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!
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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)
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)
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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.
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