Without a doubt, carrots are versatile yet under-rated vegetables. When I was little, I used to eat carrots raw by the dozens, and my mom told me I would turn orange if I ate too many. Since then, I learned to transform carrots into many dishes, including this creamy vegan soup.
Not only do carrots bring substance and sweetness to salads, but they are an incredible base for soups.
OTHER INGREDIENTS USED IN VEGAN CARROT SOUP
Even though carrots are the base for vegan carrot soup, many other ingredients are used to make the soup savory and delicious.
Red onion, for example, is perfect for carrot soup because of its sweetness. Although strong-smelling, red onions are sweet, red onion enhances the sweetness of the carrots.
Another ingredient, red bell pepper, the sweetest and juiciest of all bell peppers, provides a sweet flavor.
Even though celery appears flavorless, it provides umami flavors and feelings and brings depth to a recipe. Therefore, roasting celery with the other vegetables heightens the other vegetables' flavors in the casserole dish.
However, Raw cashews are roasted with vegetables to give them a nutty, buttery flavor naturally.
Furthermore, soy sauce and dijon are mixed with herbs and spices, flavors, and roasts into all the vegetables.
ROASTING VEGETABLES FOR VEGAN CARROT SOUP
I roasted my vegetables, cashews, and other ingredients in a casserole dish, however, to try something a little different. Roasting vegetables with cashews and other ingredients allows the flavors to meld together in the oven instead of the soup pot.
Since I coarsely chopped all the vegetables ahead of time, all I needed to do was added raw cashews. When I was ready to make my soup, I combined all the ingredients in a bowl and tossed them with dijon mustard, soy sauce, and the added herbs and spices.
Next, return all the ingredients to the casserole dish and roast for 45 minutes.
After roasting the vegetables, remove the cover and allow the mixture to cool. Once completely cooled, blend the vegetables in a high-speed blender.
NUT-FREE ALTERNATIVE FOR VEGAN CARROT SOUP
If you are allergic to nuts or prefer a different option, try replacing them with baking potatoes. Potatoes, like cashews, when blended, create a creamy alternative to using nuts.
Instead, roast the potatoes in the same casserole dish, similar to the cashews. For that reason, potatoes are the perfect alternative to using cashews in the vegan carrot soup recipe.
HELPFUL TIPS FOR SAVING TIME WHILE COOKING
As I suggested earlier, chop all the vegetables coarsely a few days before making the soup.
Not only will this save you time, but it makes it easy to create a variety of recipes that have the same ingredients at one time.
For example, if I am making vegan carrot soup and making Skinny Vegan Rainbow Salad or Vegan Meatloaf, I need carrots for all three recipes.
To speed up the chopping process, I use my Kitchen Aid Food Processor. I also love my Pro Vegetable Chopper, which allows me to cut all my vegetables the same size.
Another trick is to use a high-speed blender that works well for soups, sauces, and anything else you need to blend quickly. For example, I love my Nutri-bullet blender, and my Nutri-bullet was half the price of a Vitamix.
Actually, I returned my Vitamix and bought my Nutri-bullet years ago after struggling to get homemade peanut butter out of the Vitamix blade.
Don't have a high-speed blender? No worries; use a food processor and process in small batches.
BLENDING AND SERVING VEGAN CARROT SOUP
After the vegetables are roasted and cooled, it is time to make the soup. To make it easier, you can blend one cup of roasted vegetables with one cup of vegetable broth at a time.
It's important, though, to make sure you get a smooth texture after each blending cycle. Of course, you can blend the soup all at once if you have a large blender.
Next, you return the vegan carrot soup to a soup pot and heat through until you are ready to serve.
Then, garnish with fresh carrot shreds and parsley and dill.
If you love soup, as much as I do, check out some of my favorite soup recipes below:
- Potato Leek Soup
- Chickpea Soup
- Vegan Crockpot Split Pea Soup
- Hungarian Mushroom Soup
- Very Veggie and Bean Soup
- Crockpot Spicy Coconut Potato and Corn Soup
- Fennel Tomato Soup
- Cauliflower Bisque Soup with Paprika and Chives
- Vegan Minestrone Soup No Oil Rachel Ray Copy Cat
- Vegan Clam Chowder Oh My!
- Vegan Italian Wedding Soup
Vegan Carrot Soup
Ingredients
- 3 cups carrots (about 6 carrots) peeled and coarsely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 1 small red onion about ½ cup chopped
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 2 Tablespoons Soy sauce or Tamari
- 2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
- 2 Tablespoons fresh dill chopped
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 6 cups organic vegetable broth
Garnish
- ½ cup fresh dill chopped
- ½ cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1 carrot shredded
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
- Chop all vegetables (ingredients 1-6) and put them in a large bowl with cashews
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, add dijon mustard, soy (tamari), dill, and seasonings.
- Whisk together and pour over raw vegetables
- Stir dijon/soy mixture into the vegetables
- Then, pour the coated vegetables into a casserole pan, and cover.
- DO NOT ADD VEGETABLE BROTH.
- Bake (roast) for 1 hour.
- Remove from the oven, and remove the cover.
- Let cool completely.
- Add cooled roasted vegetables/cashews to a high-speed blender and add 4 cups of the vegetable broth. Or, blend in small batches; 1 cup roasted vegetables and 1 cup vegetable broth at a time.
- Blend until smooth.
- Transfer to a soup pot, and add the additional 2 cups of vegetable broth.
- Heat on medium-low until hot and ready to serve.
- Garnish with grated carrots, parsley, and dill.
Notes
NUT-FREE OPTION?
- Allergic to nuts? Use 2 baking potatoes instead of cashews for the same creamy results. Just add a teaspoon of nutmeg to the roasting ingredients.
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
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