This Thai-inspired carrot soup has the yummy spice of a warm bowl of Thai curry, is uber creamy, and thanks to the carrots, is not only beautifully colored but also has an added punch of beta carotene, fiber, and antioxidants!
THIS SOUP. This was one of those recipes that sounded good, so we thought we’d test it, and when we made it, we were BLOWN AWAY. First of all, the aroma of the soup itself would make a very full person hungry, the color of the soup is so beautifully vibrant, and the TASTE…y’all, the taste of this soup is amazing. If Thai curry is something you love, you’ve got to make this soup, and if you’ve never had Thai curry (or you’re skeptical), this soup will make you fall in love with the subtle spice and bold flavors that make up a steaming bowl of red curry!
Tips for the Best Creamy Carrot Soup
While this recipe is super easy, it is important that you follow the steps below for the best final product!
- Blend in a high-speed blender. This is KEY. The higher the quality blender you have, the smoother your soup will be. We use a Vitamix and it works great!
- Don’t over or under-cook the carrots. You want your carrots perfectly blendable, so cut them into even pieces so that they cook evenly!
- Use full-fat coconut milk for a creamier texture. Though you can use light coconut milk here, we really recommend going with full-fat. It’ll round out your soup, and make it SUPER creamy!
Thai Carrot Soup Ingredients
The ingredients here are pretty basic and can all be found at your local grocery store. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil – to start, you’ll need about 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil. This is for sauteing your onions, garlic, and ginger, so don’t worry too much about measuring – just eyeball it!
- Yellow Onion – you’ll also need dice 1 small yellow onion,…
- Garlic – …grate 3 cloves garlic (we’ve found that grated garlic infuses into soups better than minced garlic does…this zester works great for grating!),…
- Fresh Ginger – …a peeled and grated (using the zester!) 1-inch piece of fresh ginger root, and…
- Carrots – …2 pounds peeled of carrots cut into 1-inch chunks.
- Veggie Broth – the liquid base of this soup will be 4 cups of veggie broth, and the flavor is built with…
- Sea Salt – …a ½ teaspoon of sea salt,…
- Thai Red Curry Paste – …3 tablespoons of Thai red curry paste,…
- Coconut Milk – …a 13.5-ounce can of full-fat coconut milk, and…
- Lime Juice – … a ¼ cup of fresh lime juice (the juice from 2 large limes).
- Fresh Cilantro – to finish everything off, you’ll garnish each serving with chopped fresh cilantro and…
- Peanuts – chopped peanuts!
How to Make Thai Carrot Soup
This recipe is SO simple! If I (Brandi) can make this recipe, YOU CAN TOO! Here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Add the Olive Oil – add the olive oil to a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat.
- Saute the Onion, Then Add the Garlic + Ginger – once the oil runs thin, add the onion to the pot and saute for 5-7 minutes, until the onion is translucent and just starting to brown. Then, add the grated garlic and ginger and saute for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Add the Carrots, Broth, and Salt, Boil, and Cover – add the carrots, broth, and salt to the pot, then increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes, until the carrots can be easily pierced with a fork.
- Blend – transfer the soup to a blender and blend on high until smooth, then pour the soup back into the pot.
- Add the Curry Paste, Coconut Milk, and Lime Juice – stir the curry paste, coconut milk, and lime juice into the soup, then taste and add more salt if needed.
- Garnish + Serve – top each serving with chopped cilantro and fresh peanuts and enjoy!
How long do you boil carrots for soup?
The carrots should only take 20 minutes to cook and soften. Be sure to get your soup to a rolling boil before turning the heat down and covering the pot!
What can I do with a lot of carrots?
If you have more carrots than this soup calls for, don’t fret! We’ve got some really great uses for extra carrots. Here are a few of our favorite ways to use this vibrantly-colored veggie:
Savory Carrot Recipes
- Caramelized Garam Masala Carrots
- Ginger Orange Caramelized Carrots
- Shredded Carrot Breakfast Hash
- Moroccan-Inspired Cooked Carrot Salad
- Cumin Lime Carrots
Sweet Carrot Recipes
- Gluten-Free Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
- Carrot Cookie Cake
- Paleo Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
How to Serve Thai Carrot Soup
This meal is really well-rounded and filling all on its own, but feel free to make it your own if you’d like! Here are a few ideas for serving carrot soup:
- Over Rice – serve this soup over a scoop or two of white or brown rice!
- Add Chicken – if you want to add a little bit of extra protein to your soup, feel free to throw in some shredded chicken!
- Add Veggies – though this soup is loaded with veggies already (hello, carrots!), steamed broccoli or green beans would be a really yummy addition here! Make the soup as written, and scoop some broccoli or green beans into your bowl when serving!
We hope you love this beautiful Thai-inspired carrot soup as much as we do – it’s going to be on repeat around here during all of the cooler-weather months!
Thai-Inspired Carrot Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic grated
- 1 inch fresh ginger peeled and grated
- 2 pounds carrots peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 1 13.5 ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 1/4 cup lime juice about 2 large limes
- Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
- Chopped peanuts for garnish
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat.
- Once the oil runs thin, add the onion to the pot and saute for 5-7 minutes, until the onion is translucent and just starting to brown. Then, add the garlic and ginger and saute for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Add the carrots, broth, and salt to the pot, then increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes, until the carrots can be easily pierced with a fork.
- Transfer the soup to a blender and blend on high until smooth, then pour the soup back into the pot.
- Stir the curry paste, coconut milk, and lime juice into the soup, then taste and add more salt if needed.
- Serve the soup garnished with chopped cilantro and fresh peanuts.
Nutrition
I have the carrots already cooked (food box!) and everything else, but not the red Thai paste. Have Golden Curry Japanese mix or regular curry powder. Also giving some cooked carrots to my dog and dehydrated some!
Sounds delicious! What a great use of all your carrots! ~Melissa
This sounds amazing but one question – would the curry paste benefit from being cooked prior to adding into the soup?
No need to cook it ahead of time, Kathryn! Enjoy!
I have this in my list to try next!
Do you know if this soup freezes well?
It’s SO YUMMY, Caroline. I hope you love it! I think it would freeze really well!
Easy, tasty, and healthy… What more could you ask for. Fed + Fit recipes always deliver!
Ah, so kind, Sophia. Thank you! This recipe is one of my very favorites!
This was so easy and delicious, it made a simple carrot soup so much less boring! It was super quick in the instant pot. Thanks!
So glad you enjoyed it, Anne!
This is so delish! Pretty simple and loads of flavor. I added a few dashes of fish sauce for a little extra flavor. Yum!
So glad you loved it, Ariane!!
Looks super yummy, I love Thai red curry paste! Was there supposed to be a link for the zested used?
There is! Good catch. This is the one that should’ve been linked!