This creamy root vegetable soup can be made with almost any assortment of root vegetables you have on hand. It’s a vegetarian meal that’s both hearty and warming with robust winter herbs and spices.
I went a little overboard on root vegetables during a recent grocery shopping trip and somehow ended up with beets, celery root, parsnips and carrots in my refrigerator.
Besides roasting them all (which is indeed a delicious way to enjoy root veggies – try this roasted winter root vegetable salad!), soup was pretty much the only thing that came to mind.
Weirdly, upon researching however, there really weren’t many creamy root vegetable soup recipes out there!
I found that odd because the first thing I envisioned for a soup with all these types of vegetables was a creamy, pureed type.
Not a chunky brothy soup which is what the internet seemed to be full of.
So, of course, I decided to make my own.
The result is this simple stove-top root vegetable soup recipe.
It’s hearty, thick and lusciously smooth, just how I dreamed it up.
The coziness factor is off the charts and I think you’ll find a bowl incredibly filling. When a vegetarian meal can pull both those things off, I’m in love.
INGREDIENTS FOR ROOT VEGETABLE SOUP
This soup recipe begins the with basics for almost all soups, adds three different root vegetables, fresh winter herbs and broth. To make it creamy, we’ll add a non-dairy milk at the end and finish it off with a hint of nutmeg!
What you’ll need to make the soup:
- olive oil/ghee
- yellow onion
- celery
- carrots
- garlic
- rosemary
- thyme
- parsnips
- celery root (celeriac)
- golden beets
- vegetable broth
- non-dairy milk
- nutmeg
- salt & pepper
HOW TO MAKE CREAMY ROOT VEGETABLE SOUP
The soup is made entirely on the stove-top with the help of either an immersion blender or normal high-speed blender at the end to make it nice and creamy.
To a heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the olive oil/ghee. Use all olive oil if you want to keep the recipe 100% vegan.
Once hot, add the chopped onions, celery and carrots. Cook until they’ve softened slightly.
Add the garlic, rosemary and thyme and cook for an additional minute or so until fragrant.
Next, add the prepared parsnips, celery root and beets. Pour the vegetable broth on top and add the salt and pepper to the pot. Stir to combine and bring to a boil
Once the mixture is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot with a lid.
Cook until the root vegetables are for tender, about 30-35 minutes.
Remove the lid and puree the soup in the pot using an immersion blender. Or, transfer the soup in batches to a regular blender and blend until smooth. If using a regular blender, transfer the soup back to the pot once blended.
Add the non-dairy milk and nutmeg, stir to combine.
Season to taste with additional salt and pepper as desired.
Serve the root vegetable soup hot with fresh herbs and/or sunflower seeds as garnish!
USING OTHER ROOT VEGETABLES
There are many different root vegetables out there besides parsnips, golden beets and celery root.
Feel free to swap some in and out in this recipe based on what you have on hand or prefer!
Other root vegetables that can be used in this soup:
- rutabaga (a favorite for its sweetness – it’s great mashed too!)
- sweet potatoes/yams
- turnips
- fennel
- carrots
- cassava/yuca (although my favorite way to enjoy this root vegetable is mashed!)
- taro
- radish
Keep in mind certain root vegetables are more watery in texture like turnips and radishes so combining them with starchier root vegetables like sweet potatoes and/or yams is a good idea to counteract the excess liquid they release.
If you’re looking for a carrot soup, try this Creamy Carrot Soup with White Beans and Fennel.
And if you’re a fan of that licorice-like fennel flavor, try this Stuffed Delicata Squash recipe where it’s one of the ingredients. It truly makes the stuffing flavors pop!
I also love the creaminess and healthy decadence of this pumpkin and sweet potato soup!
CAN I ROAST THE VEGETABLES FIRST?
I purposely didn’t roast the root vegetables before making this soup because I wanted to keep the recipe simple and relatively quick.
That said, if you love the deeper flavors and sweetness that comes from roasting root veggies, absolutely go for it!
I would suggest, chopping all the root vegetables into about 1″ pieces and spreading out on a baking sheet with avocado oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 425°F until the edges are golden and starting to caramelize.
If you choose to go this route, when making the root vegetable soup, you won’t need to simmer as long since the vegetables will already be cooked.
Once you add the broth, I would simmer for about 10 minutes to meld flavors then puree/blend.
If you love roasted root vegetable recipes, try these Roasted Radishes with Rosemary and Honey and these Roasted Purple Sweet Potatoes. They’re both delicious side dishes to many meals!
LOVING THIS ROOT VEGETABLE SOUP RECIPE?
TRY ONE OF THESE CREAMY SOUPS:
Creamy Garlic Brussels Sprout Soup
Creamy Coconut Delicata Squash Soup
Instant Pot Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup
Creamy Broccoli Soup with Crispy Shallots
Creamy Coconut Delicata Squash Soup
Creamy Root Vegetable Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon ghee, *see note for vegan
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 large carrot, chopped
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, minced
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme, minced
- 2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
- 1 celery root, peeled and chopped
- 3 golden beets, peeled and chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup unsweetened, plain non-dairy milk of choice
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Instructions
- Add olive oil and ghee to a large, heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Once hot, add the onions, celery and carrots and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, rosemary and thyme and cook an additional minute until fragrant.
- Place the parsnips, celery root, beets, salt, pepper and broth in the pot. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and cook for 30-35 minutes until the root vegetables are fork tender.
- Blend the soup until smooth and creamy using either an immersion blender or by transferring to a high speed blender in batches then returning to the pot.
- Add the non-dairy milk and nutmeg. Stir to combine and taste for seasoning. Adjust salt and pepper as necessary.
- Serve warm with fresh herbs and/or sunflower seeds for garnish.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
I haven’t made any root veggie soup before so I’m wondering if you think it would freeze well? I just made it and it’s delicious! It makes a lot for 2 people lol
I haven’t tried but I assume it would freeze very well.
I wanted to thank you. You have no idea how life altering this soup has been with very little modification (to suit personal tastes) My mom is in the hospital with stage 4 cancer, and getting her to eat is near impossible even with thc tinctures. I know she loves root veggies as much as I do, and adding a creamy touch seemed unheard of. I’m the type that looks for recipes to back my own opinions up. Luckily I can cook, but love what I call a checklist. This recipe nails it!. I used the celery, carrot, onion sautĂ© adding garlic and ground up fennel seed, rosemary and thyme. Then I add homemade chicken stock for more nutrition in our case. After that I added chopped parsnip, sweet potato, celery root, golden beets, (Red beets worked but can make a mess) and cooked till tender. Since I was using as just the broth I cooked even longer, adding celery tops at the end for more flavor. I strained it and added a little cream and 2%milk tempered (probably a cup total) to thicken a little into a nice bisque. With me using it as a broth only I didnt worry about peeling skins except the sweet potato and parsnips (because the skins are bitter) but it turned out heavenly! She has lived on this soup alone for 2 weeks. I salt at the end, no pepper because her chemo throat has ulcers that can’t handle it. Just wanted you to know that this recipe alone has kept my mom with is longer and she looks forward too it everyday! Thank you so much!
Sarah – this may be the most impactful and touching comment I’ve received in over 11 years writing this blog. Thank you so much for taking the time to share and I’m incredibly happy it’s helping your mom and providing some comfort. I wish you all the absolute best.
I did roast the vegetables and WOW it brought out so much flavor. I will make this again!
I love a good fall vegetable soup! This is a great recipe, thanks!
This is the perfect fall soup. I have a bunch of root veggies that need to be used so will give it a go.
This soup is so hearty and filling, perfect for a crisp Fall night!
This is my kind of comfort food! Can’t wait to make it!
It’s definitely soup weather here in the UK and I’ll have to make this soup asap!
This looks so smooth and creamy. A really hearty and warming lunch.