Well known and loved flavour combination comes together beautifully in this classic carrot and coriander soup. Simple recipe, minimal ingredients, all the flavour!
This classic soup hardly needs special introduction.
Flavour combination of carrot and coriander is very well known and loved yet this simple soup gets somehow overlooked in favour of more complex soups where carrot is one of many ingredients.
Well, not in my soup!
Beside a simple base of onions, garlic and celery, carrots and coriander are main flavours here (and few chilli flakes if you like a bit of spice). Simple!
No potatoes to bulk it up, just carrots baby and lots of them, it's a carrot soup after all.
If you'd rather try a soup where carrots share the crown with another veg, you will love my Carrot and Swede Soup.
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✔️ What's so special about this recipe
- It's a soup with very few ingredients.
- Very inexpensive and easy to make.
- Perfect for batch cooking/meal prep.
- Freezer friendly.
- Can be adapted if you don't have or like fresh coriander (cilantro).
- Kids' favourite!
- Pure carrot goodness.
- Naturally vegan and gluten-free.
- You can make it on the hob, in your soup maker or slow cooker.
📝 Ingredients
Here is what you need to make my Classic Carrot and Coriander Soup recipe:
Carrots - Star of the show. Humble ingredient that most of us have in our fridges at any given time.
Ground Coriander - This fragrant spice provides lovely and gentle flavour that goes so well with carrots.
Ground version is great for ease and accessibility but you could also use coriander seeds which you can toast in a dry pan first before crushing in a pestle and mortar and adding to the soup.
Fresh Coriander (Cilantro)- Addition of fresh coriander really makes this soup in my opinion. I cook stalks together with onion, garlic and celery and add the leaves at the very end.
Fresh coriander is quite strong in flavour and is known to divide opinions but it really does make this soup I think.
***Quick Tip*** You can still make this soups even if you don't have fresh coriander. You can skip it completely and simply add a bit more ground coriander instead. Make sure you taste your soup first though as the amount already included might be enough for you.
Onion, Garlic, Celery - Classic flavour base for any soup.
Chilli Flakes - I like to add a good pinch of chilli flakes here which bring lovely heat to the soup but you don't have to. Feel free to leave them out completely or perhaps offer them as an optional sprinkle to those who might like them when serving.
Vegetable Stock - Feel free to use any veggie stock you like, homemade, from cube or bouillon powder are all fine.
***Quick Tip*** The amount of salt you add to your soup will depend on the saltiness of your stock, so taste first before adding extra seasoning.
Olive Oil - For sautéing veggies when cooking on the hob and to help with Vit A absorbency (see Pro Tips below for more info).
🔪 Instructions
Ingredient quantities & detailed instructions to be found in recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Start by preparing all vegetables as per recipe card below.
Roughly chop peeled onion, celery and coriander stalks and slice or chop peeled garlic cloves.
Peel and slice the carrots into coins.
Heat up couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan with a lid.
Add prepared onion, garlic, celery and coriander stalks (if using) and fry on a medium heat, stirring frequently until veg starts to soften (approx. 5 minutes). Feel free to add a splash of water to help veggies along if they start to stick a bit.
Next, add ground coriander and chilli flakes (if using), stir them in and fry for another minute.
Last but not least add carrot slices followed immediately by the stock.
Give it all a good stir and let your soup come to boil.
Next, cover the pan, lower the heat and simmer your carrot soup for 15-25 minutes or until carrots are tender.
***Quick Tip*** How long you will have to cook your soup for will depend on the size of carrot slices you've got so keep checking with the tip of the knife from about 15 minutes into cooking.
Once carrots are tender, take the pan off the heat and add fresh coriander leaves (if using).
Using stick (immersion) blender, puree the soup until smooth or until you've reached the consistency you like.
You can also transfer the soup to the high speed blender for even smoother finish if you like.
Make sure to taste and adjust seasoning as per your preference and the soup is ready to serve.
💭 Pro Tips
Make double batch to freeze, it's such a delicious and beautifully flavoured soup, you will be grateful for a stash in the freezer for when the need strikes.
Always taste and adjust seasoning as per your own preference and be careful with salt if using stock cubes or bouillon powder as they are quite salty already.
This soup is lovely pureed super smooth but you might fancy leaving it a bit chunky, whatever you prefer.
Add coriander leaves (if using )at the very end when soup is off the heat and stalks at the start of cooking for maximum flavour.
Add some olive oil to your carrot soup (even if making it in a soup maker or a slow cooker) as Vitamin A in carrots is fat soluble and is much better absorbed into your bloodstream when consumed with fat. [source: Healthline]
🥡 Storing
Store: Keep leftover soup in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheat: Reheat gently on the hob or in the microwave.
Freeze: Carrot and coriander soup can be frozen for up to 3 months and defrosted overnight in the fridge.
I really like and rate these reusable and leakproof freezer bags which are great for soups, stews and sauces.
***Quick Tip*** When freezing any soups, make sure to leave couple centimetres of headroom in the container you are using for liquid expansion.
🍴 Serving Suggestions
I love this soup in its purest form and maybe with a sprinkle of chilli flakes and some extra coriander leaves as a little garnish.
I do think that it's all about carrots here in their unadulterated form and of course married with coriander.
You might, however, like to drizzle over some extra virgin olive oil, soya cream or even coconut milk.
As a little side and to make it more of a substantial meal, I will never say no to a lovely bit of homemade bread (choose from my no knead wholemeal loaf, soft crust white bread or perhaps crusty bread roll).
We also love my air fryer crispy chickpeas or a savoury veggie muffin or two.
❓ FAQ
Absolutely! In fact it's a great soup to utilise your soup maker for.
If your soup maker have sauté function, you can use it but you don't have to, the soup will still be delicious without sautéing veggies first.
However, I would still add a touch of olive oil to help with absorbing Vitamin A from the carrots (see Pro Tips above).
Make sure to add coriander leaves (if using) once your soup is ready and give it another quick blend to incorporate.
Yes and again no sautéing necessary.Simply pop everything in the slow cooker (with the exception of coriander leaves) and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6-7.
When time is up simply add coriander leaves (if using) and blend your soup using stick blender.
It's up to you. I tend to peel older carrots and save peelings for the compost or veggie stock but you can use scrubbed and unpeeled carrots too.
Have you tried my Classic Carrot and Coriander Soup?
Please consider giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in recipe card below and share your views or tips in the comments.
📋 Recipe
Carrot and Coriander Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 celery sticks roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and thinly sliced
- 800 g carrots (weight after peeling) peeled or not (up to you) and sliced into coins
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander see notes
- 30 g bunch fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves separated from the stalks and stalks roughly chopped (see notes)
- 1 ltr vegetable stock homemade, from cube or bouillon powder are fine
- chilli flakes to taste (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start by preparing all vegetables.Roughly chop peeled onion, celery and coriander stalks and slice or chop peeled garlic cloves.Peel and slice the carrots into coins.
- Heat up couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan with a lid. Add prepared onion, garlic, celery and coriander stalks (if using) and fry on a medium heat, stirring frequently until veg starts to soften (approx. 5 minutes). Feel free to add a splash of water to help veggies along if they start to stick a bit.2 tablespoon olive oil, 1 large onion, 2 celery sticks, 2 garlic cloves, 30 g bunch fresh coriander (cilantro)
- Next, add ground coriander and chilli flakes (if using), stir them in and fry for another minute.2 teaspoon ground coriander, chilli flakes
- Last but not least add carrot slices followed immediately by the stock. Give it all a good stir and let your soup come to boil.Next, cover the pan, lower the heat and simmer your carrot soup for 15-25 minutes or until the carrots are tender.***Quick Tip*** How long you will have to cook your soup for will depend on the size of carrot slices you've got so keep checking with the tip of the knife from about 15 minutes into cooking.800 g carrots (weight after peeling), 1 ltr vegetable stock
- Once carrots are tender, take the pan off the heat and add fresh coriander leaves (if using). Using stick (immersion) blender puree the soup until smooth or until you've reached the consistency you like. You can also transfer the soup to the high speed blender for even smoother finish if you like. Make sure to taste and adjust seasoning as per your preference and the soup is ready to serve.30 g bunch fresh coriander (cilantro), salt and pepper to taste
Notes
- Nutritional information is approximate, per serving (based on 4 servings) and should be treated as a rough guideline only.
- Ground coriander can be substituted with coriander seeds. I would suggest toasting them lightly in a dry frying pan first (to intensify the flavour) and then crush them in pestle and mortar before adding to the soup.
- This soup can still be made without fresh coriander (cilantro) although I would really recommend using it. If you want to omit it, however, simply add a bit more ground coriander instead. Make sure you taste your soup first though as the amount already included might be enough for you.
- The soup can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Lynn says
Gorgeous soup and very easy to make.
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you Lynn, so pleased you enjoyed it. 🙂