Carrot Ginger Soup
This Carrot Ginger Soup is hearty, healthy, and tastes incredibly delicious. Just adding a potato does a wonderful job of thickening the soup without any cream or thickening agent. Ground cumin and ginger balance the sweetness of the carrot and add warmth to the soup. My trick to get extra flavor in there is to slightly caramelize the carrot before blending ( it makes a world of difference, trust me).
If you have only been making Carrot salad or roasted carrots, time to give this humble veggie a whole new spin. In this soup, the carrot is the hero and its flavor sings through. No fancy ingredients, no cream or cheese, just a wholesome nutritious soup that’s hearty and healthy. I love the hint of warmth from roasted ground cumin and ginger, it perfectly balances the sweetness of carrot. Buttery garlicky croutons add a good crunch (always make extra because half of them are gone the moment they are out of the oven).
The trick to make it creamy and thick without adding any cream is to add a potato, that cooks along with the carrot and thickens the soup.
When we need a break from rich creamy soup or meat, I usually make simple soups with veggies like cabbage soup or Vegetable Soup . Loaded with fiber, clean ingredients, and light on the stomach. Especially after the holiday season, when we want to reset and detox.
You will love this simple carrot soup because
Ingredients
- Carrots– Fresh seasonal carrots work best. But frozen carrots can also be used in this recipe.
- Potato – For thickening and creaminess. You really can’t taste it in the soup.
- Butter – Adds richness to the soup. For the Vegan version use olive oil or coconut oil.
- Onion – Chop it roughly
- Ginger – I usually don’t peel ginger. Use a micro planer to grate.
- Cumin – Ground cumin ( preferably toasted).
- Thyme- 2-3 sprigs, I make a bunch and tie it with a twig so that fishing it out later becomes easy.
- Stock- Preferably vegetable stock for its light flavor. You can also use chicken stock instead.
Variation
You can easily work around different flavors. If not a fan of ginger, add lots of garlic instead. You can also add curry powder instead of cumin powder. Add a tablespoon of Thai Curry paste along with a dash of coconut milk, for a South-East Asian twist. I sometimes add a tablespoon or two of tomato paste too.
For extra creamy texture, you can add some heavy cream or some freshly grated parmesan.
Step by Step to Make Carrot Ginger Soup
Begin with sauteing onion in butter until softened. Then add chopped carrots and potatoes. Want to make your carrot soup stand out?? Then don’t skip spending an extra 7-8 minutes and saute the veggies and get those brown caramelized edges.
Once the veggies are lightly caramelized around the edges, add ginger, cumin, salt, and pepper. Adding spices later so that it doesn’t burn while roasting the veggies.
Add half of the stock (add warm stock always so that the veggies cook faster), and scrap/deglaze the bottom of the pan. Adding just enough liquid for the veggies to cook so that it becomes easier to blend letter, with too much liquid, it will splash while blending. hence, always add the rest of the liquid to get the right consistency after blending.
Add thyme sprigs. Cover and let the veggies cook until really soft and tender.
Once cooked tender, discard thyme sprigs. Use a hand blender to blend the veggies smooth or take the veggies out with a slotted spoon and add it to a blender. Once the veggies are blended smooth, adjust the consistency with more stock. Check seasoning and add more s & p if required.
Recipe Tips
Serving this carrot soup with
You can serve this as a complete meal. Top it with some garlicky crispy croutons ( I use sourdough for croutons and absolutely amazing). For crunch instead of croutons you can also top it with toasted nuts or seeds.
Add a swirl of coconut milk or heavy cream while serving.
Grilled cheese or sandwich is also a good pairing with this mild soup. Have you tried this Jalapeno popper grilled cheese? I feel it will go well with this soup.
Serve this carrot ginger soup as a side dish with the protein of your choice – Air fryer Crispy Chicken Breast, Paprika Chicken , Italian Chicken Cutlet, Cajun Chicken With Vegetables, Butter Garlic Pork Tenderloin, Baked Cajun pork chops,
Storing Leftovers
Because there is no cream or dairy in this soup, it freezes and reheats well. Portion it into smaller servings and refrigerate. You can freeze the soup upto 3 months.
To reheat, thaw frozen soup overnight and then reheat in the microwave.
More Soup Recipes
Carrot Ginger Soup
Ingredients
- 1.5 pound Carrot
- 1 medium Potato
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 1 large Onion
- 1-1.5 teaspoon Grated ginger ref not 1
- 1 teaspoon Toasted ground cumin ref not 1
- 1.5-2 cups Vegetable Stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2-3 sprigs Thyme
Instructions
- Heat butter in a heavy-bottom pot. Add diced onion and saute until softened. Add diced carrot and potatoes. Cook on medium heat for 7-8 minutes until you see the edges are caramelized. Keep string to prevent the veggies from burning.
- Add grated ginger, ground cumin, salt and pepper. Mix everything well and cook for another 2 minutes for the spices to develop flaovr.
- Add half of the stock ( just enough to cover the veggies). Adding warm stock quickens the cooking process. Add thyme sprig, cover, and cook until veggies are cooked tender and really soft.
- Once cooked, remove the lid, fish out the thyme sprigs. Using a hand blender blend the soup until smooth right in the cooking vessel. (or you can also transfer the veggies to a blender along with a little cooking liquid and blend it until smooth. Be very careful as the hot liquid might splash)
- After blending, add more warm stock to get the preferred consistency. Check the seasoning and adjust.
To make garlic croutons
- While the vegetables are getting, preheat the oven and make some garlic croutons.
Notes
- Begin with 1 teaspoon of ground cumin and grated ginger. if you prefer stronger flavor, then add up to 1.5 teaspoons of each. I usually go with 1 teaspoon as I don’t want the rest of the flavors to overpower the delicate carrot flavor.
Nutrition
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