Cream of Potato Soup with Carrots
This cream of potato soup blends humble potatoes with sweet carrots and a final scatter of caraway seeds for a smooth, vibrant, fully vegan bowl. It comes together in one pot with a quick boil and a blend, so it is the kind of soup you can make on a busy weeknight without any fuss. The caraway gives it a warm, slightly earthy aroma that sets it apart from a plain potato soup.
As a huge fan of creamy soups, this recipe quickly secured its place as my second favorite, right after my beloved vegan red lentil soup. While I’m not an avid fan of caraway seeds on their own, their harmonious blend with potatoes in this soup has completely won me over. The carrots are the small trick that takes it from a pale, plain puree to something with real color and a gentle sweetness.
What goes into this soup
The ingredient list is short and forgiving, which is exactly why it works. A few notes to help you get the best result:
- Potatoes are the body of the soup. Starchy varieties (the kind you would use for mash) break down and blend into a thicker, creamier texture, while waxy potatoes stay firmer. If you want more guidance on choosing and prepping them, see my notes on how to cook potatoes.
- Carrots bring color and a natural sweetness that balances the earthiness of the potatoes and caraway.
- Caraway seeds are the signature here. They are added at the very end so their aroma stays bright rather than getting blended away.
- Lemon juice lifts the whole pot. A little acidity keeps a potato soup from tasting flat or heavy.
- Olive oil, sweet paprika, white pepper and salt round it out. The olive oil added at the end gives a silky finish.
Tips for the creamiest texture
The secret to a smooth cream soup without any dairy is all in the blend and the water. Add only enough water to barely cover the vegetables while they boil. You can always thin the soup afterward, but you cannot easily take water back out, and starting with less keeps the puree thick and velvety.
Blend the soup while it is still hot, using a vertical (immersion) blender right in the pot, and let it run a little longer than you think you need. The extra time is what releases the potato starch and gives you that creamy, restaurant-style finish. Stir in the salt, spices and lemon juice off the heat so the flavors stay fresh, then taste and adjust before serving.
What to serve it with
This soup is light enough to open a meal and hearty enough to be lunch on its own with good bread. If you are feeding a crowd of soup lovers, it sits nicely alongside my potato leek soup or a brighter creamy carrot ginger soup. For something with a little crunch on the side, my sweet zucchini fritters are a good match.
Storing and making ahead
This cream of potato soup keeps well in the fridge for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container, and the flavor often deepens by the next day. Reheat it gently on the stove, adding a splash of water if it has thickened, since potato purees firm up as they cool. It also freezes well; just leave a little room in the container and stir it as it warms back through to bring the texture together.
If you love a good blended bowl, you will find plenty more to try, like my cream of vegetables soup, cream of parsnip soup and loaded potato soup.
If you give this potato and carrot soup a try, I would love to know how the caraway worked for you, so please rate the recipe and leave a comment below with any tweaks you made to the seasoning.
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Cream of Potato Soup with Carrots and Caraway Seeds
Ingredients
- 6 potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 onion peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 carrots peeled and sliced
- ½ lemon’s juice
- ½ tsp sweet paprika
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- salt to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp caraway seeds
Instructions
- Add potatoes, onion and carrots in a large pot.
- Add water just enough to cover them.
- Boil for 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add salt, spices and lemon juice.
- Using a vertical blender, blend all ingredients together until the soup is smooth and creamy. Add more water if needed.
- Add caraway seeds and olive oil.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. It is made entirely from plant-based ingredients: potatoes, onion, carrots, lemon juice, olive oil, caraway seeds, paprika, white pepper and salt. There is no dairy or cream, so the creamy texture comes purely from blending the starchy potatoes with a little water.
Caraway seeds give the soup its signature warm, slightly earthy aroma that sets it apart from a plain potato soup. They are stirred in at the very end along with the olive oil so their flavor stays bright instead of being blended away. If you are new to caraway, start with a little less and adjust to taste.
The creaminess comes from the potato starch, not cream. Boil the vegetables in just enough water to cover them, then blend the soup while it is still hot with an immersion blender, letting it run a little longer to release the starch. Add water gradually only if you need to thin it.
Yes, it is a great make-ahead soup and the flavor often deepens by the next day. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, or freeze it for longer. Reheat gently and add a splash of water, since the puree thickens as it cools.
Starchy potatoes, the kind you would use for mashed potatoes, break down easily and blend into the thickest, creamiest texture. Waxy potatoes will work but stay a bit firmer and give a lighter body. Peel and cut them into even chunks so they cook through at the same rate.
It is light enough to start a meal and filling enough to be lunch on its own with crusty bread. It pairs well with other blended bowls like potato leek soup or creamy carrot ginger soup, and a side of sweet zucchini fritters adds a nice crunch.
Loved it!
I absolutely love this soup and your pictures are amazing! I skipped the caraway seeds because I’m not a big fan of them and the result is just as delicious. Thanks!
Glad you liked the recipe! 🙂
Sour cream added to the soup adds to the flavour.
Yes, indeed! 😀
An elderly friend of mine had a Hungarian grandmother. He often mentions that she made a wonderful caraway potato soup and wishes he could have some. I’m going to make this for him when I visit him. Thanks so much.
Hope he’ll like it! 😀
Cat chimen se adauga la aceasta cantitate de supa? 1 lingurita? Sau dupa gust? 🙂
Dupa gust. Eu de exemplu nu ma prea omor dupa gustul lui, asa ca adaug mai putin. 😉
foarte buna… multumim 😉
Cu mare placere!:)
Delicioasă combinație ! Azi am încercat-o și nu îmi venea să cred cât de bună este . 🙂
Ce ma bucur!! Sa adaugi chimen si in mancarea de cartofi. La fel de bine merge! De fapt e delicios in orice combinatie alaturi de cartofi. 😀
very pretty!