Here on the east coast, the temperatures have started to drop (it’s 27°F or -2.7°C as I type this), so I’ve been cozying up to all of the warming comfort food. While I don’t shy away from indulgent comfort food like Pumpkin Ricotta Stuffed Shells, I also like to throw in some less heavy dishes that are still comforting and cozy. Like this Spicy Instant Pot Carrot Harissa Soup.
And if you want more than 90 incredible vegan Instant Pot recipes, be sure to order my 5-star-rated cookbook, The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook!
Why you’ll love this soup
First of all, this is a very, very creamy soup, which means it feels satisfying and even indulgent, even thought it’s just soup.
Yet it’s also a very nourishing soup, made with vitamin-rich carrots and peppers, anti-inflammatory ginger and garlic, and healthy fats from tahini.
Secondly, this soup is intensely flavorful, with a nice marriage of smoky and spicy aromas. Most of the spiciness and smokiness come from harissa, a Tunisian chile paste that’s smoky and spicy and is made with dried chilies, spices, garlic, and olive oil.
I love this brand of harissa, but Trader Joe’s also sells a decent one. I am pretty generous with the harissa, so this soup has a real kick to it.
And finally, this soup is easy to make thanks to the Instant Pot. After you roast the bell pepper and lightly sauté the aromatics, the Instant Pot takes care of the rest of the cooking.
Tips for making this soup
If you are sensitive to spicy food, use less harissa (about 1-2 tablespoons instead of 3 tablespoons).
Don’t skip the lemon juice at the end! The acid brightens and freshens up the richness from the coconut milk and smoky flavor profile.
Finish with a crunchy topper! Think croutons, roasted chickpeas, or roasted pepitas!
More Great Soup Recipes!
- Mediteranean Lentil Soup
- Savory White Bean Soup
- Instant Pot Lentil Soup
- Instant Pot Chickpea Orzo Soup
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Spicy Instant Pot Carrot Harissa Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large red bell pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil + more for roasting the bell pepper
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- 1 1/2 pounds (~680g) carrots, scrubbed and roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 2- inch piece fresh ginger, grated or finely minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 3 tablespoons (~45g) harissa sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 1/4 cups (540mL) low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup (56g) high-quality tahini
- 1 (13.5-ounce) can lite coconut milk (~400 mL)
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Garnishes: chopped scallions and cilantro
Instructions
- Roast the bell pepper. Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Lightly brush a sheet pan with olive oil and place the bell pepper on top. Roast the pepper for 20 minutes, then using a pair of tongs, flip the pepper over and roast for another 20 minutes. Once the pepper is charred in spots, remove from the oven and cover it with a glass bowl or place in a resealable plastic bag. Steam the pepper for 15 minutes. Once steamed, roughly slice the pepper and remove the seeds.
- While the pepper is roasting, prepare the soup in the Instant Pot. Select the Sauté setting on the Instant Pot. After a few minutes of heating up, add the 1 tablespoon olive oil, followed by the onion and carrots and season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and a few turns of black pepper. Cook the vegetables for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic, ginger, cumin and paprika, and cook for 1-2 minutes, coating the vegetables in the spices. Select the Cancel setting.
- Add the harissa sauce, bay leaf, vegetable broth, tahini, coconut milk, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir to combine.
- Select the Pressure Cook or Manual button at high pressure and set the cook time to 10 minutes. Make sure the sealing vent is set to Sealing.
- Once the timer goes off, perform a quick pressure release by carefully turning the sealing vent from Sealing to Venting. Give the soup a stir and taste for seasonings.
- Transfer half of the soup to a stand blender and add the sliced roasted bell peppers. Blend until the soup is creamy and smooth. Repeat with the remaining soup. Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender to purée the soup directly in the Instant Pot. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon and garnish the soup with scallions and cilantro if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this? Leave a rating below!
Had some bland carrot/apple/ginger soup recipe that is pretty ho-hum and came here to Nisha’s website to see if she had an upgrade. This was great! Took a while to break down all the carrots, wasn’t sure what “rough chop” meant so I diced em up to maybe 1/2 inch chunks? Was afraid to cut them too large and not have them cook through. Good practice for my knife skills I guess, haha. Aside from all the prep work it was phenomenal. Subbed harissa sauce for some harissa seasoning that had been gathering dust from some random recipe months ago, came out fine albeit probably with more kick! Topped with pine nuts, cilantro, green onion, drizzle of EVOO and some fresh bread. Even my 2 year old liked it, though I think it was a bit too spicy for his liking lol.
Hi Mike, thank you so much for sharing your experience and for the awesome review! Amazing to hear even your two year old liked it 🙂
Well that was a wonderful & delicious surprise of a soup! Quick even without an instapot. I added your baked tofu recipe (but w garlic and ginger powder in the starch mix) and chili crisp and scallions. 🤤 Thanks RPL!
Your positive feedback is the best reward for our hard work. Thank you, Carolina!
Hey can I make this in a pot on the stove, if so how long do I cook it for please?
Hi Natalie, we haven’t tried making this recipe on the stovetop ourselves, but this is what we would recommend trying:
Roast the pepper as instructed. Saute the onions and carrots in the oil in a soup pot over medium or medium high heat, then add the ginger/garlic and spices and stir for 1-2 minutes. Deglaze the pot with veggie broth, add the remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer until the carrots are cooked through, 15-20 minutes would be my guess. Then immersion blend the soup or blend in a stand blender.
Fantastic meal – very easy to make and excellent the next day, too 🙂
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Sianzilla!