A bold spiced Tomato Carrot Soup infused with garlic, smoked paprika and cumin. Top off this creamy 9-ingredient soup with large shreds of smoked Gouda and fresh cilantro. Then serve it with toasted rye bread for the ultimate cozy meal.
For the past three years, I’ve devoted each October to developing quick-cooking soup recipes and nothing else. The kicker—they’ve got to use just 10 ingredients or less and taste like they’ve simmered all day long.
This carrot tomato soup is the perfect example of how to create a simple soup with loads of flavor—rely on some workhorse ingredients and let the magic happen in the pot.
This Tomato Carrot Soup with cumin, caraway and smoked paprika has layers upon layers of flavors and is peak coziness. Top it with smoked gouda and some cilantro and it’s taken to entirely new level.
One key step is to add the tomatoes right at the end of cooking. Get the carrots and aromatics cooking, then once tender puree the soup until smooth and stir in the fire roasted tomatoes for a bit of texture. A creamy base with acidic pops of tomato floating throughout—delicious.
If you’re in the market for more creamy vegetable soups, be sure to check out my Curried Carrot Soup, it’s one of my favorites. I bet you’d also enjoy Florentine Tomato Soup—an elegant wine-infused dish. And finally, if you like this one then I can guarantee you’ll love my Cream of Corn Soup.
What’s Notable
- 9-Ingredients: not only is the ingredient list short, but it’s made up of simple staples like onions, garlic, spices, and tomato paste. Be sure to shop your pantry before heading to the store!
- Ready in under an hour: this soup is unbelievably easy to mak. The only things you need to prep is carrots, onion and garlic and most of the cook time is a hands-off simmer.
- Easy yet elegant: my favorite kind of recipes—realistic yet still elevated. This soup fits the bill with nuanced flavors like cumin and caraway seeds and depth of flavor from tomato paste and fire roasted tomatoes.
Ingredients Needed
- Pantry: butter and kosher salt
- Carrots: you’ll need 1 pound of large carrots. Diced, they should measure 3 cups.
- Onion: yellow onion is best here. You’ll need 1 onion.
- Garlic: fresh is best! The garlic is thinly sliced in this recipe for a mild flavor.
- Tomato paste: this adds depth of flavor along with acidity and a bit of sweetness.
- Cumin seeds: I love cooking with cumin seeds, they add savoriness and earthiness that you can’t get from anything else. And if you buy them just for this recipe, be comforted knowing you can use them in a ton of different recipes—my Cheese Biscuits for starters.
- Smoked paprika: this is another workhorse ingredient, but it can easily overtake a dish. Add just 1 teaspoon.
- Caraway seeds: a bit of caraway adds an earthy floral flavor to the soup that makes it so craveable and delicious.
- Chicken broth: I always have Better than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base on hand, so having 5 cups of broth ready for the soup is easy. If you’re using boxed broth, use a box of broth and 1 cup water. Season with a bit more salt.
- Canned fire roasted tomatoes: the key to creating a roasted tomato carrot soup without having to turn your oven on! Roasted canned tomatoes are a level up in flavor from regular canned tomatoes. If you’re looking for a soup that does roast the tomatoes, check out this Roasted Garlic Tomato Soup.
- Toppings: optional, but I think these toppings really make the soup pop. Grab some smoked gouda and shred it on a large hole grater and also grab a bunch of fresh cilantro. I also like rye bread for dipping in the soup (pairs well with the caraway seeds in the soup).
How to Make Tomato Carrot Soup
Here’s a quick rundown of how to make the soup, get the full recipe in the recipe card below.
Start Cooking the Veggies
In a large pot, melt the butter then add the carrots, onion and garlic. Season the vegetables with salt and allow them to cook for about 5 minutes.
Toast the Spices
You’ll also be caramelizing the tomato paste in this step. So add the tomato paste, cumin seeds, smoked paprika and caraway seeds to the pot with the vegetables and cook until they are toasted and fragrant.
Simmer
Add the broth and bring the soup to a boil, theme educe to a simmer and cook until the carrots are very tender. This will take about 25 minutes.
Blend it Up
Puree the soup using an immersion blender or high-powered blender—whatever you prefer.
Finish the Soup
Stir in a can of diced fire roasted tomatoes—these are a great way to create a roasted tomato carrot soup without having to turn your oven on! Season to taste with additional salt and serve up the soup with shredded smoked gouda, fresh cilantro and toasted rye bread for dipping.
Top Tips for Carrot and Cumin Soup
- To make it dairy-free, use vegan butter or olive oil instead of the butter.
- Use cumin seeds, not ground cumin—the flavor difference is noticeable!
- For a creamier, more decadent soup, consider adding ½ to 1 cup of half-and-half or cream. Canned coconut milk would also be delicious.
How to Store and Reheat Carrot Tomato Soup
Store Tomato Carrot Soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze the soup for up to 4 months. Allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
If you like to meal prep soups and freeze them, try out Souper Cubes. I use them when I have leftover soup and it makes freezing and storing the soup SO easy. Highly recommend.
More Simple Soup Recipes to Try
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Chicken and Cabbage Soup
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Cauliflower Potato Leek Soup with Bacon
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Broccoli Feta Soup
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Quick & Easy Lasagna Soup
Tomato Carrot Soup Recipe
Description
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 pound carrots, diced (~3 cups)
- 1 ½ cups diced yellow onion
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
- 5 cups chicken broth*
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced fire roasted tomatoes
- Toasted rye bread, shredded smoked gouda and fresh cilantro, for serving
Instructions
- Melt butter over medium-high heat in a large pot or Dutch oven.
- Add carrots, onion and garlic; season with 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add tomato paste, cumin, smoked paprika, and caraway seeds and cook 3 minutes.
- Stir in broth, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer over medium heat and cook, partially covered, until carrots are very soft, 25–30 minutes. Remove from heat; purée either with an immersion blender or in a high-powdered blender until smooth. Transfer back to pot and stir in canned tomatoes and their juices. Bring back to a simmer, season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with toasted rye bread, shredded gouda and cilantro.
