Carrot and Ginger Soup with Marmite Croutons

This vibrant carrot and ginger soup with Marmite croutons is a warming mixture of sweet and salty flavours. It makes a great lunch or healthy light dinner. The leftovers are great the next day too!

I often think carrot soup can be difficult to get right. What it needs is something spicy, sour, bitter or salty to offset the sweetness of the carrots.

Otherwise I feel like I've had enough after just a few spoonfuls. I've had bad carrot soups but I've also had soups I've wanted to make again straightaway, just like this gorgeous carrot and ginger soup.

Carrot and ginger is a classic combination. They're brilliant together in soups, curries, stews, cakes and even smoothies! Today, though I'm talking about soup. Plain carrot soup is too sweet for me but once you add the ginger to give it that vibrant spicy kick then it becomes incredibly moreish.

What makes this carrot soup really special!

This carrot and ginger soup recipe goes one step further though. By itself it is a brilliant carrot and ginger soup but once you top it with the Marmite croutons then it becomes pretty much unbeatable. Well, unbeatable as far as carrot soups go!

There are two reasons the Marmite croutons are so good. Firstly, they are crisp and crunchy and add texture to what is a smooth blended soup.

But the main reason why the Marmite croutons are so good is that they add an extra salty umami flavour dimension. The saltiness of these Marmite croutons is a perfect match to the sweetness of the carrots and spiciness of the ginger.

What if you can't find Marmite?

Marmite is the most well-known and popular yeast extract in the UK but there are other brands that would work just as well if you can't get it. If you're in Australia then Vegemite would be a great substitute.

What if you don't like Marmite?

I think the Marmite croutons make this carrot and ginger soup taste even more amazing but if you really don't like Marmite then you may not agree with me. As hard as it is for me to say this, you'll just have to use plain croutons!

Ingredient notes for carrot and ginger soup

To make this soup you'll need:

• Marmite - Or another similar yeast extract
• Bread - This is to make the croutons. I used a seeded loaf but you could use plain white bread as well.
• Onion - I used an ordinary brown onions for this soup but red onions are also fine
• Garlic - Ideally use fresh garlic but garlic paste or puree is also fine. You can even use garlic powder.
• Root ginger - I like to use fresh root ringer and grate it as I think it has more flavour but you can replace it with ground ginger if you don't have it.
• Ground ginger - Using ground ginger as well as fresh really accentuates the ginger flavour in this soup! If you're a ginger lover be generous with both!
• Carrots 
• Vegetable stock - If you don't need this to be vegan or vegetarian you can use chicken stock instead.
• Seasoning - Just a little salt and black pepper
• Lemon - Lemon juice adds zesty freshness to this soup

How to make carrot and ginger soup

Do check out the recipe card further down the page too. Start by making the croutons. Dice a few slices of bread and drizzle with a mixture of marmite dissolved in water. You can then bake the croutons in the oven until they crisp up or put them in the air fryer to dry out and crisp up instead. If you have an air fryer it's much quicker as they only take about 5 minutes and it saves having to heat the oven up.

The soup is also very simple to make. Start by heating a little oil and then gently fry the onion, followed by the fresh garlic and ginger. Then add the dried spices, carrots and stock and simmer until the carrot is cooked through.

You can use a stick blender to blitz the soup or transfer it to a jug blender and blitz. Serve the soup topped with a squeeze of lemon and lots of Marmite croutons.

Can you adapt this carrot and ginger soup recipe?

As I've said above, you can omit the Marmite croutons. Although if you like Marmite, I strongly recommend you make them. You could even make a big batch of croutons to top other soups and stews with!

If you keep them in an airtight container they will last for about a couple of weeks.

This soup recipe is so simple that there are very few other ways to adapt it without making it into a completely different soup. If you don't have fresh ginger, then just use more dried ginger. If you only have fresh ginger, then don't worry about the ground ginger.

What if you don't have carrots?

Well, I haven't tried it but I think pumpkin or squash would work really well as an alternative. You could even try making this soup with parsnips or cauliflower. I haven't yet but do let me know if you do!

Storing and Reheating

This soup is a great recipe to batch cook. If you make more than you need just store the leftovers in the fridge for up to three days.

You can quickly reheat in the microwave or in a small saucepan.

You can also freeze it for up to three months. I like to freeze in individual portions so it's easy to take out for a light lunch.

By the way, if you like recipes that are pefect for more than one meal then do check out my cook once eat twice recipe collection.

Recipe

Carrot and Ginger Soup with Marmite Croutons

Corina Blum

This vibrant carrot and ginger soup with Marmite croutons is a warming mixture of sweet and salty flavours. It makes a great lunch or healthy light dinner. The leftovers are great the next day too!

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Soup

Cuisine International

Servings 2

Calories 714 kcal

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

For the Croutons

• ½ teaspoon yeast extract I used Marmite
• 4 slices bread

For the Soup

• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 onion finely sliced
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 10 g fresh ginger grated
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 450 g carrots peeled and diced
• 700 ml vegetable stock
• Pinch black pepper
• ½ lemon juiced

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 160C
• Make the croutons first.   Dissolves the yeast extract in about 2 tablespoon hot water.  Cut the bread into squares.  Drizzle the liquid over the bread.   Put the croutons on an oiled baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes until crisp and slightly browned.
• Put a little oil in a saucepan and cook the onions, garlic and root ginger until they are soft.
• Then add the ground ginger. Stir for a minute and then add the carrots and the stock. Bring to the boil then lower to a simmer for about 15 -20 minutes.
• Blend the soup until smooth and then stir in the lemon juice. Season with black pepper and a little salt if necessary.

Notes

Nutritional information is approximate and a guideline only.

Nutrition

Calories: 714kcalCarbohydrates: 122gProtein: 18gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 3787mgPotassium: 1908mgFiber: 19gSugar: 39gVitamin A: 76670IUVitamin C: 41.4mgCalcium: 328mgIron: 5.5mg

Keyword carrot ginger soup marmite croutons

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More Fantastic Soup Recipes

If you really love soups then I hope you'll find inspiration in my recipe collection of easy homemade soups! The delicious vegan soups below are just some of the soup recipes on Searching for Spice.

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