If you love a creamy, hearty, flavor-packed bowl of soup, this roasted carrot soup recipe will deliver on all fronts! The warm Mediterranean spices, coupled with garlic, and fresh ginger will surprise you in the best way possible. And for those of us who are into meal prep, this carrot ginger soup is even better the next day!
Tips & video below.
I'm what you call a "souper," defined as someone who will eat soup all year round, even on hot Atlanta days.
And for those of us who can be a bit last-minute (me!), a big pot of soup is the perfect answer to the pesky question, "what's for dinner?" And a great way to use up vegetables forgotten in the back of the fridge. A few examples are Chunky Vegan Lentil Soup, Roasted Cauliflower Soup, and today's carrot ginger soup.
What can I do with a lot of carrots?
The first time I made this creamy carrot soup was to use up the abundance of carrots I had on hand. It took 3 pounds of carrots to make and it was truly the perfect use for them.
Roasted carrots, cook together with aromatics like garlic and fresh ginger and couple of warm Mediterranean spices. The base of this soup is mostly broth with a bit of heavy cream (or a vegan substitution) for a silky
How do you soften carrots for soup?
The first important step in making this carrot ginger soup recipe is how to prepare the carrots. Some recipes call for sautéing or boiling the carrots until tender, but after some experimenting, I found that roasted carrots were the best option for this soup.
When roasted, the dry heat of the oven caramelizes the natural sugars in the carrots and pulls out their sweetness. Not only do they get perfectly tender for the soup, but the process of roasting immediately produces deep and beautiful flavors that makes this creamy carrot ginger soup extra special!
Yes, roasting the carrots takes a bit of time, but you can do this one night in advance and save the carrots in the fridge until you're ready to make the soup.
How do you make carrot soup from scratch?
- First, roast the carrots until tender and perfectly caramelized.
- Puree in the food processor
When the carrots have cooled enough to handle, cut them up and blend them in a food processor with fresh garlic (4 cloves), about 1 teaspoon of minced fresh ginger, and 3 cups of vegetable broth or chicken broth and puree (or you can use an immersion blender, if you're more comfortable with that).
- Add the remaining ingredients and cook
Transfer the carrot puree to a cooking pot. Add the rest of the broth (2 ½ cup) and 1 teaspoon each coriander and allspice. Cook over medium heat, watching and stirring occasionally as the soup bubbles (about 10 to 15 minutes).
Turn the heat down (medium-low to low) and stir in the heavy cream (or vegan substitution of your choice). Cook, stirring regularly, until warmed through.
What to serve with it?
This carrot soup is a great starter to any meal. But I often serve it for a light dinner with crusty bread (and if I'm lucky enough to have baked some fresh Challah or pita chips, for something crunchy)! And if you've made my dukkah, sprinkle a bit on top of this tasty soup!
To start the meal, I usually add a big Fattoush salad. If you want a heartier, more filling salad to start, try Balela Salad or Chickpea Egg Salad.
Vegan carrot soup option
If you would rather make a vegan version of this soup, you can replace the fat free half and half with coconut milk. The flavor profile will change slightly, but it will still be delicious. Or you can simply add just a little more broth (of course, select a vegan broth.)
Meal-prep and make ahead tips
You can make this soup ahead and simply refrigerate in a glass container with a tight-lid. It will keep well for 3 to 4 days, if stored properly. Reheat over medium heat (you might need to add more broth.)
You can freeze portions of this soup, once fully cooled off, in freezer-safe glass containers. Thaw in the fridge overnight. And heat over medium heat (again, you might need to add more broth.)
More soup recipes to try
Check out more soup and stew recipes.
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Creamy Roasted Carrot Soup with Ginger
Ingredients
- 3 lb carrots peeled
- Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 5 ½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth divided
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 ½ cup unsweetened half and half or heavy cream, if you like
- Fresh mint for garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Arrange the carrots on a large lightly oiled sheet pan. Season the carrots lightly with salt and pepper and drizzle generously with olive oil. Roast in the 425 degrees F heated-oven for 45 minutes, turn over mid-way through. When the carrots are fork tender and nicely caramelized, remove them from the oven and set aside briefly.
- Once cool enough to touch, cut the carrots into chunks and place them in a large food processor with the garlic, ginger and 3 cups of the broth. Puree until the mixture is smooth.
- Transfer the carrot puree to a heavy cooking pot. Add the remaining broth, coriander and allspice. Place the pot on medium heat and watch carefully as the soup will bubble. Stir occasionally.
- Turn the heat to medium-low and stir in the heavy cream (or half and half). Once heated through, remove from the stove.
- Transfer to serving bowls and garnish with fresh mint leaves. Serve with your favorite rustic bread. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Pro Tip: For a vegan version, you may omit the fat free half and half and replace with more broth or coconut milk (although the flavor profile will change, but will still be tasty).
- Pro Tip for What to Serve with this Soup: This carrot soup is a great starter to any meal. But I often serve it for a light dinner with crusty bread (and if I'm lucky enough to have baked some fresh Challah or pita bread, even better!) To start the meal, I usually add a big Fattoush salad (tip: when you make fattoush, make extra pita chips for the carrot soup!) If you want a heartier, more filling salad to start, try Balela Salad or Chickpea Egg Salad.
- Prepare Ahead Tip: You can make this soup ahead and simply refrigerate in a glass container with a tight-lid. It will keep well for 3 to 4 days, if stored properly. Reheat over medium heat (you might need to add more broth.) You can freeze portions of this soup, once fully cooled off, in freezer-safe glass containers. Thaw in the fridge overnight. And heat over medium heat (again, you might need to add more broth.)
- Recommended for this Recipe: Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil
Nutrition
*This post has been updated with new information for readers' benefit.
OMG…the taste is amazing! So gourmet. Thank you for the recipe.
Excellent soup! My husband said it was restaurant quality! I didn't have any mint on hand, so I topped it with some pecans I had, which gave it a lovely crunch. I served it with a lovely salad and garlic bread. Thanks again!
Thanks for sharing, Penny!
I made this recipe it was delicious thank you
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks, Kathryn!
Can I substitute milk for cream?
Hi, Janet. That would probably work, but it won't be quite as creamy. You can also just omit the cream and add more broth.
Hi Suzy! Just finished eating this for dinner. It was delicious! I followed your directions exactly and it was perfect.
I found your website a few months ago when my doctor recommended switching to a Mediterranean diet to help with some developing health issues. My entire family has enjoyed every single recipe! I love your videos too!
Thank you so much, Barb!!
Didn’t have enough carrots but needed a soup so used a yam to make up the carrot deficit. Cooked slices of yam with the carrots. Chose the vegan alternative, added a Suzi size pinch of Kosher salt and fine ground pepper. The soup came out great! Thanks!
I just made this and added too much ginger 🙁 is there a way to counteract it!?
Can i use ground ginger instead and how much?
Hi, Jovana! I would stick with fresh ginger here.
Hi Jovana,
I used 1 tsp of ginger paste and the soup was delicious.
I'm going to try this carrot soup recipe next week. This is probably a silly question but how much salt and pepper did you use for 3 pounds of carrots? I actually have no clue and don't want to mess it up at the 'oven' stage.
I must say that you are very talented and I have tried many of your seafood recipes. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and being a blessing. May God bless you and your family greatly.
Hello! I really don't have an exact amount... I just make sure all the carrots have a nice, even sprinkle of each. This recipe is very forgiving, so I wouldn't worry too much about messing it up :). Just start with a little of each. You can add more later, if necessary.
I just made this for dinner, without any changes to the recipe. Perfect dinner for a cold winter night. Delicious!
Super delicious! I love the warm flavors and the heavy cream makes it feel so indulgent. It was unfortunately not a smooth consistency because my food processor wasn’t big enough. Next time I will purée in batches
This turned out awesome! I used coconut milk and red curry and love it. Thanks!
Wonderful, Jennifer! So glad
Not a fan of the coriander I will leave that out the next time other than that it was awesome
Could I use coconut cream instead?
Sure!
Easy to make but.. to much garlic flavor
Will not make again sorry
A bit too garlicky for me too but the carrots taste amazing so I’ll just leave out the garlic next time
try roasting the garlic with the carrots. Roasted garlic has a very mellow flavor.
Love that idea! Thanks, Robin!
Do I Peel the carrots before purée
Yep!
I made this today. Delicious! I did fry up some chopped bacon and saute a couple stakes of diced celery and an onion in the bacon fat and add into it. Sear Ed with crumbled bacon and a drizzle of maple syrup.
It is sooo good!
Oh, that sounds yummy, Marge! Thanks you for sharing!
I changed the recipe a bit
Roasted a full head of garlic w the carrots
Added a tablespoon of lemon juice
Added a bit of maple syrup (to taste)
Thanks for sharing your adaptations, Tracy!
Do I take off the skin before purée
Yes... I recommend peeling the carrots.