Jump to Recipe·★★★★★4.9 from 32 reviews

This vegan coconut ginger carrot soup is easy to make in less than 30 minutes and has the most amazing, slightly sweet and perfectly spiced flavour.

Healthy creamy coconut carrot ginger soup with cilantro.
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Introduction

If you love flavours like coconut and ginger, you’re going to love this delicious, nourishing carrot ginger soup soup. It’s easy to make with just a few simple ingredients, easy to customize and ready to enjoy in 30 minutes.

This soup is lovely year round, served as a light meal, starter, or side paired with a salad or sandwich. It also makes a beautiful addition to holiday meals like Thanksgiving or Easter.

If you have allergies or other dietary restrictions the soup is vegan (no dairy), gluten-free, nut-free and can easily be made oil-free. It can also be customized by swapping the carrot for sweet potato or squash, adding veggies like cauliflower and celery or using different spices like curry powder or cayenne pepper.

For more simple soups, this lemon lentil soup, chickpea chowder, black bean soup and cauliflower sweet potato soup are all crowd favourites.

Recipe At-a-Glance

  • Vegan and gluten-free.
  • Nut-free.
  • Can be oil-free.
  • 30 minute recipe.
  • Simple pantry ingredients.
  • Can be made in advance.
  • Freezes well.
  • Easy to customize.

Ingredient Notes

A complete list of ingredients with amounts and full instructions is located in the printable recipe card below. This section covers ingredient and substitution considerations.

Ingredients for making carrot ginger soup recipe, each labelled with text.
  • Olive Oil: Optional. You can use oil to saute the onion or a bit of water or broth for an easy oil-free option. Butter would also work here.
  • Onion: You can use white or yellow onion. Shallot would also work!
  • Garlic: Fresh garlic is best. The recipe calls for 3 cloves but feel free to use a bit more if you love garlic.
  • Ginger: The recipe calls for fresh ginger but you can substitute 1 tsp ground ginger in a pinch.
  • Spices: You’ll need cumin and coriander. Other spices that could work in this recipe are curry powder, turmeric or even a pinch of cinnamon or cloves.
  • Carrot: This recipe is for fresh carrots. You should be able to use frozen carrots but I haven’t tried it.
  • Broth: Any good homemade or store-bought broth or stock works. You can use carton, canned or cubed broth. I like Better than Boullion.
  • Coconut Milk: You can use canned full-fat coconut milk or for a lower-fat option, light coconut milk.

Variations

  • This recipe also works well with sweet potato, squash or a mix of sweet potato, squash and carrot.
  • Add 2 tsp curry powder for curried ginger carrot soup.
  • Add heat with up to 1 tsp red chili flakes or cayenne pepper.
  • Add 1 tbsp red curry paste for a Thai ginger carrot soup soup.
  • Add 2-3 diced stalks of celery with the onion for extra depth of flavour.
  • Add up to 1 cup of white beans when you add the coconut milk for more creaminess and protein.

Serving

  • Serve on its own for a light meal.
  • Top with a drizzle of coconut milk, dollop of sour cream, squeeze of fresh lime, fresh cracked black pepper and/or finely chopped fresh cilantro.
  • Crispy chickpeas, roasted cauliflower, toasted cashews or pumpkin seeds, coconut bacon or tempeh bacon are also yummy toppings.
  • Serve as a starter for a holiday or any fall or winter meal.
  • Delicious with a piece of toasted sourdough or any crusty bread.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Prepare to Cook: Chop the onion, garlic, ginger and carrot. Once you get the onion and garlic in the pan, you can continue preparing the carrot and ginger and gather the spices.

Step 1: Cook the Onion & Garlic

Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes until nice and soft.

Quick Tip: If you want an oil-free recipe, use a bit of water or broth to cook the onion and garlic instead of oil.

Cooking onions and garlic in a sauce pan for coconut ginger carrot soup.

Step 2: Add Carrot & Ginger

Add the carrots, ginger and spices with another little pinch of salt and pepper, and cook for another minute, stirring constantly.

Quick Tip: If you want the soup to have some heat, add up 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or chili flakes along with the other spices.

For curried soup, add 1-2 tsp mild curry powder. For red curried soup, add 1-2 tbsp red curry paste.

Cooking carrots, ginger, onion and garlic in a sauce pan to make coconut ginger carrot soup.

Step 3: Simmer Soup

Add the coconut milk and broth and simmer uncovered until the carrots are nice and tender. This should take about 20-25 minutes.

A creamy soup with carrot chunks cooking in a skillet with a wooden spoon in it.

Step 4: Blend Soup

Now it’s time to blend! You can use an immersion blender in the pot which works fine, but for the smoothest soup, I suggest using a Vitamix or other high-speed blender.

Carefully transfer the soup to a blender and blend until smooth. Just be sure to allow the steam to escape as you blend!

Creamy carrot soup in a blender.

FAQs

Is carrot ginger soup vegan?

Yes, this soup is vegan as long as you use vegetable stock.

Can carrot soup be frozen?

Yes. To freeze this soup, let it cool then transfer it to freezer bags or a freezer-safe container. Thaw in the fridge then reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.

Do you have to peel the carrots?

Not necessarily. I prefer to peel them for the best creamy texture but you can also just give them a good scrub and skip the peeling.

Overhead view of a bowl of creamy carrot ginger soup topped with a drizzle of coconut and a few leaves of cilantro. A spoon rests in the bowl.

Storing

  • Fridge: Let cool then store in a sealed container for up to 4 days.
  • Freezer: Let cool then store in a sealed container for up to 3 months.
  • Reheating: Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a bit of water or broth to thin if needed. If frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

What to Make Next

Check out some favourite soup recipes below or browse all my soup recipes here:

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An angled view of a bowl of creamy carrot ginger soup sitting on a folded dish cloth and topped with a drizzle of coconut and a few leaves of cilantro. A spoon rests in the bowl.

Coconut Ginger Carrot Soup

★★★★★ 4.9 from 32 reviews
  • Author: Deryn Macey
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 25 mins
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Soup
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

This spiced coconut ginger carrot soup is ready in 30 minutes, full of flavour and so easy to make.

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp olive oil or water
  • 1  medium white onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 5 cups peeled and chopped carrots (approx. 7 large carrots)
  • 3 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 cup canned full-fat coconut milk 
  • salt and pepper, as needed

Instructions

  1. Prepare: Chop the onion and garlic first and then start heating the oil in a large soup pot while you start chopping the the carrot and ginger. Once you add the onion and garlic to the pot, you can finish chopping the carrot and ginger and gathering the cumin, coriander, broth and coconut milk.
  2. Saute Onion and Garlic: If you’re using oil, heat it in a large soup pot over medium heat then add the onion and garlic with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes until fragrant and soft. For oil-free soup, use water or broth instead of oil.
  3. Add Ginger, Carrot and Spices: Add the ginger, carrot, 1 tsp cumin and 1 tsp coriander, along with another pinch of salt and pepper, and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. If the pan starts to dry out, you can add a splash of water or broth.
  4. Simmer Soup: Add the coconut milk and vegetable broth and let it simmer lightly, uncovered for about 20 minutes or until the carrots are fork tender and cooked through. Remove the soup from heat.
  5. Blend Soup: Use an immersion blender in the pot or carefully transfer the soup to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour it back into the pot.
  6. Season and Serve: Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve right away with finely chopped cilantro, a drizzle of coconut milk and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Notes

If you find it to be too thick when you’re done, simply stir in some extra vegetable stock, water or non-dairy milk.

Leftover soup can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To freeze, cool then transfer to freezer bags or a freezer-safe container and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge if frozen then reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave until heated through.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
  • Calories: 232
  • Fat: 15 g
  • Carbohydrates: 25 g
  • Fiber: 6 g
  • Protein: 4 g

Keywords: ginger carrot soup, vegan coconut carrot soup

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This recipe was originally posted on September 21, 2015.