Carrot and broccoli soup might sound like an unlikely pairing, but believe me this vegetable soup is delicious. The smooth and creamy carrot soup goes perfectly with the crunchy roast broccoli. This soup is neither short on flavour or texture.

Carrot soup is one of my favourite veggie soups. It’s deliciously sweet but also delightfully savoury. The soup itself is not too heavy, making it enjoyable as a light summery soup, but toss in some bread and you’ve got yourself a hearty soup. It’s been a saviour on many dark winter nights. It’s versatility is truly commendable.

I’ve always felt, however, that carrot soup missed something crunchy and fresh. In step carrot and broccoli soup. This recipe is not only incredibly easy but it elevates plain old carrot soup to new heights of flavour.

The roast broccoli is blackened and blistered in the oven with salt, garlic and chilli, giving it a lovely savoury heat. The perfect counterbalance to the silky carrot base. I like to use tenderstem broccoli to use with the soup. These tender and crunchy broccoli not only make the soup taste amazing but they make it look gorgeous too.

How to make carrot and broccoli soup

Like most soups this carrot and broccoli soup is wonderfully simple to make. You honestly can’t go wrong with a vegetable soup like this. It’s a great way to use up past their best veggies. The end soup is blended smooth so it hides any imperfections.

How to make a flavourful carrot soup

There are a few important steps in making the smooth carrot soup. Firstly heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Toss in the 2 diced onions and 4 cloves diced garlic. Sweat the vegetables for about 5 minutes until soft.

It’s important to sweat these on a low heat. Cooking low and slow allow the onions to sweeten, which will make our soup much more delicious. If in doubt cook longer than the 5 minutes.

Next pour in the 1kg of chopped carrots and 500g chopped potatoes. These veggies don’t need to be chopped too finely as ultimately they’ll be blended into the soup. It is important to get the vegetables as close in size as possible.

Once you’re veggies are in add the 1 teaspoon of cumin and 1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric and 1 & 1/2 litres of vegetable stock. The cumin and turmeric will help bring out the earthy flavour of the carrot. If you’re feeling adventurous you can also add in 1 tablespoon of curry powder for a spicy zing. See the carrot and broccoli soup variants section for more ideas.

Now cook for 20 minutes until the carrot is nice and soft. Then take a stick blender and blitz until smooth. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

How to make the roast broccoli topping

Think of these roast tenderstem broccoli as the super healthy alternative to your bread croutons. Crunchy, salty and spicy – they provide a great counterbalance to the smooth carrot soup.

Arrange the 300g of tenderstem broccoli onto a large baking tray. Pour over the juice from 1/2 a lemon, finely diced red chilli, 2 cloves of diced garlic and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Toss the broccoli so it is evenly coated in the chopped veggies and oil. Season with a little salt. I like to use fancy maldon sea salt. If you haven’t already invested in a good sea salt, it’s well worth the investment. It will make your cooking taste a million times better.

Place the broccoli into the oven and roast for 15 minutes until it begins to blister and blacken.

Carrot and broccoli soup variants

With a few simple tweaks this recipe can taste so different. Here’s a few ideas to get you started.

• Curried carrot and broccoli soup – toss in 1 tablespoon of curry powder and 1 teaspoon of ground coriander when adding the rest of the soup spices. Makes a deliciously spicy and rich carrot soup.
• Carrot and broccoli soup with lemon and thyme – add the juice of 1 lemon and 1 heaped teaspoon of fresh chopped thyme when add the rest of the soup spices. Makes a tangy and fresh carrot soup.
• Carrot, orange and broccoli soup – cook the carrots with 2 whole halved oranges. Remove oranges before blending. Creates a fragrant and zesty carrot soup.

Carrot and broccoli in seasonal swapouts

When are carrots in season

Like most root crops in the British Isles carrots are harvested late summer to early winter. However carrots are very easy to store and are available for almost 12 months of the year. Farmers use a variety of techniques to store carrots.

Perhaps the simplest and greenest of these approaches is to cover the matured carrots with a thick layer straw. This stops the carrots freezing in the winter and the ground becomes a natural fridge or larder to keep the carrots until needed.

When are broccoli in season

Broccoli season extends from early spring until late autumn. But some varieties are only available at certain periods during this time. Purple sprouting broccoli is a notorious early season cultivar, calabrese and other broccolini varieties are come into season in the mid summer months.

Swap outs

Carrots are widely available year round, but can be substituted for other sweet root veggies. Parsnips, sweet potatoes and swede are all good options. The broccoli in this recipe can be substituted for robust leafy greens or brassicas. Brussel sprouts, curly kale and hispi cabbage are excellent substitutes.

If you like this carrot and broccoli soup recipe you’ll enjoy…

• Spicy broccoli and pea soup
• Roast courgette and pea soup
• Chickpea curry with roast carrot and parsnip

Carrot and Roast Broccoli Soup

An incredibly flavourful carrot and broccoli soup that's smooth and crunchy at the same time.

4.39 from 13 votes

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 4

Course Main Course, Soup

This meal is around 92% less polluting than the average UK meal.

Eating this recipe will save around 2.71 KG CO2e per person.

That’s equivalent to the emissions produced driving 22.36 KM in a modern car.

How do I calculate this?

Ingredients

• 1 kg Carrots (peeled and loosely chopped)
• 500 g Potatoes (peeled and loosely chopped)
• 2 Medium Onions (diced)
• 4 Cloves Garlic (diced)
• 1 1/2 Litres Vegetable Stock
• 1 Teaspoon Cumin
• 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Roast Broccoli

• 300 g Tenderstem Broccoli
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1/2 Medium Lemon (juiced)
• 2 Cloves Garlic (finely diced)
• 1 Small Red Chilli (finely diced)

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 180c (fan oven).
• Heat the tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Toss in the 2 diced onions and 4 cloves diced garlic. Sweat the vegetables for about 5 minutes until soft.
• Pour in the 1kg chopped carrots, 500g of chopped potatoes, 1 teaspoon of cumin and 1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric. Stir the spices into the veggies and fry for a further minute.
• Pour in the 1 1/2 litres of vegetable stock and bring the pan to the boil. Turn down to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes until the carrot has completely softened.
• Whilst the soup is cooking prepare your roast broccoli. Arrange the 300g of tenderstem broccoli onto a large baking tray. Pour over the juice from 1/2 a lemon, finely diced red chilli, 2 cloves of diced garlic and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss the broccoli so it is evenly coated in the chopped veggies and oil. Season with a little salt.
• Place into the oven for 15 minutes until the broccoli begins to blister and blacken.
• Once the soup is cooked blend until completely pureed. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
• Serve the soup ladled into deep soup bowls with the roast broccoli heaped over the top. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

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