Parsnip Soup Recipe

Parsnips are the quiet achievers of the winter vegetable box: sweet, nutty and earthy, and they turn into the silkiest soup with almost no effort. This is the simplest good version — parsnips and onion simmered in vegetable stock with a whisper of ground coriander and cumin, blended smooth and finished with cream if you like. The spices are there to balance the parsnips’ natural sweetness, not to shout. One pot, 15 minutes of hands-on prep, and it freezes beautifully, so a Sunday batch covers lunches for days.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion (about 150g), roughly chopped
• 700g parsnips (about 4–5 large), peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 litre hot vegetable stock
• 100ml double cream (optional, to finish)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Squeeze of lemon juice (optional, to finish)

Method

1. Soften the onion. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over a medium heat. Add the chopped onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and translucent but not coloured.
2. Add the parsnips, garlic and spices. Stir in the parsnip chunks, garlic, ground coriander and cumin. Cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until everything is coated in the oil and smells fragrant — toasting the spices like this brings out their warmth.
3. Simmer. Pour in the hot vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, half-cover with a lid and simmer gently for 20–25 minutes, until the parsnips are completely tender and break apart easily when pressed with a spoon.
4. Blend. Take the pot off the heat and blend until completely smooth — a stick blender straight in the pot is easiest. If you use a jug blender, let the soup cool for a few minutes first, blend in batches and never fill past halfway.
5. Add the cream (optional). Stir in the double cream if using, and warm through gently over a low heat. Do not let the soup boil once the cream is in.
6. Season and finish. Taste and season generously with salt and pepper. Parsnips are naturally sweet, so a small squeeze of lemon juice at the end sharpens the flavour nicely — add a little, taste, and stop when it tastes balanced.
7. Serve. Ladle into warm bowls. A swirl of cream, a drizzle of olive oil or a scattering of herbs on top all work well.

Tips and variations

• Freeze it: the soup freezes very well for up to 3 months — cool it completely, freeze in portions, thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat until piping hot. If you plan to add cream, stir it in after reheating rather than before freezing. Our carrot and coriander soup freezes just as happily, so the two make a good batch-cooking pair.
• Too thick or too thin? Blend in a splash more stock to loosen the soup, or simmer it uncovered for a few minutes to reduce and thicken it.
• Go fully vegan: skip the cream — the soup is naturally silky when blended, thanks to the starch in the parsnips. For an even creamier dairy-free version, swap in 100ml of coconut milk or a plain oat-based cream alternative.
• Roasted chestnut topping: scatter crumbled roasted chestnuts over each bowl, as in the photo — their earthy richness is a natural partner for sweet parsnip soup, and vacuum-packed cooked chestnuts from the supermarket need nothing more than a few minutes in a hot oven to crisp up.
• Parsnip and apple: add 1 peeled, cored and chopped eating apple (about 150g) with the parsnips — the apple’s gentle sharpness lifts the sweetness, a classic pairing.
• Roast first for depth: toss the parsnip chunks in the olive oil, roast at 200°C (180°C fan) for 25 minutes until golden at the edges, then carry on from step 2 — just add about 10 minutes to the total time.
• Bitter parsnips? Very large, older parsnips can have a woody core that tastes slightly bitter — cut the core out before chopping, and choose firm, medium-sized parsnips that feel heavy for their size.

A bowl of this counts towards your veg for the day — the NHS Eatwell Guide recommends eating at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day, and the vegetables in cooked dishes like soups count towards the total.

What to serve with it

This soup is rich enough for a light lunch on its own, but bread for dunking is close to essential: thick slices of crusty sourdough, a warm baguette or cheese-topped toast. For a more substantial meal, serve it as a starter before something simple — our healthy dinner recipes for two has easy main-course ideas — or alongside a sharp, peppery side salad with a lemon dressing to cut through the soup’s sweetness.

If you are building a small repertoire of homemade soups, try our vegetable soup recipe next — it uses the same one-pot method with whatever vegetables need using up.

Frequently asked questions