Creamy Carrot and Turnip Soup

Welcome in the cold weather with a hearty and creamy vegetarian soup. Celebrate the flavors of fall with this carrot and turnip soup that is perfect for any occasion and stores wonderfully.

Hearty soups are what cold weather is all about. And they are the best way to celebrate fall produce. Most of the time I like a chunky soup like vegetarian minestrone. But there are times when a creamy soup just hits all the right spots.

Carrots and turnips are a perfect pair. Both get a little sweet when cooked but have distinct flavor profiles. Carrots are brighter, giving this soup its front of the palate nuances. On the other hand, turnips are buttery and warm. Then a bit of leek adds some bite!

Health benefits of turnips

While turnips are lower in starch than potatoes, they are still classified as a starchy vegetable. The benefit of using turnips is primarily in flavor. But they do offer some health benefits. Turnips have a high amount of calcium, magnesium, and folate. They are also very high in fiber – something that is great for your digestion!

If you get turnips with the greens on, those are even better. They have even more calcium and magnesium, and also a very high amount of iron and potassium. While they don’t have any use in this soup, you can absolutely save them to cook in other ways.

What kind of turnips should you use?

There are several kinds of turnips out there – and several other root vegetables that are easy to mistake for turnips. The two most common types are the standard large purple top turnips and Tokyo turnips which are smaller and all white. Either type will work for this recipe, though you’ll need 3-4 smaller ones to make up 1 purple top which is what I used.

Because they look very similar, it can be easy to mistake rutabagas for large turnips. Both are a purple-ish color on top and about the same size. Rutabagas however are more yellow and are generally squat in shape rather than oblong. And since the flavor is different you definitely don’t want to confuse the two.

Freezing soup for later

Soups, particularly creamy pureed soups are great make-ahead meals. Because they are already blended, you don’t have to worry about textures getting weird as they sit in the fridge or freezer. 

Whether you are looking for fun new choices in meal prep or are trying to stock your freezer with easy meals, this creamy soup will have you covered.

The best way to store soups is in single servings. This way they are easy to grab out of the freezer and heat up. You can even just add a single serving container to your lunch bag for work and the frozen soup will keep everything else cold if you don’t have a fridge. Then just heat it up in a microwave!

One of the wonderful things about pureed soups is that they are so straightforward. You just cook everything up until it’s soft then blend it up. If you don’t already have one, I really recommend getting an immersion blender for making creamy soups. There’s no fuss of moving the soup to the blender and back – which means fewer dishes to do. Always a win in my book.