Carrot and Coriander Soup
This is one of those soups we genuinely make on repeat, especially when the weather turns and you want something that feels like a proper hug in a bowl. Roasting the carrots first is the move that makes all the difference, it brings out this deep, sweet flavour that you just can't get any other way. You get warmth from the spices, freshness from the coriander, and that natural sweetness from the carrots all in one spoonful. It's simple, it's satisfying, and it looks way more impressive than the effort involved. Make a big batch tonight and you'll be glad you did.
Before You Start
- Preheat oven to 200°C
- Large roasting tin
- Blender
- Large saucepan with lid
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- ¾ tsp sweet smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 3 tsp sherry - or 3 tsp cider vinegar, or 1/2 lemon
- 1 large onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1.8 litre vegetable stock - or water
- 50g fresh coriander
- Salt & pepper to taste
- extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp peppercorns
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp maple syrup - or golden syrup
- pinch of caraway seeds - optional
- 1 ½kg carrots
- bread for dipping
Method
Roast the carrots
- Pour the oil for the carrots into the roasting tin
- Put the tin in the hot oven for 5 minutes
- Meanwhile, peel the carrots and cut them into roughly 4cm lengths
- Remove the tin from the oven and add the carrots
- Roast for 30 minutes
- Sprinkle over the spices and syrup and roast for 10 minutes more
Cook the base
- Place the saucepan over a medium heat and pour in the oil
- Peel and chop the onions and add them to the hot oil
- Cover and cook for 8 minutes, until softened and lightly golden
- Bash open the garlic and chop the cloves
- Turn the heat to low, add the garlic, mix well, cover and cook for 1 minute
Add the carrots
- Take the carrots out of the oven and add them
- to the pot, scraping in all the spices from the base
- Add the paprika and tomato purée and mix well
- Add the stock or water
- Cover, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes
- Take the pan off the heat
- Season and leave to cool to room temperature
Blend the soup
- Separate the coriander leaves and stems
- Finely chop the stems and roughly chop the leaves
- If using a power blender, pour the cooled soup into the blender
- Add the coriander stems and the sherry, cider vinegar or squeeze in the lemon juice
- Blend until smooth
Time to serve
- When you’re ready to serve, warm the soup to simmering in
- a saucepan over a medium heat
- Season to taste with salt and pepper, squeeze in a little lemon juice, if using, and drizzle over a little extra- virgin olive oil
- Ladle the soup into bowls, top with the coriander leaves and serve immediately, with bread alongside for dipping
Tips & Variations
- Get the oil hot first: We always heat the oil in the roasting tin before adding the carrots. It helps them start caramelising straight away rather than just steaming.
- Blend it smooth: If you want a really silky finish, blitz the soup for a good couple of minutes and pass it through a sieve. It takes an extra few minutes but the texture is unreal.
- Top it well: We love serving this with a swirl of coconut cream, a handful of fresh coriander leaves, and some crusty bread on the side. It turns a simple soup into something that feels really special.
Why This Works
The trick here is getting the carrots properly roasted before they go anywhere near the blender. We add a little syrup and spices towards the end of roasting, and that's where the magic happens, it caramelises slightly and builds this incredible depth of flavour that a regular boiled carrot soup just can't compete with. Trust us on this one, it's worth the extra step.