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 made this yesterday and it was exceptional. I roasted some onion and garlic with the carrots (last 10 minutes) and added to my vitamix. The butter and fresh lemon juice really made a difference. Thank you for sharing
I made this without the garlic, as I don’t care for it, and it was DELICIOUS!
I really enjoyed this recipe. As with most things, I found a sprinkle of “Slap Ya Mama” cajun seasoning really brought it to life!
Wow wow wow this soup is BOMB!
I’m glad you loved it, Jen!
Made this tonight and it was delicious!
I couldn’t decide which variations to make so I did them all!!! I added the ginger and the lime and the curry powder and it was wonderful.
I wish I had a toasted artesian bread slice or two to dip.
I have one serving left that I will be enjoying tomorrow perhaps even for breakfast!
Thank you for sharing!
Hooray! Thank you for sharing, Bonnie. I love that you did all the variations. I appreciate your review.
This is the best recipe on the internet. I’ve made it about 10 times over the years. My favorite variation is adding a tablespoon+ of minced ginger, and a teaspoon of curry power. I cook the aromatics with the roasted carrots for a few minutes before adding the broth. End with lime instead of lemon and 1.5 tablespoons vegan butter. Very rich and full flavored. Good work to the author.
I’m excited to hear this one is a favorite, KS!
I was worried at first that it wasn’t going to turn out “creamy” but after blending really well it turned out divine! Did the curry version and it’s so tasty!
Oh my goodness, this was delicious! I did the ginger variation with only water, but as you say one doesn’t miss the broth at all. And what a well-presented write up of the recipe, with explanations of the rationale for each step. Thank you so much!
I love this recipe!! I add curry powder and a can of coconut milk for the creaminess and it’s a crowd pleasure for sure :)
Just came home with a bag of “seconds” (carrots) from the organic farm I work at and looked fora ‘Cookie and Kate” soup recipe…which I followed to the “T” only adding an extra 1/2 lb of carrots and OH MY GOODNESS!!! This was amazing!!! The roasting of the carrots definitely made this soup so delicious!!! Thank you, Kate (and Cookie). You are my GO-TO for all of my cooking inspirations!!! I still have more “seconds” left so I will be making this again soon!!!
This soup is absolutely amazing! I add white beans before mixing it to add some protein. We had it with pesto waffles last night and it made a great meal. Kids loved it too!
Excellent recipe I share this soup with a neighbor & he came back for more…& he’s still talking about this soup…making more tonight to a group I fellowship & study with and I’ll be sure to say my neighbor some also I made the Thai version delicious
Loved this delicious and easy and inexpensive recipe. I made the cumin and curry version and used better than bouillon chicken stock instead of veg. I also used my immersion stick rather than the blender and it was slightly chunky but quick and easy cleanup. Couldn’t believe how rich it was without any dairy. Can’t wait to try the ginger version. I’m sharing this recipe on facebook with all my friends and family as a delicious, nutritious and budget friendly recipe for the whole family.
Great to hear, Lynn! Thank you for your reivew.
We had delicious carrot soup at one of the fine restaurants here in the Twin Cities. I wanted to make my own and found your recipe; which is excellent! Have made it a few times now. Great soup to surprise your guests with!
is it possible to roast carrots then freeze them for later or simply roast them first then freeze to make soup later? Thank you.
Hi, I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. If you do, let me know!
I only have chicken broth on hand. Would that change the flavours??
I know others have used that and didn’t mind the results. I hope you enjoy this soup!
Great carrot soup! I left out the garlic, onions and just went with the pure carrot taste. Fantastic.
Great to hear, Eileen! I appreciate your review.
Going to try this today! Thank you for sharing it. Have you tried adding white beans to it for protein?
I hope you enjoyed it, Barb! I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. Sorry!
This is delicious! I made a vegan curry version, and we love it so much we’re starting our Thanksgiving meal with it this year. Roasting the carrots really makes it! Thank you!
Made the mistake of using just water as you said you don’t usually miss it and it was nearly tastless. Fixed it with crushed tomatoes, curry powder and a lot of honey. Next time I’ll just use 6 cups broth and skip the water.
I make this quite often. I swap the coriander for cardamom and the aroma and flavor are excellent. I’ll try coriander someday.
That’s great to hear, Terra! I appreciate your review.
A question for you, if I may: how many fluid ounces is a bowl of the creamy carrot soup , vs. a cup? (For nutritional purposes). By the way, made the recipe, it’s really really delicious!
Thanks very much,
Marc
Very tasty soup on a cold winters night. I did add one sugar cube and the recommended curry which brought it all together for me.
I added a few things I needed to use up – chicken stock, coconut milk, whipped cream (!)… and still added the butter ;) and it was so rich and delicious. Thanks for this, my first carrot soup!
I made the ginger version and added a full tablespoon of grated ginger. I have been trying to find a copycat version of a local restaurant and this comes the closest. I like their is no coconut milk (unless you want the Thai version). I will try the vegan version next. I highly recommend this recipe. I would recommend 1/2 tablespoon of butter and then keep adding.
Worth the wait to roast the carrots.
I live in USA and onions are humongous here. A rough weight of onion in the recipes would be EXTREMELY useful.
Hi Ann, I don’t have weight for this. Sorry! I would use your best judgement. Of course, if you don’t love onions then use a smaller one.
I just made this roasted carrot soup following the recipe for the curry and ginger variation and it is AMAZING! The flavors are so bright and fresh, not overpowering. I can’t wait to have it tomorrow! I’m sure it will be even better! Thank you!
I’m so glad you loved it, Inez! I appreciate your review.
I have a passion for plain food as well as fancy and if you have beautifully sweet carrots as we do here, why not let them shine?
Also, I swim against the flow in believing there is no such thing as healthy or unhealthy food, only the way it’s consumed (allergies excepted of course).
So I use a teaspoon of butter to saute my carrots, then add stock, cook and blend, an honour to the wonderful carrot taste. A little milk if you wish and the rest is bliss. YMMV :-)
I like to save all my veg scraps/peels/cutoffs (even apple and pear cores and peels) in a ziplock in the freezer. When I get a gallon bag full I pop it in the crock pot over night on low with water, peppercorns, bay leaves and some crushed garlic cloves. In the morning I have a pot full of unsalted veg broth to use as my base in lieu of water and filled with vital minerals and vitamins. My chickens love to get the veggies from the broth pot as a warm breakfast treat so nothing goes to waste at all. I love the feeling of making use of 100% of the food especially since it is so expensive these days. (We also save all our meat trimmings, bones, etc and do the same for meat broths.)
This comment comes from a person who dislikes carrots to an extreme but I love this soup! In fact, this is the soup I have repeated making more than any of my other soup recipes. I bow to you for creating, and sharing, this recipe. It is beyond delicious! I have to agree with those who are surprised there is no cream or dairy in this soup. I made the cumin, coriander and curry version. It is creamy, spicy, tangy and buttery…all in one bowl! Heaven! Thank you! Now I need to try the other versions!
I’m so glad you tried it even though you don’t enjoy carrots. Thank you for sharing, April!
Just made it with ginger … .. it’s so smooth and creamy ..beautiful
Thank you, Kate
You’re welcome, Julie!
I tried this roasted carrot soup and it turned out very good. I tried the recipe without any of the suggested variations and also without the lemon juice (i thought it was an optional ingredient and didn’t notice until later that it wasn’t). Do taste the soup before you add it so you can decide for yourself if it is needed. I didn’t need it. This is a good recipe, thanks
You’re welcome, Novice!
I was wondering, is this a sweet or savory soup?
Loved this soup I added sweet potato too! Delicious keeper for my house
I’m excited you enjoyed it, Shawn! Thank you for your review.
I made this using stock from our thanksgiving turkey, roasted carrots, garlic, coriander and cumin. It’s the best soup I have ever tasted!!!!!!
Super delicious!! I made the ginger version and the flavors were awesome. I also used cashews instead of butter- perfect velvety creamy texture! One tip: no need to pre-soak the cashews. Just put them in when you put the carrots and broth/water in the pot to boil and simmer in the soup. They blend up perfectly. Thanks for this great recipe!
Thank you for sharing, Kerri! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Sooo good!! But you MUST drizzle lemon juice on it in your bowl/plate. Made it ah-may-ZING!!!!!
Tastes great but made it the second time and both times keep getting a very grainy soup. Any suggestions on how to fix that? I added water this time but it didn’t really help
Did you use a blender? Were your carrots cooked enough prior to blending?
I’ve been going to do a carrot soup for a while with a huge bag of carrots in the fridge. Finally, I looked for one and found this. So good. Added curry powder. Yum
I made this soup this past weekend, and it is so good. I made the Thai version, followed the recipe almost exactly (I had a brain blip and used a little more red curry than called for), and I have already raved to several people about this soup. So creamy, so flavorful. I love the trick of using butter instead of cream! That really works! The recipe was easy and I like how quick it was to make and enjoy. I have a little list going to try more of your recipes and I am very excited! (Actually made the classic tomato soup this morning! Delish!)
Wonderful! I’m excited it was a hit, Suzanne.
I love all your recipes, you are one of my fave food recipes bloggers and I always check here first for any recipe so thank you!!!!
Question- for the variations- is everyone adding the cumin and coriander to each base and then adding whatever variation ingredients as well?
Just checking
Thank you!!!
Love this recipe! I added 1/2 cup of red lentils, a leek and more water and a bit more of the spices and it worked really well! Thank you
You’re welcome, Donna! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
I hate carrots but after ending up with 3 large carrots and wanting to try out my new blender, I decided to try this recipe. It is so good! I added some ginger and skipped the butter. It was so creamy and roasting the carrots (i used my airfryer) gave such a nice flavor. I also made your cruton recipe and threw them in my bowl and it’s SO good.
Thank you for sharing! I’m glad you enjoyed it, Samantha.
I made it oil free and added nutritional yeast for more protein on top of the soup instead of butter. Delicious!!
This really is a 5-star soup. My husband can’t stop eating it out of the pot.
As many others have said, I found this recipe because we had too many carrots and needed a way to use them up. The soup was amazing! We did the curry ginger version and used chicken stock instead of veggie broth. I completely skipped over the 2 cups of water part of the recipe (whoops! I thought it was either broth OR water). I don’t know if that mattered much except that we maybe made a little less soup? But the end result was super flavorful and creamy. The lemon at the end really lifted all the flavors. Definitely saving this recipe!
Great to hear, Daniella! I’m glad you still enjoyed it.
Can’t wait to try this recipe! Looking for vegan/healthy soup for my congregation and this looks like will be perfect!
Great to hear, Jessica!
can you add ancho chili powder to this recipe?
I’m not sure how that would be here. But I would be curious if you tried it what you think!
This was amazing! I made the curry ginger option. The taste was wonderful and it was so creamy and delicious. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Suzanne! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
This is one of the best soups I’ve ever made. So rich and creamy but without cream or cheese, and sweet but without sugar. The roasted flavor comes through beautifully. Added bonus it works for vegetarians as well. Cannot wait to try the Thai, curry and ginger variations.
I’m glad you loved it, Patricia!