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Roasted Carrot Soup

Name: Roasted Carrot Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 3/4 pounds carrots (6 to 8 large carrots); 1/4 cup olive oil, divided; 1 pinch (or more) kosher salt; 5 cups (or more) low-sodium, high-quality vegetable stock; 1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled; 1 sprig thyme, plus more for garnish; 1/2 large sweet onion, chopped; 2 large garlic cloves, chopped; 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper

by: Reeve

February 7, 2022

4.3

40 Ratings

Photo by Sarah Jampel

Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 30 minutes
Serves 4

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Author Notes

This recipe is a toasty warm version of a traditional carrot soup. —Reeve

Test Kitchen Notes

This is the recipe you need to turn to when you are staring at that bunch of carrots in your fridge and are wondering what to do with it. You can use up to eight large carrots here, so nothing will go to waste, and the soup couldn't be easier to make. If you don't want to broil the carrots, you can roast them in a 425°F to 450°F oven instead for 20 to 30 minutes. And feel free to adjust the ratios of the onion, garlic, and ginger depending on your tastes. Dollop some yogurt into the bowls as a finishing touch too. Whatever you come up with, this carrot soup will definitely impress and is the perfect way to warm yourself up on a cold, dreary day.

When we first tasted this soup, we were puzzled. How could a dish that calls for only seven ingredients (not counting salt and pepper), and just a few simple steps, be so complex in flavor? Reeve has devised a soup that can be put together in about half an hour, yet would be a great first course for a dinner party. It's dairy-free, but supple and creamy, and roasting the carrots gives them sweet, earthy depth. We especially love Reeve's technique of infusing the broth with ginger before making the soup, ensuring a gentle but pervasive heat. We used a good-quality vegetable stock, and we recommend you do the same. Since there are so few ingredients here, each one really counts. —The Editors

Test Kitchen-Approved
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What You'll Need

Ingredients

1 ³/₄ pounds carrots (6 to 8 large carrots)
¹/₄ cup olive oil, divided
1 pinch (or more) kosher salt
5 cups (or more) low-sodium, high-quality vegetable stock
1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled
1 sprig thyme, plus more for garnish
¹/₂ large sweet onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Set an oven rack 6 to 8 inches from the heat source and turn on the broiler.
Peel and cut the carrots into ½-inch rounds. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the carrots with 2 tablespoons of the oil; generously season with salt. Broil the carrots, turning every 5 minutes or so, for 15 to 20 minutes, until they brown and soften.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over high heat, bring the stock to a boil. Add the ginger and thyme sprig, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15 minutes.
In a large pot over medium heat, cook the onion and remaining 2 tablespoons of the oil, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and carrots.
Remove the ginger and thyme from the stock and add the stock to the pot with the onions and carrots. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until the carrots are soft enough to purée.
Using an immersion or a standard blender, purée the mixture until smooth. If the soup seems too thick, add more stock or water and reheat gently. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with the chopped thyme.

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194 Reviews

clayshapes February 7, 2023

Really delicious! If I'd read the reviews before I started cooking I would have done what many suggest - roasting the onions along with the carrots (I convection roasted the carrots, rather than broiling - less hands on, and delicious caramelized result). I happened to have a batch of recently made mujadra in the fridge (spiced lentils/onions/rice) and added a dollop on top when serving, for even more flavour and a hit of texture and perfect protein. Will be making this for the freezer in individual servings for delicious quick lunches, alongside already frozen packets of mujadra. It's a nice complimentary combo.

Charles January 4, 2023

Straight-forward & easy-to-follow recipe. Like others, I roasted the carrots, onions, & garlic together (450 for 25 minutes). I used chicken stock 'cause that's what I had - no fresh ginger so I squeezed in about a teaspoon of ginger paste. And we added a dollop of sour cream to the served bowls along with the thyme garnish. All this is to say that this is a flexible & forgiving recipe. The soup? It was delicious - I saved the recipe so I can make it often.

kaiheartfood June 5, 2022

Easy to make, delightful to eat! Tossed in some miso after the garlic cooked for a minute (inspired by the soup video that was playing in the sidebar when I was looking at this), grated some of the ginger from the simmer pot into solids before blending, and finished with a little rice wine vinegar and a little pomegranate molasses to highlight the lighter end of the flavors a little. Oh, and just a little fresh thyme on top when serving for that aroma.

Gabrielle April 28, 2022

As someone who doesn't normally enjoy making soups, this turned out so delicious! I will definitely roast all the veggies together next time, based on the other comments. I also added about 3x the garlic, 2x the thyme, kept only a bit of the ginger in the broth (but recommend keeping all of it in there to really enhance the ginger flavor, otherwise it was a bit too mild for me) and finally: added a couple splashes of fish sauce to the broth which really brought it all together!

Gingarr August 8, 2021

I used regular chicken stock cubes, which probably have a lot of salt in them and added no additional salt. The soup was still a bit too salty which made me feel "meh" about this soup. Also the carrots I used were starting to wilt so not sure if that affected the taste as well. I will make this again using fresh carrots and low sodium stock and hope it turns out a bit tastier. I did roast the carrots as instructed in the recipe.

Sherri S. February 14, 2021

Adding this recipe in my rotation. Not only fast and easy, and deliciously healthy too. I was short on carrots and subbed a half of sweet potato. I added nutritional yeast, 3 T as well. Followed all other instructions though was not sure of the amount of broth so I started with 4 cups and ended up using 5. (I like a thicker soup). Immersion was great as I could leave some small pieces of carrot versus a full puree. I can see adding chickpeas or lentils to this recipe for a full vegan meals.

ManinMe February 3, 2021

Like others, I roasted my carrots, instead of broiling my carrots. I used a sizable piece of ginger to infuse the vegetable stock. I discarded the ginger and thyme, as the recipe instructs, without loss of flavor. I made my soup in advance, allowing the flavors to marry. For additional piquancy, I garnished my soup with Serendib's Tamarind Chutney. (Serendib is an authentic Indian and Sri Lankan restaurant located in Ellsworth, Maine, of all places.) Then, I added a dollop of nonfat, Greek yogurt. Serendib's line of very fine, hot pepper paste and chutneys is available by mail-order at Leaf and Anna, a charming store, near the intersection of Naskeag Road and the main commercial street in Brooklin, Maine. I HAVE NO FINANCIAL STAKE IN MY POST. But, the proprietor of Leaf and Anna is a long-time, dear friend. . . . Serendib's hot pepper paste is superior to all I have tasted!

kmercury October 28, 2020

This is very good! I added tarragon and some chili flakes and it’s going to be a big batch regular in our house.

Maggi B. October 27, 2020

I added a generous dollop of some homemade Harissa along with a 1/2 cup white miso. Came out just lovely. I will be adding this in to the rotation. :)

Kate January 10, 2020

I thought this was great but made some tweaks per other reviews, some of which worked and others not so much. I roasted the carrots, onions, and garlic together in a 425 degree oven, versus broiling; 2T of oil was plenty to coat all the veggies and all I used. I didn’t add salt because I was using prepared stock (Better Than Bouillon). I puréed the simmered ginger with the soup, as there was no discernible ginger flavor from the simmered ginger alone. And I started with 4 cups of stock per reviews that the soup was too thin with 6, but with 4 the soup was like a thick puréed baby food (I weighed the carrots) and ended up adding 3 more cups, for 7 total. And I added lemon juice to serve—acid was essential. The finished result was rich and flavorful, especially for a soup that was essentially a bunch of carrots, and I’ll make it again, for sure.

voramsey March 28, 2020

Made this recipe following Kate’s tweaks. Wonderful!

rosecedar October 20, 2019

Regarding vegetable stock. If you ever cook your own chickpeas for humus or otherwise (which I highly recommend over canned), save/freeze the cooking water. It makes amazing soup stock.

Janine M. March 7, 2019

Hi there-
I made this soup today and not sure what I did wrong? The soup came out really watery. It does taste pretty good tho. I’m going to let it cool down a bit and then use the immersion blender again to see if that makes a difference. Could it be because I used a vegetable broth instead of a stick by accident? 🤔

LRCooks November 23, 2019

Hey Janine - stock vs broth would not make a difference. It just comes down to the volume of liquid. Try adding 1 cup less broth/stock next time. Blend it up and then add more if needed. Always easier to add more liquid if it's too thick! Hope that helps :)

Island M. March 2, 2019

I roast the onion & garlic along with the carrots for a richer flavor. If you have time, make your own vegetable stock - it’s worth it!

Cgraeff February 21, 2019

This is delicious and has become one of our top soup recipes

ELCookie February 17, 2019

Made this this afternoon. On a liquid diet and not really feeling up to cooking, so I used vegetable broth from a carton. Since it was only 4 cups, used a little less carrot but a whole small onion. The soup is delicious. Even the eaters in the family went back for more.

molly L. February 11, 2019

delicious! a little more time consuming than the 15 mins the recipe stated but turned out lovely and I'll definitely make again.

Elhart January 27, 2019

This was really delicious and healthy. Not too hard to make.

Jasser A. December 16, 2018

This has become a favorite of mine. Next time I'll try roasting the garlic with the carrots (I could hardly taste the garlic as is) and I'd make a homemade veggie stock. The store bought ones just don't do the recipe justice. Also do not skip the tyme. I couldn't find any so I skipped it the thyme the first time (hehehehe) and it just didn't come to life as much.

Kateq November 6, 2018

Great soup! I collected all the odds and ends from the vegetable drawer and put them to simmer in a pot of water with some peppercorns and herbs. Went about my business and returned in two hours to prep the carrots, pre-heat the oven and roast the veg. In another hour I strained the stock, added the ginger and fresh thyme, and brought it to a boil. I sauteed the onions and garlic, scraped all the carrots in and poured in the broth, and let it simmer. Later I poured it all into the blender and voila! What a knockout soup! Little effort, little active work, and superior result! Imagine if I had vegetable stock on hand!

Contessa T. July 23, 2018

This was absolutely scrumptious. Mine came out much thinner than the photos, but next time -- and there WILL be a next time! -- I'll just use less broth. Thank you all who commented to inform all of us browsing these recipes that this was indeed a winner! :)