This roasted carrot apple soup is like a big hug – warm, comforting, and nourishing for the body and soul. It’s a nutty and sweet fall soup recipe, and super easy to make. Most importantly, my kid ate this without complaint (and even offered up a compliment!). Loaded with vitamins and healthy fats, this fall soup is a healthy, vibrant weeknight winner.
This recipe was originally posted in September 2017. I’ve made a few slight adjustments to the recipe and added a video. Enjoy!
There are basic comforts you covet when in the season of parenthood that involves the care and feeding of the tiniest humans. A full night of uninterrupted sleep. Staying snot free from September through April. A day without laundry. Three consecutive hours in which you don’t have to touch someone else’s bodily fluids. Clothes that stays clean the entire day. Well, that last one I’ve never been able to achieve, kids are not, but the others are totally life goals.
Different parents cope with these cravings in different ways, all in an attempt to maintain a little bit of control over the incessant chaos that’s taken over their lives. Cam listens to really loud music. A good friend knits. Another does the whole adult coloring thing. A dad friend run races (slow clap for that guy).
In case you haven’t noticed, I cook. If I can’t sleep well, I might as well eat well, amirite?
This recipe for roasted carrot apple soup is the definition of comfort. It’s as close as I can get to a rib-crushing bear hug from my BFF after a particularly shitty day. It’s sweet, but not cloying. It’s warm and filling. It’s jam-packed with vitamins and healthy fats. It’s 100% nourishing – both spiritually and literally. Soul food, it is.
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Roasted Carrot Apple Soup Recipe Notes
This soup comes together in just under 45 minutes, and the method is pretty easy and straightforward – roast, simmer, blend, serve. You’ll need a dutch oven (or a large soup pot), an immersion blender, and a baking sheet or two. This recipe easily doubles, and I encourage that practice because you’ll want to tuck into a bowl of this healing soup all winter long.
If there’s one thing you don’t want to skip, it’s roasting the carrots. You might be tempted to add them to the soup pot raw with the apples, but hear me out!
Roasted carrots add that extra special touch – a little nuttiness, a hint of smoke, and just enough caramelized sweetness. And since the carrots roast up pretty quickly while you’re getting the base prepared, it doesn’t impact the cooking time too much either. I shave the carrots before slicing and roasting. I find the skins a little woody, plus the soup will blend into a silky smooth texture without them.
A crisp, more tart apple is perfect here – I like honeycrisp and jonagold best in soup, but galas are nice too since they’re not super sweet. Peel and core the apples, and then cut them into small, uniform pieces so they’ll cook quickly and evenly.
Like almost every soup I make, I prepare this in my 6-quart Lodge dutch oven. It retains heat well and keeps a nice even simmer without too much fiddling.
Once the vegetables are finished cooking, blend them into a silky smooth soup with an immersion blender. If you don’t have one you can use a traditional blender, but be sure to blend in batches. Add a little water or broth if you find the soup too thick in either blending situation.
Last but not least, garnish away. I drizzled about a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil along with chopped pecans and fresh thyme. They were the perfect companions to the sweet, nutty notes in the soup.
Dietary Accommodations and Nutrition Notes
- Naturally paleo and Whole30 compliant
- Gluten free, grain free, dairy free
- I prefer this soup with homemade bone broth because it lends a velvety smooth texture, but you can make it vegan or vegetarian by using vegetable broth
- With over 300% of your Vitamin A requirement, this recipe is an immune-boosting powerhouse!
- Loaded with healthy fats thanks to extra virgin olive oil, pecans, and homemade bone broth, this soup has staying power.
What to Serve with Carrot Apple Soup
- Take it easy and enjoy this soup with some good crusty sourdough bread and a tossed green salad.
- Offer this as a starter for Thanksgiving or an autumn dinner party. It can be made completely in advance and then reheated on the stove. For a dinner party, this soup pairs so well with apple cider pulled pork and autumn slaw.
- Meal prep this soup on Sunday and enjoy it all week.
- This recipe easily doubles and makes a great freezer stash!
More Fall Soup Recipes You’ll Love
- Nourishing Potato Soup with Caramelized Onions
- Healthy Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Pepitas
- Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Pine Nuts
- Winter Minestrone with Butternut Squash and Swiss Chard
- Butternut Squash Soup with Pomegranate Seeds
VIDEO: Watch How to Make this Cozy Whole30 Soup Recipe
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Roasted Carrot Apple Soup
This roasted carrot apple soup is like a big hug - warm, comforting, and nourishing for the body and soul. Be sure to roast the carrots, even though it's tempting to skip that step. They bring a hint of smokiness and depth of flavor that really makes this soup shine. This serves four as a main course or six as an appetizer.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp avocado or olive oil divided
- 1 lb carrots peeled and sliced into 1" coins
- 1 medium yellow onion diced to 1/2"
- 2 medium apples (about 1/2 lb) peeled, cored, and died to 1/2"
- 1 celery stalk diced to 1/2"
- 4 c. chicken bone or vegetable broth
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
- 4 tsp extra virgin olive oil for garnish
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme for garnish
- 2 tbsp chopped pecans for garnish
Instructions
Heat the oven to 425*. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven.
Peel and slice the carrots, then toss in one tablespoon of oil. Spread the carrot slices evenly onto a baking sheet. Roast, flipping once halfway through, for 20-25 minutes until soft and caramelized.
Heat a dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and heat until it shimmers. Add the onion, toss to coat in the fat, then cover and sweat the onions, stirring occasionally, until they're soft and lightly browned, 10 minutes.
Increase the heat to medium. Add the apples and celery and saute, stirring often, until the apples are soft and starting to brown, 6-7 minutes.
Transfer the roasted carrots to the dutch oven, and add enough broth to cover the vegetables by at least half an inch, and up to a full inch (about 4 cups). Top with the thyme sprig and season with salt and pepper.
Increase the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil; then reduce to low and simmer an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the carrots are very soft and the thyme leaves are falling off.
Remove the soup from heat and fish out the thyme stems. Blend until completely smooth using an immersion blender. Add a little water or broth to thin the soup if it’s too thick. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper if desired.
Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with olive oil, chopped pecans, and fresh thyme. Serve immediately. This soup keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Recipe Notes
- Substitute vegetable broth to make this recipe vegan/vegetarian.
- You can either peel the apples or leave the unpeeled. I've tried it both ways, and they both work perfectly!
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I’m going to try this, but like my roasted butternut soup, I’ll try roasting the apples and onions with the carrots first.
That sounds delicious! Please let me know how it turns out.
I made a half recipe. I added the apples and onion to the carrots in the over about half way through the roasting. I didn’t peel either the carrots or the apple first and might have gotten a better texture if I had simmered the roasted goodness in the bone broth longer. (I used home made bone broth that was made with lots of celery so I skipped the celery). Taste was excellent. Will follow the recommended simmering time more closely next time!
So glad you liked it! I’ve tried this with the apple skins both on and off with no difference in texture, but I will have to give the carrots a try with skin-on to see if it makes a difference. You may also want to add a splash of extra bone broth or water to get a super smooth texture. I usually have to add a quarter cup. Thanks for sharing your feedback!