This carrot ginger soup is packed with delicious carrots, fresh ginger, and bold flavors. It’s light, creamy (yet creamless), and guaranteed to be a favorite! It’s vegan (dairy-free, egg-free), grain-free (gluten-free), soy-free, nut-free, and refined sugar-free.
Cold days call for a bowl of warm, comforting soup. Now, I have to admit that I’m not one of those people who look forward to fall; I know very well that it means that winter is coming. But the thought of comfort food makes it more bearable.
This carrot soup is one of my favorite cold-weather soups. It’s not the cloying, overly sweet, one-dimensional, too-thick, generic carrot soup. Quite the opposite. This carrot soup has a perfect balance of sweetness and savoriness with bright notes of lime. It features sunny assertive spices, including coriander and ginger, as well as fresh garlic, which make the soup even more interesting and warming.
If you like carrots, this carrot ginger soup will be your new go-to when you’re craving comfort food with bright flavors!
Tips for Making Carrot Ginger Soup
Ingredients
This carrot ginger soup relies only on a few staples you likely already have in your kitchen:
- Carrots: the creamy base of this soup relies purely on carrots; no coconut cream or cashew cream (except for garnish). You can make this soup with sautéd carrots or roasted carrots, both work equally well. If you decide to roast the carrots, roast the aromatics as well (as opposed to sauteing them) to save time.
- Onion and garlic: aromatics are the flavor boosters of this soup. They round out the sweetness of the carrots for a deeper, more robust flavor.
- Ginger: make sure to use fresh ginger in this soup because it has a much more distinct flavor than dried.
- Vegetable broth: broth adds flavor and richness to the soup. While you could technically use water, it doesn’t do anything in the flavor department. I typically make my own vegetable broth, but you can also use store-bought.
- Lime juice: lime juice helps cut through the sweetness of carrots and brightness the soup. If you’re out of limes, you can use lemon juice or apple cider vinegar instead.
- Coriander: this spice is warming and bright, with a hint of citrus. It pairs really well with the ginger and lime. If you’re out of coriander, you can omit it.
- Salt: since carrots are quite sweet, you’ll need to use quite a bit of salt to balance out the flavor.
How to Make Carrot Ginger Soup
If quick and easy soups are your thing, you’ll be happy to know this is one of them! Just quickly sauté a few vegetables, blend, and you’re ready to serve!
- Sauté the aromatics. Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté the aromatics until translucent, 5-7 minutes. Sautéing the aromatics helps to release their essential flavors, creating the first layer of flavor in the soup.
- Sauté the carrots and spices. Add the carrots into the pot with the aromatics and sauté them, stirring occasionally, until they have softened slightly, 5-7 minutes. Then, add the ginger and coriander and sauté until fragrant, for 1-2 minutes.
- Simmer. Add the vegetable broth, season the soup with salt (you can also add black pepper), and bring the soup to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and let the soup simmer until the carrots have softened, about 10 minutes, depending on the size of the carrots.
- Blend. Transfer the soup to a high-speed blender, add the lime juice, and blend until completely smooth. While you can use an immersion blender, I prefer standard or high-speed blenders for a silky smooth consistency. If you use an immersion blender, the soup will be smooth, but it will have a little bit of texture to it.
- Season. Taste and adjust the flavor, adding more salt for saltiness, lime juice for tanginess, ginger for a spicy bite, and coriander for citrusy undertones.
How to Serve Carrot Soup
This soup is great on its own, but it’s even better with a swirl of cashew cream and a sprinkle of black pepper. If you’re not a fan of cashew cream or coconut cream, let me assure you that this soup is delicious even with no cream.
You can enjoy this soup as a side or main dish. To make it the center of a meal, serve it with a big piece of warm, crusty bread.
How to Store Carrot Ginger Soup
- Refrigerate: once the soup has cooled to room temperature, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate it for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: once the soup has cooled to room temperature, transfer it to an airtight, freezer-safe container (leaving a little bit of room for expansion) and freeze it for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: transfer frozen soup into the refrigerator 24 hours before reheating to thaw slightly. Reheat the soup in a pot on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until hot. Add ¼ cup/60 ml water/broth at a time if the soup is too thick.
MORE WARMING PURÉED SOUP RECIPES
If you’re interested in more puréed soup recipes, I have an entire blog post with Vitamix soup recipes and tips for making blended soups. Some of the recipes include:
- Butternut squash soup: this butternut squash soup is everything you expect from a traditional butternut squash soup – rich, creamy, and full of roasted butternut squash flavor. It undoubtedly falls into the comfort food category.
- Cream of broccoli soup: you would never know this broccoli soup is entirely plant-based. It’s incredibly flavorful and has the most luxurious creamy texture.
- Cream of cauliflower soup: this soup is lusciously creamy, a bit garlicky, and slightly nutty. What makes this cauliflower soup shine is roasted cauliflower and caramelized aromatics.
- Cream of mushroom soup: if you love cream of mushroom soup and want to skip the canned stuff, this soup is your new favorite soup. It’s so creamy, rich, and satisfying that you would never guess it’s dairy-free.
- Roasted red pepper soup: this light roasted red pepper soup is a twist on the classic cream of tomato soup. The sweetness of roasted bell peppers blends beautifully with the distinctive tartness of sun-dried tomatoes. The result is a comforting, delicious soup.
If you try any of these recipes, please, leave a comment and rate the recipe below. It always means a lot when you do.
Carrot Ginger Soup
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups carrots , chopped
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 yellow onion , chopped
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 Tbsp. ginger , chopped
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 Tbsp. lime juice
- salt , to taste
Instructions
- Sauté the aromatics. Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté the aromatics until translucent, 5-7 minutes.
- Sauté the carrots and spices. Add the carrots into the pot with the aromatics and sauté them, stirring occasionally, until they have softened slightly, 5-7 minutes. Then, add the ginger and coriander and sauté until fragrant, for 1-2 minutes.
- Simmer. Add the vegetable broth, season the soup with salt (you can also add black pepper), and bring the soup to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and let the soup simmer until the carrots have softened, about 10 minutes, depending on the size of the carrots.
- Blend. Transfer the soup to a high-speed blender, add the lime juice, and blend until completely smooth.
- Season. Taste and adjust the flavor, adding more salt for saltiness, lime juice for tanginess, ginger for a spicy bite, and coriander for citrusy undertones.
- Serve. Pour the soup into serving bowls - it will be hot straight out of the blender (if using Vitamix). Garnish with a few swirls of cashew cream (if using) and a sprinkle of black pepper.
- Store. Leftover soup keeps well, covered, in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. For longer-term storage, freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Hi Petra,
I made this soup tonight. I added more vegetable broth as I enjoy my soups a little thinner. The soup was delicious! Creamy without cream and a wo.derful flavor. My husband and I enjoyed it tremendously. Thank you.
Thank you for the feedback and wonderful rating, Judy! So happy you and your husband enjoyed the soup 🙂