I created this roasted carrot ginger soup recipe years ago, and it’s still on constant rotation around here. It’s so simple yet rich and utterly full of flavor.
Roasted Carrot Ginger Soup is the ideal recipe for when you’re wondering what to do with a lot of carrots, which happens to me often around here – I’m not entirely sure why, but I always have a giant bag of baby carrots or most of a 2-pound bag laying around in the fridge. Perfect!
The secret? ROAST THOSE CARROTS! Roasting your carrots caramelizes all of those glorious sugars and concentrates its flavors, creating a wonderfully nuanced soup considering how simple the list of ingredients is (for those counting, it’s only 5 ingredients! Well, 8 if you include the olive oil, salt, and pepper).
I’ve tested this theory in my kitchen, because roasting does dirty up an extra pan and is an additional step. I created two carrot soup recipes, side by side, keeping everything exactly the same. Except in one batch, I roasted the carrots, and in the other, I simmered them in the soup itself to cook them.
I’ll be honest – I thought they would taste very similar to one another, maybe the roasted carrot version would be marginally better. But nope. The non-roasted carrot version was good, sure. But the roasted carrot version was SO MUCH BETTER. Deeper, richer flavor, and more of that “I need another spoonful NOW” goodness.
Roasting the carrots really does make a huge difference.
This recipe is, in fact, a direct result of my overbuying baby carrots for a kid’s birthday party. Can you imagine? The kids didn’t go for the carrots. Shock!
Anyway, we had a ton left over, so I put ’em to work in this super-simple, slightly sweet, wonderfully creamy roasted carrot soup. The first time I made it, I had a hunch that roasted carrot soup wouldn’t need much other than the simplest ingredients: onions, vegetable stock, ginger, cream (or coconut milk), and, of course, carrots.
Happily, my hunch paid off in the form of this richly hued, zingy little soup that I truly think would hold its own among those with twice the ingredients, or more.
The list of ingredients for this carrot ginger soup recipe is so, so simple!
We’ve got:
It’s so, super easy! First, you toss the carrots in olive oil, salt, and pepper, and you roast them in the oven until gloriously golden.
Meanwhile, sauté the onions and add the ginger and broth. Sautéing the onions just to the point of browning; simmering the ginger – each step helps to maximize the flavor of each ingredient.
Let it cool for a bit, because the next step could create a bit of splash-over – pureeing! Add the roasted carrots to the soup and blend. You can puree your roasted carrot soup in your high-speed blender or right in your pan with an immersion blender. Running the soup in the high-speed blender for some extra time will give you the creamiest consistency, if you’re looking for that.
Next, return the soup to the pot and add cream for the vegetarian version, or coconut milk for the vegan version. Swirl it on in! Then taste, add some more salt and pepper if you like, and devour.
I like to top my roasted carrot soup with an extra drizzle of coconut cream and maybe a little snippet of parsley.
And don’t forget the bread!
Love carrot soup? Check out this Instant Pot curried carrot soup with red lentils for some added protein oomph! Or this hearty version piled with quinoa.
This is always a tough question to answer because “good for you” and “healthy” can be translated in so many different ways. For me, nutrient-rich = good for you. And with loads of beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A (source), this roasted carrot soup is definitely nutrient-rich! It’s also a great source of fiber.
Yes! This soup is perfect for the freezer. Simply cool to room temperature and scoop into a freezer bag or freezer-friendly container with a lid. If you’re using a bag, be sure to squeeze out excess air. Label and freeze!
I love a good kale salad alongside this one, plus some crusty artisan bread. Yum!
Easy! Simply swap the heavy cream for canned coconut milk. To be honest, I prefer the coconut milk version! You can use full-fat coconut milk or lite; both are delicious.