Carrot soup made easy with a recipe that gives you a delicious one pot, creamy and thick soup which you will be making again and again. The recipe is also vegan and gluten-free.
Soups are our comfort food and I make them with various veggies. I have shared many Soup recipes earlier and I will be sharing a few more. I have also shared a variation of carrot soup with ginger – Carrot ginger soup.
This carrot soup is the one which I make either with orange carrots or red carrots. Sometimes I make the soup in the instant pot. In the recipe card, I have mentioned details on making the soup in the instant pot.
About this carrot soup
1. One-pot method: Sauté and cook everything in a pot. Makes the method of making the soup very easy.
2. Flavor profile: the ingredients used in the recipe match the flavor profile of the carrots. The earthy flavor of carrot is balanced with the sweetness of onions, slight pungency of garlic, the herbal aromatic flavor of celery stems and the warm flavors of cumin.
3. Cooking method: can be made on stove-top as well as in an instant-pot and even in a pressure cooker.
4. Stock vs water: vegetable stock can be replaced with water and vice versa. Though I must say that a homemade vegetable stock imparts a complex yet lovely taste to the soup.
5. Consistency and taste: Creamy, smooth and thick. Sweetish tasting soup with hints of sourness from the lemon.
6. Dietary considerations: vegan, gluten-free.
How to make carrot soup
1. In a thick bottomed pan or pot, heat 1 tablespoon sunflower or olive oil. Add ½ cup chopped onions and ½ teaspoon chopped garlic.
2. Sauté on a low to medium-low flame till the onions soften.
3. Add 2.25 cups chopped carrots and 2 tablespoons chopped celery.
4. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and ½ teaspoon salt or add as per taste.
5. Mix well.
6. Pour 2.5 cups vegetable stock or water. I have here added homemade vegetable stock. Even water can be added instead of a veggie stock.
7. Stir and mix again.
8. Cover the pot with a lid. Simmer on a low or medium-low flame till the carrots become tender.
9. When simmering, do check a couple of times to see if the liquids have dried or not. If the liquids have dried, then add ¼ to ½ cup more of hot veg stock or hot water.
10. Check a few pieces of carrots with a fork or knife. The fork or knife should be able to pass easily from the carrots.
11. After the carrots are cooked, switch off the flame. There will be some liquid in the mixture. Let this liquid remain as we will use the liquids when blending the carrots. Let the soup mixture become warm or less hot.
12. Add the entire mixture with the liquids in a blender or grinder. You can even use an immersion blender to blend the carrots.
13. Blend to a smooth puree. While blending, add ¼ to ½ cup water depending on the thickness you prefer in the soup.
14. Place the entire pureed carrots in the same pan or pot.
15. Keep the pan on the stove-top and simmer till the soup gets hot. Stir at intervals. If the carrot soup looks thick, then you can add some more hot water.
16. When the soup becomes hot, season with ¼ to ½ freshly crushed black pepper and 1 to 2 teaspoons of chopped parsley. Mix well and switch off the flame. Instead of parsley, you can even use fresh cilantro leaves (coriander leaves).
17. This is an optional step. For some faint sour notes in the soup, you can add ¼ teaspoon lemon juice. I feel lemon juice slightly balances the earthiness and sweetness of carrots. But if you are not fond of any tangy or sour taste in a bowl of carrot soup, you can skip this step. Any leftover soup can be refrigerated and then warmed up before serving. If the soup becomes very thick, then add some water and reheat it.
18. Serve carrot soup in bowls or mugs. Garnish with some parsley or cilantro (coriander leaves). Top with some bread croutons if you like. Bread croutons really taste good in this soup. To make croutons just toast a 1 or 2-day old bread or baguette in the oven or on a skillet (tawa). When toasted chop them in cubes. Enjoy a comforting creamy carrot soup.
More soup recipes
Carrot Soup
INGREDIENTS
Main ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Oil - sunflower or extra virgin olive oil. Butter can also be substituted
- ½ cup Chopped onions Or 1 medium-sized onion or 60 grams onion
- ½ teaspoon Chopped garlic or 2 to 3 small to medium-sized garlic cloves
- 400 grams Carrots or 0.9 pounds carrots or 2.25 cups chopped carrots or 8 to 10 small to medium-sized carrots - diced or cubed
- 2 tablespoons Chopped celery
- ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon Salt Or add as per taste
- 2.5 cups Vegetable stock or water
- ¼ to ½ cup Water - while blending, optional
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon Freshly crushed black pepper
- 1 to 2 teaspoons Chopped parsley Or chopped cilantro (coriander leaves)
- ¼ teaspoon Lemon juice - optional
For garnish
- 1 teaspoon Chopped parsley Or chopped cilantro (coriander leaves)
- ⅓ cup Bread croutons - optional
INSTRUCTIONS
cooking carrots
- In a thick bottomed pan or pot, heat sunflower or olive oil on a low to medium-low flame. Add chopped onions and chopped garlic.
- Sauté on a low to medium-low flame till the onions soften.
- Add chopped carrots, celery, cumin seeds and salt. Mix well.
- Pour 2.5 cups vegetable stock or water. Stir and mix again.
- Cover pot with a lid. Simmer on a low or medium-low flame till the carrots become tender.
- When simmering, do check a couple of times to see if the liquids have dried or not. If the liquids have dried, then add ¼ to ½ cup more of hot veg stock or hot water.
- Check a few pieces of carrots with a fork or knife. The fork or knife should be able to pass easily from the carrots.
- After the carrots are cooked, switch off the flame. There will be some liquid in the mixture. Let this liquid remain as we will use these liquids when blending the carrots. Let the soup mixture become warm or less hot.
making carrot soup
- Add the entire mixture with the liquids in a blender or grinder. You can even use an immersion blender to blend the carrots.
- Blend to a smooth puree. While blending, add ¼ to ½ cup water (at room temperature) depending on the thickness you prefer in the soup.
- Place the entire pureed carrots in the same pan or pot.
- Keep the pan on stove-top and simmer till the soup gets hot. Stir at intervals. If the carrot soup looks thick, then you can add some more hot water.
- When the soup becomes hot, season with black pepper and chopped parsley. Mix well and switch off flame. Instead of parsley, you can even use fresh cilantro leaves (coriander leaves).
- This is an optional step. For some faint sour notes in the soup, you can add ¼ teaspoon lemon juice.
serving carrot soup
- Serve carrot soup in bowls or mugs. Garnish with some parsley or cilantro (coriander leaves). Top with some bread croutons if you like.
- Bread croutons really taste good in this soup. To make croutons just toast a 1 or 2-day old bread or baguette in the oven or on a skillet (tawa). When toasted chop them in cubes and serve with carrot soup.
NOTES
- Use the sauté option and sauté onions, garlic on low or normal till the onions soften.
- Press cancel. Then add carrots, celery, cumin and salt. Mix well.
- Add 2 cups vegetable stock or water.
- Close with lid and place the valve in the sealing position.
- Press the pressure cook button and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes.
- Wait for 5 minutes. Then after 5 minutes do a quick pressure release, by lifting the valve.
- Let the mixture cool down a bit and then blend in a blender or using an immersion blender to a smooth puree.
- From the blender, pour the carrot puree in the instant pot steel insert.
- If the puree looks thick, then add some hot water.
- Press cancel button. Then press the button and set time to 2 minutes on normal. Let the soup become warm or hot. Stir at intervals.
- Add black pepper and parsley. Stir and serve.
- Both red carrots and orange carrots can be used in the recipe.
- Use carrots which are fresh and tender. Avoid carrots which are fibrous and hard.
- Water can be added instead of vegetable stock.
- Best to use homemade vegetable stock and not canned ones due to the high sodium content in them.
- Any neutral flavored oil can be used. You can even use butter to make a vegetarian carrot soup.
- You can add seasonings, spices of your choice in the carrot soup. But do keep in mind the flavor and taste of carrots so that the seasonings or spices balance or bring out the best in terms of taste and flavor in the soup.
- Leftover carrot soup can be refrigerated and then warmed up before serving. If the soup becomes very thick, then add some water and reheat it.
Dear Dassana Hi,
I like your recipes very much as there is detailed description and photos to make it easy.
In this recipe, what can be the substitute for celery ?
hi poonam. firstly thank you. celery has no substitute. that is why i have not mentioned it. if celery is not there, then just skip it. thought it does impart some flavor in the soup, but even without it, the carrot soup will still taste good.
Tried this recipe today.the soup was absolutely delicious with a thick and creamy texture.the bread crotons really pair well with this soup.added a dash of lime for that tangy taste.loved it.will be making this again.please post some mushroom and brocolli soup recipes.
hi winnie. hope you are fine. thanks for sharing this lovely feedback on the carrot soup. yes, the croutons pair really well with the soup.
i have alreay shared broccoli soup and mushroom soup recipes. mentioning the links below.
1. broccoli soup – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/veg-cream-of-broccoli-soup/
2. cream of mushroom soup – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/veg-cream-mushroom-soup-recipe/
3. clear mushroom soup – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/mushroom-soup-recipe/
you can even check this collection of 26 soup recipes – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/soup-recipes-veg-soup-recipes/