Carrot Soup

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This easy carrot soup recipe is a great way to use up a bag of carrots that were forgotten in your produce drawer. The carrots cook together with aromatics like onions, garlic and fresh herbs before being pureed into a silky smooth soup that's delicious for dinner or packed up for lunch.

Active Time:
40 mins
Additional Time:
10 mins
Total Time:
50 mins
Servings:
8
Yield:
8 servings, about 1 cup each
Nutrition Profile:
  • This comforting and flavorful soup recipe is easy to make and perfect when you have a load of carrots.
  • Eating carrots can help protect the eyes, heart, skin, brain and immune system while reducing inflammation.
  • No need to peel carrot skin—it’s nutritious, or you can use young carrots with tender skin.

Our Carrot Soup is simply delicious and delivers on big flavor. Carrots are packed with immune-boosting and inflammation-fighting beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant. The butter releases and amplifies the flavor of the aromatics, onions and garlic, and the thyme adds a deep earthiness. You'll also stay hydrated with this soup—with a mixture of water, broth and half-and-half, it's a fluid boost. Keep reading for our expert tips on what tools to use for blending, ingredient substitutions and more!

Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen

These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too! 

  • If you don't have a counter blender, use an immersion blender—it's one of the best tools to have when pureeing soups. Follow the recipe through Step 1, then puree the carrot soup with an immersion blender directly in the Dutch oven until smooth.
  • If this carrot soup is a bit too sweet for your taste, you can balance that sweetness with 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to boost and brighten the flavor.
  • We don't peel the carrots for this recipe because their skin provides extra nutrition. Just be sure to wash them well. You can also use young carrots with tender skin if you prefer. If you decide to peel the carrots, your soup will have a slightly smoother appearance.
  • Enhance the soup's presentation by adding a swirl of plain yogurt or freshly cut herbs before serving.

Nutrition Notes

  • Carrots are loaded with nutrition, including fiber, beta-carotene and potassium. While it's true that carrots are good for eye health, their antioxidants also help protect your heart, skin, brain and immune system while reducing inflammation.
  • This recipe calls for a whole onion, blended in—keeping all the nutrients in the soup. Onions are part of the allium family and contain an antioxidant called quercetin, which has anti-cancer potential. Onions are also very low in calories and contain potassium, which is beneficial for heart health by helping to lower blood pressure.
  • Lower-sodium broth is a healthy choice for this recipe by allowing you to control the amount of salt that goes in your soup. Lowering the sodium in your diet overall is good for maintaining healthy blood pressure.
  • A 2-cup serving of this carrot soup will provide about 5 grams of fiber—which is about 19% of your daily fiber needs in one delicious bowl.
Overhead view of the ingredients for Carrot Soup recipe

Photographer: Jen Causey

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Ingredients

Original recipe (1X) yields 8 servings

  • 1 tablespoon butter

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 medium onion, chopped

  • 1 stalk celery, chopped

  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped

  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or parsley

  • 5 cups chopped carrots

  • 2 cups water

  • 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, "no-chicken" broth (see Note) or vegetable broth

  • ½ cup half-and-half (optional)

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until the butter melts. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and 1 teaspoon thyme (or parsley); cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Stir in carrots. Add 2 cups water and 4 cups broth; bring to a lively simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a lively simmer and cook until very tender, about 25 minutes.

    Angled view of a green pot of Carrot Soup recipe cooking on a hotplate

    Photographer: Jen Causey

  2. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Stir in ½ cup half-and-half (if using), ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

    bowl of carrot soup with a spoon in it

    Jen Causey

Equipment

Dutch oven, blender

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Is Carrot Soup vegetarian?

    It can be! We like the savory flavor of chicken broth, but if you want a vegetarian soup, chicken-flavored broth (a vegetarian broth despite its name) is preferable to vegetable broth for its hearty, rich flavor and light golden color. Vegetable broth will work too, but it may darken the color. Sometimes called "no-chicken" broth, it can be found with the soups in the natural foods section of most supermarkets.

  • How do I make Carrot Soup extra creamy?

    The easiest way to make your carrot soup creamy is to simply add cream after it's blended. (We prefer half-and-half to cut back on saturated fat.) If you want to skip the cream entirely, using a high-powered stand blender can give you light and creamy results. A regular stand blender works well too, but you may have to blend it for longer. When using any stand blender, be sure to remove the centerpiece from the lid and hold a clean towel over the hole to prevent burns.

  • How should I store Carrot Soup?

    Cover and refrigerate the soup for up to 4 days or freeze it in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.

  • What can I serve with Carrot Soup?

    This carrot soup is delicious paired with grilled cheese sandwiches. Try it with Spinach-&-Artichoke-Dip Grilled Cheese, French Onion Grilled Cheese, Collards & Portobello Grilled Cheese or Spanakopita Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and a side salad to complete the meal.

EatingWell Magazine, Soup Cookbook

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

176 Calories
8g Fat
22g Carbs
7g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 8
Serving Size about 2 cups
Calories 176
% Daily Value *
Total Carbohydrate 22g 8%
Dietary Fiber 5g 19%
Total Sugars 9g
Protein 7g 14%
Total Fat 8g 11%
Saturated Fat 3g 14%
Cholesterol 8mg 3%
Vitamin A 26874IU 537%
Vitamin C 13mg 14%
Folate 40mcg 10%
Sodium 486mg 21%
Calcium 81mg 6%
Iron 1mg 6%
Magnesium 28mg 7%
Potassium 795mg 17%

Nutrition information is calculated by a registered dietitian using an ingredient database but should be considered an estimate.

* Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day. Percent Daily Value (%DV) found on nutrition labels tells you how much a serving of a particular food or recipe contributes to each of those total recommended amounts. Per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the daily value is based on a standard 2,000 calorie diet. Depending on your calorie needs or if you have a health condition, you may need more or less of particular nutrients. (For example, it’s recommended that people following a heart-healthy diet eat less sodium on a daily basis compared to those following a standard diet.)

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a special diet for medical reasons, be sure to consult with your primary care provider or a registered dietitian to better understand your personal nutrition needs.

Additional reporting by
Carrie Myers, M.S.,
Carrie Myers
Carrie Myers is a portfolio entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience in the health and wellness space. As a writer and editor, Carrie has worked for both consumer and trade print and online publications. She's been quoted in several articles as a health and fitness expert. Carrie is also a certified life and wellness coach and exercise physiologist, and the founder of CarrieMichele Co., a lifestyle company that helps women create lives they love where they can be authentic.
Hilary Meyer,
Hilary Meyer
Hilary Meyer is a recipe developer, tester, and content creator. After graduating from culinary school, she started working the EatingWell Test Kitchen in 2006, developing and testing recipes.
Jan Valdez,

Jan Valdez has years of experience working in test kitchens, primarily in research and development and product development. Her experience in the Good Housekeeping test kitchen in New York City launched a career in professional test kitchens.

and
Linda Frahm
Linda Frahm has been a copy editor and fact checker working with food and nutrition content for the past 30-plus years for consumer print and online publications.