Roasted red beet soup is a fusion of complex flavors, both sweet and savory, turned into smooth and velvety deliciousness. Roasted beets give this soup a deep, rich flavor, while sweet apple, onion and fennel add that special touch. This roasted beet soup recipe is so simple to make and can be a stand-alone meal or a yummy starter to a main course.
Why you will love our Roasted Beet Soup:
We have a deep love for soup recipes and no shortage of them here on the blog. In fact, we’ve even created a digital cookbook, Hearty Soups to Savor, which features almost 30 main-course soup recipes!
This Roasted Red Beet Soup is a new favorite of ours, and if you love soup season as much as we do, we know you’ll enjoy it too.
Here’s why we love it:
- it’s full of flavor and simple, wholesome ingredients
- it is naturally gluten-free and can easily be made vegetarian
- you can serve it with a salad for a complete main course
If you’ve never roasted beets before, it’s an easy process! Roasting the beets gives them a really good flavor and we have a full blog post dedicated to it! Check out our Roasted Beets post for all of the details. They’re amazing to have on-hand and can be prepared up to five days ahead of time. We love using roasted beets in salads, too, like our Fried Goat Cheese Discs and Roasted Beet Salad or our Roasted Beet Salad with Fennel and Radish.
The Ingredient List:
To make Roasted Red Beet Soup, you will need:
- fresh red beets
- olive oil
- red onion, chopped
- red apple, cored and chopped
- fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped (reserve the fronds for garnish)
- freshly squeezed lemon juice
- chicken broth (substitute vegetable broth for a vegetarian version)
- salt and white pepper
- heavy cream (for garnish)
- lemon wedges
For the beets, we recommend purchasing the fresh beets with the tops (not the trimmed beets you can buy in a bin). Whole, fresh beets have a much better taste, much different than the already-prepared beets.
How to make Roasted Red Beet Soup:
The first step in this process is to roast the beets. You can do this ahead of time (up to 5 days in advance) or spend about 45-60 minutes preparing them before moving on to the roasted beet soup.
Here’s how to make it. Please scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details.
- Roast the beets: Clean and trim the beets, then place in a casserole dish and brush with the oil. Cover, then roast them until tender. Cool completely, then remove the peel and stem. Cut and reserve.
- Make the red beet soup: In a saucepan, sauté the chopped onion, apple and fennel bulb until soft and tender. Stir in the roasted beets, chicken broth, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer.
- Blend the soup: Add the lemon juice and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with cream and fennel fronds. Serve with lemon wedges. It’s that easy!
Tips for Success:
- We like to roast more beets than the recipe needs, that way there are extras in the fridge for tasty salads.
- After trimming, roasting and skinning the beets, you should have about 1-1/2 pounds for the soup.
- While roasting brings out the sweet flavor of the beets, don’t cook them too long or they can taste slightly bitter. You’ll want to roast the beets just until they’re tender, but still firm.
- A sweet apple variety like a Cosmic Crisp or Honeycrisp will work best for our roasted red beet soup.
What to serve with Red Beet Soup
No soup is complete without a slice of crusty bread on the side, and this red beet soup is no different! Here are a few bread recommendations, plus other recipes that will go great with it:
And if you want to add a salad, here are some salad recommendations.
Our roasted red beet soup carries that deep, delicious flavor of roasted beets with a touch of sweet. Smooth and silky, this is exactly the type of soup we could sip on any time!
SOME OTHER RECIPES WE ARE SURE YOU WILL LOVE:
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup: Our Roasted Butternut Squash Soup is ultra-creamy with the sweet taste of roasted onions and garlic. An infusion of sage brings in a delicious new level of flavor.
- Creamy Potato Leek Soup: This luxurious creamy soup is perfectly matched with delicate leeks and potatoes. We made this in the spring when chives were at their full bloom and garnished it with their gorgeous blossoms.
- French Onion Soup: Our rich French Onion Soup is a blend of caramelized onions, chicken broth and white wine. A slice of bread and Gruyère cheese tops each serving and the cheese melts under the broiler.
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Check out our soup cookbook. It is filled with wholesome and hearty soups. Each soup recipe is from scratch with real ingredients and filling enough to be enjoyed as a main-course meal.
Roasted Red Beet Soup
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh red beets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium red onion chopped
- 1 medium red apple cored and chopped
- 1 large fennel bulb trimmed and chopped
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 4 cups chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ¼ cup heavy cream for garnish
- Fennel fronds for garnish
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
Roast the Beets:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F
- Rinse the beets under cold tap water, scrubbing off any soil. Trim the top stem to 1-2 inches above the beet. Leaving part of the stem will keep you from cutting into the beet causing it to bleed out those juices. Leave the long tail.
- Place the beets in an oven-proof casserole dish and brush with 1 tablespoon of the oil.
- Cover the dish with it’s lid or foil and transfer to the oven and roast for 45-60 minutes (depending on the size of the beets) until tender when pierced with a wooden skewer at the beet top. Begin checking at 45 minutes
- Transfer the dish from the oven, remove the cover and allow the beets to cool until comfortable to handle.
- Place a folded paper towel in one hand with a cooled beet. With another paper towel, pinch off the root end of the beet and push the skin up, all around the beet toward the top stem, then give the top a twist to remove the peel and stem together.
- Cut the beets into pieces and reserve.
For the Soup:
- In a 6 qt. saucepan set over medium heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the chopped onion, apple and fennel bulb. Sauté for 5-6 minutes until soft and tender.
- Stir in the roasted beets, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, add the lemon juice and blend with an immersion blender or a standard blender until smooth. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish each serving with a spoonful of cream and fennel fronds. Serve with lemon wedges for guests to squeeze on top.
Notes
- Purchase the fresh beets with the tops and not the trimmed beets in the bin. There is a huge difference in their taste.
- For convenience, the beets can be roasted, skinned and refrigerated up to 3-5 days in advance.
- I like to roast more beets than the recipe needs and keep the extra beets refrigerated for salads.
- After trimming, roasting and skinning the beets you should have 1-1/2 pounds for the soup.
- Roasting beets brings out their sweet flavor the beets, however, if roasted too long the sugar in the beets can burn and they will become bitter. Roast just until tender and still a little firm.
- Choose a very sweet apple such as a Cosmic Crisp or Honey Crisp
angiesrecipes
Friday 12th of November 2021
Always love the gorgeous colour of the beets..the soup looks really nice!
Pat Nyswonger
Friday 12th of November 2021
Thank you, Angie....My husband gobbled this up and asked me to make it again. The combination of flavors really make this soup shine! Thanks for your comments.