Carrot, Apple & Five-Spice Soup

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Makes:

8 cups (2 L), serves 8

Prep Time:

15 minutes

Cook Time:

30 minutes

Category:

Lunch | Soups

Introduction

About this Recipe

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Excerpted from Anna Cooks: 125+ Delicious & Achievable Recipes for Every Meal of the Day, by Anna Olson. Copyright © 2025 Olson Food Concepts Inc. Photography by Janis Nicolay. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited.

This is one of those simple soups that, after making and enjoying just once, you won’t even need a recipe for. The addition of Chinese five-spice, with its combination of star anise, fennel seed, Szechuan pepper, clove and cinnamon, really enhances the humble carrot and apple combination, giving it a well-rounded flavour complexity with minimal effort.

NOTES: The soup will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Ingredients

Extra-virgin olive oil, for the pot
6 to 8 large carrots (about 1½ lb/675 g total), diced
1 large onion, diced
2 tart apples, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced

2 tsp Chinese five-spice
4 cups (1 L) chicken stock
1 cup (250 mL) whipping cream
Salt and black pepper
Toasted pumpkin seeds or chopped cashews, for garnish

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1

Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of a soup pot over medium heat. Add the carrots and onions and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the onions begin to look translucent. Add the apples, garlic and five-spice and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more.

Step 2

Add the stock and bring the soup up to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot and gently simmer until the vegetables are very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Step 3

Purée the soup using an immersion or regular blender (in batches if needed) until smooth, then stir in the cream, return to a gentle simmer and season to taste. Sprinkle with the chopped cashews (or pumpkin seeds) and serve.