Carrot Ginger Soup Recipe

This Carrot and Ginger Soup recipe is the type of soup that warms you from within! The combination of sweet carrots, spicy ginger, and decadent coconut milk is a fantastic cold-weather combination.

This soup also freezes beautifully. Double the recipe to make a large batch, and freeze it for up to 2 months.

For more delicious soup recipes, try my Creamy Corn Soup, Chicken and Tortellini Soup, French Onion Soup, or Cream of Broccoli Soup.

Ingredients:

• Olive Oil: For sauteing the onions and shallots. You could also use butter instead.
• Yellow Onions: Will provide more flavor than white onions.
• Shallots: Add a lovely sweetness and depth of flavor to the soup.
• Salt and Freshly Cracked Pepper: To taste, to heighten all the flavors.
• Garlic Cloves: Always use fresh garlic, nothing pre-minced in a jar, which can have a strong, bitter taste.
• Fresh Ginger: Fresh ginger provides the best flavor compared to ginger powder or ginger paste.
• Vegetable Stock: Use stock over broth for a deeper flavor. You can substitute chicken stock if you prefer.
• Carrots: Peeling and chopping the carrots is the more time-consuming part of this recipe. But after that, it’s smooth sailing! It comes together very quickly after the carrot prep. Have extra carrots? Put them to good use in my Ultimate Carrot Cake Recipe; it’s so moist and delicious!
• Full-Fat Coconut Milk: Coconut milk adds a delicious garnish to this soup. But look for full-fat coconut milk, typically labeled “Coconut Milk” rather than “Lite Coconut Milk” or “Coconut Cream”; it has the best texture and is similar to the soup’s thickness. This allows it to float on top and not sink to the bottom.
• Chia Seeds: Just a sprinkle for a garnish, adds a nice texture (and additional nutrition!) to the top of the soup. But you could also substitute black sesame seeds or pumpkin seeds, too.
• Cilantro: Adds a lovely freshness while complementing the flavors of the ginger and coconut milk.

Step#1: Sauté the Onions and Shallots

• In a large pot over medium heat, sauté the onions and shallots in olive oil until translucent and fragrant.
• Yellow onions take a bit longer than white onions to become sweet, so don’t rush this step.
• Then add the garlic and ginger, and cook them until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
• I don’t add the garlic and ginger to the onions to saute together because they can easily burn that way, and when that happens, you have to start all over, because burnt garlic and ginger do not taste great!
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Step#2: Add the Vegetable Stock

• Add vegetable or chicken stock at this stage to prevent the vegetables from overcooking.
• Add the carrots, and cover the pot. Simmer on medium-high heat for 20 minutes.
• The soup is ready to be pureed once the carrots are very soft and fork-tender.
• This will help the soup puree into a lovely, smooth consistency.
• If the carrots are even the least bit firm, the soup could end up a bit chunky after blending.

Step#: Blend the Soup

• Ladle the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Depending upon the size of your blender, you may need to do this in batches.
• Personally, I prefer a standing blender for this soup rather than an immersion blender. It’s faster, and I find it creates a more uniform, silky-smooth consistency.
• Check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.
• Pour the soup back into a cleaned stockpot. This will prevent the soup from having any bits of onion or garlic that didn’t make it into the blender.

Step#4: Garnish and Serve

• Ladle the soup into bowls. I love to coordinate the bowls with the bright orange color of the soup.
• Grass green is a lovely color combination, or robin’s egg blue or a deep chocolate brown would also be great choices.
• Add a drizzle of coconut milk on top. With a spoon, add the chia seeds and a few leaves of cilantro.
• Serve immediately and enjoy!

Variations:

• If you aren’t a fan of ginger or don’t have it readily available, skip it and substitute it with other spices. Cumin, nutmeg, cinnamon, and curry powder are all good choices.
• You could use frozen or baby carrots if you prefer; it will cut down on the prep.
• Instead of cilantro, you could also garnish with chives, fresh parsley, or fresh thyme.