Slow Cooker Carrot Soup with Apple

This is a Slow Cooker Carrot Soup Recipe where you don’t have to roast the carrots (or anything else) first. Let your crockpot do all the work for this vibrant, healthful autumn soup!

Easy Carrot Soup

If you’re looking for a carrot soup recipe, this might be the easiest one you’ll find! My favorite part is how you don’t need to do any pre-roasting of the carrots (or any of the other ingredients) before adding them to a slow cooker and simply turning it on.

With ingredients like apples, onions and spices to add depth of flavor, cooking the carrots first simply isn’t needed here. The soup can just cook all day in the crockpot and make your house smell absolutely divine.

Puree the soup at the end of its cooking time, and then it’s time for garnishes. The Za’atar Croutons are totally optional, but totally encouraged. No, you can’t cook them in the slow cooker, but you CAN make them in less than 20 minutes as the soup finishes it’s cook time.

What is Za’atar?

Za’atar is a spice and seed blend popular in the Middle East. You can make it yourself or buy a pre-made blend. The blend I purchased is simply a mixture of crushed sumac, thyme leaves, salt and sesame seeds.

If you can’t find or make za’atar, feel free to season your croutons with just sesame seeds and salt.

What You’ll Need for Slow Cooker Carrot Soup

• carrots – the main ingredient that gives this soup its sweet, earthy flavor and beautiful color.
• apples – adds a natural sweetness that complements the carrots.
• garlic – adds a savory depth of flavor that is needed with the sweet carrots and apples.
• bay leaf – enhances the overall flavor.
• onion – adds more savory depth of flavor.
• butter – adds richness and a velvety mouthfeel.
• cumin, turmeric, cayenne, salt and pepper – the spices we’re using to season the soup with warm, earthy flavor and subtle hints of heat.
• chicken stock – the liquid component of the soup.
• cider vinegar – not traditional in most recipes, but a little culinary school trick to brighten and balance the flavors.
• crusty bread, za’atar and olive oil – if you want to make the za’atar croutons as a garnish.
• yogurt, microgreens or fresh parsley – more optional garnishes.

How to Make Carrot Apple Soup

1. SLOW COOK. Place the carrots, apples, garlic, bay leaf, onion, butter, cumin, salt, black pepper, turmeric, cayenne and chicken stock in the bowl of a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 4 hours or on low 8 hours.
2. BLEND. Remove the bay leaf and then puree the soup using an immersion blender or traditional blender. Stir in the vinegar and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed.
3. CROUTONS. If you want to make the za’atar croutons as garnish, toss the bread cubes with oil and za’atar on a baking pan, and bake until they are golden brown and crisp. You can do this in the last few minutes of the soup cooking time so that everything is ready at the same time.
4. SERVE. Serve the soup garnished with the croutons, as well as yogurt and microgreens or parsley, if desired.

Easy Carrot Soup Recipe Variations

• VEGETARIAN – Use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
• VEGAN – Use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, olive oil in place of butter, and skip the yogurt garnish or use a vegan yogurt alternative.
• GINGER – Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of fresh grated ginger to the slow cooker bowl along with the rest of the ingredients for a carrot ginger soup.
• SPICY – Add extra cayenne pepper or a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Apple Carrot Soup Recipe FAQs