Carrot Ginger Soup (served cold or hot)
This Carrot Ginger Soup is velvety smooth and PACKED with healthy ingredients and can be served hot or cold, so it’s perfect any time of year!
There’s a whole pound and a half of carrots in this recipe, with only four servings. That may seem like almost too many carrots per serving, but when they are cooked to smithereens and pureed to a silky smooth texture, it’s easy to eat a ton of this super healthy veggie.
And if you still have a ton of carrots after making this soup, whip up a batch of carrot fries and thank me later.
The carrots’ natural sweetness is enhanced by cooking, and they pair so well with fresh minced ginger, brown butter, and just a teeny bit of orange zest. This soup is velvety smooth, buttery, and deliciously simple.
And carrots are SO cheap, making this soup very budget-friendly!
In this post, I’ll explain how to get the best sweet flavor, the easiest way to get a velvety smooth texture, and how to make it vegan, vegetarian, whole30, or paleo compliant.
Tips for enhancing the soup’s flavor
There are three tips for getting the BEST flavor out of this carrot ginger soup.
- Peel the carrots. I’m not usually one for peeling anything (potatoes included), and I often leave skins of veggies on. But I do recommend it for this soup. Why? The peels will impart a slightly bitter taste to the soup. This is usually fine in a heavier recipe like beef stew, but I love the pure, light taste of this soup. You can skip peeling if you want, but make sure to give the carrots a good scrub with a vegetable brush before cooking.
- Brown the butter. Before adding the onions, heat the butter until it begins to turn brown and foam. When butter browns, the dairy particles toast a bit, imparting an earthy flavor that goes so well with the sweet carrots and adds richness to the soup. But be careful- once it turns brown, add the onions immediately to stop the browning process (otherwise, it may burn). Again, you can skip this if you’re pressed for time or just don’t feel like it.
- Mince the ginger with a microplane zester. After you peel the ginger (using a vegetable peeler or just the back of a spoon), use a microplane zester to get a very fine mince. This will help the flavor distribute into every inch of the soup. You’ll need it for the orange zest anyway, so you won’t be creating more dishes! :-)
How to make the carrot ginger soup velvety smooth
The trick to getting a smooth texture to the soup is to puree it. And the easiest way to puree it is directly in the pot with an immersion blender.
An immersion blender, otherwise known as a stick blender, just submerges right into the soup pot to puree, rather than having to lug a huge appliance out (and thus clean said appliance). It’s one of my most loved kitchen gadgets.
In order to get a very smooth result, I recommend holding the blender at a slight angle from the bottom of the pot. If this causes it to splatter, just tilt the pot so the soup is deeper where the blender is. This will speed up the blending process and make sure every morsel gets pureed for the smoothest, creamiest consistency.
If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can also use a standing blender in batches.
And if you want a REALLY smooth soup, you can pass it through a mesh sieve after blending. I always skip this part, because I don’t feel like it’s worth the time, but no judgement if you want to be an overachiever :-)
I DO use the mesh sieve technique in this roasted red pepper and tomato soup– it makes a bigger difference if you are using a vegetable with seeds and thicker skin, like tomatoes.
How to modify this carrot ginger soup
To make this carrot ginger soup vegetarian, make sure to use vegetable stock or water in place of the chicken stock.
For a vegan option, substitute the butter with two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and skip the browning process.
To make it paleo/whole30 compliant (and thus dairy-free), just use two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil or ghee in place of the butter and skip the browning process.
Other pureed soup recipes:
- Irish Potato Leek Soup
- Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup with Curry and Ginger
- Broccoli Avocado Soup with Beet Greens
- Mushroom Brie Soup
- Slow Cooker Asparagus, Spinach, and Potato Soup
- Creamy Potato, Caramelized Fennel, and Kale Soup
- Creamy Corn Soup (from Whitney Bond)
Love soup? Check out all my soup recipes!
Did you make this Hot or Cold Carrot Ginger Soup? Please comment below and Rate this Recipe
Carrot Ginger Soup (served cold or hot)
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1.5 pounds carrots peeled and sliced
- 1 yellow onion diced
- kosher salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced (about a 1" piece)
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest from about 1 orange
- 4 cups chicken stock/broth or vegetable stock, or water, or a combo
- plain yogurt, fresh basil, green onions and/or other herbs for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Melt the 4 tablespoons of butter in a large pot over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until browned and starting to foam.
- Turn the heat down to medium and add the onions to the pot and sauté until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the carrots and a generous pinch of salt and cook for another 3-5 minutes, until they are coated in butter and begin to soften.
- Add the minced ginger (1 tablespoon), orange zest (1/2 teaspoon), and chicken stock (4 cups). Bring to a boil, then simmer on low, covered, for about 20 minutes (or until carrots are tender and easily pierced with a fork).
- Remove from heat. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup to desired consistency (alternatively, you may do this in batches in a traditional blender).
- Taste to adjust seasoning and add salt if needed. Serve hot, or if you want the soup chilled, refrigerate for about two hours before serving. Garnish with plain yogurt, fresh basil, green onions or herbs, if desired.
Notes
- Freezer Instructions: Make a double batch and freeze it for up to 6 months in an airtight container.
- Make it vegan: use 2 tablespoons olive oil instead of the butter and skip the browning process.
- Make it Whole30/Paleo/dairy free: Use 2 tablespoons olive oil or ghee instead of butter and skip the browning process.
- Money saving tip: If you don't have homemade chicken stock, you can use water (with some extra salt). You can also buy a really small amount of fresh ginger- just snap it off at the store and buy only what you need.
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
This post originally appeared on Bowl of Delicious in June, 2016. It has been updated with new photos, clearer instructions, and slight recipe modifications.
Had a leftover pear and threw it in, too. Delicious!
Love this! So glad you liked it!
This sounds delicious. I am hosting a special dinner for 21 and would like to serve this as a first course. In order to properly scale up the recipe, can you share the serving size per bowl (in ounces)? I would hate to scale to 21 servings only to need maybe 12-15 servings as a first course. Thank you!
That’s a good question. I don’t have exact measurements, but I’d estimate a serving size here to be about 1.75 – 2 cups, which is a large portion for a first course. So you’d probably be OK to scale up to about 15 servings for this purpose. Hope that helps and good luck with your dinner!
Added a ripe pear that I had. Delicious!
What a fun idea! Thanks for sharing, and so glad you liked it!
Wow this soup was AMAZING… I was kind of shocked by how delicious and umami the soup was. Probably the best soup I’ve ever made, maybe even eaten. Thank you for this recipe!
So glad you liked it! I agree- it’s surprisingly delicious, right?
This is so good. I did add a bit more ginger than the recipe called for. I served it chilled. My husband said he could eat this everyday!
So glad you and your husband liked it!
I am hosting a dinner party for 6 in a few days and because we liked this soup so much it will be the starter but since it is winter I will serve it hot. Thanks again.
Love this idea for a starter for a dinner party! Have fun!
Found the comments, thanks.
Glad you were able to find them! Let me know if you have any questions.
Where are the comments, I can’t find them?
This is a great soup, served hot for lunch on cold winter’s day. I skipped the zest, added a little almond milk & topped with grated cheddar. Added a bit more butter, for extra taste, and additional ginger powder, as well as a lot of tarragon. Used 2/3 water, 1/3 veg broth. Probably will use all broth next time though.
So glad you liked it!
Everyone loved it— even the non-carrot lovers. I added a large sweet potato and replacement for one or two carats to give it a little more body.
So glad you liked it! Love the idea of adding sweet potato.
So easy to make, very few ingredients and fantastic taste. Wonderful discovery. All comments are useful too. Thank you very much Elizabeth!
So glad you liked it!
The best of all the cold soups I’ve made!!
So glad you liked it!
Looks delicious. I keep kosher, so I can choose between the butter or the chicken stock. Your recommendation?
How about ghee or clarified butter? Not sure about the rules 100%, but since the dairy particles have been removed from the butter, this would probably give the best flavor if it’s allowed. However, this soup is really flexible. My next choice would probably be butter with vegetable stock. But you can also use olive oil with chicken stock (that would be my last choice, because I love butter!). Hope that helps!
Dear Yehudis (or anyone who has a similar question six years later)
There are some really wonderful, kosher plant butters out there. I personally think they taste better than the real thing.
You might try experimenting with different varieties until you find one you like.
Another possibilty is coconut oil. No doub the flavor would be different but I like the gentle flavor of coconut oil better than olive oil.
Thanks for sharing all these tips, Jessica!
Hi,
This sounds like a delicious soup, so I’m planning on making the cold version for a soup bar for the party after my daughter’s christening at the end of October. So I’m gonna make a very big batch. I’m gonna do a test run this week. But I have a question:
How many days before can I make this, if I don’t have room in my freezer?
Can’t wait to try this delicious, mouthwatering recipe
Best wishes
Anne
What a fun idea- a soup bar! I think you can probably get away with making this 3 days in advance… probably 4. It may separate a bit, so make sure you stir it together just before serving, or use your immersion blender to give it another few pulses. And I suggest keeping it in the back of your fridge, where it’s the coldest, so it stays fresher longer. Have fun, hope you like it, and congrats on your daughter’s christening! If you need any other soup ideas- here are all the ones I have on the blog :-) https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/category/soupsstews/
Just made this! It’s amazing!
So glad you like it!!
Currently making this for the sixth time since discovering it last month… aboslutely delicious, thank you!
Yay! So happy you like it, thanks so much for the comment ????
Deeelicious – butter isn’t vegan though!
OMG- thanks so much for the heads up! I’ll often tag a recipe as vegan if there is an easy substitute to be made (in this case, olive oil instead of butter)… but I completely forgot to mention that substitute in the notes. Fixing it now! :-)
Just found this — I started making butternut squash soup – (including carrots and celery) but was minus the apple so just added the ginger, orange zest and a little nutmeg. Delish – even according to my grandson-chef! NowI know I can make it just with carrots when the squash is not available. Thanks!
Yum! I LOVE butternut squash soup. I bet the orange zest went so well with it!
One of my favorite soups! I’ve made a similar recipe and added some coconut milk at the end before blending – Heaven!
I wish I had discovered it sooner! It’s definitely one of my favorites now, too. Love the idea of adding coconut milk- will have to try that!
Wow Elizabeth, This looks delicious. When I make it I’m pretty sure I’ll up the quantity of ginger and add fewer carrots (that’s a function of where I live — ginger is cheap, carrots are not), but it looks so delicious. And very easy to create. Thanks so much.
I wonder if you could sub any orange squash for the carrots? There’s a hard squash here called Kobocha (like Hubbard but more orange in color). Would that change the texture or perhaps the flavor would be off and need other spices?
Thanks, Barbara! It’s interesting that carrots aren’t cheap there, since they are so inexpensive in the states! I think subbing orange squash would work really well. The other thing I was thinking that would make it a lot heartier is white beans- it would add protein and be a relatively neutral taste. Both may make the soup a bit less sweet, since carrots have a lot of natural sugar, so you might want to add a touch of honey. Hope that helps!
Thanks! I’ll try the beans. It makes it a complete veggie meal.