Carrot Red Pepper Soup

Serve this creamy Carrot Red Pepper Soup for an easy, healthy, and delicious meal! Flavorful and simple to make from just a few everyday ingredients, this is a tasty, veggie-forward spin on cozy comfort food.

Who doesn’t love a recipe that is delicious, healthy, and easy to make? This simple, creamy carrot red pepper soup knocks all three criteria out of the park for us.

Nothing complicated or extra here. Just a crazy delicious soup, ideal for simmering and ladling into bowls on a cool fall or winter day.

In each spoonful, you get the bright flavors of fresh carrots and red pepper, a hint of garlic, and a whiff of woodsy thyme. And the soup has a luscious, smooth, rich texture, without requiring even a drop of cream or milk in the recipe.

Aah, the power of soup. The most foolproof way to magically transform a heap of veggies into crave-worthy comfort food!

Serve this soup with crusty bread or miracle breadsticks and an easy arugula salad for a no-fuss dinner everyone loves. Leftovers are great another night with grilled cheese!

Best of all, by using one pot to both sauté and simmer the veggies, this recipe necessitates minimal clean-up and is ready to eat in less than an hour – with a lot of hands-off time, to boot.

Related: Italian Chickpea Soup

Ingredients & Substitutions

Here are a few notes and shopping tips about what you’ll need, as well as possible substitutions. Full amounts are noted in the print-friendly recipe card below.

This carrot soup contains just a handful of familiar, everyday ingredients. Here’s your shopping list:

• 2 pounds of whole carrots. I usually do peel them, just personal preference.
• 1 medium red bell pepper.
• 1 large-ish yellow onion.
• Garlic.
• Chicken or vegetable stock (or broth). This is the one ingredient where I recommend buying a higher-quality if you can, which typically just translates to a more expensive option. There really is a difference in taste among broths! A helpful shortcut is to use Better than Bouillon as a base and just add water. This comes in many varieties, always packs in flavor, and is easy to keep in the fridge indefinitely.
• Spices and staples: thyme, salt, pepper, olive oil.

This recipe is very flexible and forgiving. If you have an extra carrot or pepper of any color, just throw it in. My family does prefer red, yellow, or orange peppers to green, because the three former tend to be sweeter. You can also toss in a handful of spinach or kale for an added nutrient boost, and if you prefer more garlic or an additional herb such as rosemary or basil, by all means!

Vegan Carrot Soup

This recipe is naturally vegan as long as you take care to select a vegan-certified vegetable broth. It is also naturally dairy-free and gluten-free.

How To Make Carrot Red Pepper Soup

Another reason I love this soup: it’s extremely simple to make. The most time-consuming part is peeling and chopping the carrots. Invest in a good swivel peeler if you don’t already have one!

After the veggies are prepped, you’ll simply sauté them briefly, then add the broth or stock and let things simmer away. You’ll know it’s ready when you can easily pierce the carrot coins with the tines of a fork.

Finally, blend everything in the pot together into a creamy, even consistency. Sample and season with additional salt, pepper, or herbs to taste.

One more kitchen tool that makes this soup incredibly quick and easy is an immersion blender. It’s an absolute must-have in my opinion, because it completely changes the game for making creamy, blended soups with no muss or fuss.

Serving Suggestions

Ladle it up! Garnish bowls of carrot soup as you like: our favorite toppings include crunchy pumpkin seeds and fresh thyme. Sunflower seeds or croutons are another fun topper, as are any type of crackers, of course.

Pair this with your favorite salad — we love a kale apple or kale blueberry combo — a grilled cheese, or just some great bread for dipping, and enjoy! May I suggest a loaf of this crusty no-knead bread or homemade breadsticks? This is the stuff comfort food dreams are made of, right here. ♥

I’ve also delivered this soup several times as part of a meal train, particularly for anyone who is eating dairy-free. It usually gets rave reviews, especially paired with some bread and a salad kit.

Just my personal advice for delivering meals: don’t feel you must make everything from scratch. A batch of this soup plus a loaf of sourdough from a local bakery will go a long way to delivering comfort and joy.

Storage & Reheating

• Storage: Leftover soup keeps well in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. The flavors become even more rich as the soup sits.
• Reheating: Warm portions either over medium heat on the stovetop or in the microwave. If using the microwave, be prepared to stir several times for even heating.
• Freezing: This freezes well! Let the soup cool completely and store in a freezer-safe container for 3-4 months. Be sure to leave a little room in the container for the soup to expand as it freezes solid. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then warm on the stovetop and serve.
• Soup Storage: Do yourself a favor and buy a pack of these deli containers that are totally perfect for storing or gifting soups, stews, and chilis.

Related Recipes

Craving more cozy soup? We have ideas! For something with a similarly creamy texture, this roast tomato basil combination hits the spot, as does a roasted butternut squash soup.

Care to break out the Instant Pot? Soup is one of my favorite things to make in it! Top picks are creamy Instant Pot wild rice soup, healthy-ish Instant Pot broccoli cheddar, and Instant Pot potato cheddar chowder.

Last but not least, a fantastic way to bulk up soups is with beans or tortellini, both of which can simmer right in the broth for ease of preparation. Try this creamy tomato tortellini soup or white bean chicken soup for a cozy winter warmer.

If you try this Carrot Red Pepper Soup, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. I love hearing how recipes turn out in your kitchen, and it helps other readers, too.

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Print Recipe Pin Recipe

4.53 from 36 votes

Creamy Carrot Red Pepper Soup

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 40 minutes mins

Total Time: 50 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

This easy and healthy carrot red pepper soup is creamy yet dairy free, and an all-around healthy comfort food option.

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Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion cut into slices
• 2 lbs. carrots peeled and cut into coins approximately 1/2 inch thick
• 1 medium red bell pepper seeded and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• additional thyme, pumpkin seeds, or cream for serving

Instructions

• In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, approximately 6 minutes.
  2 Tablespoons olive oil, 1 large yellow onion
• Add the carrots, red pepper, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, another 5 minutes.
  2 lbs. carrots, 1 medium red bell pepper, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Add the garlic and thyme and cook approximately 1 minute, just until fragrant.
  3 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• Pour the stock over the veggies and stir. Increase heat to high and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat back to medium, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the carrots are tender enough to be pierced with a fork.
  4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• Use an immersion blender, standard blender, or food processor to puree the soup. Taste and add more salt, if desired. Serve with fresh thyme, pumpkin seeds, or a swirl of cream, as desired. Enjoy!

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Notes

• An immersion blender is a game-changer for making creamy soups at home. I consider it a must-have! 
• This soup keeps very well. Store in the fridge for 4-5 days, or freeze for 2-3 months and defrost overnight in the fridge.
• For an added nutritional boost, throw in a handful of fresh spinach or kale along with the carrots and red pepper in step 2. 

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 127.34 kcal, Carbohydrates: 20.03 g, Protein: 1.93 g, Fat: 5.13 g, Saturated Fat: 0.72 g, Sodium: 926.7 mg, Potassium: 558.46 mg, Fiber: 5.01 g, Sugar: 10.12 g, Vitamin A: 26229.57 IU, Vitamin C: 36.6 mg, Calcium: 56.83 mg, Iron: 0.64 mg

Author: Monica

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: carrot red pepper soup

This post was originally published in November 2017 and has been updated several times with new photos and more relevant details on ingredient substitutions, cooking method, and related recipes.