Carrot Coconut Soup

This carrot coconut soup requires just 10 ingredients and blends together in a flash. Refreshing, creamy & bright, it's wonderful warm or cold.

Carrot coconut soup

This carrot coconut soup is one of my favorite recipes from our first cookbook. When I first made it, I wanted to stop working on the book and just eat this soup every single day for lunch. Luckily for me, I could! The recipe calls for 10 simple ingredients, and I make it like gazpacho, by tossing all the ingredients into a blender and whirring them into a creamy, refreshing puree. Like gazpacho, it’s meant to be served chilled, but you could just as easily warm it up.

Carrot Coconut Soup Recipe Ingredients

This carrot coconut soup is creamy, light, and super refreshing! Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

  • Carrots: Look for 2 big bunches. I especially love to make this soup with peak-season carrots from the farmers market.
  • Lemongrass: It adds bright, refreshing flavor! If you can’t find lemongrass, use 1 tablespoon lime zest instead.
  • Coconut milk: It makes this dairy-free soup wonderfully creamy without any cream! I like to reserve a little to drizzle on top of each bowl.
  • Red curry paste: It gives the soup a fiery curry flavor. Look for it in Asian markets or in the Asian section of your grocery store. If you can’t find it, feel free to substitute fresh ginger.
  • Garlic: For aromatic depth of flavor!
  • Sherry vinegar: To make the soup tangy and bright!
  • Extra-virgin olive oil: Along with the coconut milk, it adds richness to the soup, and it ties all the flavors together.

Add a splash of water or vegetable broth to get the blender going, and season the soup with salt and pepper to taste!

Carrot Coconut Soup Serving Suggestions

Puree this carrot coconut soup until it’s smooth and velvety. Then, pour it into a soup pot over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until it’s warmed through. If you prefer a cool soup, chill it for at least 4 hours to allow the flavors to develop. Either way, don’t skip the garnishes. I like to top mine with cilantro, microgreens, and/or mint for extra fresh flavor. Then, I finish it with toasted pepitas and hemp seeds for crunch.

To make this easy carrot soup a full meal, serve it with a side of avocado toast or a hearty salad like this kale salad. Its vibrant carrot ginger dressing pairs wonderfully with this soup!

Carrot Coconut Soup in bowls

More Favorite Soup Recipes

If you love this carrot coconut soup, try one of these delicious soup recipes next:

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4.9 from 10 reviews

Carrot Coconut Soup

 
Prep time
Total time
 
This carrot coconut soup is best made with a bunch of vibrant local carrots, but if you can't get your hands on some, it's still delicious. I like it cold in the summer and warm in the fall & winter.
Author:
Recipe type: Main dish, soup
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 stalk lemongrass
  • 16 ounces carrots, peeled and sliced, about 2 bunches
  • 1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk, reserve ¼ cup for garnish
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon red curry paste or freshly minced ginger
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
  • ½ cup water
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • optional garnishes: hemp seeds, pepitas, microgreens
Instructions
  1. Prepare the lemongrass by cutting off the root end and tough upper stem of the stalk. Remove the first one or two layers of outer leaves and fin ely chop the tender, aromatic part of the lemongrass.
  2. Using a high-speed blender, combine the lemongrass, carrots, coconut milk, garlic, olive oil, sherry vinegar, red curry paste, water, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. If you're not using a high-speed blender like a Vitamix, strain the soup (if desired for texture) and blend again until completely smooth.
  3. Chill for at least 4 hours. If the soup thickens in the fridge, stir in a little more cold water. Alternatively, you can serve the soup warm by gently heating it in a saucepan. Season to taste with more salt and pepper.
  4. Drizzle with olive oil and serve with desired garnishes.

 

28 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it):  

  1. Meadow
    09.20.2023

    I made this with a curry leaf and green chili slant and it is friggin delightful. Oooooof is all I can say.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      09.21.2023

      So glad you enjoyed it!

  2. cgirl
    12.04.2022

    Made several times and lovelovelove! Great for GF, raw & vegan guests, but everyone has enjoyed it.

    I use AROY-D yellow curry paste and skip the lemongrass, as it’s already in there. Regular coconut milk works, but full-fat coconut cream is wonderful. I half the Maille sherry vinegar
    (possibly the curry paste’s lime peel adds to the acidity?).

    About 4 large carrots = 16 oz/450 grams for me. I slice them into ~2″ pieces. A double batch of the recipe fits in my Paderno Vortex blender, and blending is no problem as long as there is liquid.

    I first blend the carrots and water, then strain that in a steel strainer over a bowl using a cocktail muddler to get all the carrot water out. I then return the carrot water to the blender and add the other ingredients for the recipe. I save in Mason jars – it’s a great to-go meal to have in the fridge.

    Tip: The leftover carrot pulp can be used as part of a mirepoix, or added to any soup/stew, used to make carrot cake, or – my fave – mix it with an egg, some chives and some flour/flour alternative to make batter for some savoury carrot pancakes!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      12.06.2022

      I’m so glad you loved the recipe!

  3. Jill
    11.25.2022

    Doubled the recipe and got about 4 cups of thin soup because had to use doubled cheesecloth to squeeze out the liquid. My raw carrots didn’t become creamy in our Ninja Professional 1000W blender. I even simmered the blended soup to try to soften the carrots-it helped a little. Fun working with fresh lemongrass. The taste was amazing!

  4. Shannon O'Neail
    09.22.2022

    Can I freeze this soup?

  5. Elizabeth
    09.09.2021

    Love and Lemons to the rescue! It has been soooo hot where I live for, basically ever, and I just have not been able to bring myself to turn on the stove. (I have also banned my honey from turning it on to make coffee – uncaffeinated sweetheart – these are the risks I’m willing to take to avoid any more heat in our home).

    After the zillionth day of hummus with bread, white bead dip with veggies, fruit with fruit, I thought, surely the wonderful souls at Love and Lemons will have something tasty and cold that I can make. And you did! I found this wonderful recipe and the linked summer spring rolls recipe and easy, room-temp deliciousness ensued. I even had all the ingredients on hand.

    I used mostly ginger with just a 1/4 tsp of curry paste because I find the Thai Kitchen brand is very lemongrass heavy and we were already adding a bunch of that. I added a bit of coriander to make up for lost spice.

    And I of course did not read the ingredients closely and used full fat coconut milk, but hey, can’t go wrong with lots of fat, right? Right.

    The soup has a lovely Thai-esque flavor fresh out of the blender, and became a bit stronger and more acidic after overnight in the fridge. So good! So easy! Not hummus! Thank you!!!!

  6. Lisa
    08.20.2021

    I made this today. It is so refreshing and delicious! Thank you!

  7. Thea
    09.14.2020

    This looks delish! Just checking, are the carrots raw when putting in the blender?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.14.2020

      Hi Thea, yes, it’s meant to be a cold soup (although you can heat it up if you want to). If you have a powerful blender, it’ll make them really smooth.

  8. Sarrah
    06.08.2020

    So to confirm/clarify, if you were using a cuisinart, you should cook carrots first?

    I have a blender but it isn’t very good!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      06.08.2020

      Hi Sarah, this one definitely requires a blender because the carrots get blended raw.

      This other carrot soup recipe is cooked. It also requires a blender but it might work out better since the carrots are cooked first: https://www.loveandlemons.com/carrot-ginger-soup/

      Or here are a bunch of our other favorite soup recipes, maybe there’s another one that looks good to you that doesn’t require a blender? https://www.loveandlemons.com/soup-recipes/

      Hope that helps!

      • Sarah
        06.08.2020

        Thanks so much for the fast response!

        So you don’t think roasting the carrots until they are soft as you suggested to Line above would work well after all?
        I know my Cuisinart wouldn’t have a problem with that…

        The other recipe sounds delicious too, but this is really more what I was in the mood for.

        • Jeanine Donofrio
          06.08.2020

          You could roast them first – if you think your Cuisinart can get them soft enough, that would be totally fine!

          • Sarah
            06.08.2020

            Followup! I ended up cooking them on the stove top in a bit of water. I’m sure it tasted different than if I could have done it as written, but it was delicious nonetheless and the texture was perfect. Thanks!

          • Jeanine Donofrio
            06.09.2020

            I’m glad it worked out!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.16.2020

      Just a little bit because of the red curry.

  9. Line
    04.09.2019

    So just to make sure: the carrots are raw and unprepared when you blend them? That sounds like a tough job for my foodprocessor…

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.09.2019

      Hi Line, yes, they’re raw, but you need to use a high powered blender, not a food processor. If you think your blender might not be strong enough, you could roast the carrots first to soften them. Hope that helps!

  10. Nora
    10.09.2018

    Yum, looks and sounds amazing! I have never combined carrots and coconuts but after reading this one I will definitely try this combo. At the moment I’m in love with vegetable soup. I often combine veggies with cream cheese and some spices. 🙂

  11. Cucina Rumori
    09.26.2018

    Just made this!! What a simple and gorgeous dish!! So flavorful and bright!!! I will definitely be saving this for when I have guests! Thank you!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.27.2018

      I’m so glad you loved it!!

  12. Brittany Audra @ Audra's Appetite
    09.25.2018

    I am so excited at the idea of carrot gazpacho! I love pureed cooked carrot soup, so I’m definitely going to try this as well! 🙂

  13. AGS from valueandinvest.com
    09.24.2018

    This looks amazing. I’ve never used lemon grass. Maybe now is the time?!

    Our entire family of seven loves homemade chicken noodle soup, from one-year-old Hannah, to 70-year-old Grandpa who comes over a lot for dinner. I like to add a few finely chopped pickled Serrano peppers to give it a little acidity and heat.

  14. Gaby Dalkin
    09.24.2018

    Oooh, love that it works heated up too!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.