Anna Louise Parsnip soup is the soup that wins over parsnip sceptics. The vegetable that divides opinion when roasted or boiled becomes something almost universally loved in a blended soup — its natural sweetness and earthy depth producing a bowl of something warming, comforting, and genuinely delicious.
Mary Berry’s parsnip soup recipe keeps things straightforward — parsnips roasted for depth, aromatics softened in butter, everything blended to a silky consistency with good stock and a little cream. A gentle spice note — cumin, coriander, a pinch of turmeric — lifts the sweetness of the parsnip without overwhelming it.
This is the soup for a cold January evening when the root vegetable drawer needs emptying and you want something that takes thirty minutes and tastes like you spent all day on it.
Why This Soup Works
Parsnips are naturally sweet and creamy. They blend to a particularly smooth, velvety consistency — smoother than carrot, smoother than swede. With a little cream stirred through, the result is one of the silkiest blended soups you can make.
Warm spices are the perfect partner. Cumin and coriander give a warmth that suits the parsnip’s natural sweetness without turning the soup into a curry. Just enough spice to make it interesting without masking what makes a parsnip soup special.
Coring large parsnips matters. The central woody core of a large parsnip can be slightly bitter and fibrous. Remove it before cooking and the soup is noticeably smoother and more consistent in flavour.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Parsnip Soup
- 50g unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2cm fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 800g parsnips, peeled, cored if large, roughly chopped
- 1 medium potato (about 150g), peeled and roughly chopped
- 1.2 litres good quality vegetable or chicken stock
- 150ml double cream
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
To Serve
- A swirl of double cream or crème fraîche
- A scattering of crispy bacon lardons (optional)
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- A pinch of ground cumin
- Crusty bread
How to Make Mary Berry Parsnip Soup — Step by Step
Step 1 — Soften the Aromatics
Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until completely softened and beginning to colour slightly at the edges. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute.
Step 2 — Bloom the Spices
Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cayenne. Stir for one to two minutes until the spices are fragrant and coating everything in the pan. This brief cooking in the fat releases the essential oils in the spices.
Step 3 — Add the Parsnips and Stock
Add the chopped parsnips and potato to the pan. Stir to coat with 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 parsnips and potato are completely tender.
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. Parsnip blends to a beautiful, smooth consistency — blend thoroughly for the silkiest result.
Step 5 — Finish and Season
Return to the hob over a low heat. Stir in the double cream and lemon juice. Warm through gently. Taste and season generously with salt and pepper. The lemon juice brightens and balances the natural sweetness of the parsnip.
Step 6 — Serve
Ladle into warm bowls. Swirl cream or crème fraîche over the surface. Add crispy bacon if using. Scatter with parsley and a pinch of cumin. Serve with crusty bread.
My Top Tips For Mary Berry Parsnip Soup
Core large parsnips. Halve them lengthways and cut out the central woody core with a sharp knife before chopping. Small, young parsnips do not need this — the core is tender. Large parsnips with a tough, fibrous core should always be cored for the smoothest, most pleasant soup.
Add a potato for body. One medium potato adds a little extra starch that gives the finished soup a slightly more substantial consistency. The parsnip is the star — the potato just supports it.
Bloom the spices in fat first. One to two minutes of stirring the spices in the hot buttered pan before anything else goes in makes the finished soup noticeably more aromatic. Always bloom spices in fat — never add them directly to liquid.
Finish with lemon juice. Parsnips are naturally sweet and the soup can taste slightly flat without an acidic element to lift and balance it. The lemon juice at the end brings everything into focus.
Crispy bacon on top is genuinely excellent. The combination of sweet, creamy parsnip soup and salty, crispy bacon is one of the great soup garnish combinations. Cook small bacon lardons in a dry pan until crisp and scatter over each bowl just before serving.
Serving Suggestions
As a warming weekday lunch with crusty bread. As a dinner party starter in small bowls — its natural beauty needs no enhancement beyond a swirl of cream. In a thermos for a cold day outside. As a starter for a Christmas or winter dinner party.
How to Store Mary Berry Parsnip Soup
In the fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the hob, adding a splash of stock if it has thickened too much.
In the freezer: Freeze before adding the cream for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, reheat gently, and stir in the cream once warm.
Mary Berry Parsnip Soup Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Melt butter with olive oil over medium heat. Cook onion 8–10 minutes until soft. Add garlic and ginger — 1 minute.
- Add spices — stir 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add parsnips and potato. Stir to coat. Pour in stock. Bring to the boil then simmer covered 20–25 minutes until completely tender.
- Blend until completely smooth.
- Return to low heat. Stir in cream and lemon juice. Warm through. Season generously.
- Ladle into warm bowls. Swirl cream, add bacon if using, scatter parsley and cumin. Serve with crusty bread.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use this recipe for the curried parsnip soup on this site?
The curried parsnip soup recipe elsewhere on this site has a more pronounced curry flavour — more spice, more heat. This parsnip soup is more gently spiced, slightly sweeter, and more elegant as a starter. Both are excellent — they are just different soups.
Can I leave out the cream?
Yes — the soup is still very good without cream. The parsnip and potato give enough body on their own. Add a spoonful of crème fraîche to each bowl when serving if you want a creamy element without stirring it through the whole batch.
Why is my parsnip soup bitter?
The central core of large parsnips can be slightly bitter. Core parsnips thoroughly before cooking. Also check that your parsnips are fresh — old, wrinkled parsnips can taste bitter and are less sweet than fresh ones.
Can I add apple to this soup?
Yes — one peeled, cored Granny Smith apple added with the parsnips gives a bright, slightly sharp note that works beautifully with the sweetness of the parsnip. Parsnip and apple soup is a well-established British combination.
Can I make this vegan?
Yes — use olive oil instead of butter, vegetable stock, and oat cream instead of double cream. The result is excellent.
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