March 10, 2015
(last updated June 25, 2024) 
In the last two days, New York City has finally been treated to the first few telling signs of spring: melting ice, non-parka temperatures, warm and lasting late afternoon sun. I’ve always had an unusual relationship with spring; the season is a relief in so many ways, but it also makes me a little melancholy and nostalgic. The fresh beginnings and feelings of renewal that most people seem to associate with March, April, and May typically come to me in the fall, which is always my most energetic season (I’m sure that has something to do with the fact that I’ve been a student for a long time).
This year, though, I’m ready for spring. I’ve been feeling cooped up and cabin feverish, and it’s time for a change. What I don’t want to change is the steady rotation of warming, spiced soups I’ve been enjoying lately, and this carrot, turmeric, and ginger soup with cumin roasted chickpeas is my favorite.
Steven and I are developing something of a weekend food “rhythym.” On Sunday, I make a big casserole: something filling, which will last us two nights; I get home late on Mondays, so this makes life easy, and it’s a nice end-of-weekend ritual to layer something in a casserole dish, or prepare some other sort of one-pot wonder. On Saturday nights, I take it easy with cooking. It’s usually either a dinner salad or a soup/salad combination. This past Saturday, it was a big kale salad paired with a warm, fragrant, and soul-lifting bowl of this carrot soup.
This is certainly not my first carrot soup on CR, and it’s likely not my last. It is, however, my first carrot soup that puts freshly grated turmeric to use. Turmeric is known for its anti-inflammatory and healing properties, and it has become one of my favorite ingredients. I add it to a variety of dishes: nut pates, soups, tofu scrambles, and even a turmeric milk (which is heavenly). I often use ground turmeric, but lately I’m finding that freshly grated turmeric root adds even more flavor and color to food, and I love it in this soup. If ground turmeric is what you have, that’s totally fine: it’ll still add plenty of flavor.
Whatever you do, don’t skimp on the roasted chickpeas. They add so much character to the dish! I love thick, pureed soups, but I think it’s really important to give them a touch of texture for garnish (be it nuts, seeds, the addition of chopped greens, or what have you).
Carrot, Turmeric, and Ginger Soup with Cumin Roasted Chickpeas
Author –Yields: 4 -6 servings
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 1 tablespoon olive grapeseed, or melted coconut oil
- 1 small yellow or white onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons turmeric root grated (or 1 1/2 teaspoons, ground)
- 1 tablespoon ginger grated (or 1 teaspoon, ground)
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon ground
- 1/2 teaspoon salt and more to taste
- Dash red pepper flakes
- 1 3/4 pounds peeled and roughly chopped carrots about 6 cups
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup cashew cream or full fat coconut milk
- 1 batch crispy roasted chickpeas
Instructions
- To make the soup, heat the olive oil a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat. Add the onions. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5-7 minutes, or until the onions are clear and soft. Add a few tablespoons of water as you go along to prevent the onions from sticking. Add the garlic, turmeric root, and ginger, and cook for another two minutes, or until everything is very fragrant.
- Add the ginger, cinnamon, salt, pepper flakes, carrots, and vegetable broth. Bring the broth to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover the pot.
- Simmer the soup for 30 minutes, or until the carrots are totally tender. When the soup is ready, transfer it to a blender (in batches, if necessary), and blend carefully until it’s totally smooth (stand back from the blender, as hot soups tend to spatter). Alternately, you can use an immersion blender to blend the soup till smooth. If the soup is too thick for your liking, add another 1/2-3/4 cup broth.
- Stir in the cashew cream or coconut milk. Check the soup for seasoning, and season to taste with salt and more pepper, if desired. Serve, topping each bowl with about a 1/3 cup roasted chickpeas. Soup will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days, and it can be frozen for up to a month.
By the way, you’ll see that I offer both cashew cream and coconut milk as options here. I personally prefer the more neutral flavor of cashew cream, but either is fine. I often prepare cashew cream at the start of a week to use in soups, stews, and/or creamy pasta dishes. It’s an incredibly handy recipe to keep around.
Serving ideas! I’d pair the soup with a hearty salad (something with grains, root vegetables, and/or legumes, and perhaps a nice sprinkle of nuts/seeds) or a nice vegetable side dish and a serving of baked tofu or tempeh. No matter how you serve it, I hope love it. Happy Tuesday, friends.
xo
Images courtesy of Lighter
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Categories: Recipes,
Soups
Method: Oven, Stovetop
Ingredients: Chickpeas
Dietary Preferences: Gluten Free, Soy Free, Tree Nut Free, Vegan
Recipe Features: Meal Prep
Method: Oven, Stovetop
Ingredients: Chickpeas
Dietary Preferences: Gluten Free, Soy Free, Tree Nut Free, Vegan
Recipe Features: Meal Prep
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Made this soup today. Both my husband and I liked it. I am hoping I can freeze the extra tumeric root like I do with ginger. And I’m hoping Google solutions for getting yellow stain out of my blender work! Will try to make chickpeas crisper next time since they soften in soup. I added some cumin since it was in title, but I didn’t see in recipe.
*Correction: I meant to put coconut *fat* (not โfarโ)
There was no โeditโ option.
I have flat tins of coconut cream. Would it work to use that instead of the far from the top of regular coconut milk? Iโm assuming โyesโ, but I thought perhaps itโs best to be sure, and ask.
Yes, that ought to work very well!
This soup was amazing. I posted my photo of it on Instagram for you, topped with spicy microgreens!
I did struggle a little with getting the roasted chick peas to the texture I wanted them to be. I took dried chick peas and cooked them till tender (more than an hour) then roasted them according to directions — maybe even 45 minutes because they weren’t crispy at 35 minutes. Did you use canned chickpeas or do something different than I did? Or do you have any suggestions to make them crunchier? I used some extra roasted chickpeas on an appetizer platter, and they were a hit.
I made this soup on the weekend and it was amazing! Thanks for the great recipe…..
Mmmm, this is gorgeous! I used cashew nut pulp (left over from making cashew milk) rather than cashew cream, yummy ๐ Thanks for sharing!
What a wonderfully, warming sounding soup =) I love the idea of using fresh turmeric – I haven’t yet and keep meaning to. I especially like the sound of topping the soup off with the roasted chickpeas!
This looks amazing, thanks! Never get tired of ginger and carrot and such a great way to add more turmeric. I’ve been experimenting with adding it to smoothies too, not bad!
I’ve made carrot ginger soup many times but have never thought to add turmeric or coconut. Fabulous idea- can’t wait to try it! Definitely pinning!
I will add this recipe to my repertoire of carrot soup recipes. My husband sometimes brings home fresh turmeric from the farmers market; this soup will put it to good use. I always have fresh ginger in the freezer, so that’s an easy one {I don’t think that fresh & powdered ginger are interchangeable; flavor-wise they are quite different, and I prefer fresh myself}. We eat a lot of chickpeas too, and these sound delicious! Thanks for sharing!
This is beautiful!! Love that vibrant orange color and this list of ingredients is killer. Can’t wait to make it!! I’ve just started using raw turmeric and am always on the lookout for new recipes to use it in.
This soup sounds delicious — so warming and tasty. And it’s an excellent excuse to actually buy some of the fresh turmeric that has been popping up at our market!
omg need to try this looks amazing ๐
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I can’t wait for Spring! I’m busy planning my yearly gradual transition to raw for the warmer weather, and I ‘m looking forward to less sniffles and coughs- I’ve had a lot this Winter, as I’ve been working with young children who sneeze on me! you medicinal soup looks just the ticket!
This looks so beautiful, nourishing and comforting! Can’t wait to make a big homey pot. Thank you!
I feel the same way about fall and spring…Fall is definitely more energizing and spring tends to make me, as you say, melancholy and nostalgic. I agree that it probably has something to do with my relationship to academia.
Anyway, this soup looks amazing. I’ve been making a much sparser (and likely much less delicious) super quick version with just carrots, turmeric and ginger, and I also add in some kale, But the addition of the cashew cream and the chickpeas sounds like absolute heaven.
now thats one lovely looking soup!
This recipe looks divine! I’ve been trying to incorporate more turmeric into my diet recently, but I’ve never seen fresh turmeric before! I’ll have to check at my local health food store for some. In the meantime, I’m going to use the ground version I have on hand.