Simple Ginger Carrot Bisque with Tahini Cream

5 from 3 votes

Super simple ginger carrot bisque with tahini cream. Easy to prepare, 10 ingredients, and ready in 30 minutes.

An overhead shot of bright orange ginger carrot bisque soup in 4 patterned blue and white bowls on a grey marble background.
An overhead shot of bright orange ginger carrot bisque soup in a patterned blue and white bowl on a grey marble background.
An overhead shot of the cookbook “Food 52 Vegan” surrounded by heirloom carrots, a chef’s knife and some herbs.


I’ve been making meals and bits from cookbooks whenever I have the chance lately. It’s a very chill break from my own cookbook stuff. Lots of Ina classics in the mix, but since Fall is the season of the cookbook release, there’s been good stuff from plenty of other new works. I generally cook by feel, so the straightforward process of opening a book, measuring, and getting to it has been so relaxing!

A little while ago, Gena sent me her new book based on her Food52 column, The New Veganism. Food52 Vegan serves as a gentle, vegetable-focused guide to naturally incorporating vegan dishes into your everyday. The viewpoint is one of vibrant and curious inclusivity. It’s not an outright effort to recreate classic omnivorous foods with vegan ingredients, which is a huge relief. Off the top of my head I can think of about a hundred naturally vegan foods that are way more satisfying/interesting than a veggie burger. Gena seems to get that, and showcases that understanding through a bunch of recipes I can get excited about.

I love that the book is a non-intimidating size of 60 recipes. And also that there are shots of food with glasses of wine in the mix!

I made this simple ginger carrot bisque because I had a crisper FULL of carrots for some reason, freshly dug potatoes from my parents’ garden, and a few jars of homemade vegetable stock on hand as well. The ingredients/steps are minimal, but the soup is really interesting. Super creamy, naturally sweet, plenty of zing, and a spoonful of curry powder, too.

We had it with some fresh, seed-y sourdough for dinner and it was just the thing. I used a spicy curry powder, so it gave me that little flush in the cheeks that feels good on a cool day. Lots more soup inspiration to be found here.

Happy days and big hugs to you all. xo

A glowing jar of vegetable stock on a butcher block counter with white subway tiles and a bright window in the background.
4 photos: one of different heirloom carrots on a cutting board, one with a jar of curry powder surrounded by chopped onions, potatoes and carrots, one showing a white Dutch oven with vegetables sautéing, and the last one is an overhead shot of a white Dutch oven with the puréed soup on top of a blue and white dish towel.

Simple Ginger Carrot Bisque

Super simple ginger carrot bisque with tahini cream. Easy to prepare, 10 ingredients, and ready in 30 minutes.
5 from 3 votes
ginger carrot bisque from Gena Hamshaw/Food 52's new Vegan Cookbook // thefirstmess.com
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
Servings 4

Ingredients

Ginger Carrot Bisque

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • ½ cup diced celery
  • inch piece of ginger, minced
  • 4 cups vegetable stock
  • pounds carrots, chopped
  • 1 medium russet potato, chopped
  • teaspoons mild curry powder
  • sea salt, to taste

Tahini Cream

  • ¼ cup tahini
  • cup filtered water, plus extra if necessary
  • sea salt, to taste
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

Equipment

Notes

  • Reprinted with permission from Food52 Vegan, by Gena Hamshaw, copyright © 2015, published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
  • I changed a couple things when I made up this recipe from the book. I didn’t have celery, so replaced it with an equal amount of diced celery root (extra creaminess!).
  • Gena’s recipe calls for a swirl of savoury cashew cream at the end, which sounds amazing. No raw cashews on hand though, so I made a basic little bowl of tahini cream for mine. I used half in the soup and then reserved the rest for garnish (stirring a little turmeric into half of it as well). Instructions/Ingredients for this are below!

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and ginger and sauté until the onion is tender and translucent, about 8 minutes.
  • Stir in the broth, carrots, potato, and curry powder and bring to a boil. Season everything with salt. Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are tender, about 25 minutes.
  • Using an immersion blender (or using a regular blender and working in batches), blend until completely smooth. Return the soup to the pot over low heat and cook, stirring often, until heated through.
  • In a small bowl, stir together the raw tahini, water, and salt to taste. It will seem chunky and weird at first, but keep at it until you have the consistency of coffee cream/half ‘n’ half. Add more water if necessary. Pour half of the tahini cream into the pot of soup and stir to incorporate.
  • With the remaining tahini cream, scrape half of it into a small bowl. Add the turmeric to the small bowl and stir to combine.
  • Serve the soup hot and garnish with swirls of the regular and turmeric tahini cream. Drag a paring knife through the swirls for a marble effect, if you like.
An overhead shot of bright orange ginger carrot bisque soup in 4 patterned blue and white bowls on a grey marble background.
14/10/2015 (Last Updated: 14/10/2015)
Posted in: autumn, carrots, creamy, earthy, gluten free, grain-free, nut free, quick, refined sugar-free, soup, spring, summer, sweet, tahini, vegan, winter
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