This simple, vibrant carrot and orange soup recipe is made with sweet carrots, juicy oranges, sautéed onion, and bell pepper, then blended into a silky vegetable soup.
It’s cozy, filling, and perfect for the whole family, especially topped with a crunchy handful of roasted nuts and a sprinkle of chili flakes (optional).
Like my Squash and Zucchini Soup or Green Pea Soup, this carrot orange soup recipe easily comes together in one pot.
It's packed with goodness, made with simple ingredients like carrots, spinach, and a splash of fresh orange juice to brighten everything up. The sweetness of the carrots pairs beautifully with the tang of fresh orange juice and the slight earthiness of spinach.
It's a great soup recipe for hosting a dinner party or when you want something nourishing on a weeknight—a family favorite. Let's make it!
Find even more warming ideas in my Soups & Stews for Every Season collection.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Quick & Easy: From prep to bowl in under 40 minutes.
- Comforting Yet Light: It has a lovely velvety texture and creamy consistency, but no heavy cream.
- It's Healthy: Simple, whole foods ingredients create the bulk of this soup.
- Perfect For All Seasons: Light yet satisfying, and cozy enough for colder days.
- Dietary Info: Nourishing, dairy-free, gluten-free, Paleo, and vegan-friendly.
Ingredients & Notes
Here's what you need to make this orange carrot soup:
- Carrots: I'm only coarsely chopping them since we are pureeing everything anyway. Use leftovers to make my Carrot Apple Salad.
- Yellow Onion: Adds natural sweetness by sautéing the onion first in oil.
- Garlic Cloves: They give flavor to the base of the soup.
- Bell Pepper: Brings color and a subtle sweetness that complements the carrot's flavor. Choose a red or orange one for this recipe.
- 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.
- Fresh Orange Juice: Adds brightness and enhances the carrot’s flavor.
- Fresh (Baby) Spinach Leaves: You won't notice this vegetable's flavor per se, but it will nicely balance the sweetness of the carrots while adding extra nutrients. Use leftovers to make my Spring Green Pasta with Peas.
- Olive Oil: For sautéing everything and creating a beautiful, tasty base for this carrot orange soup
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper: These simple spices will wake up the flavors of the sautéed veggies.
- Optional Garnishes: Crushed red pepper flakes or dried chili if you love some heat, and shaved almonds are optional but highly recommended.
Note: If you're juicing oranges at home (highly recommended!), choose firm, vibrant, thin-skinned ones for the best yield. I've even made this soup with freshly squeezed blood orange juice—it adds a gorgeous deep reddish hue and a slightly more complex flavor.
How To Make It
Let's first build hearty flavors, blend, and then add the finishing ingredients to the carrot orange soup.
Step One (Picture 1 above) - Sauté garlic, onions, and bell pepper for 5 minutes in olive oil. Season with sea salt and royally with black pepper.
Step Two (Picture 2 above) - Stir in the chopped carrots and add the vegetable broth. Cook until carrots are tender.
Step Three (Picture 3 above) - Stir in the spinach leaves until wilted.
Step Four (Picture 4 above) - 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.
Garnish with red pepper flakes, dried chili pepper, and shaved almonds (optional).
Top Tips
- Immersion Blender: Use a hand blender for convenience and less mess.
- For a Regular Blender or Food Processor: Let the soup cool slightly before blending to avoid pressure build-up.
- Extra Salt & Pepper: Taste test and adjust seasoning according to preference.
- Garnishes (optional): Lightly salted and chopped peanuts or almonds pair well with this soup and taste so darn good, adding a salty, sweet, and oily crunch. This is, of course, optional; omit it if you have any nut allergies.
- Add Heat: Add some crushed red peppers or chili flakes if you love a little heat in your soup. It complements this hearty dish. Or, if you can find them, try chili-roasted peanuts.
Variations & Substitutions
Substitutions might slightly change this carrot and orange soup's color, texture, and taste.
- Swap Spinach for Parsley: If you don't like spinach, you can opt for parsley. They will give the soup a bright, earthy flavor while adding a wide range of vitamins and minerals (especially vitamin K and immune-boosting vitamin C).
- Swap Yellow Onion for Shallots: I prefer shallots because they are so aromatic and create a beautiful flavor when added early on.
- Swap Vegetable Broth for Chicken Stock: Chicken stock will make the soup richer. Leftover Bone broth can work too.
- Make it Creamier: Add a splash of coconut milk or cashew cream to keep it dairy-free. If dairy is no concern, some sour cream can also work. Make sure to add it before you puree the veggies or swirl a small teaspoon into your hot soup when serving.
- Want a Thinner Soup: Add more broth or orange juice.
Storage
- Fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Freeze in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. I like to freeze them in individual-sized portions and only take out what I need for a quick lunch or light dinner.
- Reheat: Gently warm over low heat in a pot. Add extra broth or orange juice if needed and adjust seasoning. Usually, I take the soup out of the freezer the night before, but it's not required. You can also place the frozen soup straight into the saucepan and warm it over low heat. When reheating it, add some extra broth to thin it out, if preferred—always taste test and add more seasoning if desired.
Recipe FAQs
That's a personal preference. Usually, I peel them. But you can skip this step.
Instead, scrub them with a brush in a water bowl, then rinse and coarsely chop to add to the soup base.
Use the carrot tops to make a hearty chicken broth.
A high-powered or regular 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.
An easier kitchen tool is an immersion blender (also known as a stick blender or hand blender), which also purees your carrot orange soup until you get a smooth, creamy, and velvety texture.
Always handle pureeing with extra caution because the soup is hot!
Use both! Orange zest adds an extra citrus punch to this carrot orange soup. But you’ll still want the juice for balance and sweetness.
Serve in small bowls with extra garnishes on the side and toasted crusty bread for dipping, like my Garlic Crostini.
More Vegetable Soups You Might Like
Made this? Tell me how it went in the comments and leave a star rating below. I love to hear from you. And don't forget to subscribe to my monthly newsletter! — Mariska
📖 Recipe
Creamy Carrot Orange Soup (With Spinach & Almonds)
Mariska RamondinoEquipment
- 1 large pot Dutch oven, or large saucepan
- 1 hand blender a Vitamix, food processor or regular blender can all work
- 1 Knife & cutting board
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil about 50 ml
- 3 large cloves garlic chopped
- 1 large yellow onion (up to 250 grams), peeled and coarsely chopped or replace with shallots
- 1 large red or orange bell pepper coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon sea salt plus more if needed
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped 465 grams
- 32 oz low-sodium vegetable broth 4 cups (946 ml)
- 1 cup packed spinach leaves (30 grams) or replace with fresh parsley leaves (25 grams)
- ½ cup fresh orange juice 113 ml (the equivalent of 2 large oranges juiced)
- Sliced almonds optional (or lightly salted and roasted peanuts)
- Dried chili flakes or red pepper flakes to taste if you love some heat
Instructions
- Place the oil in a minimum 5-quart pot and melt over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, yellow onion, and bell pepper. Season with sea salt and royally with black pepper. Cook and stir for 5 minutes.¼ cup olive oil, 3 large cloves garlic, 1 large yellow onion (up to 250 grams), peeled and coarsely chopped, 1 large red or orange bell pepper, 1 teaspoon sea salt, Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Add the carrots and stir to combine. Then add the vegetable broth. Cover the pot and let the liquid come to a simmer.1 pound carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped, 32 oz low-sodium vegetable broth
- 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 spinach leaves until wilted (1 to 2 minutes).1 cup packed spinach leaves (30 grams)
- 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 stand blender or food processor.
- Stir in the fresh orange juice while the soup is still hot—season to taste with more salt, if necessary.½ cup fresh orange juice
- Garnish with sliced almonds and a pinch or two of crushed red pepper flakes when serving.Sliced almonds, Dried chili flakes or red pepper flakes to taste
Notes
-
- Broth: You can 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. Homemade chicken broth instead of veggie broth can also work: it will give the soup a richer taste.
- Immersion Blender: Use a hand blender for convenience and less mess.
- For a Regular Blender or Food Processor: Let the soup cool slightly before blending to avoid pressure build-up.
-
- Extra Salt & Pepper: Taste test and adjust seasoning according to preference.
-
- Garnishes (optional): Lightly salted and chopped peanuts or almonds pair well with this soup and taste so darn good, adding a salty, sweet, and oily crunch. This is, of course, optional; omit it if you have any nut allergies.
- Add Heat: Add a few red peppers or chili flakes if you love a little heat in your soup. It complements this hearty dish. Or, if you can find them, try chili-roasted peanuts.
- My favorite quick-serving suggestion: TERRA Taro chips.
- Store in Fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Store in Freezer: Freeze in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. I like to freeze them in individual-sized portions and only take out what I need for a quick lunch or light dinner.
- Reheat: Gently warm over low heat in a pot. Add extra broth or orange juice if needed and adjust seasoning. I usually take the soup out of the freezer the night before, but it's not required. You can also place the frozen soup straight into the saucepan and warm it over low heat. When reheating it, add some extra broth to thin it out, if preferred. 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.
Leave a Reply