Mary Berry Carrot and Parsnip Soup Recipe

Carrot and parsnip soup is one of those combinations that makes complete sense the first time you try it. Carrots bring a bright, clean sweetness and a vivid orange colour. Parsnips bring a deeper, earthier sweetness with a slight nuttiness that rounds the whole thing out.

Together, blended smooth with a little spice and a swirl of cream, they produce a soup that is genuinely more interesting than either vegetable alone.

This is the soup I make when I have a glut of root vegetables in November, when the weather has turned properly cold and I want something warming and nourishing on the table quickly.

It takes one pot, 45 minutes, and very little effort — and it looks and tastes considerably more impressive than that suggests.

It is also the soup that converts parsnip sceptics. The parsnip flavour is present but not dominant — it adds depth rather than announcing itself, and the result is a soup that most people love without necessarily being able to identify what makes it so good.

What Makes This Soup Work So Well?

The sweet combination of both roots. Carrot alone can taste one-dimensional. Parsnip alone can taste slightly heavy. Together they balance beautifully — the carrot provides brightness, the parsnip provides body and depth.

A warm spice note. A small amount of ground cumin and coriander cooked briefly in the butter before the vegetables go in adds a warm, aromatic background that elevates the soup without making it taste of curry. It is the difference between a soup that is merely pleasant and one that is genuinely interesting.

Good stock. With so few ingredients, the stock is the backbone. A good quality chicken or vegetable stock makes a noticeable difference to the finished flavour.

Ingredients for Mary Berry Carrot and Parsnip Soup

• 40g unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 500g carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 500g parsnips, peeled, cored if large, and roughly chopped
• 1.2 litres good quality chicken or vegetable stock
• 100ml double cream
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To Serve

• A swirl of double cream or crème fraîche
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley or chives, finely chopped
• A pinch of ground cumin or smoked paprika
• Crusty bread

How to Make Mary Berry Carrot and Parsnip Soup — Step by Step

Step 1 — Sweat the Aromatics

Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook gently for 8 to 10 minutes until completely softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Step 2 — Bloom the Spices

Add the ground cumin, coriander, and turmeric. Stir for one to two minutes until the spices are fragrant and coating everything in the pan. This brief cooking in the fat opens up the spices and develops their flavour significantly — do not skip it.

Step 3 — Add the Vegetables and Stock

Add the chopped carrots and parsnips to the pan. Stir to coat everything in the spiced butter. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes until both the carrots and parsnips are completely tender — no resistance when tested with a knife.

Step 4 — Blend Until Silky

Remove from the heat and blend until completely smooth with a stick blender or in batches in a standard blender. The combination of carrot and parsnip produces a particularly silky, creamy result — blend thoroughly for the best texture.

Step 5 — Finish and Season

Return to the hob over a low heat. Stir in the double cream and lemon juice. Warm through gently — do not boil after the cream has been added. Taste and season generously with salt and pepper. The lemon juice is important — it lifts and brightens the sweetness of the root vegetables and brings the whole soup into focus.

Step 6 — Serve

Ladle into warm bowls. Add a swirl of cream or crème fraîche, a scattering of fresh parsley or chives, and a pinch of cumin or smoked paprika for colour. Serve with crusty bread.

My Top Tips For Mary Berry Carrot and Parsnip Soup

Core large parsnips before chopping. The woody central core of a large parsnip is fibrous and slightly bitter. Halve the parsnip lengthways and cut out the core with a sharp knife before chopping. Small, young parsnips do not need coring — the core is tender and perfectly good.

Bloom the spices in the fat first. One to two minutes of stirring the ground spices in the hot butter before anything else goes in makes the finished soup noticeably more aromatic. The heat releases the essential oils in the spices — adding them directly to liquid gives a much flatter result.

Use equal weights of carrot and parsnip. The 50/50 ratio gives the best balance. More carrot and the soup can taste slightly thin; more parsnip and it becomes slightly heavy. Equal quantities is the sweet spot.

Finish with lemon juice. Root vegetable soups can taste flat and slightly sweet without an acidic note to balance them. The half lemon added at the end lifts the whole soup. Taste before and after adding it and you will immediately understand why it matters.

Warm the bowls. Fill each bowl with just-boiled water for one minute before ladling in the soup. It takes 30 seconds and means the soup stays hot throughout eating.

Serving Suggestions

As a warming weekday lunch with crusty bread. As a starter for an autumn or winter dinner party — its beautiful orange colour in white bowls looks stunning. In a thermos for a cold day out. As a simple supper with good bread and butter alongside.

How to Store Mary Berry Carrot and Parsnip Soup

In the fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the hob, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of stock if it has thickened too much.

In the freezer: Freeze for up to 3 months — freeze before adding the cream for the best texture. Defrost overnight in the fridge, reheat gently, and stir in the cream once warm.

Mary Berry Carrot and Parsnip Soup Recipe

Mary Berry's carrot and parsnip soup is sweet, silky, and warmly spiced — a brilliant one-pot soup ready in under an hour.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Servings: 4 Portions

Course: Soup

Cuisine: British

Calories: 210

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 40 g unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion roughly chopped
• 2 celery sticks roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves crushed
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 500 g carrots peeled and roughly chopped
• 500 g parsnips peeled, cored if large, roughly chopped
• 1.2 litres chicken or vegetable stock
• 100 ml double cream
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• To Serve:
• Swirl of cream or crème fraîche
• Fresh parsley or chives
• Ground cumin or smoked paprika
• Crusty bread

CHECK THIS RECIPE  Mary Berry Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

Method

 

1. Melt butter with olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cook onion and celery for 8–10 minutes until softened. Add garlic, cook 1 minute.
2. Add cumin, coriander, and turmeric. Stir for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
3. Add carrots and parsnips. Stir to coat. Pour in stock. Bring to the boil then simmer covered for 20–25 minutes until completely tender.
4. Blend until completely smooth.
5. Return to low heat. Stir in cream and lemon juice. Warm through — do not boil. Season generously with salt and pepper.
6. Ladle into warm bowls. Swirl cream, scatter herbs, add a pinch of cumin or paprika. Serve with crusty bread.

Notes

Core large parsnips before chopping — the woody centre is fibrous and bitter.

Bloom the spices in butter for 1–2 minutes before adding vegetables.

Use equal weights of carrot and parsnip for the best balance.

Finish with lemon juice — it lifts the sweetness of the root vegetables.

Freeze before adding cream for the best texture. Keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this soup without cream?

Yes — omit the cream entirely for a lighter soup, or stir a spoonful of crème fraîche into each bowl when serving. The soup has good body from the blended vegetables and is still very good without cream.

Can I use sweet potato instead of parsnip?

Yes — sweet potato and carrot soup is wonderful and uses exactly the same method. The flavour is sweeter and less earthy than the carrot and parsnip combination. Both are excellent.

Why is my soup grainy rather than silky?

Usually because the blending was not thorough enough. Blend for at least two full minutes with a stick blender, or use a standard blender for an even silkier result. A very smooth result can also be achieved by passing the blended soup through a fine sieve.

Can I make this vegan?

Yes — use olive oil instead of butter, vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, and replace the cream with a plant-based alternative such as oat cream or coconut cream. Coconut cream pairs particularly well with the spices in this recipe.

Can I add lentils to this soup?

Yes — 100g of red lentils added with the vegetables and stock give extra body and protein. They dissolve almost completely during cooking and thicken the soup naturally without needing extra blending.

What stock works best?

A good quality chicken stock gives the richest, most rounded flavour. A good vegetable stock is equally good and keeps the soup suitable for vegetarians. Avoid stock made with very strong-tasting vegetables such as cabbage or turnip as they can overpower the delicate sweetness of the carrots and parsnips.