This Carrot and Cilantro Soup is one of those simple recipes that you’ll want to make again and again. It’s super quick (under 30 minutes!) and full of flavor, using basic ingredients that are probably already hanging out in your kitchen. The soup turns out creamy and velvety smooth – no cream or sour cream needed unless you want to add some extra richness!
I especially love making a big batch and popping some in the freezer for easy lunches or to help stretch a dinner when we have unexpected guests. It’s cozy, satisfying, and perfect for those cooler days when you’re craving something warm and comforting. My family and I are big fans of this one, and I hope you love it as much as we do!
If you are looking for more vegetarian soups, you will love my Vegetable Barley Soup or my White Bean Soup.
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Why you’ll love this recipe
- Simple. Easy to find ingredients. No need to hunt anything down at 3 different stores.
- Budget Friendly. Nothing to break the bank over here
- Freezer Friendly. Make a double or triple batch and freeze!
- Diet Friendly. This recipe can be vegan and vegetarian. Be sure to use vegetable stock. It can be dairy free (omit the garnish) and is naturally gluten free.
Key Recipe Ingredients
The full list of ingredients and amounts is found in the printable recipe card below.
- Garlic. Ramp it up or dial it back, depending on your tastes.
- Onion. Dice this up finely so that it blends well at the end.
- Cilantro. This is key, here. We want the cilantro stems as well as the leaves. There is so much flavor in the stems, and they are essential to the deep flavor of the soup.
- Carrots. They do not have to be pretty carrots. A half eaten bag of baby carrots, or some tired looking carrots in the bottom of your fridge will be great. Peeling is optional. Just chunk them up and throw into the pot.
- Vegetable Stock/Vegetable Broth. Make your own vegetable stock, or use store-bought. Chicken stock/chicken broth is also totally acceptable if you don’t care about this being vegetarian.
How to make this recipe
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This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. The full list of ingredients, quantities and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.
Get prepped
Prepare the ingredients. Chop the carrots, dice the onions, mince the garlic and chop the roots and half the leaves of the cilantro bunch.
Make the soup base
Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and cilantro roots and leaves, and cook until fragrant. Add carrots, turn up the heat, and let them cook for a few minutes until they start to brown. Season with salt and pepper.
Don’t forget to use the cilantro stems, they are just as tasty as the leaves, and are essential to this soup.
Deglaze and add stock
Deglaze the saucepan with a little stock. Add enough stock (about 3 cups) to cover the ingredients in the pan, bring to a boil then reduce to medium heat, and cook until the carrots are tender, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes.
Puree
Once the carrots are soft, puree the soup in a blender (or use an immersion blender or food processor) so that it is nice and smooth. Add more stock if needed for desired consistency.
Check seasoning and adjust if needed. Garnish with sour cream, and a fresh cilantro.
Kylee’s Notes
Be sure to use ALL of the cilantro, including the stems.
The yogurt dolloped at the end is definitely a good addition, you may also use sour cream if you wish, or heavy cream if you have it.
I recommend low sodium vegetable stock for making this. You control the salt content, and it remains vegetarian for those of you who are into that!
Freezing instructions
This recipe can be frozen after cooking. Ladle into freezer safe containers, leaving plenty of room at the top for when it expands. Seal, label and freeze up to 6 months. Thaw, reheat and enjoy.
More Soup Recipes
Here are some of my favorites:
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup – perfect for feeding the family, and your soul! Enjoy this delicious, rich and flavorful version of a classic.
- Lentil Soup – great as a starter to a main, or as a main itself, this nutritious soup sticks to your ribs and satisfies!
- Butternut Squash Soup (with apple) – my all-time favorite soup, it’s healthy AND low-fat!
- Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup – hearty and warming with just the right amount of spice, blended with cheese, topped off with jalapenos, cilantro, and crispy tortilla strips.
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Carrot Cilantro Soup
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 bunch cilantro (including stems, finely chopped)
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 5 large carrots (chopped roughly)
- 3 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 3 1/2 cups vegetable stock
To Serve
- 4 tablespoons sour cream
- extra cilantro leaves
Directions
- Prepare the ingredients. Chop 5 large carrots, 1 medium onion, 3 cloves garlic, and chop the roots and 1 bunch cilantro.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat in a large saucepan or dutch oven.
- Cook the onion, garlic and cilantro roots and leaves in a large saucepan or dutch oven.
- Add carrots and turn heat up and allow to cook for a couple of minutes. Let it get really hot, and the carrots begin to brown.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Deglaze the saucepan with a little stock.
- Add 3 1/2 cups vegetable stock to cover the ingredients in the pan and cook until the carrots are tender – about 15 minutes.
- Once the carrots are soft, puree in a blender (or use an immersion/stick blender) so that it is nice and smooth. Add more stock if needed for desired consistency.
- Check seasoning and adjust if needed.
- Garnish with 4 tablespoons sour cream, and extra cilantro leaves.
- Devour.
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Notes
Nutrition Facts
Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Update: This was originally posted in 2014, and has been updated to improve reader experience.
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