Carrot Soup with Ginger and Lime ~ this simple soup is like a burst of sunshine, with a bright flavor and a cheering color ~ that extra dose of beta carotene doesn’t hurt either!
Carrot soup seems like just the thing to kick off a spring meal, whether it’s big affair or just a simple weeknight dinner. I like this recipe because it gets a spicy kick from a dusting of cayenne pepper, a color boost from a pinch of saffron, and a bit of citrusy zing from a squeeze of lime. Other than that, it’s all carrot. So healthy and so tasty.
I love rainbow carrots, and have a lot of recipes where I feature them (see my SHEET PAN SALMON or my RAINBOW CARROT SUMMER ROLLS) but for this soup I recommend the regular old orange variety. Rainbow carrots just aren’t as sweet and flavorful.
TIP: Young carrots, and especially those with the greens still attached, have the best flavor for soup.
Serve this soup in small portions, in very shallow bowls or even cups. It’s perfect for the start of a spring meal. If you like you can garnish it with a swirl of creme fraiche, sour cream, or yogurt.
Carrot Soup with Ginger and Lime
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp butter or olive oil
- 1 sweet onion, peeled and diced
- 2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
- 1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and rough chopped
- 6 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock, or water
- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- pinch of saffron threads
- salt and pepper to taste
- juice of 1 or two limes, to taste
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a soup pot and saute the onion and ginger for 10 minutes, stirring often. Don't let it brown.
- Add the carrots and stock or water. Add the cayenne and saffron. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, cover, and simmer on low for about 20 minutes, or until the carrots are just tender.
- Working in batches, puree the soup until smooth.
- Put back in the rinsed out pot, and reheat. Thin with more stock or water if necessary. Add the lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
Notes:
- If you don’t have saffron you can use a pinch of turmeric to boost that golden color.
- This soup can also be served chilled.
- For other delicious spring soups, try this Spring Pea Soup, or this Light and Creamy Asparagus Soup.
Don’t forget to pin this carrot soup with ginger and lime!
This soup was super yummy! I thought that my daughter, who doesn’t like carrots, was going to hate this, but I assured her it didn’t taste like raw or boiled carrots and she’d like it. Sure enough, she really liked it. The combination of ginger and lime just totally transformed this into something so light and satisfying.
Speaking as a mother of 2 daughters, there’s nothing more satisfying than getting your kid to love a new healthy food, thanks Genevieve <3
Mine turned out pretty spicy. What do you think I did wrong?
This soup is a bit spicy, and I specify a range of 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of cayenne, maybe you used the larger amount? If you do make it again, you can leave the cayenne out entirely if you like.
I only used 1/4 tsp of cayenne. I grated the ginger instead of mincing it. I only ended up with 1.5 T though. Do you think it was too much? I also didn’t have any stock so I used water. I wonder if stock would’ve dulled the spiciness some.
You may just be sensitive to spice, or sensitive to cayenne, I would leave it out next time. And cut the ginger to 1 Tbsp.
I missed this pretty soup over the weekend but it caught my eye today. I love that carrots can take on so many wonderful spices, herbs and aromatics. And they make such a pretty soup. Love your blue and white bowls, I’m such a sucker for blue and white!
So lovely! I love carrot soup and your flavours here are perfect!
I love a good carrot soup with ginger, and that touch of lime sounds fantastic too. Can’t wait to try this!
I love soup with ginger – it just adds a great kick to things – but would not have thought of the lime. What a great idea. Thanks, Sue!
Love those dishes !
I collect thrift store dishes (of course) and I especially love the old fashioned soup bowls that are super shallow…portion sizes were so much smaller in the old days!
A bowl of sunshine and comfort, Sue. Happy Easter!
Right back at you Angie <3
Love the addition of ginger and cayenne. This is one gorgeous bowl of sunshine! I love soup all year so this truly appeals to me even when it’s 85 degrees outside. It makes me feel healthier just looking at it 🙂 Happy Easter Sue!
This soup does well chilled, too, Tricia! Have a wonderful weekend 🙂