Carrot and coriander soup is very popular in Ireland. It's lovely orange color makes it an ideal soup for fall and perfect to serve at Halloween.
This is one of my favorite carrot soup recipes, plus it's extremely popular in Ireland, with its sweet and spicy taste.

Table of Contents
Cilantro and Coriander
The flavor of ground coriander, made from the seeds of the coriander or cilantro plant, is similar to that of roasted orange peel, making it a great complimentary spice for sweet carrots.
Irish people love soup, and we serve it all year long. Irish summers are not as warm as American summers, so Irish restaurants, pubs and even coffee shops usually have a pot of delicious soup simmering away, even in the summer. Some of my favorites are potato and leek soup, and traditional potato soup.
When I first came to America I did not realize that coriander is called cilantro over here. Fresh cilantro and fresh coriander are one and the same thing.
However, only the leaves and stems of the plant are called cilantro. The seeds are still called coriander seeds in America, just like in India where they are used extensively. These seeds are ground and sometimes roasted to produce an aromatic, flavorful spice.
How to Make Ground Coriander Spice at Home
If you can only find coriander seeds in your grocery, you can always make your own ground spice.
First dry-roast them by heating them in a small frying pan for about 2 minutes. Move them around as they roast.
They are done when they start to jump in the pan. Let them cool, then grind them with a mortar and pestle or use a coffee grinder to create a coarse powder.

Ingredients for Carrot and Coriander Soup
Here's a quick list of what you will need for this delicious soup. You'll find exact quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- carrots (peeled and diced)
- potato (peeled and diced)
- onion (finely chopped)
- butter or oil (to cook onion)
- ground coriander seeds
- minced fresh ginger
- salt
- black pepper
- vegetable broth
- water
- chopped fresh cilantro (to garnish)
This soup features some tastes of India. Some people like to add a little lemon juice at the end of cooking for a fresh taste.
I use onions rather than garlic cloves for flavor, but feel free to add a little garlic.
A few stalks celery can also be added, to lessen the sweetness of the carrots.
If you don't like cilantro or coriander you could try substituting fresh thyme sprigs.
Directions for Carrot and Coriander Soup
The first and most time consuming job for this soup is to peel and dice all those carrots.
Once I have them all peeled I chop each carrot into three pieces of roughly equal length.

Then I cut each piece into quarters. (If my carrots are exceptionally fat, I cut each piece into eighths).
I line up each quarter lengthwise, then chop them into small pieces about ¼ inch in length.

And after quite a bit of chopping a lovely mound of orange carrot pieces appears.

Next heat the oil or butter in the bottom of a large pot or Dutch oven. You can use olive oil or canola oil.
I like to use my cast iron Dutch oven. It really is a great pot for making soups. The cast iron distributes heat evenly so the vegetables simmer perfectly. You can use a large saucepan instead if you don't have a Dutch oven.
Add the onion to the melted butter and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure it does not burn.

Next toss in all those lovely carrots and diced potato. Using a potato in a carrot soup may seem strange to some, but I think it counteracts some of the sweetness of the carrots.
I also like the way the starch helps to thicken the soup.

Next, add the ground coriander, the minced fresh ginger, and the salt and pepper. Ginger is not always used in a carrot and coriander soup, but I like the depth of flavor it adds.
Mix all the ingredients together so the carrots are covered in butter and spice.
Lower the heat. Cover the pot and let the vegetables sweat for an additional 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once the carrots have started to soften, add the vegetable stock or broth.
I keep this soup vegetarian friendly, but if you're not worried about this, then you can use chicken broth or chicken stock instead

I like to add 2 cups of water also. I find if I use all vegetable broth with the diced potato, the soup ends up being very thick when pureed.
So I just add a little bit of water to prevent the starchy potato over thickening this lovely soup.

Turn the heat up to high, until the soup begins to boil. Then lower the heat so that the liquid is just simmering.
Cover the pot and continue to simmer for an additional 30 to 40 minutes, until the vegetables are fork tender.
Stir the soup every 10 minutes to make sure it does not stick.

When finished cooking it should look like this. Turn the heat off and let it sit uncovered for about 10 minutes.
It's never a good idea to puree a boiling, hot soup.

Next, use an immersion blender to puree the soup completely. I love the simplicity of this hand blender for puréeing soups.
If you do not have an immersion blender, then transfer the soup in batches to a liquidizer or food processor.
Transfer each pureed batch to a large bowl. Then when all of the soup is pureed return it to the pot to reheat before serving.

Sprinkle the soup with some chopped fresh cilantro or coriander leaves to serve. If you don't have any cilantro, chopped fresh parsley also makes a great garnish.
This is a perfect lunch on a cool fall day, with a side of crusty, buttered bread. I hope you'll enjoy the lovely spicy flavours of the coriander in this sweet and spicy soup.
You can store any soup leftovers in the fridge for up to five days, once it is kept in an airtight container.
You can keep it in the freezer in an airtight, freezer proof container for up to six months.
Carrot and Coriander Soup Recipe Card and Video
Here's a short video showing the steps for making this recipe.
Here's the recipe card for your kitchen files.
Carrot and Coriander Soup
Ingredients
- 2 pounds carrots peeled and diced
- 1 large potato peeled and diced
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter or oil to cook onion
- 1½ teaspoons ground coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil or butter in the bottom of a dutch oven and add the onion. Cook for 5 mins over medium heat.
- Next add the diced carrots and potato. Toss together with the buttery onions. Add the ground coriander, minced ginger, salt and pepper.
- Reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and cook for 8 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Add the vegetable broth and water. Turn the heat up to high to bring the soup to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low, covering the pot and letting the soup simmer for 30 to 35 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
- Turn the heat off and allow the soup to cool a little. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup, or liquidize in batches.
- Serve hot, sprinkled with chopped fresh cilantro leaves to garnish.
Nutrition Information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients used.
Wishing you all happy days of Halloween and fall cooking.

Slán agus beannacht,
(Goodbye and blessings)
Mairéad -Irish American Mom
Pronunciation - slawn ah-gus ban-ock-th
Mairéad - rhymes with parade
Here's a Pinterest friendly image for your boards.

Plus, here are some more Irish recipes you might like to try:

Irish Soups And Stews
- Homemade Vegan Vegetable Stock Cubes
- How To Make Irish Style Cream of Celery Soup
- Beef and Ale Stew
- How To Make The Best Irish Vegetable Soup
Immigrant Tales
- Our Irish Heritage - A Kid's Guide to the Irish Diaspora and Irish National Anthem
- 19th Century Irish Immigrants Who Made Multiple Journeys To America
- Learning About Your Irish Family Ancestry
- Irish Heritage Clubs to Join in All 50 States
Vince
Yes, Pea soup, potato soup, carrot soup. Why not, we're all good these days. 😀
Irish American Mom
So true, Vince - soup doesn't have to be fancy and expensive,to be tasty and wholesome.
Aimee
I'm so excited to try this!! We love soups and I'm always on the look out for more recipes! And I have to say that I'm envious of your pretty red pot. It always looks so lovely in your pictures. 🙂
Vince
Scan the colours of the soups I mentioned. Wouldn't they be ideal for St Patrick's Day
Irish American Mom
Vince - they would be perfect for St. Patrick's Day. I am constantly trying to think of ideas for green, white and orange food combinations, to try to come up with recipe ideas for St. Patrick's Day. Thanks for the suggestion.
Mairead
Irish American Mom
Aimee - I love my Dutch Oven - it is great for cooking soups and I also use it for all my deep frying. Thanks to Sam's Club for that one.
Take care, and thanks for stopping by once again.
Mairead
Aimee
We made this soup tonight and it turned out great!! I used chicken stock instead of vegetable though and didn't put the potato in. I can't tolerate potatoes that well unless I soak them (like you mentioned in your 'How to cook perfect Irish chips' post- thanks for that tip!) so I just left it out. I think I get what you mean about the potato cutting the carrots sweetness though...we had to add a bit more salt to counteract the sweet. Next time, next time... 🙂
Irish American Mom
Glad you like this soup, Aimee. The carrots are a little sweet though. Perhaps if you mixed parsnips and carrots it would not be so sweet. I've never tried that, but it might work. Parsnips are also sweet though, but perhaps not as sweet as carrots.
Mairead
Vince
Oops, that went in the wrong place.
Margaret
Have you a recipe for cream of chicken soup? Thanks
Irish American Mom
Margaret - I make cream of mushroom and cream of vegetable soup pretty frequently, but tend to make a chicken noodle soup when using chicken. Do you like vegetables in your cream of chicken soup or do you prefer it plain like a canned version of the soup? I like to create my own recipes, so I might give cream of chicken soup a go someday.
All the best,
Mairéad
Margaret
Thanks Mairead will try out the other soups.
Margaret
Hi Mairead can you tell me where I can find your cream of mushroom soup and chicken noodle soup I have been searching your website and can't seem to find it.
Thanks
Margaret
Irish American Mom
Margaret - I'm afraid I haven't yet shared those recipes on my blog. I'll get cooking and photographing this week and see if I can share them in the coming weeks.
All the best,
Mairéad
Sheila McTeague
Do you have a trick to peeling the carrots?
Also do you have recipe for pea soup?
Irish American Mom
Sheila - I really don't have any special trick for peeling carrots, but I do have a swivel peeler which seems to fit well in my hand. I have used it for years and the blade angle is perfect for my grasp. Here is an Amazon link for the kind of peeler I use:
http://www.amazon.com/Linden-Sweden-Jonas-Peeler-Original/dp/B00176JEY4/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1391422883&sr=8-17&keywords=peeler
I tend to make split pea soup in America, but when in Ireland I make pea soup using frozen peas. Which soup recipe are you most interested in?
Thanks so much for stopping by,
Best wishes,
Mairéad
P.S. I don't have any affiliate agreement with Amazon right now. I just added the link since it's the easiest way to show you my favorite peeler.
Sheila McTeague
Thank you for getting back to me. Good ole vegtables peeler is my choice too.
My son has been asking me to help him make pea soup. I thought my mom made it but I believe she made the split pea. But I would love if you could publish a pea soup recipe as well as split pea. That way I have more to chose from. Thank you for asking.
Aundrea Crary
Hi Maire'ad (sorry about the accent mark)..... I recently visited Ireland Aug. 26- Sept. 3rd on a group tour and had an amazing time.... The food, the country, the people!! We loved it all! I have been on a mission to make carrot soup as I had it for the first time on a day trip to Kilkenny at a little pub called Lanigan's Bar and I honestly wanted to lick the bowl...........
I will be trying your recipe this weekend!
Irish American Mom
Hi Aundrea - I'm delighted to hear you had a lovely time in Ireland and that you discovered carrot soup in a little pub in Kilkenny. Irish soups are very tasty and I too have been known to want to lick the bowl.
Happy cooking and thanks for stopping by.
Mairéad
Rachel D.
Love this soup. We tried it for the first time tonight, and I am thrilled to have plenty of leftovers for once. So many recipes seem to be for four people (and they don't always double well). Anxious to try some others of your recipes.
Irish American Mom
Hi Rachel - I'm so glad you like this soup - it' a favorite in Ireland. Enjoy your leftover tomorrow.
All the best,
Mairéad
Nora
This soup is very popular in Ireland and for tourists the flavors are always unexpected on an Irish menu.
Irish American Mom
Hi Nora - I think many people are surprised to learn that coriander is a popular spice in Ireland.
Thanks for checking out this recipe.
All the best,
Mairéad