Nothing quite says comfort like a warm, vibrant bowl of soup, particularly on a day that demands a cosy blanket. Today, we’re taking the wonderfully humble carrot and transforming it into something truly spectacular with our beloved Miso Carrot Soup Recipe. This dish masterfully weds the inherent sweetness of carrots with the complex, savoury depth of Japanese miso, creating a soup that is both simple to prepare and wonderfully sophisticated in taste. It’s a nourishing, silky-smooth concoction designed to warm you from the soul outwards. Step away from ordinary carrot soups; this version offers a luxurious texture and a flavour that is both comforting and exhilarating. It’s the perfect hug in a mug for a swift weekday lunch or an elegant starter for guests. This recipe is a delightful re-imagination of a classic comfort food, demonstrating how a handful of excellent ingredients can yield an unforgettable meal.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• A Symphony of Flavours: This is far from your typical carrot soup. The fusion of sweet carrots, zesty ginger, and umami-rich white miso paste crafts a distinctive, layered taste that is profoundly satisfying.
• Effortlessly Simple: Despite its gourmet flavour profile, this soup is remarkably straightforward to make, coming together in less than 45 minutes. It’s our go-to recipe for a busy weeknight when we’re after something wholesome without the fuss.
• Nourishing and Adaptable: We’ve designed this as a brilliant vegan carrot soup, brimming with vitamins and goodness. It’s naturally dairy-free and can easily be adapted for a gluten-free diet, catering to various lifestyle needs.
• A Brilliant Canvas for Creativity: While we adore this soup just as it is, it also serves as a fantastic foundation for your own culinary twists. Feel free to adjust the spice level, experiment with different toppings, or even add other root vegetables.

The Magic of Miso in Soup

Before we get to the full ingredient list, let’s have a moment for our star player: miso. If your experience with it is limited to a classic Japanese miso soup, then you’re in for a delightful surprise. Miso is a fermented paste, traditionally made from soybeans, salt, and a culture called kōji. The result is a powerhouse of savoury, ‘umami’ flavour that can elevate any dish. For our miso carrot soup, we insist on using white miso (also known as shiro miso). It’s fermented for a shorter time, which gives it a gentler, sweeter character compared to red or yellow varieties. This delicate sweetness is the perfect partner for the natural sugars in the carrots, creating a wonderfully balanced soup where no single flavour dominates. A crucial piece of advice we’ll repeat in the method is to never boil the miso; we add it right at the end to protect its nuanced taste and beneficial live cultures.

Choosing Your Ingredients

The charm of this recipe is rooted in its simplicity, which allows the quality of each component to really sing. We’ve discovered that adding a sweet potato to the mix not only enhances the natural sweetness but is also our secret to achieving a sumptuously creamy and velvety texture without any dairy. This is built upon an aromatic base of sweet onion, pungent garlic, and a good kick of fresh ginger. The ginger, in particular, lends a beautiful background warmth and a clean, zesty note that balances the richness. For those who enjoy a bit of a tingle, a small pinch of red chilli flakes will elevate this into a fantastic spicy carrot soup.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-inch piece of fresh ginger (about 1 tbsp), peeled and grated
• 1kg carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 medium sweet potato (approx. 300g), peeled and cubed
• 1.2 litres high-quality vegetable stock
• 3-4 tablespoons white miso paste (shiro miso), to taste
• ½ teaspoon red chilli flakes (optional, for a spicy kick)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• For Garnish (Optional):
• Toasted sesame seeds
• Fresh coriander, chopped
• A swirl of coconut cream
• Thinly sliced spring onions

Instructions

1. Build the Flavour Base: In a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, warm the coconut oil over a medium flame. Add the chopped onion and sauté gently for 5-7 minutes, until it’s soft and translucent. Stir in the minced garlic and grated ginger, cooking for one more minute until their lovely aromas are released.
2. Add the Root Vegetables: Tumble the chopped carrots and cubed sweet potato into the pot. Give everything a good stir to coat the vegetables in the aromatic oils and let them cook for 5 minutes to begin developing their flavours.
3. Simmer to Tenderness: Pour over the vegetable stock, adding the optional red chilli flakes now if you’re after some heat. Increase the heat to bring the soup to a boil, then immediately lower it to a gentle simmer. Pop the lid on and cook for 20-25 minutes, until the carrots and sweet potato are perfectly tender and easily pierced with a knife.
4. Blend to Perfection: Take the pot off the heat. Using a stick blender, blitz the soup directly in the pot until it’s completely smooth and creamy. Alternatively, you can carefully ladle the soup into a standing blender (always remember to vent the lid to let steam escape) and blend in batches before returning it to the pot.
5. Temper the Miso: This step is key to a perfect result. Avoid adding the miso directly to the pot. Instead, scoop about a cup (200ml) of the hot soup into a separate bowl. Add the miso paste to this smaller amount of soup and whisk thoroughly until it’s a smooth, clump-free liquid.
6. Final Combination and Seasoning: Gently pour the miso slurry back into the main pot of soup and stir to combine. It is vital not to let the soup boil from this point on, as this can damage the miso’s flavour and beneficial properties. Taste the soup and season with a little salt and pepper if needed—the miso is quite salty, so you may not need much.
7. Serve and Enjoy: Ladle the gloriously vibrant soup into bowls. For a final flourish, garnish with toasted sesame seeds, fresh coriander, a drizzle of coconut cream, or finely sliced spring onions. Serve hot and enjoy every spoonful.

Tips for the Perfect Miso Carrot Soup

To ensure your soup is a resounding success every time, we’ve gathered a few of our favourite tips and tricks.

• Roast for Richness: To unlock an even deeper, more caramelised flavour, consider roasting your carrots and sweet potato first. Simply toss them with a little oil and roast at 200°C (180°C Fan) for about 30 minutes until tender, then add them to the pot with the stock and proceed with the recipe.
• For a Silky-Smooth Finish: If you’re aiming for that truly professional, velvety mouthfeel, pass the blended soup through a fine-mesh strainer before you add the miso. This extra step removes any stray fibres and guarantees a luxurious texture.
• A Note on Miso: While white miso is our top choice, you can use yellow or red miso in a pinch. They are much stronger and saltier, so start with a smaller quantity (about 1-2 tablespoons) and adjust to your taste.
• Make It Uniquely Yours: This carrot soup recipe is a brilliant starting point for your own ideas. A bruised stalk of lemongrass added with the stock (and removed before blending) would add a wonderful citrusy aroma. For extra creaminess, try stirring in a spoonful of tahini. For more inspiration on balancing sweet and savoury notes, take a peek at our Bang Bang Chicken Thighs recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions

We truly hope you love this Miso Carrot Soup recipe as much as we do. It has become a staple in our kitchen, celebrated for its comforting warmth, beautiful colour, and incredibly rich flavour profile. It’s a wonderful example of how simple, high-quality ingredients can be transformed into something truly memorable. This is a healthy, simple, and utterly delicious meal that we return to time and again. And if this wholesome soup leaves you craving a sweet treat, why not try our fantastic Peach Crumb Cheesecake for dessert?

We would be thrilled to hear how you get on with this recipe! Please leave a comment and rating below to share your experience. Happy cooking!

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Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-inch piece of fresh ginger (about 1 tbsp), peeled and grated
• 1kg carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 medium sweet potato (approx. 300g), peeled and cubed
• 1.2 litres high-quality vegetable stock
• 3-4 tablespoons white miso paste (shiro miso), to taste
• ½ teaspoon red chilli flakes (optional, for a spicy kick)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• For Garnish (Optional):
• Toasted sesame seeds
• Fresh coriander, chopped
• A swirl of coconut cream
• Thinly sliced spring onions

Instructions

1. Sauté the Aromatics: Place a large pot or Dutch oven over a medium heat. Add the coconut oil and allow it to melt. Add the chopped onion and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it has softened and become translucent. Add the minced garlic and grated ginger, and cook for another minute until fragrant. Be careful not to let the garlic burn.
2. Add the Vegetables: Tip the chopped carrots and sweet potato into the pot. Stir everything together to coat the vegetables in the aromatics and cook for about 5 minutes. This step helps to develop their flavour before adding the liquid.
3. Simmer the Soup: Pour in the vegetable stock and add the red chilli flakes, if using. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot with a lid, and let it simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the carrots and sweet potato are completely tender. You should be able to easily pierce them with a fork.
4. Blend Until Smooth: Once the vegetables are soft, remove the pot from the heat. Using an immersion blender, carefully blend the soup directly in the pot until it is completely smooth and velvety. Alternatively, you can transfer the soup in batches to a stand blender (be sure to leave the lid’s vent open and cover with a tea towel to allow steam to escape safely) and blend until creamy, then return it to the pot.
5. Temper the Miso: This is a crucial step! Do not add the miso paste directly to the hot soup. Instead, ladle about 200ml (a cup) of the warm soup into a small bowl. Add the miso paste to this bowl and whisk until it has completely dissolved into a smooth slurry. This prevents clumps and protects the miso’s delicate properties.
6. Combine and Season: Pour the dissolved miso mixture back into the main pot of soup. Stir gently to combine everything. It is very important that you do not let the soup boil after this point, as high heat can destroy the beneficial probiotics in the miso and alter its flavour. Have a taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. You may not need much salt, as the miso is already salty.
7. Serve and Garnish: Ladle the hot soup into bowls. Garnish with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds, fresh coriander, a swirl of coconut cream, and some sliced spring onions for a beautiful presentation and added texture. Enjoy immediately.

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