Creamy Carrot Soup

This Creamy Carrot Soup is a great vegetarian hearty, rich, and thick bowl of deliciousness; it’s perfect comfort food that’ll make you feel warm and cozy, and it’s healthy, made with only a few simple ingredients, and so easy to make!

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Yummy carrot soup

Onions, carrots, and potatoes cook together with aromatics like garlic and dried herbs to make the best carrot soup, and then we stir in a little sour cream to give the soup a little creamy tang.

I’ve included stove top and Instant Pot (electric pressure cooker) instructions so you can choose whichever way works best for you.

Can this be vegan?

This soup can easily be made vegan simply by leaving the sour cream out, or use a vegan sour cream.

You can also use coconut milk or coconut cream instead of the sour cream. This will change the flavor profile a little, but it will still be delicious!

I like the little bit of added richness that the sour cream adds, but the soup is still nice and creamy without it.

Is this Gluten-free?

Yes, this soup is naturally gluten free. Pureeing the veggies adds all the thickness to the soup, so there’s no need to add thickeners like flour to this one.

Can this be made ahead?

This soup can easily be made ahead and kept in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.

Simply refrigerate it in a glass container with a tight fitting lid; it will keep well for 3 – 4 days.

Reheat the soup on the stove top over medium heat, or pop it in the microwave. You might need to add a little more broth to the soup after reheating.

I’m also a big fan of using leftover pureed veggie soups like this as pasta sauce the next day. It makes a deliciously easy dinner. Just cook up some pasta and toss it in some of the soup. Mix in some steamed veggies if you like. Garnish with grated Parmesan and no one will even realize they’re eating leftovers! Check out my Red Pepper Feta Dip for another of these leftovers as pasta sauce ideas.

Can this be frozen for longer storage?

Absolutely, since it makes a nice big pot of soup, you may want to freeze some of it for later.

Allow the soup to fully cool. Then, portion it out into freezer safe glass containers.

When you’re ready to eat, thaw it in the fridge overnight, and reheat over medium on the stove.

Or, simply pop the frozen portion into the microwave to thaw and reheat.

What to serve with it?

A cup of this carrot soup is a great starter course with any meal.

I also love soup as a meal itself. Serve it with some beautiful bread, like No-knead Parmesan Rosemary Bread, whole grain Dakota Bread, or Tomato, Garlic, and Cheese Twisted Bread.

Serve it with a delicious green salad like my Anti-inflammatory Kale Salad for a deliciously healthy meal.

Recipe notes

A note on the carrots for this recipe, I highly recommend the long skinny carrots with the tops on from the grocery store for this recipe, and for most recipes to be honest.

One of my favorite cashiers at the store calls these “reindeer carrots”.

The long skinny ones are more tender and have more flavor, and will not be a woody as the large ones that they often sell individually at the store.

You can use baby carrots in the bags if you want to save yourself some time by not peeling the carrots. Even baby carrots are sometimes inconsistent in their flavor in my opinion, so I think it’s worth it to peel the carrots for this soup, but they will work here.

2 pounds of carrots is about 3-4 bunches of carrots. It’s also about 5 cups of sliced carrots.

Note on broth

I’m a big believer in using what already tastes good to you and your family.

I love (affiliate link) Better Than Bouillon vegetable base for most of my cooking. That is, if I don’t have any homemade vegetable broth in the house.

If you love your brand of vegetable broth, or your homemade chicken broth, or even a canned version, please feel free to use that. Of course, the soup won’t be vegetarian if you use chicken broth.

But, I really do think that if you love your broth, that’s what will taste best to you in any soup recipe!

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Creamy Carrot Soup Recipe

Creamy Carrot Soup

Debi

This Creamy Carrot Soup is a great vegetarian hearty, rich, and thick bowl of deliciousness; it’s perfect comfort food that’ll make you feel warm and cozy, and it’s healthy, made with only a few simple ingredients, and so easy to make! Stove top & Instant Pot instructions included.

5 from 3 votes

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Cook ModePrevent your screen from going to sleep.

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Servings 12 servings

Calories 98 kcal

Equipment

• instant pot

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion peeled and chopped
• 2 pounds carrots peeled and sliced (about 5 cups)
• 2 medium Russet potatoes peeled and diced
• 2 cloves garlic peeled and pressed or finely chopped
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried herbs like basil, oregano, sage, and thyme
• ½ cup sour cream
• Chopped chives to garnish

Instructions

 

Stove top:

• Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add onion, and cook about 5 minutes, or until onion begins to turn translucent. Add carrots, potatoes, and garlic, and cook over medium heat, turning with a wooden spoon until the vegetables are thoroughly coated with oil.
• Stir in broth, water, salt, sugar, pepper, and herbs. Cover the pot with the lid, and bring soup to a boil, lower heat to simmer. Simmer, covered 25-30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork.
• Pour soup into a blender and blend until smooth, or blend with an immersion blender in the pot. Stir in sour cream.
• Serve garnished with chopped chives.

Pressure cooker instructions:

• Turn on your Instant pot and press the “Sauté” button. Add oil and heat up for a minute.
• Add the chopped onion, and cook about 5 minutes, or until onion has softened.
• Add carrots, potatoes, and garlic, and stir frequently for another 2 minutes. Turn off the sauté function.
• Stir in broth, water, salt, sugar, pepper, and herbs.
• Put the lid on the pressure cooker, make sure the vent is on “Sealed” and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
• Carefully move the valve to the “Vent” setting and let the pressure release.
• Remove the lid, and pour the soup into a blender and blend until smooth, or blend with an immersion blender in the pot. Stir in sour cream.
• Serve garnished with chopped chives and additional sour cream if desired.

Notes

Makes about 12 servings of 1 cup each
Keep any leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days, or freeze for longer storage.

Nutrition

Calories: 98kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 2gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 553mgPotassium: 418mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 12898IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 46mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

Keyword carrot, comfort food, healthy

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