Carrot and Orange Soup

Bowl of Vegan Carrot Soup with cashew cream

This recipe uses simple ingredients to make a delicious vegan soup perfect for a cool day. It's filled with carrots, fennel, and freshly squeeze orange juice and topped with cashew cream for a hearty, healthy, and cozy weeknight meal. Made in under 30 minutes!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 30

Servings: people

Calories: 244kcal

Author: Sarah McMinn

Ingredients

Carrot Fennel Soup

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups carrots, peeled and sliced
4 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Cashew Creme

¼ cup cashews, soaked 30 minutes
¼ cup warm water
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
½ tsp. apple cider vinegar
¼ tsp. salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Before starting, place the cashews in a bowl of water to soak. Make sure they are fully submerged and give them at least 30 minutes to soak. This softens the nut and makes it easier to blend into cashew cream.
Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the sliced fennel and onion and cook, stirring often, until soft and golden, about 5 minutes. Add carrots and garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.
Stir in the vegetable broth. Bring to boil then reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook 20 minutes until carrots are tender. Remove from the heat and stir in orange juice and salt. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Let the soup cool slightly. Then transfer it to a blender and blend until completely smooth. You may have to do this in batches. Do not fill your blender more than halfway or it may leak out. Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender to purée the soup. It won't get quite as smooth but it makes less mess!
Drain and rinse the cashews. Combine all the ingredients for the cashew cream in a high powered blender, like a VitaMix and blend until completely smooth. If you do not have a Vitamix, soak the cashews for at least 6 hours prior to making the soup and blend them in a regular blender.
Serve the soup warm with a dollop of cashew cream and freshly ground pepper.

Notes

Serving and Storing - Once ready, ladle the soup into individual bowls and add a dollop of cashew cream. For some added heat, crack some fresh black pepper on top. Store the soup in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days. To store it, let the soup cool down completely before transferring it to an airtight container. You can also freeze the soup. Place the soup in a freezer safe container and place in the freezer for up to 6 months. When you are ready to serve it, allow it to thaw in the refrigerator.

Reheating – To reheat, you can either place the soup in the microwave for a few minutes to warm it through. You could also pour it into a pot and reheat over medium-low heat until the soup has warmed through.

Recipe Tips

Use fresh carrots for the recipe. Frozen carrots are often softened from the freezing process and don’t taste as fresh or good as ones you can find in the produce aisle.
To reduce sodium, use a low-sodium vegetable broth. They taste almost identical but often contain a fraction of the amount of salt.
Feel free to swap out the oil with a tablespoon of water to reduce the calories and fat.

Make in Advance - Make this soup in advance for an easy lunch or to bring to a get together the next day. If you are making it for a lunch, I recommend placing it in individual containers for easy grab options in the morning.

Nutrition