The classic combination of sweet parsnip and warm spices is a winner in this velvety smooth curried parsnip soup.
🍽 Why you will love this recipe
Roasting the parsnips brings out their natural sweetness and intensifies their flavour. Pair that with curry spices (as mild or hot as you like) and vegan cream for a flavour-packed and silky parsnip soup.
Garlic cloves roasted in their skins add a deep and savoury background flavour to the soup.
So easy to make, as all the ingredients are roasted together in one tin, then just tipped into a saucepan of stock and blitzed. I often use this roasting tin method for soups (see my popular courgette soup, tomato soup, fennel soup and jerusalem artichoke soup), and can't recommend it enough
For a special occasion, add homemade parsnip crisps for a fancy and delicious garnish. They are very quick and easy to make with step-by-step photos below.
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📝 What you need
Ingredients
Parsnips are in season here in the UK from late August right through to March. The really huge ones can be a bit woody in the middle so look out for some medium-sized ones like mine below.
Curry powder is a ready-blended mix of spices which makes this a super-quick soup. Mine contained coriander seeds, cumin, turmeric, garlic powder, cassia, cardamom, chilli powder, star anise, bay leaf, cloves and mace. Let's face it - no one wants that many individual jars in their cupboard! If you prefer to mix your own spices I would recommend ground coriander, turmeric and cumin, and as much chilli powder as you fancy!
Vegetable stock can be deceiving as some have some sneaky milk powder added, gahhhh! So do check the label before you buy.
Vegan cream has become so much easier to find in recent years, and is now stocked in most supermarkets. I like this double cream below but any plant-based cream will work well, or plant milk to make this a bit lighter.
Equipment
There’s no fancy equipment needed to make soup, of course, though to get a silky smooth texture you do need a way of blending it.
I use a stick blender which is so quick and easy as you just shove it in the saucepan, blitz for a minute or two and you’re done. They are reasonably priced, you can pick up a basic model like this one* for just over £10 these days, and if you make a lot of homemade soup you won’t regret it.
Mine is this Dualit model* which also has a chopping bowl and whisk, both of which I use a lot.
Alternatively, if you have a blender or food processor you can pour the soup into it, blitz to a smooth purée then return it to the pan.
👩🏽🍳 Variations
To mix this up a bit how about....
- Making it quicker by cooking all the ingredients together in the saucepan - cooking time will be roughly half of the roasting time, (though the flavours won't be quite so intense). Fry the onion, garlic and curry powder gently first, then add the parsnips and stock, boil until soft, then add the cream and blitz.
- Making it lighter by swapping out the cream for plant-based milk.
- Making it different by using other root vegetables instead or as well as parsnips - how about jerusalem artichokes, celeriac, sweet potato, butternut squash, or the humble potato?
👩🏽🍳 How to make your parsnip soup
For a full, printable recipe with ingredients and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this page 👇🏼.
Peel and cut the parsnips into wedges. Peel and thickly slice the onion. Toss together in a roasting tin with garlic cloves (whole and unpeeled), oil, curry powder, salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes.
Squeeze the garlic flesh from its skins (discard the skins), then tip everything from the roasting tin into a saucepan of hot stock. Simmer for 4-5 minutes then blitz to a very smooth purée. Make parsnip crisps to garnish by peeling strips with a potato peeler then frying gently until just golden brown.
🔪 Top Tips and FAQs
Keep blitzing for 2 minutes or more until your soup is silky smooth. It is tempting to stop as soon as it looks like a purée, but the longer you keep going for the more velvety your finished soup will be. For a special occasion you can pass the soup through a sieve after blitzing for an extra-smooth finish.
Adjust the curry powder heat and amount to your own taste I like quite a bit of heat in this parsnip soup but if you don't, just use a mild curry powder or halve the amount.
Yes! Regular readers will know I have a fridge stacked high with soup, and this one is no exception. Freeze in individual portions then simply cook from frozen in the microwave or saucepan for a steaming lunch in under 5 minutes. Delicious!
For an alternative soup idea try my Jerusalem Artichoke & Parsnip Soup. Or for hearty main courses, how about Mandy's Vegan Wellington with Parsnips or Parsnip, Chickpea & Cauliflower Korma from Cook Veggielicious?
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🍽 If you liked that...
.... you might also enjoy these vegan recipes from The Veg Space:
📖 Recipe
Curried Parsnip Soup
Ingredients
- 4 parsnips
- 2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tsp curry powder mild or medium
- 750 ml vegetable stock
- 50 ml dairy-free cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
- Peel the parsnips and cut into wedges, and place in a roasting tin or baking tray. Peel the onion and slice thickly and add to the tray, then add the garlic cloves - whole and unpeeled. Drizzle over the oil, add the curry powder and season with salt and black pepper, then toss everything together until the vegetables are fully coated with oil.
- Roast for 30 minutes until the parsnips are golden brown and soft. Remove the garlic cloves (keep them for later), and set aside.
- Bring the vegetable stock to the boil in a large saucepan. Tip in the roasted parsnips and onion, then squeeze the soft flesh out of the roasted garlic cloves, add to the pan and discard the skin. Boil for 4-5 minutes, then remove from the heat, stir through the cream then blitz to a very smooth purée with a hand blender or in a blender / food processor. Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
- If you wish to make parsnip crisps for a garnish, simply peel strips off a parsnip with a potato peeler. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry the strips gently until they are just turning golden brown. Watch carefully - they can burn in seconds! Sprinkle with salt then remove from the pan and keep on kitchen paper until just before serving so they stay crisp.
- Serve the soup with a drizzle of cream and your parsnip crisps.
ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION
Notes
Nutrition
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With the last of the winter lurgies working it’s way through the family this seemed the ideal bowl of comfort to see out Christmas Eve; and so it proved.
I went slightly off piste by adding ginger to up the cuddle factor.
Thumbs up all round and as I doubled the recipe there’s more to enjoy in the New Year.
Thank you for sharing this recipe and curing my wife’s dislike of parsnips to boot!
That's great to hear, thanks Les!
Comforting & warming soup. Didn't have any vegan cream, so used some soya milk and it was still beautifully creamy. Will definitely be making again!
That's great to hear, thanks Nicky!
I've made this soup a few times and each time it turns out perfectly! Thanks for the easy and delicious recipe!
This is a really good soup! My kids loved it! And I will definitely make it again!
This was soooo tasty! I absolutely cannot wait to make it again! Thanks for the wonderful recipe. 🙂
I love that you made the parsnip the star of this soup. I can't wait to taste it.
I absolutely love the curry flavor. It's the perfect addition to this soup.
Love curried parsnip soup! So perfect at this time of year 😀
I love soup made from roasted veg, the roasting seems to give such a deep but sweet edge to the veg. It looks beautiful too! Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare
This looks so creamy and delicious!
My Carlita friend will love this recipe! I'll share to her right now as she's always looking for vegan recipes 🙂
This looks delicious! I think the sweetness of parsnip is a brilliant combination with a bit of spice. I really like the idea of topping it with parsnip crisps too.
Parsnip soup is one of our favourites. So warming and comforting in this weather.
Yes you can't beet roasted root veg in the chilly autumn months!
My husband is going to love this recipe! Can't wait to make this! Looks so delicious and tasty!
Great! Let me know how you get on x
This looks so delicious and creamy and definitely soup is the best healthy and light Dinner option.
Yes we love soup and crusty bread for dinner in the colder months.
Such a simple soup recipe but so tasty. I love curry spices in soup, delicious and comforting!
Yes I love soups like this that you can chuck in the oven to roast, blitz and stock up your freezer!
MMMmmm! A huge yes to curry powder in a velvety parsnip soup. A perfect warming bowl of nourishment.
Yes I love curry spices and root veg, a winning combo!