Slow Cooker Carrot Soup with Apple
Let your crockpot do all the work for this Slow Cooker Carrot Soup Recipe with apples, a vibrant, healthful, flavorful 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.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe for Carrot Soup:
- This soup stores well in the fridge and freezer, making it ideal for meal prep.
- Easy to make vegetarian or vegan!
- The first part of it is a set-it-and-forget-it situation. Throw everything into the crockpot in the morning, no pre-cooking required.
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- SERVE. Serve the soup garnished with the croutons, as well as yogurt and microgreens or parsley, if desired.
Home Chef Tips
- Gala apples are my apple of choice for this soup because of their natural sweetness and mild tartness. Their flavor pairs very well with carrots, and they’re a great apple to cook with.
- If you prefer a chunkier soup, only partially blend some of the soup.
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
Carrot soup pairs wonderfully with crusty bread, homemade yeast rolls or a fresh green salad with DIY Italian dressing. You can also serve it with a light protein like grilled chicken or fish.
Yes, carrot soup freezes well! Transfer soup to a freezer-safe storage container and place it in the fridge uncovered for a few hours until it is fully chilled, then cover it with the lid and transfer to the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating on the stove.
This is a matter of personal preference. For a smoother texture and brighter color of the final soup, I choose to peel the carrots. However, if you don’t mind a bit of texture, you can leave the skins on. Just make sure to wash them thoroughly before using.
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Carrot and Apple Soup
Ingredients
For the Slow Cooker Carrot & Apple Soup:
- 2 pounds carrots peeled and diced
- 3 Gala apples peeled, cored and diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus additional as needed
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper plus additional as needed
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
For the Za’atar Croutons:
- 2 cups cubed crusty bread I used ciabatta bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons za’atar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
For Garnish:
- Plain yogurt
- Microgreens or chopped fresh parsley optional
Instructions
Make the Slow Cooker Carrot & Apple Soup:
- In slow cooker, stir together carrots, apples, garlic, bay leaf, onion, butter, cumin, salt, black pepper, turmeric and cayenne. Add stock and stir until well combined. Cover and cook on high 4 hours or on low 8 hours.
- Remove bay leaf and puree soup with an immersion blender until smooth (or, transfer soup to blender in batches and puree). Return soup to slow cooker bowl and stir in vinegar. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
Make the Za'atar Crouons:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. On rimmed baking pan, toss oil, bread cubes and za'atar until well combined. Transfer to oven and bake 15 minutes or until golden brown and crisp, stirring once halfway through.
- Serve soup garnished with croutons, yogurt, and microgreens or parsley, if desired.
Notes
- Gala apples are my apple of choice for this soup because of their natural sweetness and mild tartness. Their flavor pairs very well with carrots, and they’re a great apple to cook with.
- If you prefer a chunkier soup, only partially blend some of the soup.
I never leave comments but had to on this one. Such a great soup. So easy. Great depth of flavor. Entire family loved it. Did you create it?
I am so glad to hear that, Anna! And yes, with very rare exception, all recipes on this site are developed, tested, styled and photographed by me 🙂
Gorgeous and mouthwatering pictures. Love the rich color and creamy texture of the soup. Zaatar seasoned croutons… now that’s interesting! I like adding zaatar to pita, flatbreads, raw veggies and marinades, but have never really tried this. And love the carrot-apple soup Good quality Za’atar does add a punch to any dish, but only if it is a quality zaatar as you mentioned.