Carrots have a higher natural sugar content than most other vegetables, making them a popular choice for kids. The sweetness of the carrots, combined with the juice of the orange, makes this Carrot and Orange soup a delicious meal the whole family will enjoy.

Contents hide

1 How to Make Carrot and Orange Soup

2 Why Kids Love This Soup

3 STORING CARROT AND ORANGE SOUP

4 Carrot and Orange Soup

How to Make Carrot and Orange Soup

Ingredients (with alternative suggestions)

Olive Oil (can be replaced with butter)
Onion (can be replaced with leek)
Garlic (can be omitted)
Carrots
Orange (zest and juice)
Stock (Chicken or vegetable stock.) If making for a baby, use homemade chicken or vegetable stock to keep sodium levels lower.
Bay Leaf (can be omitted)

Cooking Tips

Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil - the onion and garlic are the "aromatics" of the soup, take your time sauteeing them and make sure they are cooked long enough to be softened (and release their flavour) before moving onto the next step.
Chop your carrots so they are relatively similar in size and thickness to ensure they cook at the same time. There is no need to make them neat, after all, they are all going to be blended together in the end.
Add more or less of the stock, depending if you prefer a thicker or thinner soup. If making for a baby, you may prefer to add less stock to make a thicker soup which will be easier for both spoon fed and self-feeding babies. After blending if you find the soup too thick, add more stock and heat through.
Once soup has come to a boil, reduce to a simmer and keep it at a simmer
If you don't have an immersion blender (stick blender) allow the soup to cool slightly, before transferring to a blender or food processor.
The orange rind gives a good orange flavour, taste before adding the juice and then add the juice to suit taste.
If seasoning, do it at the end. Many stocks have high levels of sodium, for this reason, save most of your seasoning until the end. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper as needed

Why Kids Love This Soup

Deliciously Sweet - The sweetness of the carrots and the tangy citrus flavour of the orange produces a flavour profile that kids will love.
Smooth Texture - Great for kids who have texture issues or don't like seeing "bits" in their meals.
Bright & Colourful - According to one study, kids and adults are attracted to bright hues: orange is ranked the lowest on the most-hated colour foods for both age groups.

Topping Ideas for Carrot and Orange Soup

To up the fun factor, and to let your kids get creative with their meal, why not provide a range of toppings that they can add to their soup.

I topped this soup with some

Roasted Carrot Strips, a little cream and some chopped chives.

Other suggestions include

Croutons
Bacon
Crushed oatcakes
Cheese (e.g crumbled feta, grated parmesan etc)
Pumpkin Seeds
Crushed Nuts (e.g. Walnuts, cashews or pine nuts)

Toddler Eating Carrot and Orange Soup — This photo was in the original post, I didn't have the heart to delete it. Finn aged 2!

STORING CARROT AND ORANGE SOUP

When refrigerating or freezing soup you want to make sure it has fully cooled down before placing in the refrigerator or freezer.

Refrigerating - Transfer leftover soup to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Freezing - Transfer leftover soup to an airtight container/containers. Leave about a 2-3 cm (1 inch) of space between the soup and the container's lid when filling it. This will allow room for the liquid to expand when frozen. Defrost, overnight, in the refrigerator.

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Child Grabbing Bowl of Carrot and Orange Soup

5 from 19 votes

Author: Amy