This roasted carrot soup with warming spices, fresh garlic and ginger is a refreshing Mediterranean twist on the classic fall-winter soup.
In this carrot soup recipe, I start by roasting fresh carrots in a hot oven until they are caramelized. It might seem like an extra step, but trust me roasting carrots is a technique that creates an intensely flavorful soup.
It’s the same approach I take with my tomato basil and roasted butternut squash soup: develop the natural sweet and savory flavors in the oven, then blend with super bold and comforting Mediterranean seasonings.
Once the carrots are roasted, I finish the soup by adding warming spices like coriander, allspice, and freshly grated ginger for a nice kick. A touch of whole milk brings creaminess without weighing the soup down.
For those who like to meal prep, this roasted carrot and ginger soup is even better the next day.
Table of Contents
Roasted Carrot Soup Ingredients
This carrot ginger soup uses pantry essentials, most of which you likely have stocked. You’ll need:
- Extra virgin olive oil: Use any high quality extra virgin olive oil you have on hand, or check out our favorites over at our shop.
- Carrots: You’ll need three pounds of carrots, which gives the soup its rich flavor.
- Seasonings: Coriander and allspice give this soup a warming, aromatic quality–you can stock up on both at our spice shop. Salt and pepper enhance the flavor.
- Fresh aromatics: Garlic and ginger give this soup a nice kick and bridge the gap between the sweet carrots and savory spices. I wouldn’t recommend substituting either with dried versions.
- Broth: I used low-sodium vegetable broth to keep this carrot ginger soup vegetarian, but you can substitute with chicken broth if you’d like.
- Whole milk: Brings a nice creaminess without competing with the flavor. You can use an unsweetened plant-based milk or vegetable stock if you’d like to make this a vegan roasted carrot soup.
- Mint (optional): A garnish of mint leaves brings a freshness to the soup. You can omit the mint or substitute with other tender herbs like parsley or fresh chives.
How to Make Roasted Carrot Soup
This roasted carrot soup recipe is essentially three steps: roast the vegetables, blend, then simmer and season. Here's how you make it:
- Get ready. Preheat your oven to 425°F. Brush a sheet pan with olive oil.
- Roast the carrots. Trim off the tops and peel 3 pounds of carrots. Arrange the carrots on the prepared sheet pan and season lightly with salt and pepper. Drizzle generously with olive oil, then roast for 25 minutes. Flip and roast until the carrots are fork tender and nicely browned around the edges, about 20 minutes more. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
- Blend. When the carrots are cool enough to handle, cut into chunks and place in a large food processor or blender. Add 4 chopped garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger and 3 cups of vegetable broth. Puree until the mixture is smooth.
- Simmer. Transfer to a heavy cooking pot and add the remaining 2 cups of broth. Season with 1 teaspoon of coriander and allspice. Place the pot on medium heat and watch carefully as the soup bubbles. Stir occasionally until reduced slightly, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add the milk. Turn the heat to medium-low and stir in 1 cup of whole milk. Once heated through, remove from the stove.
- Serve. Transfer to serving bowls and garnish with fresh mint leaves, if using. Enjoy!
Vegan Carrot Soup Option
If you would rather make a vegan version of this roasted carrot 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.)
What to Serve With Carrot Soup
This carrot soup is a great starter to any meal. But I often serve it for a light dinner with crusty bread–if I'm lucky enough to have baked some fresh focaccia, challah or pita chips it's particularly comforting. I sometimes sprinkle a bit of dukkah on top for an added aromatic and nutty quality.
To start the meal, I usually add a big Fattoush salad–the crunch goes nicely with the creaminess of the roasted carrot soup. If you want a heartier, more filling salad, try Balela Salad or Chickpea Egg Salad.
How to Store Carrot Ginger Soup
This carrot soup recipe keeps exceptionally well, both in the refrigerator and in the freezer. It’s a great way to get ahead for winter colds, busy weeks and more.
- To refrigerate: Wait for the soup to cool, then seal and store in your refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- To freeze: Allow the soup to cool fully. Seal in a freezer-safe containers for up to 2 months, leaving space a top to allow it to expand in your freezer.
- To reheat: If you’re reheating from frozen, thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat thawed or refrigerated soup in the microwave or over medium heat on your stove, adding more broth or water as necessary.
More Vegetarian Soup Recipes to Try
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Roasted Carrot Soup
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 3 pounds carrots, peeled
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 5 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 cup whole milk
- Fresh mint leaves, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Get ready. Preheat your oven to 425°F. Brush a sheet pan with olive oil.
- Roast the carrots. Arrange the carrots on the prepared sheet pan. Season lightly with salt and pepper and drizzle generously with olive oil. Roast for 25 minutes, then flip and roast until the carrots are fork tender and nicely caramelized, about 20 minutes more. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
- Blend. When the carrots are cool enough to handle, cut into chunks and place in a large food processor or blender. Add the garlic, ginger and 3 cups of the broth. Puree until the mixture is smooth.
- Simmer. Transfer the carrot puree to a heavy cooking pot. Add the remaining 2 cups of broth, coriander and allspice. Place the pot on medium heat and watch carefully as the soup bubbles. Stir occasionally until reduced slightly, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add the milk. Turn the heat to medium-low and stir in the milk. Once heated through, remove from the stove.
- Serve. Transfer to serving bowls and garnish with fresh mint leaves, if using. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- To refrigerate: Seal and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- To freeze: Allow the soup to cool fully. Seal in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months, then thaw in the fridge overnight.
- To reheat: Reheat thawed or refrigerated soup in the microwave or stovetop over medium heat, adding more broth or water as necessary.
- Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including olive oils, honey, jams, and spices.
Nutrition
*This post has been updated with new information for readers' benefit.
Absolutely wonderful! We left the cream out and I sautéed the garlic. Thank you so much for sharing this, it will be in our fall rotation forever!
That's great, Rhianna! This one is on my rotation as well!
I just realized I only have 4 cups of veggie broth. Is there anything I can use to replace it? If i use water or beef broth will their be a difference in taste? If not, which do you recommend?
Shannon, you can use chicken broth here. Enjoy!
Can I use cashew nuts instead of cream for a dairy free version?
Hi Li
I have not tried it, but I would imagine it would work. Let me know if you try it!
I stumbled across this recipe and I had to try it. I wanted to get some protein into it so I added some silken tofu and skipped the cream. Love the subtle roasted flavors. Thanks. This is a keeper!
Leslie, so glad you gave this carrot soup a try! And love to hear ideas and variations...yours sounds great! Thanks so much for checking it out.
Hi, Suzy! I roasted the garlic and thin slices of the ginger along with the carrots and hit it with an immersion blender. SO easy and SUCH depth of flavor; roasting the garlic really complemented the sweetness of the carrots, IMO. Love your blog; use your recipes weekly! 🙂
This looks amazing! Can't wait to try it. What kind of protein would work well with this? I was thinking maybe some roasted chicken? Would adding directly to the soup be weird?
Thanks!
Hi Dana,
Roast chicken would be fine next to this soup. I would not add it in, though. Enjoy!
Ok. What about adding in shredded kale and white beans after blending carrots etc?
Sure, that sounds good! Enjoy!
Shrimp works well as a protein for this dish. Though I usually error on the side of fresh shrimp for other dishes, there's no real downside to using frozen "supermarket" shrimp with this one.
Defrost the shrimp and add at the end, cooking thoroughly.
Hi Suzy
Having made the scrummy Carrot and ginger soup several times it's just as easy to put the roast carrots and all the other ingredients in a crock pot on the stove top and blitz it with a stick blender.
Keep up your good work with the amazing recipes
Many thanks
Don
Don, that's a wonderful idea! Thanks for sharing. I am so glad you enjoyed this soup.
This is amazing and made me feel like a chef! I made as is substituting coconut milk for my first time, wonderful flavors, texture. I used an immersion blender. Froze half the batch and it even tasted great defrosted. Just made it again and added some roasted tomatoes and finely diced veggies this time. If you skip the ginger you could use the carrot base for limitless soups. So happy I found this site and anxious to try more recipes.
5 stars!!!!
Thank you so much, Krina! I am so glad you liked this soup. Certainly one that you can easily adapt. Thanks for sharing!
This Is the third receipe in two weeks that I have made from your blog! My family absolutely loves the Tabouli Salad and the Mediterranean Potatoes and they loved this too! Thanks for such great receipes, most of which I can prep on Sunday's and add in our meals the rest of the week. The more vegetarian options the better!!! Thank you!
Sasha, thank you so much for sharing! I am so glad to hear your family has enjoyed the recipes so far! Hope you find more to try soon.
Just delicious. I used ginger paste and beef broth and milk. Fabulous and economical.
Thanks so much, Margaret! I am so glad you enjoyed it.
Tried it, loved it. Fun and easy to make plus yum.
Yay!! So glad you enjoyed, Krystal! Thanks for taking the time to let me know! Hope you find more recipes to try.
great soup, made it tonight. I used coconut milk instead of the cream and a bit of lime juice as well. super tasty!
Charity...love your twist on this carrot soup. So glad you enjoyed it! Hope you find more recipes here to try.
I think this is the best soup I've ever tasted!
Thank you so much Christina! I am so glad you enjoyed it.
Such a simple yet delicious and nutritious recipe. I forgot the cream/half and half so used plain yogurt instead and it worked great! It's an amazingly hearty vegetarian soup. I was quite full after one bowl. You actually don't need to add extra salt and pepper since the baked carrots are already nicely flavored. I topped mine with a little bit of crumbled feta (really good kind) and that added a little extra specialness. I also put more ginger as I like a little extra spice.
Erika, thanks for taking the time to share! Love that you used yogurt, great substitution here! And the crumbled feta!
Hello Suzy! Thank you for posting this recipe; I found it on Pinterest.
I'm a terrible cook. It's a long-acknowledged, running family joke. But you know what? Your recipe was so well-written, and so simple to follow, that even I managed to make a delicious soup tonight. That's a real triumph for me.
Because I've been watching my calorie intake, I substituted plain greek yogurt for the heavy cream. I know it would have been even better with the cream, but the soup was still yummy...for about 103 calories per 8oz serving.
I'm taking some to share with a friend tomorrow (someone who always cooks and bakes effortlessly). Finally, something I won't have to be embarrassed to bring. #Winning!!
I'll check out more of your recipes. Thanks again,
Meg
Meg, I am so so glad to hear this! thank you for taking the time to share with me. I try so hard to write out every single step and add the photos so anyone can follow along and cook. It makes my day to hear that it's working! Love your idea of substituting the cream for yogurt! Hope you find other recipes here to try. Cheers!
This delicious. love my soups. Thanks for sharing this.
Simon
Glad you liked it!!!