This carrot soup is a creamy, thick and flavorful soup you’ll want to make again and again. This easy one-pot recipe is vegan, and is easy to customize to your tastes. Try my foolproof carrot soup recipe with step-by-step photos and video for a healthy, hearty dish that’s ready in just 30 minutes.
About This Carrot Soup
Soup recipes are excellent for making comforting, filling and flavorful dishes with seasonal veggies. Many are easy to prepare by just adding ingredients to a large pot and simmering. They can be customized or elevated however you like – and are often simple to make vegetarian, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
This one-pot easy carrot soup recipe is naturally vegan and GF-friendly (if you don’t add the bread croutons) and is one of my favorite comfort food dishes to enjoy in any season. It’s light with the fresh and slightly sweet flavor of the orange carrots, but also has lots of boldness from a great combination of sauteed onions, garlic, and warm cumin.
Similar to my Carrot Ginger Soup, this simple and vegan carrot soup is so rich and creamy that each spoonful is like a perfect hug. The silky consistency is achieved by blending the cooked carrots into a thick puree, so there’s no need for any dairy or plant-based dairy substitutes.
I prefer to make this vibrant soup with fresh carrots in one pot on the stovetop. This method is very easy and takes only about 30 minutes! However, it can also easily be made in an instant pot. See recipe card notes below for complete steps.
How to make Creamy Carrot Soup
Cooking Aromatics and Carrots
1. Firstly, heat 1 tablespoon sunflower or olive oil in a large thick-bottomed pan. Add ½ cup chopped onions and ½ teaspoon chopped garlic.
2. Sauté on a low to medium-low heat until the onions soften.
3. Add 2.25 cups chopped carrots and 2 tablespoons chopped celery. I have used orange carrots. But you can also use red carrots.
4. Sprinkle in ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and ½ teaspoon salt or according to taste.
5. Mix well as you continue cooking.
6. Pour in 2.5 cups Vegetable Stock or water. The addition of vegetable stock will make it more flavorful. I have used homemade vegetable stock in the recipe.
7. Mix and stir again.
8. Keep the heat to medium-low so that the stock stays at a gentle simmer. Cover the pot with a lid and cook until the carrots become tender, stirring occasionally.
9. If the stock or water seems to be cooking off too quickly, add a splash more of the liquid. You might need up to ¼ or ½ cup of extra hot water or hot vegetable stock added.
10. Check a few pieces of carrots with a fork or knife. The fork or knife should be able to easily slide through the carrots.
11. After the carrots are cooked, turn off the heat. There will be some liquid in the mixture which is needed to blend the soup. Let the carrots cool a bit.
Blending Carrots
12. Add the entire mixture with the liquids to 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 or stock (at room temperature) depending on the thickness you prefer in the soup.
14. Transfer the puree back to the cooking pot.
Making Carrot Soup
15. Turn the heat on to medium-low and bring the carrot soup to a simmer. Again, if it looks a bit too thick you can add a splash or two more of your preferred liquid – water or vegetable stock.
16. Once the soup becomes hot, season with ¼ to ½ teaspoon freshly crushed black pepper and 1 to 2 teaspoons of chopped parsley. Mix well and turn off the heat.
17. An optional ingredient you can add at this point is ¼ teaspoon lemon juice. This adds a lovely slightly sour taste to the soup.
18. Serve the creamy carrot soup in bowls or mugs. Garnish with more freshly chopped parsley and/or bread croutons.
To make croutons just toast a 1 or 2-day old bread or baguette in the oven or on a skillet (tawa). Then chop into cubes and use immediately, or transfer to a sealed container and keep at room temperature for a day or so.
FAQs
The vegetable stock – homemade stock in particular – adds wonderful flavor to the soup. However, you certainly can use plain water for this recipe if you prefer.
Instead of parsley you can garnish with chopped cilantro (coriander) or fresh basil.
Store cooled soup in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to a day. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop. If the soup thickens up too much, add a bit of water as you reheat.
You can use any carrot variety like red carrots or orange carrots. Just ensure to buy the carrots that are fresh, tender and juicy. They should not be hard, dense or fibrous.
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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 heat. Add chopped onions and chopped garlic.
- Sauté on a low to medium-low heat till the onions soften.
- Add chopped carrots, celery, cumin seeds and salt. Mix well.
- Pour the vegetable stock or water. Stir and mix again.
- Cover pot with a lid. Simmer on a low or medium-low heat 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 heat. 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 or hot vegetable stock.
- When the soup becomes hot, season with black pepper and chopped parsley. Mix well and switch off heat. Instead of parsley, you can even use fresh cilantro leaves (coriander leaves) or fresh basil.
- This is an optional step. For some light sour notes in the soup, you can add ¼ teaspoon lemon juice.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve the soup in bowls or mugs. Garnish with some parsley or cilantro (coriander leaves) or your choice of fresh herbs. 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 vegan carrot soup.
Video
Notes
Making carrot soup in the Instant Pot
- 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.
More Tips
- 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.
- The recipe can be easily scaled to make a big pot of soup.
Nutrition Info (Approximate values)
This Carrot Soup Recipe post from the blog archives first published in December 2019 has been republished and updated on 8 August 2021.
Hi Dassana,
This feedback has been long-overdue! I remember coming across your website while trying to find some recipe, a couple of years back. The first thing I had noticed was the cup measurement that you had mentioned (250 ml- something which no one does and just assumes that readers have the same utensils), and I had felt your recipe would work for me. It did, and I kept on coming back to your website. So many recipes are available around, in books and websites, but I have never found another person/chef take as much efforts as you put in your recipes. From the cup measurement you use, to the number of fenugreek seeds you suggest, to when the vessel might be hot, to when the mixture would splutter…the list is endless. I have also noticed how you reply to every post, clearing people’s doubts- there is such a connect! Your recipes have never failed me till date. I wanted to thank you for your website, your recipes and your thoughtfulness. I look forward to many more interesting recipes.
Hi Sonal, thank you so much. I appreciate you took the time to write in detail this lovely comment. It has for sure encouraged me and made me happy. I agree on the smaller bits that many people miss in recipe books, blogs, youtube videos. I still have a bit of work to do in this regard and update some of my decades old recipes to this detail. Do try some more recipes and I am sure you will love them. Take care.
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.