Vegan Roasted Carrot & Red Pepper Soup

Want comfort food without having to feel guilty? Here is your new favorite Roasted Red Pepper & Carrot Soup. This vegan and gluten-free soup has deep, bold flavors from roasting red peppers and carrots. Make this easy soup in the instant pot or stovetop.

I love soups, especially on cold winter evenings.  They give such a warm, comforting feeling. This Roasted Carrot and Bell Pepper Soup has a lot of flavors and is very nutritious, just like my pumpkin carrot soup.

The rich flavor in this soup comes from roasting carrots and red peppers. You can use any color of bell pepper, but red is preferred to get the deep red color. You can make this soup in the instant pot or on the stovetop.

When I served this soup to my husband, he thought it had loads of tomatoes, looking at the color. But just the carrots and red peppers give it such a great color and taste that you would not want to stop eating it.

The hardest part is waiting to roast the veggies to make this soup. But trust me, you will not mind the extra time it takes to roast the red peppers after tasting this soup.

Check out this 20+ Instant Pot Vegetarian Soup recipes collection for more delicious soups!

Nutrient packed Carrots & Red Peppers

Bell peppers, also called sweet peppers or capsicums, are low in calories and rich in vitamin C and other antioxidants, making them a great addition to a healthy diet.

Carrots are a great source of beta-carotene, fiber, vitamin K, potassium, and antioxidants.  These primary ingredients make this a very nutritious meal.

Ingredients

This soup uses essential ingredients that you can easily have in your pantry.

Olive Oil: Used for drizzling over the veggies when roasting them.

Onion: I prefer to use yellow onions in this soup.

Garlic: Freshly minced garlic cloves add wonderful flavor to the soup.

Carrot: The star ingredient of this soup, along with bell peppers. Use whole carrots or baby carrots. I like to peel them before roasting.

Red Bell Pepper: I used fresh bell peppers and roasted them in the oven along with the carrots. You can also buy roasted red peppers in a can or jar. Fire-roasted bell peppers would work well too.

Broth: I use vegetable broth to keep this soup vegan. Feel free to use any broth you have on hand.

Seasoning: I used a basic seasoning of salt, pepper, and cumin in this soup. Feel free to adjust the seasoning to your liking. Add some paprika for heat. Use garam masala for a deeper flavor instead of ground cumin. You can also add herbs to taste, such as basil or thyme.

How to make Red Pepper & Carrot Soup in Instant Pot?

There are two main steps to making this soup – Roasting and cooking.

Roast Carrots & Red Peppers

Cut the red peppers into half, remove the seeds, and place them face down on a large baking tray.

Peel the carrots and place them along with the red peppers. Drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil and sprinkle salt over them.

Roast for 30 minutes. Remove from oven & let them cool.

Peel the blackened portion from the red peppers. You can transfer the warm red peppers to a container with a lid. Shake and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. This makes it easier to remove the peels.

If you prefer, you can also roast the veggies in the air fryer. Here is my air fryer carrots recipe.

Cooking the Soup in Instant Pot

• Sauté garlic and onions in the instant pot for a few minutes.
• Add the roasted red pepper and carrots to the instant pot. Add the spices, bay leaf, and broth.
• Pressure cook for a few minutes in the instant pot. Then, let the pressure release naturally and open the lid.

Cooking the Soup on Stovetop

• Add oil to a large dutch oven or heavy bottom pot over medium heat. Saute the onions and garlic.
• Add the roasted red pepper and carrots. Add the spices, bay leaf, and broth.
• Bring to a boil. Then, reduce heat and simmer.
• Then, turn off the heat and follow the finishing steps.

Finishing Steps

• Then, remove the bay leaf and blend to get a smooth texture using an immersion blender. You can also transfer it to a blender such as Vitamix to blend it. Make sure the ingredients are cooled before blending.
• The soups looked so rich, even though I added no cream.  Some days you want to indulge, so add heavy cream (or coconut milk for vegan) if you like.
• Garnish with cilantro or parsley leaves.

Pro-Tips

Roasted Red Pepper Soup: If you like, skip the carrots and make roasted red pepper soup. Add some San Marzano tomatoes to the soup if you like the flavor.

Blend: It is best to blend the soup completely smooth. Use an immersion or countertop blender, but make sure to blend smoothly.

How to Serve?

We love to add toppings to soups. Add a spoonful of Greek yogurt or cream if you like. Sprinkle some pumpkin seeds or sesame seeds.

You can have this soup as a complete meal with some crusty bread or grilled cheese for dipping. Or pair it with a salad. We love this healthy chickpea salad or rotini pasta salad.

How to Store?

Let the soup cool down completely. Then store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for u to 4 days.

This soup has no cream or cheese. Hence it will freeze well in freezer-safe containers or bags for up to 3 months.

More Soup Recipes You’ll Love

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Check out 20+ Instant Pot Vegetarian Soup Recipes collection for more delicious soups!