Vegan Carrot Soup

5 from 15 votes

This easy Vegan Carrot Soup is light, silky, and packed with fresh flavor. Ready in just 35 minuteswith simple ingredients — perfect as a starter or light lunch. Gluten-free!

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Total Time35

Course: Soups, Stews, and Chilis

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Servings: servings

Calories: 172kcal

Author: Jenn Sebestyen

Equipment

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil use broth or water for an oil-free option
1 yellow onion diced
2 red bell peppers seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
3 carrots peeled and chopped
¼ cup fresh parsley chopped, plus more for garnish
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth plus more, as needed
½ teaspoon salt or to taste
¼ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar for serving, optional

Instructions

In a medium pot, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion and peppers. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until soft and translucent.
Add the carrots, garlic, parsley, vegetable broth, salt, and pepper. Incrase the heat to bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the carrots are soft.
Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until smooth. Add additional broth if you like a thinner consistency.
Alternately, you can carefully transfer the soup to a blender, purée, and return the soup to the pot. A blender will make a smoother soup than the immersion blender, but I prefer the little bits of texture that remain.
Serve hot with a drizzle of balsamic and chopped fresh parsley, if using.

Notes

Peel the carrots. Technically you can skip this step if you scrub them well, but peeling gives you the smoothest result.

Don't rush the sauté. Taking the time to properly soften the onions and peppers before adding everything else builds a flavor base that makes the finished soup taste much more complex.

Blend thoroughly. For the silkiest texture, blend for a full 1-2 minutes — longer than you think you need to. If using a countertop blender, work in batches and be careful with the hot liquid.

Taste before serving. The balsamic vinegar drizzle at the end really does make a difference — don't skip it. Taste the soup before and after to see exactly what it adds.

Add broth gradually. Start with 3 cups and add more after blending if you prefer a thinner soup. It's easy to thin — much harder to thicken back up without more simmering or adding more ingredients.

Nutrition