If you are anything like us, you are really into soups this time of the year! The most important thing to us with any soup is flavor, flavor, flavor! And this Spiced Carrot Ginger and Fennel Soup has layers of flavors that will leave you licking the bowl and heading back for seconds! This is a nice light and healthy option that can be made as an appetizer soup or as a dinner serving.
The Humble Carrot
When fall starts, it seems like pumpkin becomes the dominant orange vegetable. Sweet potatoes and squash (like acorn and butternut) also get quite a few headlines. But the humble carrot always seems to be relegated to beef stew, a base for stock or baby food.
There’s a reason why carrots are in a classic mirepoix and are part of the foundation in almost every quality stock! They’re amazing vegetables. So let’s get away from the pumpkin or butternut squash soup for a bit and roll out this carrot soup!
I will admit that carrot soup was never something that got me too excited. But when fall blows into town, and you need a break from super-heavy comfort food, this soup delivers.
The Key to an Amazing Carrot Soup
This is more than just a carrot soup, though.
This isn’t just a carrot puree…no way. It’s packed with flavor and has some interesting ingredients that aren’t often found in soups like this. It’s also easy and nobody should have problems finding carrots!
A few important additions and techniques that make this soup really pop!
- Ginger.
In the end it is quite subtle, but it really brightens up the carrots. - Fennel and Spices.
Secondly, fresh fennel bulb is roasted and added to the soup, bringing a nice flavor addition that is further complimented by a little star anise and toasted fennel seeds. I’m a huge fan of fennel and the addition here is fantastic! - Roasting.
Last, using the technique of roasting half of the carrots helps intensify and deepen the flavor of the soup. Just like most vegetables, there is a lot more water in a carrot than you think, and if it goes directly into the soup, the water goes with it! Roasting softens the carrot, maybe even a tiny bit of caramelization as well, but it also evaporates some water that allows the soup to have more carrot punch.
Can I make it vegan?
You betcha! And we don't say that much about our recipes, but this one is quite easy to modify. Swapping out the butter for olive oil is completely acceptable, and you can easily use coconut cream in place of the heavy cream in this recipe without losing or significantly changing the flavor profile.
Enjoy!
We hope you enjoy this recipe for Spiced Carrot Ginger and Fennel Soup! If you give it a try, leave us a comment below, or tag us on Instagram @cooking_with_wine!
Looking for more recipes like this? Check out these delicious comforting recipes below:
- Restaurant Style French Onion Soup
- Pumpkin and Roasted Red Pepper Soup
- Cozy Homemade Chicken and Dumplings
- Easy Homemade Creamy Clam Chowder
- Coq au Vin – Chicken in Red Wine
📖 Recipe
Spiced Carrot Ginger and Fennel Soup
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 star anise
- 5 allspice berries
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon ginger juice
- 4 cups (about 1 liter) vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
- ½ bulb (⅔c, 75g) chopped fennel
- 5 large carrots, peeled and chopped (750g) - divided
- 1 tablespoon (14g) Butter
- 1 medium-large onion, diced (200g)
- Pinch of kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¾ cup (175g) heavy cream (or cream alternative if desired)
Garnish
- Swirl of crème fraîche (or sour cream)
- chopped toasted pistachios
- Parsley
- Fennel fonds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Toast the fennel seeds in a dry skillet for about 2-3 minutes over medium heat – just until fragrant. In a piece of cheesecloth, wrap the star anise and allspice and tie to secure, making a sachet. Grate a large knob of ginger with a box grater. Squeeze the grated ginger in a cheesecloth to obtain the ginger juice. Discard the solids.1 teaspoon fennel seeds, 1 star anise, 5 allspice berries, 1 tablespoon ginger juice
- In a medium stockpot, add sachet, lemon zest, and ginger juice to the stock. Add half of the carrots. Warm the stock over medium heat, then reduce to a simmer.1 teaspoon lemon zest, 4 cups (about 1 liter) vegetable stock (or chicken stock), 5 large carrots, peeled and chopped (750g) - divided
- In the oven, roast the fennel for 10 minutes and the other half of the carrots for 20 minutes then remove and add to the simmering stock.½ bulb (⅔c, 75g) chopped fennel, 5 large carrots, peeled and chopped (750g) - divided
- Over medium heat in a skillet, sauté the onion in butter until soft – about 4-5 minutes. Add the onions to the stock also.1 tablespoon (14g) Butter, 1 medium-large onion, diced (200g)
- Simmer the soup, covered, for about 45 minutes – until the carrots are quite soft. Remove the sachet (or if you do not make one, pull the anise and allspice out of the soup) and discard. Add the salt, pepper, and lemon juice.Pinch of kosher salt and black pepper, 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Using an immersion blender or a regular blender, puree the soup until smooth. Stir in the cream and let simmer for 15 more minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed.¾ cup (175g) heavy cream (or cream alternative if desired)
- Garnish with a swirl of crème fraîche, toasted pistachios, fennel fond, and parsley as desired.Swirl of crème fraîche (or sour cream), chopped toasted pistachios, Parsley, Fennel fonds
Emily says
The recipe was delicious. My husband and I both were worried because carrot juice is gross BUT we were so surprised the star anise really comes through is the final product which was a nice taste addition. I will definitely be making this again for family when they come to visit. Homemade artisan bread was a great side for dipping too.
Angela and Mark says
So happy to hear you loved this soup as much as we do! Thanks for giving our recipe a try!
Rose Miller says
I ended up using a whole large fennel bulb, two leeks instead of onion which I roasted alongside the fennel and carrot, and because we are recovering from flu we had to leave out the cream. We didn’t sauté any vegetables so there’s no butter either. It was truly one of the best soups I’ve made. I imagine with the butter and cream it would be phenomenal! One thing, I imagine if I had simmered the soup for the full 45 minutes at the end it would not have had enough liquid. Absolutely making this again.
Angela and Mark says
So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Monika Martin says
I pretty much messed with this recipe, but in the end I felt it was improved. In addition I added: two small chunks of ginger very finely chopped, Thai red chili 🌶️ (in my opinion it needs heat), more milk because it was too dense; not creamy and velvety. And puréed most of it with the milk in a blender.
Finally, I garnished with cilantro and scallions.
It’s hot. Just like I love my cream soups.