Make Ahead

Roasted Carrot Soup

by:
May 16, 2021
28 Ratings
Roasted Carrot Soup
Photo by Sarah Jampel
Author Notes

A toasty warm version of a traditional style carrot soup. - Reeve —Reeve

Test Kitchen Notes

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 five 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. - A&M —The Editors

  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 30 minutes
  • Serves 4
Ingredients
  • 1 3/4 pounds carrots (about 6-8 large carrots)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 pinch salt (more to taste)
  • 6 cups vegetable stock (good quality, not too high in sodium)
  • 1 piece ginger, an inch long, 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
In This Recipe
Directions
  1. Peel and cut the carrots into 1/2-inch rounds. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the carrots with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt. Set an oven rack 6 to 8 inches from the heat source and turn on the broiler. Broil the carrots until they brown and soften, turning them over with a spatula every 5 minutes or so; this should take 15 to 20 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, bring the stock to a boil, add the ginger and the sprig of thyme and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
  3. Put the onion in a medium stock pot with the remaining olive oil. Brown the onion over medium heat, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, and then add the carrots.
  4. Remove the ginger and thyme from the stock and add the stock to the pot with the onions and carrots. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until the carrots are soft enough to puree.
  5. Use an immersion or a standard blender to puree the mixture until smooth. If the soup seems too thick, add more stock or water and reheat gently. Add salt and pepper to taste. To serve, garnish with chopped fresh thyme.
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190 Reviews

Gingarr
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.
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
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
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.
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
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
voramsey March 28, 2020
Made this recipe following Kate’s tweaks. Wonderful!
 
rosecedar
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.
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
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.
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
Cgraeff February 21, 2019
This is delicious and has become one of our top soup recipes
 
ELCookie
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.
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
Elhart January 27, 2019
This was really delicious and healthy. Not too hard to make.
 
Jasser A.
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
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.
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! :)
 
Heather L.
Heather L. July 2, 2018
I made this with the plan of freezing it for my mom who had surgery so she wouldn't have to cook for awhile. It was so good we decided to make a second batch to freeze and ate had it for dinner that night. It's easy, wonderful, rich and all around delicious. If you think you don't love carrots, this will change your mind!!! It's now become a go to for easy soup during the week.
 
Analida B.
Analida B. February 22, 2018
Wow! I need to roast my carrot the next time I make carrot soup and I bet it is worth the time and effort. Thanks for sharing! Here is my carrot coriander soup recipe: https://ethnicspoon.com/carrot-coriander-soup/
 
epicharis
epicharis February 5, 2018
After my first spoonful I thought "huh, not bad, but is this really a contest winner?" Then before I knew it I was at the bottom of my bowl. As the soup cools the sweetness of the onions and carrots really shines. What a great healthy recipe!
 
Krista
Krista October 17, 2017
This was so delicious. I made it almost exactly as described (I had no thyme on hand), with carrots from our garden, and it was just lovely.