This easy Carrot and Coriander Soup is smooth, warming and full of flavour, but made with really simple and inexpensive ingredients. Sweet carrots, potato and onion are simmered with ground coriander, then blended with fresh coriander for a vibrant homemade soup that's ready in under 30 minutes.
This is exactly the kind of soup I start making once the autumn weather turns cooler. It's cosy enough for lunch on a cold day, but light enough that you don't feel weighed down afterwards.
It's also a brilliant budget recipe for using up a big bag of carrots, and most of the other ingredients are things I usually already have in the kitchen.
At around 133 calories per serving, it's a naturally low-fat, low-calorie carrot soup too, with no cream needed to get that lovely smooth texture.
Recipe update: This recipe was originally published on 2 January 2012 and was fully retested in October 2026 to check the cooking time and ingredient quantities. The original recipe still worked well, but I've expanded the instructions, tips and FAQs.
If you have more carrots to use up, try my delicious Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup, simple Air Fryer Carrots or my easy Carrot and Coriander Side Salad.
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Jump to:
- Why You Will Love It
- Recipe Overview
- Ingredients and Substitutions
- How To Make Carrot and Coriander Soup
- Is Carrot and Coriander Soup Healthy?
- Variations
- What to Serve with Carrot and Coriander Soup
- Storage and Reheating
- Troubleshooting Guide
- Dannii's Top Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Soup Recipes
- Recipe
- Feedback
Why You Will Love It
- Budget friendly - Carrots, onion and potato are inexpensive everyday ingredients, making this a great soup when you're trying to keep food costs down.
- Ready in under 30 minutes - Perfect for a quick lunch or simple weeknight meal.
- Healthy and light - It's naturally low in fat and packed with vegetables.
- Perfect for autumn - A big bowl of warm homemade soup is just what you need when the temperature starts to drop.
- Great for batch cooking - Make extra and freeze individual portions for another day.
- Easy to make vegan - The soup itself uses vegetable stock, so just leave off the crème fraîche or use a plant-based alternative.
- Easy to adapt - Make it spicy, creamy or add fresh ginger or citrus for a different flavour.
Recipe Overview
- Prep time: 5 minutes
- Cook time: 24 minutes
- Total time: 29 minutes
- Servings: 4
- Calories: approximately 133 kcal per serving
- Fibre: approximately 5 grams per serving
Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Carrots - The main ingredient and what gives the soup its natural sweetness and vibrant colour. Basic supermarket carrots are perfect, so there is no need to buy anything expensive. Thin-skinned carrots can simply be scrubbed well rather than peeled.
- Onion - This creates the savoury base of the soup. Yellow or brown onions are ideal, although shallots will work too.
- Potato - Potato thickens the soup and makes it smooth and creamy without needing to add cream.
- Vegetable stock - I use vegetable stock to keep the soup vegan. Chicken stock can be used if you prefer a richer flavour. If cooking for younger children or watching your salt intake, choose a lower-salt stock.
- Ground coriander - This gives the soup its warm, aromatic coriander flavour.
- Fresh coriander (cilantro) - Added at the end so it keeps its fresh flavour and colour. Don't throw away the stalks - they have plenty of flavour too.
- Olive oil - You only need a teaspoon for softening the onion.
- Crème fraîche - Optional, but a small spoonful on top gives the soup extra richness. Leave it off for a vegan carrot and coriander soup, or use a plant-based crème fraîche.
More ways to adapt the soup can be found in the Variations section below.
How To Make Carrot and Coriander Soup
To make carrot and coriander soup, soften the onion, carrots and potato, simmer them in vegetable stock with ground coriander, then blend until smooth with fresh coriander.
- Soften the onion: Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and add the onion. Cook gently for around 2 minutes, until it is starting to soften.
- Add the vegetables: Add the chopped carrots and potato and stir well. Cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add the stock: Pour in the vegetable stock and add the ground coriander, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for around 20 minutes, until the carrots and potato are completely tender.
- Blend the soup: Add the fresh coriander and blend until smooth using a stick blender. Alternatively, allow the soup to cool slightly before carefully transferring it to a jug blender.
- Check and serve: Taste and adjust the seasoning before serving with extra coriander, crème fraîche and chilli flakes (all optional).
Is Carrot and Coriander Soup Healthy?
Homemade carrot and coriander soup can be a nutritious, vegetable-packed option. This version is estimated at around 133 calories, 1 gram of fat and 5 grams of fibre per serving, while still being filling thanks to the carrots and potato.
Carrots are also a source of beta-carotene, which the body can convert into vitamin A.
One thing to be aware of is the stock you use, as this can make a big difference to the amount of salt in the finished soup. Choose a lower-salt vegetable stock if that is something you are watching.
Variations
Creamy carrot and coriander soup - Stir through a little crème fraîche, cream or plant-based cream after blending.
Spicy carrot and coriander soup - Add chilli flakes, cayenne or a little fresh chilli.
Carrot, ginger and coriander soup - Add some freshly grated ginger with the carrots for extra warmth.
Carrot and orange soup - A splash of fresh orange juice at the end works really well with both carrot and coriander.
Roasted carrot and coriander soup - Roast the carrots first to bring out even more sweetness and give the soup a deeper flavour.
More filling - Blend in some cannellini beans for extra body and protein without changing the flavour too much.
What to Serve with Carrot and Coriander Soup
A thick slice of crusty bread with butter is hard to beat with a bowl of carrot and coriander soup.
For something homemade but still really quick, my easy homemade flatbreads take just a few minutes and are perfect for dipping into the soup.
If you want to turn this into a really comforting autumn meal, serve it with an air fryer cheese toastie. Soup and a crispy cheese toastie is one of my favourite combinations when I want something warm and filling without spending ages making dinner.
My garlic and rosemary focaccia is another lovely option if you have a little more time.
For crunch rather than a whole bread side, top the soup with air fryer croutons or sourdough croutons. They're also a great way of using bread that is starting to go stale.
Storage and Reheating
Store: Once the soup has cooled, transfer it to an airtight container and keep it in the fridge. Use refrigerated leftovers within 2 days.
Freeze: Carrot and coriander soup freezes really well. Allow it to cool completely, then portion it into freezer-safe containers or bags and freeze for up to 3 months. I prefer freezing it without the crème fraîche and adding that after reheating.
Freezing individual portions is really handy for those days when you need lunch quickly and don't want to start cooking from scratch. We love these soup portion freezer moulds.
Reheat: Defrost frozen soup in the fridge where possible, then reheat gently in a saucepan or microwave until steaming hot throughout. If it has thickened during storage, stir through a splash of water or stock.
Troubleshooting Guide
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| The soup is too thin | Simmer it uncovered for a little longer so some of the liquid can reduce. |
| The soup is too thick | Stir in a little hot stock or water until it reaches your preferred consistency. |
| The soup tastes bland | Check the seasoning first, then add a little more fresh coriander, black pepper or a squeeze of lemon juice. |
| The soup tastes too sweet | A squeeze of lemon, extra black pepper or a pinch of chilli will balance the sweetness of the carrots. |
| The texture isn't smooth | Make sure the carrots and potato are completely tender before blending, then blend for a little longer. |
| The coriander flavour is too strong | Add a little more stock or a spoonful of crème fraîche or plant-based cream to soften the flavour. |
Dannii's Top Tips
- Chop the carrots and potato into similar-sized pieces so they cook evenly.
- There is no need to peel younger carrots if they are well scrubbed.
- Add the fresh coriander right at the end so its flavour stays bright.
- Coriander stalks have lots of flavour, so finely chop and use those too.
- If using a jug blender, don't fill it too high with hot soup and allow the soup to cool slightly first.
- Make a double batch while carrots are cheap and freeze it in individual portions.
- Taste the soup before adding extra salt, especially if you are using a stock cube.
- Add chilli flakes or homemade croutons just before serving for extra texture and flavour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not necessarily. If the carrots have fairly thin skins, give them a good scrub and you can use them as they are. I tend to peel older carrots if their skins are thicker or starting to look a little tired.
Yes. The potato already gives this soup a creamy texture, so it doesn't need cream, but you can stir through some crème fraîche, single cream or a plant-based cream if you want a richer soup.
This recipe uses ½ teaspoon of ground coriander and 15 grams of fresh coriander. Using both gives you warmth from the spice and freshness from the herb without either overpowering the carrots.
You can still make a tasty carrot soup using the ground coriander, but fresh coriander adds a very different, bright flavour. If you don't have any, add a little extra ground coriander to taste rather than trying to replace it with a large amount of another herb.
You can mash the vegetables very thoroughly once they are completely soft, although the finished soup will be more rustic and won't have the same smooth texture. A stick blender is the easiest way to get it really smooth.
Yes. This is a great soup for batch cooking and freezing. Let it cool completely, portion it into freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Freeze it before adding any crème fraîche for the best results.
Yes. This is an ideal make-ahead lunch. Cook and blend the soup, cool it quickly and refrigerate it, then reheat thoroughly when you are ready to serve.
More Soup Recipes
If you've tried this Carrot and Coriander Soup recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
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Recipe
Easy Carrot and Coriander Soup
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon of Olive oil
- 1 Onion - peeled and diced
- 500 g (1.1 lb) of Carrot - diced
- 200 g (7 oz) of Potato - peeled and diced
- 1.5 litre (6 cups) of Vegetable stock (low salt)
- ¼ teaspoon of Fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon of Ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon of Ground coriander
- 15 g of Fresh coriander (cilantro) - plus extra for garnish
- 2 tablespoons of 0% Crème fraîche - (to serve, optional)
- 1 teaspoon of Chilli flakes - (to serve, optional)
Instructions
- Soften the onion: Heat 1 teaspoon of Olive oil in a large saucepan and add 1 Onion (diced). Cook gently for around 2 minutes, until it is starting to soften.
- Add the vegetables: Add 500 g of Carrot (chopped) and 200 g of Potato (diced) and stir well. Cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add the stock: Pour in 1.5 litre of Vegetable stock (low salt) and add ½ teaspoon of Ground coriander, ¼ teaspoon of Fine sea salt and ½ teaspoon of Ground black pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for around 20 minutes, until the carrots and potato are completely tender.
- Blend the soup: Add 15 g of Fresh coriander (cilantro) and blend until smooth using a stick blender. Alternatively, allow the soup to cool slightly before carefully transferring it to a jug blender.
- Check and serve: Taste and adjust the seasoning before serving with extra coriander, 2 tablespoons of 0% Crème fraîche and 1 teaspoon of Chilli flakes (all optional).
Recipe Notes
- Chop the carrots and potato into similar-sized pieces so they cook evenly.
- There is no need to peel younger carrots if they are well scrubbed.
- Add the fresh coriander right at the end so its flavour stays bright.
- Coriander stalks have lots of flavour, so finely chop and use those too.
- If using a jug blender, don't fill it too high with hot soup and allow the soup to cool slightly first.
- Make a double batch while carrots are cheap and freeze it in individual portions.
- Taste the soup before adding extra salt, especially if you are using a stock cube.
- Add chilli flakes or homemade croutons just before serving for extra texture and flavour.
Nutritional Information
Where nutritional information is provided, it is approximate and calculated using online tools. Values can vary depending on the ingredients and brands used, but we endeavour to be as accurate as possible.
All timings are a guide and may vary depending on the ingredients, equipment and, where relevant, the appliance used. Changing the serving size may also affect the time needed.
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
So creamy and delicious! I love carrot soup.
Ellen says
Those frozen herbs are really cool! The soup looks and sounds delicious!
Meeta says
This kind of soup is a staple in the winters here. We love to add a bit of heat with chili flakes and some ginger too! Gorgeous color!
Annabell says
I have a terrible cold at the moment and something like this is just what I need. I think I have everything for it too. We only buy frozen herbs now, as I am sick of wasting so much food.
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
Hopefully the weather will warm up for you soon, Dannii! But soup is the best when it's cold out! Love this combination and the pretty color!
Priya says
I love both carrots and coriander. Such a comforting soup!
Sarah says
I also don't mind the snow because I love winter food too! It's sunny but cold here today and I was thinking about making soup. :) Love carrot and coriander. I must look out for those little pots of herbs and chillies in Iceland next time I'm in. :D
Ceri @Natural Kitchen Adventures says
Love carrot and coriander soup, probably my favourite and looks like those herbs are instrumental in delivering top notch flavour!
Harriet Emily says
I love carrot and coriander soup too, it is such a great flavour combination. It has such a beautiful vibrant orange colour too. This looks so delicious Dannii!!
Rhian Westbury says
I love carrot and coriander soup. Sometimes I add a little sweet pepper to it to give it a kick x
Leanne says
Frozen herbs! I need to get myself some of those little pots!
Grace says
This looks lovely. Could you use frozen carrots in it too?
Danielle Bendall says
How did I not know that you could buy frozen herbs? We waste so much and we really can't afford to. Thanks for the tip!
Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes says
I actually buy a carrot and coriander soup, so know how good this is going to taste. I should probably make my own though.
mira says
Such a great soup with delicious flavors!