Fresh carrots, ginger, sweet potatoes, and coconut milk come together to create a rich and creamy soup that’s bursting with flavor! This vegan carrot ginger soup is so vibrant that it looks like liquid gold!
*This recipe was originally posted on 9/19/17, but I updated it with better recipe instructions on 9/25/19.
You’re going to love this delicious vegan carrot ginger soup! My husband and I joke that I should have named it “liquid gold soup” because it has the most beautiful vibrant golden orange color!
This creamy soup is so easy to make, it requires less than 10 ingredients, and it’s ready in under one hour! This gourmet soup is like pure sunshine in a bowl. It’s bright, fresh, and so flavorful! I highly recommend that you enjoy this soup with a few slices of crusty bread so you can scoop up every last bite!
You can enjoy this carrot ginger sweet potato soup any time of the year but it’s especially festive to enjoy during the fall and winter season. There’s nothing better than a big cozy bowl of soup!
How do You Make Carrot Ginger Soup – Step by Step Instructions
Step #1 – In a 6-quart dutch oven, saute the diced red onion in 2-3 tbsp of low-sodium vegetable broth until it’s translucent. Season with a pinch of salt to help the onions caramelize.
Step #2 – Add chopped sweet potatoes, carrots, grated ginger, minced garlic, thyme, cinnamon, low-sodium vegetable broth, salt, and pepper (Photos 1 & 2). Give it a good stir and bring it to a low simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the soup, and let it cook for 30 minutes or until all the vegetables are soft (Photo 3).
Step #3 – Blend the chunky soup in a high-powered blender (Photo 4) or use an immersion blender to puree the soup until thick and creamy. (If you used a blender, pour the blended soup back into the pot.)
Step #4 – Over medium heat, stir in the unsweetened coconut milk and mix it well (Photos 5 & 6). Taste and add any more salt to taste.
Step #5 – Garnish the carrot ginger coconut soup with a drizzle of cashew cream, vegan yogurt, fresh thyme or a sprinkle of cayenne pepper.
What Can I Substitute for Carrots?
Carrots are the best option for this soup because of their delicious flavor and vibrant color, but if you need to use a substitute then butternut squash, pumpkin, or parsnips would be your best option. If you use parsnips, I recommend that you add 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder to the soup to boost the golden yellow color because most parsnips are very pale.
Can You Use Roasted Vegetables?
I boiled the carrots and sweet potatoes in the soup broth because it’s one less step and one less tray to clean but you could definitely roast the carrots, onions, garlic, and sweet potatoes before pureeing them if you prefer.
Roasting brings out the natural sweetness in vegetables so this would be another delicious way to make this healthy carrot and ginger soup.
Do You Have to Use Coconut Milk?
I used unsweetened canned coconut milk to give this carrot ginger soup a super-rich and creamy texture. However, this soup is just as delicious when made with vegetable broth or water instead of coconut milk. I’ve made it all three ways and all three versions are delicious.
The coconut milk version of this carrot soup is my favorite because it’s so creamy. The vegetable broth and water versions are still very tasty but they taste a little bit lighter and aren’t as creamy.
What to Serve with Carrot Ginger Soup?
My go-to option is always a slice of fresh crusty bread to dunk into the soup. If you’d like to make your own homemade bread, you should try my favorite easy no-knead bread recipe. It’s delicious!
You could also serve:
- Roasted Brussel Sprouts
- Baked Potatoes
- Roasted Asparagus
- Avocado Arugula Cherry Tomato Salad
- Roasted Garlic Radishes (Oil-Free)
Is This Soup Allergy-Friendly?
Yes, this soup recipe is allergy-friendly because it’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free (if you use vegetable broth instead of coconut milk). This soup is also whole food plant-based, vegetarian, and vegan.
Notes & Substitutions
- If you need a substitute for carrots, butternut squash is your best option. I recommend using frozen butternut squash since it should already be chopped and ready to use. (You can find frozen butternut squash at Trader Joe’s. Here’s my TJ’s vegan shopping list if you need inspiration.)
- If you need a substitute for the sweet potato, a peeled russet potato is your best option.
- If you prefer the flavor of roasted vegetables over boiled vegetables, you can roast the onions, carrots, sweet potatoes, and garlic before pureeing it.
- I used unsweetened canned coconut milk to make the carrot soup taste extra creamy. However, if you want to make the soup a little bit lighter, you could substitute low-sodium vegetable broth, almond milk, or water for the coconut milk. I’ve made this soup with all three options and they’re each delicious.
- If you don’t have fresh thyme on hand, you can substitute 1/2 tsp of dried thyme.
- Pacific organic low-sodium vegetable broth is my favorite brand of broth that I use in all of my soup recipes because it tastes great, it’s low-sodium, and it doesn’t have any added sugar or oil.
- You can give this carrot soup a little bit of heat by adding 1/8-1/4 tsp of spicy cayenne pepper. The spice goes very well with the natural sweetness from the carrots and sweet potatoes.
Tips to Make the Best Carrot Ginger Soup Recipe
- Make sure to peel the carrots and sweet potato so the soup will have the creamiest consistency.
- You can use fresh or frozen vegetables for this recipe, look for the best price and what’s in season. (Frozen veggies are just as good as fresh and they’re usually cheaper!) You could even use baby carrots if that’s what you have on hand.
- Using a high-powered blender (I use this Vitamix blender) will give you the best smooth texture but you could also use an immersion blender. It will take you a little bit longer to blend and the texture might be a little chunkier but it will still taste great!
- Store the leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or you can freeze it for a future meal.
More Vegan Soup Recipes You’ll Love!
The Best Vegetable Lasagna Soup
Creamy Coconut Lentil Spinach Chickpea Soup
Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Basil Soup
Easy Stuffed Pepper Quinoa Soup
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Vegan Creamy Carrot Ginger Sweet Potato Soup
Equipment
- 6-Quart Dutch Oven or Large Soup Pot
- High-Powered Blender or Immersion Blender
Ingredients
- 2-3 tbsp low-sodium vegetable broth (or olive oil)
- 1 medium red onion diced
- 5 cups carrots chopped (about 10 medium carrots)
- 1 medium sweet potato peeled and diced (about 2 cups)
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 tsp ground cinammon
- 1 1/2 inch piece of ginger peeled and grated
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried)
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1/2 tsp Himalayan pink sea salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 14 oz canned coconut milk (or sub 2 cups of vegetable broth, almond milk, or water)
Instructions
- In a 6-quart dutch oven, saute the diced red onion in 2-3 tbsp of low-sodium vegetable broth until it’s translucent. Season with a pinch of salt to help the onions caramelize.
- Add chopped sweet potatoes, carrots, cinnamon, grated ginger, minced garlic, thyme, low-sodium vegetable broth, salt, and pepper. Give it a good stir and bring it to a low simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the soup, and let it cook for 30 minutes or until all the vegetables are soft.
- Blend the soup in a high-powered blender or use an immersion blender to puree the soup until thick and creamy. Pour the blended soup back into the pot.
- Over medium heat, stir in the unsweetened coconut milk and mix it well. Let the soup cook a few more minutes until it's hot all the way through. Taste and add any additional seasonings now.
- Garnish the soup with a drizzle of cashew cream, vegan yogurt, fresh thyme or a sprinkle of cayenne pepper.
Notes
- Make sure to peel the carrots and sweet potato so the carrot ginger soup will have the creamiest consistency.
- You can use fresh or frozen vegetables for this recipe, look for the best price and what's in season. (Frozen veggies are just as good as fresh and they're usually cheaper!) You could even use baby carrots if that's what you have on hand.
- Using a high-powered blender (I use this Vitamix blender) will give you the best smooth texture but you could also use an immersion blender. It will take you a little bit longer to blend and the texture might be a little chunkier but it will still taste great!
- Store the leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or you can freeze it for a future meal.
