This easy parsnip soup is smooth, creamy and totally comforting, with the sweet, nutty flavour of parsnips and a little apple to balance everything out. Made in one pan and ready in about 35 minutes, it's the perfect simple winter lunch when it's cold outside.
I first made this soup when we had an abundance of parsnips in our vegetable box and I needed another way to use them besides roasting them with Sunday dinner. It has been a favourite ever since, especially when there are a few parsnips hanging around in the fridge that need using up.
The apple is my little trick here. It adds a touch of sweetness and freshness, but the finished soup doesn't taste like apple - the parsnips are still very much the star.
There is no need to roast the vegetables first and no potato is needed to thicken it. Everything cooks in one pan before being blended until silky smooth. Add a little cream at the end and you have a cosy bowl of soup that tastes far more indulgent than it actually is.
Recipe update: This recipe was originally published on 21 October 2021 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 even more parsnips to use, try our baked parsnip fries or mustard and honey roast parsnips too.
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Why You'll Love This Parsnip Soup
- Easy: Everything cooks in one pan and there are no complicated steps.
- Ready in 35 minutes: Five minutes of prep followed by around 30 minutes of cooking.
- Perfect for winter: Thick, warming and comforting on a cold day.
- Uses up parsnips: Ideal if you have a bag of parsnips left after a roast or arriving in a vegetable box.
- Creamy without potato: Parsnips naturally make this soup thick and velvety when blended.
- Adaptable: Make it spicy, roast the parsnips first or leave out the cream.
- Freezer-friendly: Great for batch cooking and making lunches ahead.
Recipe Overview
- Prep: 5 minutes
- Cook: 30 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Flavour: Creamy, slightly sweet, nutty and comforting
- Difficulty: Easy - everything cooks in one pan
- Best for: Easy winter lunches, using up parsnips and batch cooking
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.
- Shallots - I like shallots because they have a slightly sweeter, milder flavour than regular onion. You can replace them with one small onion or a leek. Frozen chopped onion is also useful when you want to save a few minutes of prep.
- Parsnips - The star of this soup. Parsnips have a naturally sweet, slightly earthy and nutty flavour that becomes beautifully creamy when blended. Peel them and cut them into similar-sized pieces so they cook at the same rate. If you have very large, older parsnips and the centre feels particularly woody, you can cut that part out. You need 500g of prepared parsnips for this recipe.
- Apple - Apple works really well with parsnips because its slight sharpness balances their natural sweetness. I use one apple, peeled and diced. It shouldn't make the finished soup taste strongly of apple - it simply rounds out the flavour.
- Garlic - Fresh garlic gives the best flavour, but ready-crushed or frozen garlic works too.
- Vegetable stock - Use a good-quality vegetable stock as it makes up a large part of the soup. Chicken stock also works if the soup doesn't need to be vegetarian. If you are cooking for young children or need to reduce the salt, choose a lower-salt stock.
- Seasoning - Parsnips are naturally sweet, so seasoning is important for balancing the flavour. Taste after blending and adjust as needed.
- Single cream - A little cream makes the soup extra silky and rich. I use single cream, but you can leave it out completely or use a dairy-free cream alternative if you want to make vegan parsnip soup. The parsnips themselves make the soup creamy, so it still has a lovely texture without it.
Variations
One of the reasons I love a simple soup like this is that you can change the flavour without changing the basic method.
Curried parsnip soup - Parsnips work brilliantly with warm spices. Add 1-2 teaspoons of mild curry powder when you cook the vegetables. You could also add a little ground cumin or coriander.
Spicy parsnip soup - Add a pinch of chilli flakes with the vegetables or some fresh chilli. Fresh ginger is also delicious with parsnips. Add a teaspoon of finely grated ginger with the garlic. If I am making it for the whole family, I tend to keep the base fairly mild and put chilli flakes on the table for anyone who wants more heat.
Roasted parsnip soup - For a deeper, slightly caramelised flavour, roast the parsnips first.
Toss them with a little olive oil and roast at 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas 6 for around 25-30 minutes, until tender and golden at the edges. Then add them to the saucepan and continue with the rest of the recipe.
This takes longer, which is why I use the quicker one-pan method most often, but it is a lovely variation when you have more time.
Parsnip soup without cream - You don't actually need cream to make creamy parsnip soup. Simply leave it out and add a splash of extra stock if needed. The blended parsnips still give the soup plenty of body.
For a vegan parsnip soup, use vegetable stock and either omit the cream or replace it with a dairy-free alternative.
Coconut milk also works well if you like the flavour, particularly with curry powder or ginger.
Carrot and parsnip soup - You can replace some of the parsnips with carrots for a slightly lighter, sweeter soup.
Use roughly half carrot and half parsnip and follow the same basic method.
How to Make Parsnip Soup
- Soften vegetables: Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan.
- Add the diced shallots, parsnips, apple and garlic. Cook gently over a low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
You aren't trying to brown everything at this stage - just soften it slightly and start building flavour.
- Add stock: Pour in the vegetable stock and season with a little salt and black pepper.
- Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for around 25 minutes, or until the parsnips are completely tender.
A knife should slide easily into a piece of parsnip before you blend the soup.
- Add the cream: Stir in the cream.
- Blend: Blend until smooth and creamy using a stick blender.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning. If the soup is thicker than you like, add a splash more stock or hot water and blend again.
What To Serve with Parsnip Soup
Soup and bread will always be one of my favourite combinations, especially for a quick winter lunch.
We love this with homemade cheesy herb croutons. They add some much-needed crunch to the smooth soup and are a great way to use bread that is starting to go stale.
Cut bread into bite-sized cubes, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with grated Parmesan or cheddar and a little dried oregano. Bake at 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas 4 for around 8 minutes, keeping an eye on them towards the end.
For an even quicker option, try our 6 Minute air fryer croutons.
This parsnip soup is also lovely with garlic and rosemary focaccia, easy white bread or simply some warm crusty bread and butter.
For toppings, try:
- Crispy parsnip peelings
- Homemade croutons
- Pumpkin seeds
- Toasted hazelnuts
- A small swirl of cream
- Chopped parsley or thyme
- Chilli flakes
- A drizzle of olive oil
Storage
Store: Leftovers of this soup will keep in the refrigerator (in an airtight container) for a couple of days.
Freeze: Make sure that it has cooled fully and then put in freezable bags and lay flat in the freezer. It will be good for a couple of months.
Defrost: Defrost in the fridge overnight.
Reheat: Once defrosted you can reheat it in a pan. You might want to add a little bit of water when reheating it to thin it out.
Dannii's Top Tips
- Cut the parsnips into similar-sized pieces so they cook evenly and blend smoothly.
- Make sure the parsnips are completely soft before blending. This gives you a much smoother, creamier soup.
- Adjust the thickness after blending. If it is too thick, add a splash of hot stock or water until it is just right.
- Add extra flavour if you like. Fresh ginger, curry powder or chilli all work really well with the sweetness of parsnips.
- You can leave out the cream. The parsnips make the soup naturally creamy, or you can use coconut milk for a dairy-free version.
- For a deeper flavour, roast the parsnips first. It takes a little longer, but gives the soup a sweeter, more caramelised taste.
Troubleshooting Guide
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Soup is too thick | The parsnips have thickened the soup more than expected. | Stir in a little hot stock or water after blending until you reach the consistency you like. |
| Soup is too thin | Too much liquid was added or the soup hasn't reduced enough. | Simmer uncovered for a few more minutes, then blend again. |
| Soup isn't completely smooth | The parsnips weren't quite soft enough before blending. | Simmer until completely tender, then blend again until smooth. |
| Soup tastes too sweet | Some parsnips are naturally sweeter than others. | Add a little more seasoning or a small squeeze of lemon juice to balance the sweetness. |
Frequently Asked Questions
You don't absolutely have to peel young parsnips if they have been scrubbed extremely well, but I prefer to peel them for soup. Parsnips grow in the soil and the skin can hold on to dirt. Peeling also helps give the finished soup a particularly smooth texture.
Trim both ends, peel the parsnips and cut them into roughly 2cm chunks. Try to make the pieces reasonably similar in size so they soften at the same time. If you are using particularly large parsnips and the centre is tough and woody, cut the core away before chopping.
Parsnips are naturally sweet with a slightly earthy, nutty flavour. Once cooked and blended they become thick and creamy, which makes them ideal for soup. The apple in this recipe adds a little freshness but doesn't overpower the parsnip flavour.
Some batches of parsnips are sweeter than others. First make sure the soup has enough salt and black pepper, as good seasoning helps balance the sweetness. You can then add a little extra stock or a small squeeze of lemon juice. Add just a little at a time, blend and taste again. Spices such as curry powder, cumin, ginger or chilli can also balance a particularly sweet batch of parsnips.
Parsnips work particularly well with thyme, parsley, ginger, cumin, coriander, curry powder, nutmeg and chilli. For an easy variation, I would start with either curry powder or fresh ginger rather than adding lots of spices at once.
Yes. The parsnips become naturally creamy when blended, so you can leave the cream out completely. You can also replace it with a dairy-free cream or a little coconut milk.
What counts as healthy will depend on your individual diet, but this soup is made mainly with parsnips, apple, shallots and vegetable stock. Based on our nutrition calculator, one serving of this recipe contains approximately 256 calories and 8g of fibre. You can make a lighter version by leaving out the cream, and using a lower-salt stock will reduce the sodium.
No. Parsnips become naturally thick and creamy once they are cooked until soft and blended, so there is no need to add potato to this recipe.
Parsnips naturally create a thick soup when blended. If your soup is too thick, simply add a little extra hot stock or water after blending until it reaches the consistency you like. It can also thicken in the fridge, so you may need to add a splash of liquid when reheating leftovers.
Store cooled soup in an airtight container in the fridge and eat it within days. If you won't eat it within that time, freeze it instead.
Yes. Cool the soup completely before transferring it to freezer-safe portions. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat until steaming hot throughout.
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Recipe
Easy Parsnip Soup
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of Olive oil
- 500 g (1.1 lb) of Parsnips - peeled and diced
- 1 Apple - peeled and diced
- 3 Shallots - peeled and diced
- 2 Garlic cloves - crushed
- 1 litre (4 cups) of Vegetable stock (low salt)
- ¼ teaspoon of Fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon of Ground black pepper
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) of Cream
Instructions
- Soften vegetables: Heat 1 tablespoon of Olive oil in a large saucepan.
- Add 500 g of Parsnips, 3 Shallots and 1 Apple (all peeled and diced) and 2 Garlic cloves (crushed).Cook gently over a low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add stock: Pour in 1 litre of Vegetable stock (low salt) and season with ¼ teaspoon of Fine sea salt and ½ teaspoon of Ground black pepper.
- Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for around 25 minutes, or until the parsnips are completely tender.
- Add the cream: Stir in 80 ml of Cream.
- Blend: Blend until smooth and creamy using a stick blender.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning. If the soup is thicker than you like, add a splash more stock or hot water and blend again.
Recipe Notes
- Cut the parsnips into similar-sized pieces so they cook evenly.
- Make sure the parsnips are completely tender before blending for the smoothest texture.
- If the soup is too thick, add more stock or hot water after blending.
- For a spicy parsnip soup, add curry powder, chilli flakes or grated fresh ginger.
- For roasted parsnip soup, roast the parsnips before adding them to the pan.
- For parsnip soup without cream, simply omit the cream or use a dairy-free alternative.
- Taste before serving. Particularly sweet parsnips can be balanced with extra seasoning or a small squeeze of lemon.
- Allow leftovers to cool, refrigerate and eat within 2 days, or freeze in portions.
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.
JackieH says
Use parsnips and leeks from my garden. I didn't add cream as I didn't think the soup needed it. Absolutely outstanding, huge hit with the family, we will be having it tomorrow night too
Dannii Martin says
So glad you all enjoyed it!
Amanda Wren-Grimwood says
Parsnips are my favourite vegetable so I can't wait to make this one. Love the addition of apple too.
Lisa L. says
I've made this recipe at least 5 times, in the last several years. I always make 6 times the recipe because it freezes so well. However, I don't add the cream until I'm serving it because cream doesn't freeze well (most of the time). I don't add any seasonings except for salt and pepper because I love the taste as it is. I've looked at other similar recipes, but have always stuck with this one because it's pure perfection.
sue says
omg the texture looks so silky! But none of those croutons would ever make it into the soup...I'd scarf them down as soon as they came out of the oven, yum!!
kylie says
Parsnips are my favourite veggies! Love this soup!
Kate says
The perfect time of year for this totally delicious soup, another delicious recipe - thank you!
Alison says
I can't believe how easy and creamy this soup is! It's going to become a fall favorite!