Moroccan Carrot Soup Recipe with Chickpeas

Creamy soup without the cream! This silky spiced Moroccan Carrot Soup recipe is thickened with chickpeas and screams comfort with every bite. Serve it as an appetizer or light lunch. 166 calories and 1 Weight Watchers SP

Comfort in a bowl! This Moroccan carrot soup recipe is a breeze to make, and has the warmth of any creamy soup...but dairy free. I used a couple of tricks to make this soup thick without adding any cream or milk.

These tricks - more on that below - can be used with almost any vegetable soup. They'll save you a boat load of calories while maintaining the velvety mouth feel of cream-filled soups. Plus, you'll be able to make vegan soups with very little effort and without obscure ingredients.

Serve this soup with a Kale, Pomegranate & Mandarin Salad and a loaf of crusty bread, or with a couscous salad.

WHAT YOU NEED FOR THIS MOROCCAN CARROT SOUP RECIPE:

These are the main components need for this recipe (affiliate links included)…

• Carrots: Of course! What would carrot soup be without carrots?! I cut about 1 ¾ pounds of carrots into thin slices. A sharp chef's knife is essential to make this task go quickly. Alternatively, if you have a mandoline, use that for quick and easy slicing. Just take care to keep your fingers away from the blade. You should have about 5 cups of chopped carrots when all is said and done.

• Spices: This is where things turn from regular creamy carrot soup to Moroccan carrot soup. Four ground spices - cumin, coriander, cinnamon and ginger - come together to produce flavor with warmth and a distinctive north African flair. These spices can be found in most grocery stores and online. If you live near an Indian market, you can find these spices for a fraction of the cost.

• Vegetable broth: If you have homemade vegetable broth on hand, by all means use it. You can't beat the flavor of homemade! If you are using homemade broth, you may have to adjust the seasoning - specifically the salt - as your broth will likely have lower sodium levels than store-bought broth. When it all comes down to it, be sure to use a broth, store-bought or otherwise, that tastes good to you. Since it's such an important part of the recipe, the flavor makes a difference.

• Chickpeas: I used canned chickpeas for ease, but soaking and cooking dried chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) is a great option. If using the canned version, be sure to drain and rinse the chickpeas well before adding to the soup.

How to make soup creamy without cream:

Making creamy vegetable soups without adding any dairy is surprisingly easy. Here are three tips that I use regularly when making low calorie creamy soups:

• Simmer the vegetables with aromatics (onions, garlic, shallots and so on), spices, herbs and broth until they are good and soft. Blend with an immersion blender straight in the pot or process the soup in a blender in batches. If using a blender, allow the soup to cool for about 10 minutes first so that you don't blow the lid off the blender. I use this method in my Healthy Cauliflower Spinach Soup recipe.
• Finish the soup with something creamy, such as coconut milk. If dairy free is not your goal, use some half-and-half, 2% milk or even cream. In my Vegan Instant Pot Mushroom Soup recipe, coconut milk does the trick.
• In this soup, I simmered some chickpeas alongside the carrots and pureed them all together once tender. Other beans, such as Great Northern beans or cannellini beans, would also work well.

Is carrot soup vegan?

This one is! That is, if you serve it without the yogurt garnish on top. Alternatively, you can drizzle some coconut milk or cashew cream on top for a pretty presentation.

Unless specifically stated, most carrot soups purchased at the grocery store or served at restaurants are not vegan. Even if dairy is not a main ingredient, they are often finished with milk or cream in order to achieve a silky texture. It's best to ask!

Is carrot soup low carb?

Many carrot soups are considered to be low carb. While carrots have a higher sugar content than many other vegetables, their high fiber content results in lower net carbs.

HOWEVER...by adding chickpeas, I blew the whole "low carb" thing completely out of the water! Does that mean you should look for a different recipe? Nope! You can still achieve a fantastic, creamy texture without the chickpeas - you just may need to make a slight adjustment in the amount of broth used (a little less). If you're not concerned about dairy, you could always finish the soup with a splash of cream for added richness, but this is not imperative.

Other vegan soup recipes:

Vegan Potato Soup with Beans & Kale {Cookin' Canuck}
Vegan Instant Pot Mushroom Soup {Cookin' Canuck}
Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Soup {Floating Kitchen}
Vegan Split Pea Soup with Smoky Tempeh Croutons {The Full Helping}

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Moroccan Carrot Soup with Chickpeas

Creamy soup without the cream! This silky spiced Moroccan Carrot Soup is thickened with chickpeas and screams comfort with every bite. Serve it as an appetizer or light lunch. i166 calories and 1 Weight Watchers SP

4.85 from 13 votes

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Course: Soups

Cuisine: Moroccan

Keyword: Carrot Soup, Vegan

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Cooling Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 Servings

Calories: 166.4kcal

Author: Dara Michalski | Cookin' Canuck

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Ingredients

• 3 teaspoon olive oil divided
• ½ yellow onion chopped
• 1 ¾ pounds carrots chopped (about 5 cups chopped)
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1 (14 oz) can chickpeas drained & rinsed
• Yogurt and minced parsley for garnish if desired (leave off yogurt of vegan)

Instructions

• Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large nonstick saucepan set over medium heat.
• Add the onions and cook until tender, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Add the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil, then stir in the carrots and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes.
• Stir in the cumin, coriander, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne and salt. Cook for 1 minute.
• Stir in the vegetable broth and chickpeas. Bring to a boil, then lower heat slightly and cook at a lively simmer until the carrots are very tender, about 30 minutes.
• Allow the soup to cool for about 10 minutes. In batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Return to the saucepan to reheat.
• Serve with yogurt and parsley, if desired.

Notes

Weight Watchers Points: 1 (Freestyle SmartPoints), 4 (Points+)

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 166.4kcal | Carbohydrates: 30.1g | Protein: 4.6g | Fat: 3.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Sodium: 1377.4mg | Fiber: 6.3g | Sugar: 7.5g

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