If you're looking for a nutritious, tasty, and easy soup, my carrot and coriander soup recipe is where it's at. This British classic brings together sweet earthy carrots with fresh and herbaceous coriander using just 5 core ingredients.
Whether you're after a quick make-ahead weeknight dinner, light lunch, or are wondering how to put leftover carrots to good use, this soup is sure to leave you warm and satisfied.
For more simple vegetable soups, try my Carrot and Parsnip Soup, Kale and Spinach Soup, and Mexican Bean Soup. You can find these, along with lots of other tasty soups, on my soup recipes page.
The post contains additional information and helpful tips to ensure the recipe turns out great the first time. Please use the link above to jump to the recipe card at the end if you are in a hurry!
Jump to:
- ✅ 5 reasons why you'll love this recipe:
- 🛒 Ingredients:
- Substitutions & variations:
- 🧑🍳 Recipe steps
- The best type of blender to use
- Serving suggestions
- 👍 Top tips
- Leftover carrots
- 🙋 FAQs
- 📦 Storing leftover soup
- 😋 More simple vegetarian soup recipes
- 📖 Recipe
- Recipe Card
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✅ 5 reasons why you'll love this recipe:
- Requires just 5 key ingredients
- Nutritious and delicious soup
- A great way to use leftover carrots
- An easy recipe that's ready in just 30 minutes
- Freezer and make-ahead friendly
🛒 Ingredients:
This tasty and nutritious soup requires 5 key ingredients (plus butter for frying and a little salt and pepper)
🥕 Onion
🥕 Carrots
🥕 Vegetable stock
🥕 Ground coriander
🥕 Lime juice
- Butter: I highly recommend frying the onions in butter instead of oil to add a lovely richness to the soup.
- Carrots: most carrots will do nicely. It's up to you whether you peel them or not, just make sure you give them a good scrub if you choose not to peel and slice them evenly.
- Stock: you can use any type of veg stock. I tend to opt for veg Bouillon powder. Oxo or homemade vegetable broth are also fine, and you could also use chicken broth/stock.
- Ground coriander: Go with ground dried coriander for convenience, or grind coriander seeds yourself using a pestle and mortar. Coriander seeds are a great option if you don't cook with coriander regularly, as they retain their flavour for longer.
- Lime juice (optional): add a squeeze of fresh lime juice to give the soup a crisp fresh flavour. You can use lemon juice instead.
Optional soup toppings:
These are optional, but enhance the taste and texture of the soup.
- Chopped fresh coriander
- A dash of single cream or crème fraîche
- Chilli flakes
Substitutions & variations:
Note that the recipe has not been tested with all the substitutions and variations below, so the results cannot be guaranteed.
- Instead of topping with fresh coriander leaves, jazz things up by puréeing fresh coriander with a little oil and citrus juice.
- Top with a few nuts or seeds to add a little protein and crunchiness
- Try my Carrot and Parsnip Soup if you enjoy a creamy soup with coconut milk and a little extra heat.
🧑🍳 Recipe steps
1. Fry the onions: Place a large saucepan or Dutch oven on a medium heat and add the butter. Add the diced onion when the butter gets hot and starts to sizzle, and fry for a few minutes until soft and translucent.
2. Simmer the carrots: Pour in the veg stock, add the carrots, and simmer for around 20 minutes until you can easily get a fork through them
3. Blend: Use a stick or standing blender to puree the soup until smooth.
4. Season: Return the blended soup to the stove and place it on a low heat. Stir in the ground coriander, salt, pepper, and add a squeeze of lime juice. Add your chosen toppings (fresh coriander, a dash of cream and a few chilli flakes) and serve.
The best type of blender to use
A handheld stick blender (immersion blender) and countertop liquidiser will give you good results. However, stick blenders are the most convenient option because you can insert them straight into the pan and they are easier to clean afterwards.
You can also use a food processor, but because they are designed for blending solid food, the consistency won't be as smooth.
Serving suggestions
If you're enjoying this soup as a main meal crusty bread or a few slices of toast will go nicely and ensure you are full and satisfied.
Here are a few other ideas:
- Potato wedges
- Spinach and feta triangles
- Courgette fritters
- Pretzels
- Garlic bread
- Shortcrust pastry cheese straws
👍 Top tips
- Fry the onions in butter instead of oil - it adds depth of flavour and richness to the soup
- Adjust the consistency to suit your preferences: The soup is fairly thick. Feel free to add more vegetable stock if you prefer a thinner soup.
- Add salt to taste - the amount of salt you will need to add will vary depending on the saltiness of your stock.
- Finish with a squeeze of lime juice - it adds a lovely citrusy freshness.
Leftover carrots
If you're still left with a few carrots after making this soup, why not try my Black Lentil and Roast Carrot salad or Carrot, Cucumber & Mooli Salad? Or if you'd prefer a heartier option, carrots are a key ingredient in my Katsu Curry Sauce recipe.
🙋 FAQs
The time it takes to cook carrots until soft depends on their size. A medium carrot sliced horizontally into 0.5cm pieces will take 20-25 minutes of simmering to become soft enough to puree into soup. Carrots are ready to be blended into soup when you can easily get a fork through them.
Whether you peel the carrots or leave the skin in is a matter of personal preference. Carrot skins are not that thick or tough, so you will get smooth soup either way. Peeling the carrots does make it easier to remove any dirt on the outside. Make sure you wash the carrots thoroughly if you decide not to peel them.
When it comes to soup consistency, it's best to be conservative with the amount of liquid you add because it's much easier to make a soup thinner by adding stock or a little water than it is to thicken it. However, you can do a few things to thicken soup, including adding heavy cream or adding a roux or slurry. Just remember that these methods can alter the taste, so you might need to adjust the seasoning afterwards.
Making soup from cooked carrots is a great way to use leftovers. You can follow your chosen recipe as normal. Just be aware that you will need to shorten the cooking time considerably. It won't take long to get the carrots soft enough to puree into a soup.
📦 Storing leftover soup
You can store the soup in the fridge for up to 3 days. Allow it to cool, and cover with plastic wrap or transfer it to a lidded container and refrigerate. Reheat thoroughly on the stove or in the microwave before eating.
The cooked soup can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Simply portion it into freezer bags or plastic containers and leave it to cool completely before transferring it to the freezer. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat thoroughly on the stove or in the microwave.
😋 More simple vegetarian soup recipes
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📖 Recipe
Recipe Card
Carrot and Coriander Soup
Equipment
- Stick blender
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon butter (Note 1)
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 1 kg (35 oz) carrots chopped (Note 2)
- 750 ml (3 cups) vegetable stock
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander (Note 3)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Salt to taste
- ½ lime (juice) optional (Note 4)
To serve (optional)
- 2 handfuls fresh coriander
- cream or crème fraîche
- chilli flakes
- fresh bread
Instructions
- Place a large pot or Dutch oven on a medium heat and add the butter.
- Add the onions when the butter gets hot and fry the onions for a few minutes until soft and translucent.
- Add the chopped carrots to the pan, pour on the stock and simmer for 20 minutes until the carrots soften enough for you to easily put a fork into them.
- Use a stick or countertop blender to puree the soup until smooth.
- Place the soup on a low heat, returning it to the pan if you need to and add the ground coriander, salt, pepper and lime juice.
- Serve immediately topped with fresh coriander or leave to cool and refrigerate or freeze to enjoy later.
Notes
- Butter: you can use oil instead, but I urge you to use butter if possible because it adds a lovely richness to the soup.
- Carrots: most carrots will work nicely. It's up to you whether you peel them or not, just make sure you give them a good scrub if you choose not to and slice them evenly.
- Stock: you can use any type of veg stock. I tend to opt for veg Bouillon powder. Oxo or homemade veg stock are also fine, and you could also use chicken stock instead.
- Ground coriander: you can use jarred fresh ground coriander or crushed seeds. Seeds are the best option and stay fresh and flavourful for longer.
- Lime juice: adds a citrusy freshness. You can use lemon juice instead.
- Nutritional information: is for one portion of soup with no toppings.
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