This healthy carrot and orange soup recipe is not just delicious but also incredibly nourishing, filling, and made with only good-for-you ingredients.
A one-pot vegetable orange soup that's light, easy to make with the right balance of flavors.
Love carrots? Then don't forget also to check out this creamy carrot apple salad and this carrot orange ginger juice.
Like my butternut squash and zucchini soup or green pea soup, this carrot orange soup recipe easily comes together in one pot.
Beautiful orange vegetables like carrots and bell pepper are prepped in extra-virgin olive oil with simple ingredients like onions and garlic.
Then everything is deliciously infused in vegetable stock with leafy greens, fresh orange juice, and a hint of spices that bring out the sweetness of carrots and onions.
Make it the entree of a multiple-course meal, an addition to a charcuterie board, or serve as a full meal.
It's a family favorite. Let's make it!
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Recipe Features
- It's easy: Everything comes together in one soup pot and is mixed with the help of an immersion blender or hand blender.
- It's comforting yet light: The orange carrot soup has a lovely velvety texture and creamy consistency but contains no heavy cream.
- It's healthy: Simple whole foods ingredients create the bulk of this dairy-free, gluten-free soup—healthy comfort food at its best.
- It's so adaptable: I share a few substitutions and adaptions to suit your mood and taste.
Ingredients & Notes
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Olive oil: It's to sauté the garlic, shallots, and bell pepper. It will release their aroma and create a beautiful, tasty base for this carrot orange soup.
Large onion: The sweet, hearty flavors are released by sautéing the onion first in oil.
Garlic cloves: They give flavor to the base of the soup.
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.
Carrots: I'm only coarsely chopping them since we are pureeing everything 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.
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.
Fresh orange juice: Enhances this healthy orange soup, adding a tangy delight.
Note: If you juice them at home, which I recommend, go for firm, full-colored, thin-skinned oranges to get the juiciest fruits. I have even made it with freshly squeezed juice from blood oranges, giving this orange soup a deep reddish color.
Simple spices: You want to add a few pinches of salt to the base and a royal amount of black pepper. It will wake up the flavors of the sautéed veggies.
Garnishes (optional): Crushed red pepper flakes or dried chili if you love some heat, and shaved almonds are optional but highly recommended.
Step-By-Step-Instructions
See the full recipe with measurements in the recipe card.
Let's first build hearty flavors, blend, and then add the finishing ingredients.
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).
Spices And Garnishes
- Lightly salted and (chopped) roasted peanuts or almonds: 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 or chili flakes. It compliments this hearty dish. Or, if you can find them, try chili-roasted peanuts.
- A tad of cashew cream makes this excellent soup extra creamy if preferred. Just make sure to add it before you puree the veggies.
- A tad of coconut milk or sour cream (if dairy is no concern to you) can also add extra creaminess if preferred. Swirl a small teaspoon into your hot soup at serving.
- Extra salt and pepper: Taste test and adjust seasoning according to preference.
Substitutions
- Shallots instead of yellow onion: I prefer shallots because they are so aromatic and create a beautiful flavor when added early on.
- Chicken stock instead of vegetable broth: using chicken stock will make the soup much richer.
- Fresh parsley leaves instead of spinach: If you really 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 the immune-boosting vitamin C).
- Roasted peanuts instead of shaved almonds: the almonds work better when you use spinach in the soup, while peanuts work better when paired with parsley.
Substitutions might slightly change this carrot and orange soup's color, texture, and taste.
Storing Tips
- Make-ahead: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 or 5 days.
- Freezing Instructions: Transfer the soup to freezer-safe containers for extended storage. 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 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 just a little, if preferred—always taste test and add more seasoning if desired.
Serving Suggestions
- Vegetable chips or rice crackers: Serve it with your favorite healthy veggie crisps like TARO chips from TERRA or multiseed crackers from Crunchmaster—delicious.
- Try crusty bread or these 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 Gluten-free homemade chicken salad!
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!
More Vegetable Soups You Might Like
Looking for more vegetable soups?
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There you have it. A simple carrot and orange soup that's the perfect dish when you crave a bowl of healthy comfort food or prep something special for a dinner party.
📖 Recipe
Carrot and Orange Soup
Mariska RamondinoEquipment
- 1 hand blender a Vitamix, food processor or regular blender can all work
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.¼ cup olive oil
- Stir in the garlic, yellow onion, and bell pepper.3 large cloves garlic, 1 large yellow onion (up to 250 grams), peeled and coarsely chopped, 1 large red or orange bell pepper
- Season with sea salt and royally with black pepper.1 teaspoon sea salt, Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Cook and stir for 5 minutes.
- Add the carrots and stir to combine. Then add the vegetable broth.1 pound carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped, 32 oz low-sodium 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 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
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Nutrition (% Daily value)
Disclaimer: This nutritional data is calculated using third party tools and is only intended as a reference.
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