Here is a healthy carrot soup recipe that is incredibly nourishing and filling.
It's a LIGHT, quick, and easy vegetable soup that can be enjoyed either hot during cooler months or as a refreshingly chilled soup during warmer seasons.
It's gluten-free, paleo, and vegan-friendly.
This is a healthy easy carrot soup without any cream. Yet it's incredibly creamy, filling, and delicious with only good-for-you ingredients.
And everything comes together easily in one pot over the stovetop.
Jump to:
Recipe features
- One DELICIOUS vegetable soup that's also hearty and healthy.
- This carrot soup recipe is incredibly easy to make.
- It has a lovely velvety texture without adding any heavy creams.
- Enjoy as-is, or turn it into a spicy carrot soup for those who love a little heat.
Ingredients & notes
Olive oil: You only need a little to sauté the garlic, shallots, and bell pepper. It will release their aroma and create a beautiful, tasty base for this soup.
Shallots: Their mild and sweet flavors are released by sautéing them first in some oil. Although part of the onion family, they are much softer in taste with a garlic hint. They make this soup incredibly hearty.
Bell pepper: Choose a red or orange one. Its flavor is still sweet but much softer, and the slight citrus elements complement the carrot's flavor.
Simple spices: You want to add a few pinches of salt to the base and a royal amount of black pepper (I use a pepper mill to grind whole black peppers from coarse to fine). It will wake up the flavors of the sautéed veggies.
Carrots: I'm only coarsely chopping the fresh carrots—since we are pureeing all the vegetables anyway.
Vegetable broth: I usually use a low-sodium packaged vegetable broth to keep this recipe simple. If you want to use homemade leftover vegetable broth, you'll need about 4 cups.
Note: Chicken broth instead of veggie broth can also work if it's not a dietary concern. It will give the soup a richer taste.
Fresh parsley leaves: You won't notice the parsley's flavors per se in this carrot soup recipe, but it will nicely balance the sweetness of the carrots while adding a wide range of vitamins and minerals (especially vitamin K and the immune-boosting vitamin C).
Fresh orange juice: enhances this healthy carrot soup's overall flavors, adding a tangy delight. Go for firm, full-colored, thin-skinned oranges to get the juiciest fruits. I have even made it with blood oranges, giving this carrot soup a beautiful reddish color.
Recipe steps
Part 1: Sauté garlic, shallots, and bell pepper for 5 minutes in olive oil. Season with sea salt and royally with black pepper
Stir in the chopped carrots and add the vegetable broth. Cook until carrots are tender, then stir in the Parsley leaves.
Part 2: Carefully puree the vegetable soup. Stir in the fresh orange juice while the soup is still hot—season to taste with more salt, if necessary.
Extra spices, toppings, and garnishes
Extra parsley: I love to garnish this soup with extra parsley (flat or curly)—but I am a lover of this herb packed with antioxidants. It also creates a beautiful contrasting color.
Lightly salted and (chopped) roasted peanuts: This is, of course, optional, and omit it if you have any nut allergies. They pair well with this soup and taste so darn good, adding a salty, sweet, and oily crunch.
Red pepper flakes: If you love a little heat in your soup, then add a few red pepper flakes. It compliments this hearty dish. Or, if you can find them, try chili roasted peanuts.
A tad of cashew cream makes this wonderful soup extra creamy if preferred. Just make sure to add it before you're pureeing the veggies.
Extra salt and pepper: taste test and adjust seasoning according to preference.
Storing tips
Make-ahead: You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 or 5 days.
Freezing Instructions: For more extended storage, transfer the soup to freezer-safe containers. I like to freeze them in individual-sized portions and only take out what I need for a quick lunch or light dinner.
Reheating instructions
- Usually, I take the soup out of the freezer the night before enjoying it, but that is unnecessary.
- Instead, you can place the frozen soup straight into the saucepan and warm it over low heat.
- When reheating it, add some extra (chicken) broth to thin it out just a little—always taste test and add more seasoning if desired.
Serving suggestions
Vegetable chips or rice crackers: You can also serve it with your favorite healthy veggie crisps like TARO chips from TERRA (I'll leave a link below in my notes.) or multiseed crackers from Crunchmaster—delicious.
Try toasted bread or my homemade gluten-free biscuits with a notch of butter or extra virgin olive oil.
A beautiful and filling salad: Some of my favorites are green apple-kale salad, avocado quinoa salad, and healthy homemade chicken salad!
FAQ
That's a personal preference. Usually, I peel them. But you can skip this step.
Instead, simply scrub them with a brush in a water bowl, then rinse and coarsely chop to add to the soup base.
When your broth comes to a steady simmer, it takes about 10 to 15 minutes for carrots to soften.
Although I often interchangeably use flat-leaved and curly-leaved parsley in the kitchen, the Italian flat-leaved parsley works better here in this healthy carrot soup recipe.
It usually has a more robust aroma and flavor that nicely smooths out the sweeter elements in this root vegetable.
A high-powered blender does the job. But, of course, a food processor always works too, but you might not be too fond of the extra clean-up that comes with it.
If you don't have a blender, an immersion blender can puree your soup into a smooth, creamy, and velvety texture.
Always handle pureeing with extra caution because the soup is hot!
More healthy soup recipes you might like
Looking for more hearty vegetable soups? Then try my
- Healthy Butternut Squash-Zucchini and Rosemary Soup with beautiful Italian flavors.
- Red Kuri Squash Soup Recipe (also dairy-free).
- Protein-rich Green Pea Soup (Another vegetarian and nut-infused soup favorite)
- Creamy Sweet Potato and Buckwheat Noodle Soup for noodle lovers.
- Homemade Vegetable Soup for potato lovers.
- Classic bone broth
- Homemade Stracciatella soup.
I hope you try this homemade carrot soup recipe and have some soup tonight. Enjoy!
Don't forget to subscribe to my Monthly Newsletter!
📖 Recipe
Healthy Carrot Soup
Mariska RamondinoIngredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 large cloves garlic chopped
- 4 shallots shallots, peeled and coarsely chopped 5 ounces/150 grams
- 1 red or orange bell pepper coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon sea salt plus more if needed
- Black pepper to taste
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped 500 grams
- 32 oz low-sodium vegetable broth 4 cups
- 1 cup packed parsley leaves or one large handful, plus extra for garnish
- 2 large oranges juiced
- Lightly salted and roasted peanuts optional
Instructions
- Place the oil in a 5-quart pot and melt over medium heat.
- Stir in the garlic, shallots, and bell pepper.
- Season with sea salt and royally with black pepper.
- Cook and stir for 5 minutes.
- Add the carrots and stir to combine. Then add the vegetable broth.
- Cover the pot and let the liquid come to a simmer.
- Continue to cook, pot half-covered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until the carrots are tender. Don't let the soup come to a full boil. Instead, reduce the heat if necessary to maintain a steady simmer.
- Stir in the parsley leaves.
- Remove the pot from the stove, and with an immersion blender, carefully puree the soup. Of course, you can always puree the soup in batches using a blender or food processor.
- Stir in the fresh orange juice while the soup is still hot—season to taste with more salt, if necessary.
- Garnish with fresh parsley leaves and roasted peanuts, or a pinch of red pepper flakes to add heat to each soup bowl.
Notes
- When reheating it, add some extra broth to thin it out just a little—always taste test and add more seasoning if desired.
Add your own private notes
Whenever you come back to this recipe, you’ll be able to see your notes.
Nutrition (% Daily value)
Disclaimer: This nutritional data is calculated using third party tools and is only intended as a reference.
This post was originally published in January 2018 and has been updated with new pictures and new information.
Leave a Reply