Carrot Soup

Our Carrot Soup is simply delicious and delivers on big flavor. Carrots are packed with immune boosting and inflammation fighting beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant. The butter releases and amplifies the flavor of the aromatics, onions and garlic, and the thyme adds a deep earthiness. You'll also stay hydrated with this soup—with a mixture of water, broth and half-and-half, it's a fluid boost. Keep reading for our expert tips on what tools to use for blending, ingredient substitutions and more!

Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen

These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too!

If you don't have a counter blender, use an immersion blender—it's one of the best tools to have when pureeing soups. Follow the recipe through Step 1, then puree the carrot soup with an immersion blender directly in the Dutch oven until smooth.

If this carrot soup is a bit too sweet for your taste, you can balance that sweetness with 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to boost and brighten the flavor.

We don't peel the carrots for this recipe because their skin provides extra nutrition. Just be sure to wash them well. You can also use young carrots with tender skin if you prefer. If you decide to peel the carrots, your soup will have a slightly smoother appearance.

Enhance the soup's presentation by adding a swirl of plain yogurt or freshly cut herbs before serving.

Nutrition Notes

Carrots are loaded with nutrition, including fiber, beta-carotene and potassium. While it's true that carrots are good for eye health, their antioxidants also help protect your heart, skin, brain and immune system while reducing inflammation.

This recipe calls for a whole onion, blended in—keeping all the nutrients in the soup. Onions are part of the allium family and contain an antioxidant called quercetin, which has anti-cancer potential. Onions are also very low in calories and contain potassium, which is beneficial for heart health by helping to lower blood pressure.

Lower-sodium broth is a healthy choice for this recipe by allowing you to control the amount of salt that goes in your soup. Lowering the sodium in your diet overall is good for maintaining healthy blood pressure.

A 2-cup serving of this carrot soup will provide about 5 grams of fiber—which is about 19% of your daily fiber needs in one delicious bowl.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or parsley

5 cups chopped carrots

2 cups water

4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, "no-chicken" broth (see Note) or vegetable broth

½ cup half-and-half (optional)

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper to taste

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Directions

Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until the butter melts. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and 1 teaspoon thyme (or parsley); cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Stir in carrots. Add 2 cups water and 4 cups broth; bring to a lively simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a lively simmer and cook until very tender, about 25 minutes.

Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Stir in ½ cup half-and-half (if using), ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.