A carrot and cumin soup combines the earthy sweetness of carrots with the warm and aromatic flavors of cumin. A hearty and warming soup that's very easy to make, budget-friendly, suitable for vegans, and dairy and gluten-free. Cumin has a slightly sweet, warming flavour with a nutty element and goes well with carrots. This simple soup recipe is ready in 30 minutes and is a great idea for lunch or as a starter.
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Homemade soup recipes are perfect for using up leftovers and very economical to make. Carrot and Courgette Soup is another easy carrot soup option or try this Roasted Carrot and Red Pepper. Leek and Red Lentil Soup also uses cumin and has a lovely creamy texture.
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Ingredients
A simple soup using simple ingredients.
- Carrots - use any type of carrots. Fresh carrots should be firm.
- Cumin powder - cumin is a middle eastern spice and widely available.
- Onion - use yellow or brown onions but red will also work.
- Vegetable Stock - any vegetable stock. Use a gluten-free one if you need to make this soup gluten-free.
- Garlic - garlic cloves add extra flavour.
- Lemon - this helps lift the flavour and reduces the sweetness of the carrots.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Carrot and Cumin Soup
Pour the oil into a large pan and gently fry the onion over a medium heat.
Add the ground cumin and stir for 1 minute.
Add the diced carrot and fry gently over a low heat for around 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the garlic and lemon zest.
Pour over the vegetable stock and simmer for 10 minutes until the carrots are soft.
Blend the soup until mostly smooth. Season with salt and pepper and stir through the lemon juice.
Top tip
Blending the soup will give a nice thick consistency. You can also leave it with some chunks in it if you prefer. Take care when blending hot liquids in a pan.
Variations
This Spicy Carrot Soup is super simple, but you can vary the flavour slightly according to your tastes.
- Spicy - add a teaspoon of mild chilli powder for a spicier taste and a few chilli flakes on the top.
- Deluxe - stir through some single cream for an extra indulgent creamy texture.
- Hearty - if you want to make the soup more filling, add in some beans such as cannellini or kidney beans. You could also add some small pasta shapes to make it more filling. Add the pasta to the simmering stage.
- Coconut milk add a little coconut milk as an alternative to cream.
Equipment
You will need a large stovetop pan or casserole dish with a lid. I like to use cast iron dishes as they retain the heat well and are easy to clean.
You will also need a measuring jug, a lemon zester and juicer, and a garlic press although you can finely dice the garlic if you don't have a garlic press.
A stick or immersion blender is the easiest to use as you can blend the soup in the pan. Any other blender will also work.
Sustainable Tip
Wash the carrots and leave the skins on to reduce food waste. A soup is a great way to use up vegetables before they spoil and the soup can be frozen so you can use it at a future time. Many spices including Cumin powder, can be bought as Fairtrade, which helps support some of the poorest farmers in the world.
Serving Suggestions
- Top the soup with some fresh parsley or coriander leaves (cilantro).
- Chilli flakes add some extra spiciness.
- Pumpkin seeds are a good topping for most soups.
- Stir through a little cream or yoghurt or plant-based alternative such as coconut milk for a creamier texture.
Serve the soup with some fresh crusty bread or try my easy 3 Ingredient Flatbread. It also goes well with these Cheese and Courgette Muffins or the Easy Cheesy Bites.
Storage
Carrot soup will keep well in the fridge for 2 - 3 days. It also freezes well and the recommended freezing time for vegetable soups to maintain the best quality is 4 - 6 months. It will still be safe to eat after this time, but the quality may start to deteriorate. Store soup in an airtight container. Soup is best defrosted in the fridge overnight.
Top tip
Making soups in batches is economical as it uses less energy.
FAQ
Adding lemon juice or a splash of lime will help balance the sweetness in a carrot soup.
Blending the carrot soup will thicken it up to a nice consistency. If you want to thicken it more, then mix a little cornflour into a paste by adding cold water, then stir into the soup. Do this a little at a time until you get your desired consistency. Heavy cream can also be used to thicken a soup.
Related
Looking for other easy soup recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Carrot and Cumin Soup.
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📖 Recipe
Carrot and Cumin Soup
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Equipment
- 1 Large pan with a lid or stove top casserole dish.
- 1 Hand blender or Food processor
- 1 Measuring Jug
- 1 Juicer
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil Fairtrade available
- 1 Onion brown, peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon Cumin Powder Fairtrade available
- 600 g Carrots peeled and diced
- 2 cloves Garlic peeled and crushed
- 1 Lemon juice and zest
- 800 ml Vegetable Stock
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper freshly group, Fairtrade available
Instructions
- Add the oil to a large pan and gently fry the onion over a medium heat.2 tablespoon Olive Oil, 1 Onion
- Add the ground cumin and stir for 1 minute.1 tablespoon Cumin Powder
- Add the diced carrot and fry gently over a low heat for around 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.600 g Carrots
- Add the garlic and lemon zest.2 cloves Garlic, 1 Lemon
- Pour over the vegetable stock and simmer for 10 minutes until the carrots are soft.800 ml Vegetable Stock
- Blend the soup until mostly smooth. Season with salt and pepper and stir through the lemon juice.1 teaspoon Salt, 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
Notes
Ingredients Notes
-
- Carrots - use any type of carrots. Fresh carrots should be firm
-
- Cumin powder - cumin is a middle eastern spice and widely available
-
- Onion - use yellow or brown onions but red will also work.
-
- Vegetable Stock - any vegetable stock. Use a gluten free one if you need to make this soup gluten free.
-
- Garlic - garlic cloves add extra flavour.
-
- Lemon - this helps really lift the flavour and reduces the sweetness of the carrots.
Storage
Carrot soup will keep well in the fridge for 2 - 3 days. It also freezes well and the recommended freezing time for vegetable soups to maintain the best quality is 4 - 6 months. It will still be safe to eat after this time, but the quality may start to deteriorate. Store soup in an airtight container. Soup is best defrosted in the fridge overnight.Nutrition per serving
The Nutritional Values are computer generated estimates based on industry standards and are provided as a helpful guide only.
Tracey F
Just made this for lunch, so tasty and loved the thickness after blending. I've made a similar one with cumin seeds but this is a much nicer smooth taste. Loads of flavour and I agree that the lemon juice balances out the sweetness of the carrots. Looking forward to having the rest at work on Monday. Thanks very much for the recipe.
Todd Bissell
No matter how much I used my immersion blender, could never get the texture of the soup away from having a "gritty" mouthfeel. Between that and the general flavor blandness, this was a total bust for me.
I ended up blending in some passata and a medley of spices, to turn this into an adequate pasta sauce. :/
Claire Carter
Hi – sorry to hear you had trouble; let me try and help. As none of the ingredients have a 'gritty' texture, I'm wondering if you used cumin powder and not cumin seeds? Cumin seeds might give a gritty texture. I'm sure you did, but washing the carrots first also ensures no gritty soil gets into the soup. As far as flavour, the cumin is not overpowering but adds a subtle earthy flavour. I would also add that the lemon juice is important as it helps balance the flavour.