There’s nothing quite like a bowl of hot soup on a chilly day. Curried Parsnip Soup is a classic, delicious Winter warmer. The sweet, earthy parsnips with the gentle heat of warming spices is a winning combination. You’re only 30 minutes away from a healthy and delicious bowl of comfort!
It’s officially soup season! If you’re in need of a warming, spicy bowl of comfort, look no further than this Spicy Parsnip Soup Recipe.
I can’t get enough soup recipes at this time of year – my favourites include spicy sweet potato and red lentil soup, stilton and broccoli soup, butternut squash and sweet potato soup and this super easy slow cooker chicken noodle soup.
Parsnips are perfect for turning into soup – when cooked and pureed, they have a gorgeous, velvety texture that pairs beautifully with the warming spice of curry paste or powder.
why you’ll love this curried parsnip soup recipe
- Quick and easy to make
- Budget friendly
- You just need seven ingredients
- It freezes well
- Perfect for making in advance – keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days
ingredients for spicy parsnip soup
Please scroll to the bottom of the post to find a printable recipe card with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
- parsnips – you’ll need 3 or 4 parsnips, depending on their size.
- a large onion
- fresh garlic and ginger– or if you want to use garlic and ginger paste, go for it! I will admit to using this a lot lately – it’s a great time saver. You can usually find this in the world foods aisle of most large supermarkets.
- curry paste. There are many varieties of curry paste available, so use whatever one you like. I like to use a Balti curry paste in this soup – it gives a nice kick without being too spicy. Don’t have curry paste? You can use curry powder instead.
- Vegetable stock cube or stock pot. You could use chicken stock if you aren’t serving the soup to vegetarians.
- Double (heavy) cream gives the soup a lovely richness. You could use coconut milk or a plant based cream alternative, such as Oatly, instead if you like.
step by step instructions
Step 1 – Gently sweat the onions in a tablespoon of oil over a low heat until very soft and translucent. This will take around 10 minutes. Add the crushed garlic and ginger, chopped parsnips and curry paste or powder and fry for a couple of minutes to get a nice golden colour on the parsnips and release the spicy flavours from the paste.
RECIPE TIP – cooking the parsnips on a medium-high heat until they are golden will intensify their flavour – and make your soup taste amazing!
Step 2 – Pour in the hot stock and bring to the boil. Place a lid on the pan, immediately turn the heat down to low-medium and simmer gently for about 20-25 minutes or until the parsnips have softened.
Step 3 – Blend the soup until smooth. I have a free-standing blender, but a stick blender would also do the job. Once the soup is smooth, pour it back into the pan along with the double cream. Heat the soup gently – don’t allow it to come to the boil. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
serving spicy parsnip soup
You don’t need me to tell you that fresh bread is the perfect partner for soup! Try it with my soft white sandwich loaf or easy cheese soda bread recipe.
You could also serve the soup with oatcakes, crackers, cold meat, a selection of cheeses and chutneys. I love a meal like this!
faqs
This is a personal choice. I prefer to peel them because the skins can be a little on the tough side. It’s not absolutely crucial if you leave them unpeeled.
I’ve tried lots of different brands of curry paste, but I always go back to Patak’s curry pastes. They are so good and simple to use. If you’re using curry powder, then I think Schwartz is a really good one. I mostly use the mild or medium powder.
You can! If you ever happen to have any roast parsnips leftover from Sunday lunch, use them to make this soup!
Absolutely. I do this quite often and it works perfectly. Carrots, celariac, and sweet potato are all great for this soup.
If you don’t want to use cream, adding a peeled diced potato will give the soup a creamy texture. I know it sounds strange, but it really works!
storing parsnip soup
Once the soup has cooled completely, store it in a container and chill in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To reheat, place in a saucepan with a splash of water or stock and heat over a low-medium heat until piping hot.
freezing
To freeze the soup, store it in freezer-safe containers or freezer bags and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost the soup in the fridge overnight before reheating.
more warming soup recipes to try
Curried Parsnip Soup
Curried Parsnip Soup is a real Winter warmer. Parsnips make a deliciously creamy soup, while curry paste adds a wonderful spicy kick. Serve this soup on a cold day with crusty bread for a filling, satisfying meal.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed OR 1 teaspoon garlic puree/paste
- 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger OR 1 teaspoon ginger puree/paste
- 600g parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon curry paste (I used Balti) or curry powder (see notes)
- 750ml vegetable or chicken stock (I use stock pots)
- 80ml double cream (see recipe notes for a dairy free alternative)
- For an extra kick, optional: 1-2 teaspoons of Garam Masala
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a low heat. Add onions and cook for about 10 minutes or until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the crushed garlic, grated ginger, chopped parsnips and curry paste and cook for a few minutes, stirring often, until the parsnips are beginning to turn golden.
- Pour in the hot vegetable stock, bring to the boil, cover with a lid and turn down the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the parsnips have softened. Cool the soup a little before blending until smooth. Once the soup is nice and smooth, return to the saucepan and stir in the double cream.
- Gently heat the soup, but don't let it come to the boil. Add sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste before serving. If you find the soup isn't spicy enough for your liking, you could stir in a little more curry paste before heating the soup gently (to avoid curdling the cream.)
Notes
cooking the parsnips until they are golden will intensify the flavour of the soup.
If I'm not using paste, I use Schwartz medium curry powder. If you're using mild powder, you might need to add one extra teaspoon.
Alternatives and Substitutions:
For a dairy free soup, substitute the cream for a soya alternative, such as Alpro.
Don't want to add cream? Add one peeled and chopped potato. This will give the soup a creamy texture without adding cream!
If you don't have quite enough parsnips, add a couple of carrots to make up the 600g. I've done this a few times and it works perfectly.
If you've overdone it with the spices and the soup is too hot for your liking, tone it down by stirring in some whole milk or more cream.
Storing: The soup will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezing: Store the cold soup in airtight containers (or thick freezer bags) and freeze for up to three months. Defrost the soup in the fridge overnight before re-heating.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 240Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 552mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 6gSugar: 10gProtein: 4g
Calories and nutritional information are provided by a third party application and should be viewed as indicative figures only.
One of my favourite winter soups!
Thanks Carrie, Mine too!
Curried parsnips is one of my fave soups and I’d totally forgotten. I have loads of them in the fridge so I’ll be making this in the next couple of days!
Thanks Chloe, hope you enjoy!
Love curried parsnip soup and instead of cream for a wee change I add coconut cream its delicious and just adds a twist for a wee change
Sounds lovely!
I can’t wait to try this soup, it sounds delish! I wonder if you could do the same with turnips or swedes (maybe make it too sweet???). Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Margaret, I’m sure you could although I haven’t tried it. I hope you enjoy the recipe. I’m making more tonight 🙂