assuming a Tbls & tsp is globally universal?
Hope this is posssible a sign very keen to try more.
Hi Su! I’m sorry I don’t offer that right now. But this is a good resource for you.
Thankyou sooo much for responding and the helpful resource. Nothing stopping me now
I had some left over carrots to use up and came across this recipe. Wow! It is so delicious and creamy! As I was making it I thought it was going to end up quite runny but after blending it became so creamy. So flavourful, it’s definitely become a new favourite for me
This was delicious and worth the extra effort
Really loved the delicate flavour and creamy texture of this soup. My whole family cleared the bowls which is quite a triumph as we all have different tastes.
Kate, terrific recipe!! I made a curry-Thai soup with the addition of 1 teaspoon celery seed, to round out flavors. At Step 8, when cooking was finished, is when I added butter, lemon juice and pepper from Step 9. Figured it would melt butter and let lemon and pepper flavors infuse as the soup cooled enough to be safe to add to blender for finishing. Oyster crackers, great garnish. Definitely a keeper recipe!! Thanks, Reno Dave
This was, without a doubt, the yummiest carrot soup I have ever tried by far!!! I made the version with fresh ginger, and even my 3 year-old kept asking for more and more! Thank you for this recipe!!
Wonderful to hear, Marta! I appreciate your review.
Hi! Excited to try this. Could I use chicken or beef stock instead? My vegetable brother is expired.
Hi Aliza, that should work too. The taste may vary, though.
Tried it! So good and so creamy! I put a good amount of curry and some thyme and it was just perfect!
I made the curry version of this recipe yesterday, prompted by some radish flowers from Sunday’s farmers’ market and a friend’s suggestion that they might be perfect with a creamy carrot soup.
Google led me to this recipe, which I tweaked by halving the carrots and liquid (but not the other bits because I was lazy), using a red onion that was desperate to be consumed, adding a celery stalk, and using lime juice instead of lemon since I had a lime that was coming due. I used a food processor rather than a blender, too. Ok, so I mostly, pretty much, sort-of followed the recipe. :-)
The result was wonderful, what my daughter would call a “make again” dish. It was beautiful, too, with the radish flowers, which added both pink-and-yellow color and a mildly radishy tang to the soup. Had I not added the knob of butter at the end it would have been vegan, too, pleasing a few of my friends.
Thank you for the recipe, one which I’ve bookmarked and will definitely make again!
I appreciate all your detail, Karl!
Lovely soup that went down so well with the boyfriend that he had 2 servings. Will definitely make again.
Love, love, love your granola recipe too!!!
I made a curry ginger vegan variety, not using the cashews but just a little extra olive oil. It came out really delicious! I don’t have a very high speed blender, just a food processor, so I think next time I’ll use the immersion blender from the start and it’ll just be good enough.
Made this today after my 6-year-old saw carrot soup in an old Looney Tunes cartoon and HAD to have it. I followed the recipe exactly excepting that I only had baby carrots so I went ahead and roasted those. It was delicious and my daughter loved it. Thanks so much, I will be trying the variations next, they sound delicious!
out of this world yummy so clean and smooth i put less water xx
This was a winner! We were out of cumin so we just used coriander and it was amazing. Even my picky “I don’t like soup” kiddo had a bowl. Next time I’ll make a double batch because we’re all sad that there’s only enough left for two people to have it for lunch tomorrow.