Coconut Ginger Carrot Soup

Recipe Highlights

• Vegan (dairy-free), gluten-free, nut-free and easily oil-free.
• Easy to make in under 30 minutes.
• Made with simple pantry staple ingredients.
• Great way to use up extra carrots.
• Can be made in advance and freezes well.
• Lovely addition to a holiday meal.
• Enjoy any night of the week for a side dish or light dinner.

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.

• Olive Oil: Optional. You can use oil to saute the onion or a bit of water or broth for an easy oil-free option.
• 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.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Prepare: 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.

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.

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.

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!

Variations

• This recipe also works well with sweet potato or half sweet potato and half carrot.
• Add 2 tsp curry powder for curried soup.
• Add heat with up to 1 tsp red chili flakes or cayenne pepper.
• Add red curry paste for a Thai-inspired soup.
• Add 2-3 diced stalks of celery with the onion.
• 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, 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.

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.

More Soup Recipes

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

• Lemon Lentil Soup: Zesty, easy and healthy!
• Chickpea Vegetable Chowder: A popular dairy-free chowder recipe.
• Cauliflower Sweet Potato Soup: Curried cauliflower and sweet potato soup with turmeric.
• Kabocha Squash Soup: Creamy curried squash soup.
• Mulligatawny Soup: A flavourful soup with apple, lentil and rice.
• Vegan Cashew Carrot Soup: Ultra-creamy carrot soup made with cashews.