This carrot leek soup brings the flavors of earthy root vegetables together with mellow leeks and vibrant fresh thyme. The result is a nourishing, delicate soup that's also comes together in a cinch. It's simple to make, and a perfect use of the cool-weather vegetables you'll find at your farmers market.

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Carrot Leek soup, garnished with mustard seeds, thyme and sour cream, in an earthenware bowl.

What's in it?

This soup is easy to make and made with simple ingredients you can find in just about any grocery store. Leeks, carrots, and celery form the bulk of the soup while fresh thyme gives a pleasant herbal note. Where a mushroom stew might be hearty, this carrot leek soup is light and delicate.

The vegetables and herbs simmer together in homemade chicken broth (you can also substitute vegetable stock or bone broth) until fall-apart tender. Then you'll add sour cream, which gives the soup a lovely creaminess, and blend them all together.

Tips for making good soup

Like most soups and stews, this recipe is both straightforward and simple. You begin first by sweating the vegetables with a little salt, then simmer them in hot broth until tender before pureeing the soup to a lovely, uniform creaminess.

Here are some more tips to keep in mind:

Clean your leeks thoroughly. Leeks are grown in sandy soil and accumulate grit between their leaves. Clean them by soaking the leeks in water, draining, and giving them a final rinse to remove all the sand and dirt.
Cut your vegetables into uniform pieces so that they cook evenly.
Sweat the vegetables, don't sauté them. Because this soup has a delicate, fresh flavor you'll want to sweat your vegetables instead of sautéing them. Cook them in hot fat with a sprinkle of salt so that they release their liquid, becoming tender without browning.
Cook your vegetables until they fall apart when pressed with a fork, but avoid cooking them much longer lest they taste too sweet or overcooked.
Purée the soup completely, adding more liquid if necessary. This soup is meant to be delicate and smooth, so puree it completely before serving to ensure any large bites of carrot are suitably broken up.
If you don't have an immersion blender, use an upright blender instead. Work in batches, filling the blender only ⅓ full at a time, to blend the soup until completely smooth.
Save any extra carrot tops to make carrot top pesto.

Rate this Recipe

5 from 13 votes

6 servings

Carrot Leek Soup Recipe

Carrots and leeks simmer together in chicken broth for a simple, nourishing soup. Fresh thyme gives the soup a delicate herbal note while sour cream, added just at the very end of cooking, delivers a lovely creaminess and pleasant acidic note.

Prep Time5

Cook Time40

Total Time45

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons ghee
3 medium leeks (white and light green parts only, sliced thin)
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
4 ribs celery (chopped coarsely)
2 pounds carrots (peeled and chopped coarsely)
5 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream

Equipment

Instructions

Melt the ghee in the bottom of a Dutch oven or heavy stock pot over medium heat, and then drop in the leeks and thyme leaves. Sprinkle them with salt, stir, and then cover the pot. Allow the leeks to sweat in the hot fat about 5 minutes, or until they begin to turn tender.
Dump the celery and carrots into the pot, and then pour in the chicken broth. Increase the heat to medium-high. When the contents of the pot reach a boil, turn down the heat to medium, and simmer, covered, about 25 minutes or until the vegetables are fall-apart tender.
Turn off the heat, and then stir in the sour cream. Puree with an immersion blender until perfectly smooth, and then ladle into bowls to serve hot. Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

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