The BEST way to eat carrots!! The humble carrot makes an amazing creamy carrot soup – but when you sneak bacon in, it makes it over-the-top delicious!
This is a terrific carrot recipe to serve as a meal. Thick and creamy, savoury and sweet, Carrot Soup is quick to make, healthy, freezes brilliantly, and the only thing it needs is hot crusty bread for dunking. And I love the colour!
Creamy Carrot Soup is the BEST way to eat carrots!
When the end of the week rolls round and the cupboards are pretty bare, I can still bank on having carrots, onion and garlic.
And there are a handful of terrific meals that I can think of making with these 3 things – Carrot Pilaf, sautéed carrot in garlic butter tossed through pasta, a golden fluffy omelette stuffed with buttery julienned carrots, and this creamy carrot soup.
Clocking in at just 351 calories for a big bowl, Carrot Soup is creamy deliciousness that’s full of nutrition!
Bacon is the secret ingredient!
Though this creamy carrot soup does have a wee bit more in it than just carrots, onion and garlic, they are mostly pantry essentials with the “other” things being optional.
Like – bacon. 🙂 Crisp up some bacon in the pot before adding all the carrot soup stuff, and it makes the most amazing flavour base ever. It really takes the humble carrot soup to another level.
So I’m really hoping you have some bacon stashed away in the freezer (and if not – why not?!😉)
Health benefits of carrot
As rabbits well know, carrots are GOOD for you!! Here’s why:
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High in antioxidants which are important for good health
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High in vitamin A – for general well being and specifically, vision and immunity
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Rich in other vitamins, minerals and fibre
Carrot Soup looks pretty much like Pumpkin Soup. In fact, you could interchange the two photos and I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference (errr, well except for the fact that I took those photos so I know which is which 😂)
There are also similarities in the flavour. Naturally sweet with undertones of savoury, and the same thick, creamy texture – even if you don’t use cream. I do use a bit of cream in this recipe – but it’s optional. It adds an extra touch of richness that can be substituted with a dollop of butter – or left out.
When I’m trying to be “healthy”, I leave the cream out of the soup then drizzle just 1 teaspoon on the surface. It tricks my simple mind into thinking there’s more cream in it than there actually is!
Also – don’t forget Soup Dunkers. Always an essential part of a soup eating experience! Here are a few of my favourites.
Soup Dunkers
– Nagi x
Creamy Carrot Soup
Watch how to make it
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Creamy Carrot Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil or butter
- 4 slices streaky bacon (~120g/4oz)
- 1 onion , chopped
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 5 large carrots , cut into 1.5 cm / 3/5" chunks
- 1 litre / 1 quart vegetable or chicken broth (4 cups)
- 1/2 cup / 125 ml cream
- 3/4 cup / 185ml milk (any fat %)
- Salt and pepper
Serving:
- Fresh thyme or chopped parsley
- Cream , for swirling
- Crusty bread
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until golden. Remove from pot, cool then chop.
- Add onion and garlic into the bacon drippings. Cook for 2 minutes until onion is translucent but not browned.
- Add carrots and stir well to coat the carrot in the oil.
- Add broth, then stir. Cover with lid, adjust heat so it is simmering energetically (about medium). Cook for 20 - 25 minutes until carrot is very soft.
- Remove lid, turn heat off. Use a stick blender to puree the carrot (or cool slightly and do in blender).
- Add cream, milk, salt and pepper to taste. Stir. Adjust thickness with milk (or water), if desired.
- Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with swirls of cream, bacon and parsley or thyme if desired. Serve with crusty bread.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More healthy creamy soups
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Ultra low cal Creamy Vegetable Soup – a creamy soup broth without butter!
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Browse all Soup recipes
Life of Dozer
Enjoying the warm sun….
Yum! This is a perfect accompaniment to brunch, lunch, or high tea.
Delicious soup, Terrific recipe. Straightforward and easy to follow. Thanks. Nagi.
Hi Nagi,
I made this carrot soup today for lunch and my husband and I loved it! The bacon is definitely the key. It was delicious!! Thank you so much for another great recipe.
Have made many carrot soups and thought I’d try this one as it was a Nagi recipe even if it does seem absolutely basic. Wow. The bacon is definitely the clincher. Used Polish spek and was naughty and added store bought crispy onions as a topping. Somehow I think I’ll be buying donkey loads of carrots in future. !
Oh my goodness so yummy!!
Made for lunch today for friends and it was a big hit! No surprise there really, all your recipes are excellent Nagi!!
Just made this tonight and it is my new favourite. Love that it is so simple but so delicious. Don’t skip the rosemary. Thanks Nagi x
I added a bit of gingerbread spice and some curry. It was easy and delicious!
I added sausage to mine instead of bacon. Delicious!
This soup gas become a staple and my most requested by company. I always have some bacon fat saved in the fridge so it was easy just to melt some and get going, using croutons for the topping. I went with cumin and some ground ginger for the flavour profile (might try adding some turmeric next time). It was so warming. It’s also great room temp. I’ve done it with the cream, and also with low fat yoghurt . The last time I made it, I served it with roasted chickpeas tossed in sumac to compliment the cumin/ginger. I look like a rock star but no-one believes me when I say that it’s so fast and easy. Then I just say, It’s a Nagi.”:))))))) Thank You!
Is it possible to use coconut yoghurt instead of cream?
It might split a bit Kavita but let me know how it goes if you try it. N x
Never been a huge carrot fan but this soup is so good and happy to get my carrots this way! It is on our soup rotation. Our family wasn’t crazy about the bacon pieces mixed in so I now puree the bacon pieces with the carrots and it’s perfect!
Neary my two year anniversary of making this soup, and yes – made it this morning. I have made it more than a dozen times in these two years. I used Costco bacon crumbles since I had no packages of bacon. Also, no cream, so half & half worked just fine. I like to use white pepper for its flavor, too. How something so simple can be so delicious – another recipetineats miracle recipe. Thank you, Nagi!