Lulu’s Carrot Soup
My aunt Lulu made carrot soup over the holidays, and a bunch of people asked for the recipe…
Carrot soup has always been a staple at Lulu’s house, since my grandmother Milly loved it so much. In Lulu’s beauty uniform, which we did in 2019 when my grandmother was still alive, she said, “Milly is very peaceful and cute and easy. She loves absolutely anything you do for her. One funny thing is that she always makes the same carrot soup every day. Every time, I’m like, Oh, yay, thank goodness we got to the bottom of the bowl…and there she is, whipping up another one! I’m crazy about her.”
Funnily enough, Lulu now makes the soup all the time, too! Here’s a photo I snapped of her kitchen table a couple years ago when we were visiting.
Above is the cute recipe Lulu sent me. My dad and all his siblings have the same handwriting.
Since I know Cup of Jo readers love specifics, I asked our beloved Jenny Rosenstrach if she could make the carrot soup and write it out with more detail, using ingredients easily found in the U.S. “Lulu’s carrot soup was delicious and could not have been easier,” she told me afterward. “It’s very satisfying to think that if you have a typically stocked pantry, you can just pick up a bag of carrots and have a delicious wholesome dinner on the table less than an hour later.”
Lulu and Milly’s Souped-Up Carrot Soup :)
Recipe edited for clarity
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices or chunks
2 teaspoons Knorr Roasted Chicken Base, whisked with 16 ounces (2 cups) water
1 teaspoon hot sauce for a hint of heat
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
Add olive oil to a medium soup pot set over medium heat. Add onions, salt and pepper, and cook until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. (If you keep going with the onions, maybe another 5 minutes on medium-low heat, you would get even more depth and caramelization.) Add carrots, stock mixture, hot sauce, and coconut milk, and bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer and cook until the carrots are soft and squishy, about 15-20 minutes. Let cool slightly, then pour the mixture into a blender. Keeping the lid’s plug/cap slightly ajar to let steam escape, process the soup until silky and smooth. (You can also puree using an immersion blender directly in the pot, but the soup’s consistency will not be as velvety.) Serve warm, ideally with a green salad, English cheeses, and lots and lots of toast.
Enjoy! xoxo
P.S. Lulu’s house tour in Cornwall, England, the life motto I learned at my grandmother’s funeral, and Lulu’s beauty uniform. Plus, another amazing soup we make all the time.
Comments
95 commentsI’m on my third batch in two weeks. Millie was on to something…thank you all for sharing!
Delish! Made over the weekend and have been enjoying with grilled sammies. 🧡🧡🥕🥕
I love using the leftovers of soups like these to add to a bowl of ramen (with or without an additional squirt of hot sauce). Fast and delicious, with a nutrient boost. Sautéed zucchini is also a nice addition to instant noodles. xox
I made Lulu’s soup tonight with one pound of peeled butternut squash. I microwaved the small pieces of squash and onion until very soft and then I just blended the rest of the ingredients (no oil, more salt) in the pot with a stick blender. It was delicious. I would like to try it with carrots some time, too.
Saving my life from afar thank you COJ. Twelve days post op heart bypass surgery. Am a retired nurse of 47 yrs but had never ever had surgery myself. It was hard for me to regain an appetite. It was soup…daily broty tablespoonfuls that started me back to life. My family members are wonderful cooks but my faraway friends sent Spoonful OfComfort Soups which were like a warm hug. Realize that I still have struggles ahead but I often see the positive things the day .after. Stay safe and warm .
I double bought carrots this week and made the soup on a cold sunny Michigan day. It’s a delight. Making something the rest of the COJ community is making around the same time gives me such a warm feeling.
Making this for a cozy lunch, but serving with Danish cheese because Denmark deserves our support. Wondering about the bird pattern table covering in the lunch photo. Is that a tablecloth?
Yes, it’s a tablecloth – you can see it in one of the posts about Joanna’s visits to Cornwall. It’s supercute, isn’t it?
This was delicious and… I would up the carrots to 2 lbs, use a cup more water, and light coconut milk, to add more carrot and less coconut flavor. It was very coconutty… which I loved… my family less!
Made this tonight and it’s delicious. Please thank your aunt for sharing. xo
I make this soup regularly, but add butternut squash or sweet potato (sometimes both), and some red lentils. It’s amazing and freezes really well!
Made this tonight with two pounds of carrots by mistake. Oops! Added a teaspoon of curry powder, a few cloves of garlic, a teaspoon of raw ginger, a can of reduced fat of coconut, about 4 cups of water and salt to taste. Pureed in my blendtech and was so buttery smooth. Loved it!
No shade on Jenny (and every other recipe writer), but seeing it all laid out on that index card with the ingredients and the steps NEXT TO each other? Instead of split up as a list and then a narrative? That’s a game changer. So much clearer!!!
Yes! I thought this too! I’ve never seen a recipe written this way before, but it make so much sense to my brain.
I’ve been wondering…is Lulu her real name? Your dad has another sister named Lucy, doesn’t he? (I’m adopting your family.)
her real name is Rachel! xoxo
This is a beautiful recipe. I bet it’s lovely with a little ginger. Thanks for sharing this.
Related thoughts: Has anyone ever made roasted carrot dip? I tried it a couple times and loved it, but the family was not nearly as thrilled over it. Losers. :) Carrot salad is also a fabulous creation, especially on toast with feta and avocado.
I’ve roasted carrots and then blended them in with chickpeas, tahini, salt and lemon to make a fun hummus – quite good! I am late to the party with carrot salad, but really want to make this: https://kalejunkie.com/viral-carrot-ribbon-salad/
Made this last night and it was great. For me the hot sauce was key even though I dislike spicy foods. I used smoked cholula which seemed just fine. And an immersion blender. The texture was great execpt I missed a few carrots ;)
Yesterday was a DAY, for many reasons, and the idea of cooking dinner was the cherry on top. And then I read this, and used it as a jumping off point for an all around winner dinner that was super easy. One onion and a sad not-too-spicy Jalapeno, sautéed in butter until browning a bit, then added about a tablespoon of really good curry powder, maybe a tsp of turmeric, and microplaned some not so fresh anymore ginger into it. Added one small butternut squash (peeled and deseeded, cut lengthwise into a few strips, then into slices to cook faster), three peeled and sliced carrots, some salt, and sautéed a bit more until the veggies were partially cooked and had a little color. Added a can of reduced fat coconut milk, a quart of water and chicken better than bouillon, maybe a tablespoon of good fish sauce, simmered until the veggies were quite soft, added the juice of half a lime, then pureed. Meanwhile in 300* oven, toasted raw pepitas and unsweetened shredded coconut. Served with toasted coconut and pepitas, shower of chopped cilantro, lime wedges, and chili crisp. Super easy, relatively hands off, everyone was happy. Thanks to Lulu and Millie for the inspiration :)
I love the note about your dad and his siblings all having the same handwriting! My sister and I have very similar handwriting too. There were times when I was in my early 20s where I’d see something she wrote and wonder to myself when I wrote that because it looked just like my own handwriting. On the topic of handwriting, I can easily recognize the handwriting of both of my parents and my sister. But in this tech forward world we live in, I don’t think I’d be able to identify my own husband’s handwriting, who I have known for 9 years! The only time I see his handwriting is every so often on the grocery list. And it just looks like generic gen X/millennial dude chicken scratch.
Made this last night during a snowstorm and it hit the spot! It is VERY coconutty, which I thought was delicious, but just putting it out there in case others are less excited about coconut. I used 1 tsp of sriracha and probably could have done more. I used 2 tsp better than bouillon no chicken with my two cups of water. Served with grilled cheese and roasted broccoli and teenagers happily ate it. Thanks for sharing!
thanks for this feedback. I was wondering about the coconut flavor. I like the sound of sriracha, and thought a squeeze or two of lime juice might also be good.
With the orange soup, that gorgeous green pot and the pretty speckled bowl are like a visual sunbeam. Can you tell us where to find them?
Hey! So cheery, right? They both belong to Jenny, who says the bowl is from East Fork, and the pot is a Dansk Kobenstyle casserole (“I got it off eBay for 12 bucks, twenty years ago!”). She wrote about it in this post about her must-have cookware pieces. 🙂
THE BRITISH HANDWRITING. Bless!
I know this is about soup, but I so teared up at this: ““Milly is very peaceful and cute and easy. She loves absolutely anything you do for her.” Oh, Lulu, what a dreamboat you are…
I have been making a wonderful carrot soup from The Tassajara Recipe Book for years. He calls for the juice and zest of an orange and a little nutritional yeast and it adds the most delicious flavor.
Can’t wait to try this!! It looks delicious!
Any ideas on what I can sub for the coconut milk? Thanks in advance.
Hi Jean! I haven’t tried it with this particular recipe, but if it were me, I’d probably sub with a little heavy cream + a little extra broth.
This looks delicious! How interesting that your Dad and his siblings have the same handwriting!
Gosh I have not made carrot soup in ages. It must the season, I saw a good looking recipe over on Ali Stafford’s site too. I have to say I find the story and memories and the recipe card itself so charming I would probably frame the card. I’m guessing Better Than Bouillon would also work ok or the stock jelly/roasted chicken base.
This looks so comforting I can almost smell it.
Gah!!! Thanks for sharing! ☺️🥕🥕🥕🥣
I just ordered 6 lbs of carrots from Costco, and for the life of me cannot remember why. I must have been glimpsing into the future and this post!
Always ready to try a new soup recipe ! I cook Leek & Potato, butternut squash, vegetable and A chicken Spring vegetable regularly . Can’t wait to try this carrot one. Thank you ladies .
Question about the coconut milk: I was taught to add coconut milk at the end because it can get a little weird if you boil it. It looks like the original recipe has it outside of the boiling bracket, implying it should be added afterwards,was that the way it was intended?
From Jenny: “I was taught to add coconut milk that way too, but here I threw it into the pot with the chicken stock. I used light coconut milk and it looked like it was breaking when I simmered but after processing everything it came out perfect.”
Tracy over at Shutterbean has a similar soup on her blog, it uses sambal oleok and chicken broth. I’ve used Better than Bouillon vegetable broth with good results. It’s delicious hot or cold!
I make a very similar soup, but with an Indian lean! We add 2 tsps of garam masala spice to what is basically the same recipe as Lulu’s. You can hearty it up by adding some cooked rice to the bowl, but we also like it with naan for dipping alongside some roasted veg or a simple green salad.
I do this soup with a Thai lean and add some red curry and ginger. It’s so good!
What a true treasure this is! Comfort and courage in these harrowing times – the recipe, the backstory, this delightful community. Wonder how many batches of Lulu and Milly and Cup of Jo love will be served up over the rest of the week?!
This is such a beautiful comment, Jennifer. Wishing you well. We need to stay nourished – soup and community are a good start.
A Milly x Jenny collab! <3
I like to think the person I just saw in Costco with 12 lbs of raw carrots in their cart was going home to make this soup.
hahahahah yes!!
Ooooh. A french woman si knew was always making her kids carrot soup. When I tried, it was an absolute flop. I think the coconut milk might be the secret ingredient.
My favorite soup is basically this recipe with butternut squash instead of carrots and add curry powder and ginger.
My favorite puréed soup is very similar! Sauté garlic and onion in sauce pan, peel and chop up beets or other root vegetable, add to pan with healthy handful or two of raw cashews and your choice dried herbs. Add salt! Cover with water, simmer until beets are tender and cashews are soft. Put the whole thing in a blender with dill, if you’re lucky, or other fresh herbs. Add lemon. Whiz and enjoy a healthy but lucious soup.
What should we sub in for the Knorr chicken base if we want it to be vegetarian but taste the same?
Knorr makes a bunch of vegetable (and vegetarian) soup bases. Might not taste exactly the same, but if you’re only eating the vegetarian soup you won’t know the difference!
Better than Bouillon is a nice brand of bouillon paste that comes in many different varieties, including a few veggie options. I’d try that. Comes in a little jar and should be near the canned stock at the grocery store.
For a veg-friendly alternative, we really like A.Vogel Herbamare Herbed Sea Salt or Seitenbacher Vegetable Broth and Seasoning.
Another vote for better than bouillon no chicken base ! I’m a food writer and vegetarian (tricky combo sometimes) & I always have a few jars handy! We go through lots of it during soup season.
Better Than Bouillion also makes a “No Chicken” base which might be a good option!
Better than Bouillon that Erin mentioned above makes a vegetarian chicken base!
Here with another vote for Better than Bouillon – they do an amazing veggie one that mimics chicken broth through some kind of magic.
Here is a super easy vegan chicken broth powder my friend recommended from My Quiet Kitchen that tastes phenomenal in any recipe that calls for chicken broth https://myquietkitchen.com/vegan-chicken-broth-powder/
I’m so happy to have found the Better than Bouillon No Chicken base. I’m not a vegetarian but I cook for veggie friends often and until I found that product I was really dissatisfied with the veg broth options–they all had “off” flavors or were too carroty and imparted some non-neutral taste to my soups in a way chicken broth doesn’t. The No Chicken base has finally solved this problem.
Thank you for sharing the legendary soup! I’m going to make it for my mom tomorrow! xx
I’m requesting to skip Knorr. It’s terrible for you. The soup looks lovely. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Aunt Lulu truly is the Coolest Aunt EVER.
Uuuh can’t wait to try this. I just printed the handwritten note, because it looks so lovely. Thank you for sharing this with us. xoxo
My go-to easy soup is red bell/tomato (toss everything in the blender and heat), but with all the hub bub about this carrot soup I made it and it was a very welcome change. I strongly dislike the combination of carrot ginger and that’s the only carrot version you see in the US so I just stopped using my brain for carrot soup. Now, I’ve put it back into my options because this recipe is too easy not to! Thx!
Thank you Lulu, Joanna, Jenny, and especially Milly! I have been waiting years for this recipe! I can’t wait to try it.
Ah, I do miss Knorr’s little stock jelly pods now we are stateside, but a spoonful of beyond boullion would probably also work here!
Instead of the chicken stock, as it’s otherwise vegan, I’d recommend trying instead, the better than bullion “not chicken” stock base, which is how I’ll be making it soon. Thank you so much sharing!
I love soup. Definitely getting some English cheeses and toast.😋
Thanks for the recipe! I am in the UK so following the original handwritten version, where it says 1 tbsp 00 have I read that correctly? Does it mean fine flour? Thanks!
I think it means olive oil?
I also believe it’s Olive Oil. Lulu’s son
I was also going to make it with flour haha … oops!
I am making it for lunch right this moment! My friend has a Korean condiment company and I put in their cashew gochujang hot sauce. (https://www.instagram.com/kume.foods/ ) The soups smells delicious. Thank you for sharing.
I’ve never had carrot soup but have everything for this at home. I’m nervous because I don’t particularly care for cooked carrots, but I’m still excited to try it. And maybe this whole time they’ve just been missing hot sauce. (I’m going to hold the hot sauce so that we can sample different options.)
Peach, please report back! Hoping it’s a hit for you and carrots can make a triumphant return to your kitchen.
This looks and sounds delicious! I’d probably add some curry powder to it, as well, since curried carrot soup is my favorite.
I love sharing family recipes! You know they are tried and true. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve shared my aunt’s Zucchini Bread recipe! No idea where it originally came from, but gets passed onto everyone as “Aunt Sally’s Zucchini Bread.”
At a prior workplace the carrot soup that was semi-regularly offered by the cafeteria was beloved by staff. When it popped up I t he specials board the word would get out quickly and everyone would rush downstairs for a bowl before it inevitably sold out. When the head chef departed for another role we begged him to share his secret and it was….powdered coffee creamer! I wish I hadn’t asked, it was better as a mystery. I’ll try this recipe instead.
I love that it’s dairy-free! Signed, An extremely lactose intolerant person
Oh this sounds so good! I might replace the hot sauce with garam masala or curry, what a great idea to add some heat to veggie-heavy soups (I usually stick to herbs and/or lemon juice)
Mills’ handwriting – delight!! I have a soup recipe the follows Milly’s almost to a T, except I’m allergic to carrots and therefore sub with sweet potatoes. And adding a squeeze of lime at the end.
Umm I meant Lulu’s handwriting, oops.
As a long-time DALS/Jenny fan, I’m going to take a wild guess that she would approve of using the same measurements of Better than Bouillon + water if you can’t find Knorr’s or want to use what’s in your pantry. The seasoned vegetable kind is my favorite and I’ll use it here!
Thank you Jenny! I was already googling “stockjelly”.
Curious about the hot sauce – I’m sure it would be delish with any, but for the sake of authenticity, what brand or style does Lulu use? Thanks!!
Yes!! Please tell us what hot sauce she uses?? We have about a billion of them in my fridge because my husband is obsessed, and they’re all very different!
Hey Rachel & Anna! I checked with Joanna who checked with Lulu, who says she just uses Tabasco!
I can’t wait to make this! Thanks for sharing.
I love that you kept the smiley in the title. Will be trying this soon
My husband came home with a big bunch of carrots, and I used one today, making pea soup in the crockpot. Now I wish I waited! Ah well, carrot soup on the list for another day (soon!) Thanks, I look forward to trying this!
THE LEGENDARY SOUP! I am pumped to make this.
This is lovely. Thanks to all who made the publication happen!
A revered soup recipe always warms my heart but reading about Lulu was today’s gift. What a double blessing.