This delicious and warming spicy carrot soup contains seven different store-cupboard spices and fresh ginger and garlic. It freezes and reheats well, too, so you can batch-cook it if you’ve got a glut of carrots. Finish off with a swirl of chilli-infused olive oil for an extra kick!
A family favourite
This is one of our family favourite soup recipes—the recipe I turn to time and time again when I end up with too many carrots in the fridge.
It’s a remarkably easy recipe to make, and its delicious warming spiciness is the perfect belly warmer; perfect when you’ve been out hiking the clifftops with the family and you’re looking for something to warm you from the inside out for lunch.
Ingredients needed for this easy soup recipe
- 2 tbsp good quality olive oil
- 2 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1 tbsp dried curry leaves
- 450 grams of peeled, coarsely chopped carrots
- 1 brown onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1/2 inch fresh ginger root, chopped
- 1 handful of fresh coriander leaves
- 1 tbsp mild curry powder
- 10 cardamom pods, seeds only
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 small dried chilli
- 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
- 1/8 tsp ground turmeric
- 100 ml plain natural yoghurt
Click here for the printable recipe card.
How to make this carrot soup recipe – step-by-step instructions
- Place the olive oil, black mustard seeds and curry leaves in a soup pot and heat over medium-high heat until the seeds begin to pop.
- Add the carrots, onion, garlic, ginger, curry powder, dried chilli, cardamom seeds, cumin seeds and fresh coriander leaves. Stir to coat well.
- Pop the lid on the soup pot, reduce the heat to low and leave for 15 minutes for the vegetables to soften.
- Add the chicken stock and turmeric and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 20 minutes.
- Allow the soup to cool slightly and puree with a hand blender.
- Stir in the natural yoghurt and season to taste.
Tips for making this spicy carrot soup recipe
- measure everything out in advance – it makes things a lot easier
- peel the carrots before you weigh them as you can lose a lot of weight with the peel
- use the ginger and chilli sparingly if you don’t want too spicy of a soup
- if the soup is too hot, stir in another spoonful (or two) of plain, natural yoghurt to cool it down
- if the soup isn’t hot enough, garnish with a swirl of chilli-infused olive oil for an extra kick!
- freeze before adding the yoghurt – simply defrost heat and add the yoghurt before serving.
- this soup reheats very well – perfect for taking out on hill walks in a thermos flask or reheating over a camping stove.
- make it vegetarian by using vegetable stock instead of chicken.
- use coconut or soy yoghurt and vegetable stock to make it vegan.
- use Icelandic Skyr instead of yoghurt to make the resulting soup higher in protein
Recipe Difficulty Levels
Easy
Requires basic cooking skills and ingredients you most likely already have in your kitchen.
Moderate
Requires more experience, preparation and/or cooking time. You may have to source special ingredients.
Challenging
Recipes requiring more advanced skills and experience and maybe some special equipment.
Spicy Carrot Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1 tbsp whole curry leaves
- 1 brown onion coarsely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 450 grams carrots peeled and chopped weight
- 0.5 inch fresh ginger root peeled and chopped
- 1 tbsp mild curry powder
- 1 small dried red chillies crumbled
- 1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds
- 10 green cardamom pods seeds only
- 1 handful fresh coriander leaves
- 1 litre chicken stock
- 1/8 tsp ground turmeric
- Shetland sea salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 100 ml plain natural yoghurt or more, to taste
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Equipment
Instructions
- Place 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp black mustard seeds and 1 tbsp whole curry leaves in a soup pot and heat over medium-high heat until the seeds begin to pop.
- Add 450 grams carrots, peeled and roughly chopped, 1 brown onion, 2 garlic cloves, 0.5 inch fresh ginger root, 1 tbsp mild curry powder, 1 small dried red chillies, 1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds, the seeds from 10 green cardamom pods and 1 handful fresh coriander leaves. Stir to coat well.
- Pop the lid on the soup pot, reduce the heat to low and leave for 15 minutes for the vegetables to soften.
- Add 1 litre chicken stock and 1/8 tsp ground turmeric and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 20 minutes.
- Allow the soup to cool slightly and puree with a hand blender.
- Stir in 100 ml plain natural yoghurt and season to taste with Shetland sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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What a lovely sounding recipe, this sounds like it would go down a treat in the winter
I adore carrot soup and had a few this past winter! Definitely a staple and so healthy!
Wow! I love carrot soup and this one sound absolutely divine. I love the different store cupboard spices and I think I own them all already. My only query….. what is a brown onion in the UK??
This looks delicious will give it a try one day
I swear whenever I make soup they never look as good or nice as yours does. Spicy carrot sounds like such a good combination x
The carrot soup is beautifully presented! I love the sound of it being spicy… would love to try it!
Ooh this looks like such a delicious recipe! I love carrot soup but love the idea of a little added spice. I’m going to give this a go this week!
This looks delicious! I love batch cooking soup and freezing portions for later, so convenient for easy lunches x
50 minutes to make this beauty? Sounds like a done deal to me. I love soup so much and I am always wondering how to make my own, turns out it is easier than I thought. I always thought you needed a blender to make it, I was wrong!
Beautiful soup! I love how you’ve garnished it. I can get everything here in the States except those curry leaves, I never see those at my grocery store, any suggestions for a substitution?
You might be able to find them in the Indian spice section of your supermarket. They’re becoming more popular these days.
I love making homemade carrot soup and this recipe looks fantastic! Love all the spices in there! So flavourful!
What a savory and delicious looking soup! Will make the perfect side with dinner tonight!
This sounds so tasty, I’m going to have to save the recipe and give it a go!
Yum!! This looks perfect! I love how you currified this soup! Yum! (:
Yummy, such a fantastic flavor combo in this soup!
This sounds like a really warming soup, perfect on stormy days like today