Roasted Carrot Soup with Crispy Sumac Chickpeas

Roasted carrot soup loaded with spicy North African harissa & zaatar, topped with crispy sumac chickpea croutons; this vegan soup is a winner!

Whether you want to serve this as a main course soup with bread or as a smaller starter or even lunch dish, this soup is guaranteed to please the crowd.

Spicy Vegan Carrot Soup

This spiced, roasted and pureed carrot soup recipe is loaded with the wonderful flavours of North African cuisine.

Harissa paste, zaatar and sumac all feature prominently because they are perfect with the mellow roasted garlic and sweet earthy carrots.

They work particularly well with the sweet and earthy tones of carrot... hence this soup!

Roasting vegetables makes a great base for a soup because it helps get those sugars coloured up, and it adds a great depth of flavour.

I use it as a technique in both my roasted curry parsnip soup and my roasted tomato soup.

And don't get me started on the crispy chickpea "croutons". They are a moment of almost genius level of clarity, even if I say so myself!

This is very much a sister dish to my spicy carrot and lentil soup.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is harissa paste, and can I make it at home?

Harissa is a spicy paste made primarily from many types of pepper, some sweet and some spicy. It is mixed with garlic, oil, cumin, coriander and caraway. Rose harissa also contains rose petals and or rose water.

I have tried many at-home recipes for making harissa, but I never quite get the complexity of store-bought versions.

As a result, I usually use the Belazu brand.

Can I use canned chickpeas?

Oh gosh, yes, dry them as well as you can, but do be aware that they will still spit in the oil, so please protect yourself with a lid. I use a small 24cm or 10" saute pan.

Sumac and Zaatar, will they sit in my cupboard forever?

Not if you do not want them to because I use them all of the time here on my site. Just hit search, and you will be sorted.

Sumac gets used in dishes as diverse as my halloumi burger, my rabbit tagine, and Turkish lentil soup to Palestinian chicken musakhan.

Zaatar features in equally diverse recipes like my Moroccan lamb tagine and my Moroccan Harissa meatballs.

Serving Suggestions

This is a glorious, thick bowl of heart-warming and belly-filling soup.

I curl up on the sofa with a big bowl and feel cosy, but if I were to add anything, then it would be bread, because well, bread and soup are just magic.

I quite like cutting pita bread into triangles and toasting it off in a griddle pan and dipping it in. The soup is plenty thick enough to coat the pita well.

But if you are a baker, then try to make Moroccan khobz because it is genius with this roasted carrot soup!

Equipment Used

I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

• Hob/stovetop.
• Oven.
• Roasting tin.
• 20cm or 8" saucepan.
• 24cm or 10" frying pan with a lid.
• Blender.
• Fine mesh sieve.
• Chopping board.
• Kitchen knife.
• A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, cups and spoons.
• Kitchen paper.
• Slotted, serving and stirring spoons.