If you’re craving a cozy, creamy soup that feels like sunshine in a bowl, this carrot ginger soup with cardamom is exactly what you need. The bright orange color hints at the flavor bomb inside—sweet carrots, zesty fresh ginger, and the citrusy warmth of cardamom!
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The best carrot ginger soup recipe!
It took many tweaks to get this Carrot Cardamom Soup juuuuust right for our debut cookbook, Nom Nom Paleo: Food For Humans, but it’s now my go-to recipe to showcase this lowly root vegetable. It’s dairy-free, vibrant, and deeply comforting, with a silky texture that comes together easily on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot. Whether you’re feeling under the weather or just want something light and nourishing, this soup is pure golden goodness.
Why you’ll love this carrot ginger soup
This isn’t your average carrot soup. It’s silky, vibrant, and full of bold, warming flavors that come together in under an hour. Here’s why it’s a longtime Nomster favorite:
- Creamy and comforting—without a drop of dairy!
- Bursting with fresh ginger and citrusy cardamom!
- Naturally gluten-free, Whole30-compatible, and easy to make vegan (just use vegetable stock!)
- Comes together quickly on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot!
- Meal prep- and freezer-friendly!
- A beloved recipe from our New York Times bestselling first cookbook (the red one)!
Make it faster in an Instant Pot!
Although the original cookbook carrot soup recipe is made on the stovetop, ever since I bought an Instant Pot back in 2013, I’ve been making this bowl of sunshine in a pressure cooker instead. Don’t worry, I’ll give you both cooking options in this recipe post and whichever way you choose to cook it will yield a bright orange bowl of fresh carrot, ginger, and cardamom soup that will warm you from the inside out!
Ingredients
- Refined coconut oil, ghee, avocado oil, or extra virgin olive oil: If you are making a vegan version of this dish, don’t use ghee!
- Large leeks, white and light green ends only: I love the delicate flavor of leeks in this recipe, but you can easily substitute a white or yellow onion in place of them!
- Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt or Magic Mushroom Powder: My Magic Mushroom Powder adds extra oomph and umami!
- Carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch coins
- Diced apple: My secret ingredient in creamy vegetable soups adding a little bit of apple to the aromatics. It adds just the perfect balance of sweetness and no one is the wiser! I like using Braeburn, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Empire, McIntosh or Cortland apples.
- Minced fresh ginger
- Ground cardamom: I think ground cardamom makes this soup taste super special but you can definitely replace it with ½ teaspoon allspice or ¼ teaspoon cloves + ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon.
- Chicken broth or stock or bone broth: Like all soups, the better the broth, the better the final product! If you want to make this soup vegan, use a good vegetable broth.
- Full-fat canned coconut milk: To keep this soup dairy-free, I use canned coconut milk in place of cream.
- Freshly ground black pepper:
- Fresh herbs: If you’re feeling fancy, you can add some fresh chervil, chives, or Italian parsley as an optional garnish!
How to make carrot ginger soup
Stovetop Instructions
Melt the coconut oil or your fat of choice in a saucepan over medium heat.
Toss in the leeks along with a generous pinch of kosher salt or Magic Mushroom Powder. Sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Toss in the carrot, apple, ginger, and cardamom, and stir until fragrant.
Pour in the broth.
Bring the soup to a boil over high heat. Turn down the heat to low and cover and simmer until the carrots are tender and easily pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes.
When the soup is finished cooking, stir in the coconut milk. Now it’s time to blend the soup!
You can transfer the soup in batches to a blender and process until smooth…
…or you can puree the soup directly with an immersion blender.
Taste and season accordingly with salt (or Magic Mushroom Powder) and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with minced fresh herbs, if desired.
Instant Pot instructions
Press the Sauté button and add the coconut oil or fat of choice when the metal insert is hot. Toss in the leeks along with a generous pinch of kosher salt or Magic Mushroom Powder. Sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Toss in the carrot, apple, ginger, and cardamom, and stir until fragrant. Pour in the broth.
Cancel the Sauté function. Lock the lid and program the Instant Pot to cook under high pressure for 5 minutes. Release the pressure manually.
When the pressure is released, stir in the coconut milk. Now, blend the soup in batches in a high powered blender until smooth or use an immersion blender.
Taste and season accordingly with salt (or Magic Mushroom Powder) and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with minced fresh herbs, if desired.
How to store the leftovers
You can store the soup in a sealed airtight container for up to four days in the refrigerator and freeze it for up to 4 months. Yes, it freezes great! Simply thaw the soup in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
More cozy vegetable soup recipes
- Nourishing Green Soup (Whole30 & Dairy-Free!)
- Creamy Pea Soup with Crispy Prosciutto
- Instant Pot Vegetable Soup (Whole30, Keto)
- Instant Pot Curried Cream of Broccoli Soup (Whole30, Dairy Free)
- Cream of Tomato Soup (Paleo, Whole30, Gluten Free)
- Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup (Whole30, Dairy Free)
- Instant Pot Cream of Mushroom Soup (Whole30, Keto, Dairy Free)
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Easy Creamy Carrot Ginger Soup with Cardamom
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil ghee, avocado oil, or extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large leeks white and light green ends only, cleaned, trimmed, and thinly sliced
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt or Magic Mushroom Powder
- 1½ pounds carrots peeled and cut into ½-inch coins
- ¼ cup diced apple Braeburn, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Empire, McIntosh or Cortland works
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom or ½ teaspoon allspice or ¼ teaspoon cloves + ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 cups chicken stock or bone broth or vegetable broth (for vegan)
- ½ cup full-fat canned coconut milk
- Freshly ground black pepper
- minced fresh herbs (chervil chives, Italian parsley etc.) optional garnish
Instructions
Stovetop Instructions
- Melt the coconut oil or your fat of choice in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Toss in the leeks along with a generous pinch of kosher salt or Magic Mushroom Powder Sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Toss in the carrot, apple, ginger, and cardamom, and stir until fragrant. Pour in the broth.
- Bring the soup to a boil over high heat. Turn down the heat to low and cover and simmer until the carrots are easily pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes.
- When the soup is finished cooking, stir in the coconut milk.
- Now it’s time to blend the soup! You can transfer the soup in batches to a blender and process until smooth or or you can puree the soup directly with an immersion blender.
- Taste and season accordingly with salt (or Magic Mushroom Powder) and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with minced fresh herbs, if desired.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Press the Sauté button and add the coconut oil or fat of choice when the metal insert is hot. Cancel the Sauté function. Lock the lid and program the Instant Pot to cook under high pressure for 5 minutes. Release the pressure manually.
- Toss in the leeks along with a generous pinch of kosher salt or Magic Mushroom Powder. Sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add in the carrot, apple, ginger, and cardamom, and stir until fragrant. Pour in the broth. Cancel the Sauté function.
- Lock the lid and program the Instant Pot to cook under high pressure for 5 minutes. Release the pressure manually.
- When the pressure is released, stir in the coconut milk. Now, blend the soup in batches in a high powered blender until smooth or use an immersion blender.
- Taste and season accordingly with salt (or Magic Mushroom Powder) and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with minced fresh herbs, if desired.
Notes
- You can store the soup in a sealed airtight container for up to four days in the refrigerator and freeze it for up to 4 months. Yes, it freezes great! Simply thaw the soup in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- Wanna make this soup vegan? Just use your favorite vegetable broth as the base!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This soup is delicious and very easy!