This is the best carrot soup recipe. It’s sweet from carrots, tangy from cider vinegar, rich from cream, and fresh from dill. And it’s ready in 15 minutes!
Did you know that the carrots we eat today are orange for political reasons? Prior to the 17th century carrots were a variety of colors, from red to white to yellow to purple. Yes, even purple. But then, as a tribute to William of Orange, Dutch growers began cultivating orange carrots.
So when you see a purple carrot at the farmer’s market, don’t panic and think it’s a weird new genetic mutation. That purple carrot is the original.
Using Matchstick Carrots
As original as it may be, I thought that orange carrots would be best for this carrot soup. But I wanted carrots that would cook really quickly so I went with matchstick carrots (sometimes called shredded carrots). These are sold pre-peeled and pre-cut in plastic bags right next to the baby carrots in the refrigerated produce section.
Making Carrot Soup
To make this soup, you simmer the matchsticks in liquid just until they’re softened. I usually use chicken stock, but you can keep it vegetarian with veggie broth. Then they get pureed into a silky soup.
It’s important to taste the soup at this point and then make a decision. It will either be too sweet or too sour or just right. This depends on how sweet (or not) the carrots were to start with. If the soup isn’t sweet enough, you add a bit of honey. If it’s too sweet (or if you like a bit of tang) you add a touch of cider vinegar.
Then you ladle the soup into bowls and then add the final perfect touch: A drizzle of cream that adds depth and richness to the soup. By drizzling it in at the end instead of cooking it in, it stays more potent and adds so much flavor to every mouthful. You can add cream at the end to any kind of pureed soup. It takes it to a completely new level. For more tips like this for making soup delicious quickly, click here.
More Easy Vegetable Soup Recipes
PrintQuick Carrot Soup with Dill
- Prep Time: 0 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
This delicious carrot soup recipe has a bit of tang from cider vinegar, richness from cream, sweetness from carrots and freshness from dill. It’s a flavor powerhouse that I know you’re going to love.
Ingredients
- 5 cups low or no-sodium vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 cloves garlic
- Fresh dill
- 2 (10oz.) bags carrot matchsticks
- 1 tsp. honey (optional)
- 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar (optional)
- 4 tsp. heavy cream
Instructions
- Put a large pot or Dutch oven on high heat on the stove. Pour in the stock and add the salt. Cover it until it boils.
- Mince 2 cloves of garlic. Chop about 1/3 cup of fresh dill.
- When the stock boils, add the carrots and the garlic. Stir. Cover. Keep the pot on high until it returns to a boil. Then reduce the heat to a moderate simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the carrots are tender.
- Fill your blender halfway full of carrots and broth. Puree. Pour it into a large bowl.
- Repeat until you’ve pureed all the soup. Taste the soup. If it isn’t sweet enough (because sometimes the carrots aren’t as sweet as other times) add some honey. If it’s too sweet, or if you just like a bit of tang, add some cider vinegar.
- Stir in 1/4 cup of the dill. Ladle into bowls. Drizzle each portion with a teaspoon of heavy cream and a sprinkle of the remaining dill.