Easy Carrot Soup

So satisfying, so few ingredients.

By
Nick Evans
Nick Evans
Nick Evans

Nick has been creating recipes for home cooks for almost 15 years. He is the author of Love Your Leftovers and has contributed to Simply Recipes since 2017.

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Updated April 03, 2024
Nick Evans
Carrot Soup topped with chives in a white bowl with crust bread and a spoon

Simply Recipes / Nick Evans

How wrong is it that I completely exaggerate the benefits of foods to impress my children? Carrots are good for your eyes; we know this. But did you know that carrots instantly make it possible for you to spot a fire truck four blocks away? IT’S TRUE.

Plus, you can make it in about 30 minutes.

Soup is on, right?!

Carrot soup in a pot and a spoon in it, simmering

Simply Recipes / Nick Evans

The Basics of Carrot Soup

The key to carrot soup is, unsurprisingly, the carrots. If you can, try to get a few bundles of the smaller carrots with the stems still on. I find the bulk bags of de-stemmed carrots are less sweet. Ultimately, though, you can use any carrot—even purple or white ones—and I won’t yell at you.

Beyond that, this soup is a great entry level vegetable soup for kids, because they are easily available and something kids are exposed to regularly.

Real talk, though—carrots are not only good for you, but they are one of my favorite bases for an easy soup. They cook quickly, and when blended with a few simple ingredients, turn into a smooth, rich, and slightly sweet soup that is a wonderful bowl of warmth on a chilly winter night.

A carrot soup topped with chives in a bowl with bread and a spoon

Simply Recipes / Nick Evans

A Tip for Sweeter Soup

Be sure to start your veggies over a medium heat so they don’t brown. If the onions get brown, it can add some slightly bitter notes to the soup and overpower the sweet carrots. If you do get a few brown onion bits, feel free to scoop them out before continuing with the soup.

Curry Carrot Soup Variation

I like to keep my carrot soup limited on ingredients to let the carrots shine, but if you want to jazz up this version a bit, curry is my favorite add-in. Choose a mild yellow curry powder, and start with a small amount (one to two teaspoons) if this flavor is unfamiliar to your kids.

Stir the curry powder into the onions as they sauté, and then make the recipe as written. You can add more curry powder while the soup simmers if you want to up that flavor.

Delightful Things to Serve With Carrot Soup

I usually serve this soup as a soup-and-salad situation with crackers, toast dippers (recipe below), or bread and butter. You could also serve it with grilled cheese sandwiches, like classic tomato soup.

Storing and Freezing Carrot Soup

Soups freeze well, and this carrot version is no different. Frozen carrot soup will store for up to 6 months and reheats perfectly, from frozen, on the stovetop over low heat.

Baguette slices of bread with shredded cheese sprinkled over the top of them

Simply Recipes / Nick Evans

This Dad Adds Cheesy Toast Dippers

Tossing a handful of crackers next to this soup is easy and delicious, but if you have the time, these toasts are the ideal side. I like to use a sturdy baguette and top the slices generously with olive oil and Parmesan cheese. As they bake, the bread gets toasted, and the cheese turns into a crispy lid on top of each slice.

If you do it right, the toasts are super crunchy, and you need to dip them in the soup to soften them up a bit! These are fine for kids as well, so feel free to toss them on a plate. My kids preferred normal crackers, though.

My Kids and Family Loved This

If you’ve ever painted a house, you know that the painting isn’t the hard part. It’s the cleanup. Same goes for feeding soup to a two-year-old.

Kids like soup, in my experience. They like to dip stuff in it, drink it, slurp it, spill it, and spray it. So, just get mentally prepared that, most likely, your battle with the soup will start once dinner is over, especially if you have young ones.

My kids both did great with this soup and had full servings! They skipped the toast dippers and asked for just normal sandwich bread with butter, which I was happy to make for them. My four-year-old actually managed to NOT get soup on the ceiling, which was extra special. My four-year-old, meanwhile, has always been an overachiever, especially in the category of food flinging.

More Easy, Creamy Soups to Try!

Easy Carrot Soup

Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 35 mins
Servings 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

For the soup:

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1 large white onion, chopped

  • 2 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped

  • 3 clove garlic, chopped

  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme

  • 4 cups vegetable stock

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper, optional

  • 4 tablespoons heavy cream, divided

For the garnish:

  • Paprika

  • Fresh chives, minced

DAD ADD: Cheesy Toast Dippers

  • 8 baguette slices, about 1/2-inch thick

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Method

  1. Preheat the oven:

    Preheat the oven to 400°F for the Cheesy Toast Toppers.

  2. Cook the veggies:

    In a large pot over medium heat, add the butter and onions. Cook until the onions turn translucent, 3 to 4 minutes, but don't let them brown at all. Season with a pinch of salt.

    Add the carrots, garlic, and dried thyme, and stir together. Cook for 30 seconds, just until garlic becomes fragrant.

    Chopped onions in a pot

    Simply Recipes / Nick Evans
    Cut carrots in a pot

    Simply Recipes / Nick Evans
  3. Add the stock and simmer:

    Add the stock and bring mixture to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 15 more minutes until the carrots are very tender.

    Carrots, onions, and stock cooking in a pan with a spoon

    Simply Recipes / Nick Evans
  4. Meanwhile, make the cheesy toast dippers:

    Spread your baguette slices out on a baking sheet and drizzle them with olive oil. Then, sprinkle generously with finely grated Parmesan cheese.

    Bake toasts at 400°F until edges are browned and Parmesan cheese is starting to turn a light tan color around the edges, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the toasts and set aside.

    Baguette bread slices with shredded cheese

    Simply Recipes / Nick Evans
  5. Finish the soup:

    When the carrots are tender, use an immersion blender right in the pot to blend soup until smooth.

    If you don’t have an immersion blender, remove the soup from the heat and allow to cool until it isn’t steaming hot. Then, you can blend in batches in a standard blender and return it to your pot. Return the blended soup to low heat and season with salt and white pepper, if you wish.

    Immersion blender in a pot of carrot soup, blending the ingredients

    Simply Recipes / Nick Evans
    A puréed and simmering carrot soup in a pot with a spoon

    Simply Recipes / Nick Evans
  6. Serve the soup:

    Ladle the soup into bowls and swirl in about a tablespoon of heavy cream into each bowl. Garnish the soup with a sprinkle of paprika and fresh minced chives. Plus, add a cheesy toast dipper!

    Leftover soup keeps well in the fridge for 5 days, or you can transfer it to freezer-safe ziptop bags and freeze it for up to six months. Reheat the soup gently over low heat on the stovetop.

    Don’t freeze the soup if you’ve added cream to it, because it will most likely separate. In theory, it would taste the same once it is reheated, but I prefer to stir in fresh cream when serving, and freeze the soup without the cream in it.

    Did you love the recipe? Give us some stars and leave a comment below!

    Overhead of a carrot soup topped with chives in a bowl with a spoon

    Simply Recipes / Nick Evans
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
178 Calories
10g Fat
18g Carbs
5g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 178
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g 13%
Saturated Fat 6g 30%
Cholesterol 29mg 10%
Sodium 863mg 38%
Total Carbohydrate 18g 7%
Dietary Fiber 5g 18%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 8mg 40%
Calcium 141mg 11%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 464mg 10%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.