A Spooky Spin on Supper: Gingered Carrot & Coconut Soup

Bright orange, subtly sweet, and just the right amount of zing — this soup might steal the spotlight from your jack-o’-lanterns.

Bright orange and subtly sweet, our Gingered Carrot & Coconut Soup is the perfect start to your spooky Halloween menu. I even added a little spiderweb swirl on top for fun! If you’re planning a full festive spread, check out the hearty Split Pea Soup in a witchy cauldron and our three cauldron-worthy Halloween dips for snacks that will wow your guests.

Between stringing up fake cobwebs and trying to keep my dog from stealing the candy bowl, I decided to make my first-ever batch of our Pacific Rim Gingered Carrot & Coconut Soup. I figured if I was going to photograph something Halloween-y, I might as well go all in — and this bright orange soup turned out to be the star of the show.

I’ve made plenty of our mixes before, but this one was a first for me, and I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it came together. While setting up my Halloween photo scene (a very serious process involving fake pumpkins, props, and the occasional snack break), the soup practically cooked itself.

How to Make a Spiderweb Soup Garnish

For the photos, I took a spoonful of sour cream and made two circles on top of the soup, then dragged a toothpick through them to create a spiderweb design. For the finishing touch, I sliced one black olive in half for the spider’s body and cut another olive into slivers for the legs.

The soup is thick enough to hold the olive on top without it sinking — and the sour cream held up beautifully.

For later bowls, I discovered that thinning the sour cream with a splash of water makes it easier to swirl. Mix it in a small bowl, spoon it gently onto your soup, and drag your toothpick through for those satisfying little web lines.

And just to be honest — the olive is there for looks. I personally don’t love olives, and their flavor doesn’t exactly match this soup, but it looks so cute that I let it stay for the photos.

About the Soup

I’ve never had a soup quite like this before. It’s sweet, but not dessert-sweet — more like an autumn sweetness that’s cozy and comforting. The ginger gives it a zingy, almost refreshing balance that keeps it feeling like a proper savory meal. And breaking out my immersion blender was weirdly fun.

I ended up eating it for a few days and loved every bowl.

Pacific Rim Gingered Carrot & Coconut Soup Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 Pacific Rim Gingered Carrot & Coconut Soup mix

• 2 lbs. whole carrots, scrubbed (not peeled)

• 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth (32 oz.)

• 1–2 Tbsp. brown sugar

• 1 can coconut milk (14 oz.) – optional (omit for a simple puréed version or substitute cream)

Instructions

1. Wash carrots thoroughly and cut into 1-inch chunks. Remove ends.

2. In a 3- or 4-quart pot, bring broth and carrots to a boil.

3. Reduce heat and stir in soup mix and brown sugar.

4. Return to a simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes.

5. Using a hand immersion blender (or food processor in batches), purée the soup, leaving some texture if you’d like.

6. Return soup to pot, add coconut milk, and cook on low for 5 minutes before serving.

Make It Spooky

If you want a Halloween dinner that’s festive but not sugary, this is a perfect option. It looks like pumpkin soup, feels like comfort food, and comes together in under an hour.

Serve it in black bowls, drizzle on your sour cream spiderweb, and garnish with a few edible “spiders.” It’s cozy, a little creepy, and absolutely delicious.

About Nicola Prybell

Nicola Prybell is the marketing manager at Anderson House and got her job by telling her future bosses that her “brain was full of soup.” She’s currently on a quest to try every soup and dip and baking mix Anderson House makes — for research purposes, of course. So far, her brain is still full of soup. In the best possible way.