Carrot, Fennel & Ginger Soup with Crunchy Dukkah Topping

Carrot, Fennel & Ginger Soup with Crunchy Dukkah Topping – a flavour-packed, fragrant, and deeply satisfying bowl of goodness. At first, I wasn’t entirely sure if the aniseedy notes of fennel would pair well with the warmth of ginger, but I’m so glad I gave it a go! The result? A silky smooth soup that’s rich, aromatic, and full of depth. The natural sweetness of carrots blends beautifully with the zingy warmth of ginger, while fennel adds a fresh and slightly liquorice-like note that takes it to the next level.

To build even more flavour, I added a mix of classic soup staples: onions, garlic, a celery stalk, a creamy potato for extra body, and of course, a good-quality vegetable stock to tie it all together. But what really makes this Carrot, Fennel & Ginger Soup shine is the Crunchy Dukkah Topping.

Dukkah is a fragrant Egyptian spice and seed mix, and this version was made with what I had on hand: sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, nigella seeds, mustard seeds, chilli flakes, black pepper, and salt. Lightly toasted in olive oil, it turned into the most incredible, crunchy, aromatic topping that added just the right amount of spice and texture. Traditionally, dukkah includes nuts like hazelnuts or almonds, but this simple, nut-free version worked beautifully.

I served the soup with crispy bruschettas topped with homemade baba ganoush and juicy Japanese tomatoes from our own terrace – summer on a plate!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe:

✔️ Vibrant & Nourishing – Packed with fresh, wholesome ingredients for a healthy, feel-good meal.
✔️ Silky Smooth & Warming – The perfect balance of sweet, spicy, and aromatic flavours.
✔️ Crunchy Dukkah Topping – A game-changer for texture and depth.
✔️ Easy to Make – Simple ingredients, big flavours, and minimal effort.
✔️ Perfect for Any Season – Light enough for summer, comforting enough for winter.

Enjoy this delightful Carrot, Fennel & Ginger Soup with Crunchy Dukkah Topping as a cosy lunch, a starter, or a light dinner – it’s a must-try! Dukkah recipe inspired by Cookie & Kate.

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Carrot, Fennel & Ginger Soup with Crunchy Dukkah Topping

(48 votes, average: 3.63 out of 5)

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Dinner, lunch – Middle Eastern, spices, flavour, soup

By Saffron – Serves: 2 as a main, 4 as a starter

Prep Time: 5 minutes per + 5 minutes blending – Cooking Time: 20 minutes – Total Time: 30 minutes

Warm up with Carrot, Fennel & Ginger Soup with Crunchy Dukkah Topping. A fragrant, silky soup that delights the senses.

Ingredients

• Soup
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves, grated
• Thumb size ginger, grated (no need to peel, unless you want too)
• 1-2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 1 large or 2 small fennel bulbs, finely sliced (green shoots can go in too)
• 300 - 400 g carrots, washed and roughly chopped, no need to peel
• 2-3 potatoes, peeled and cubes
• 1 stock cube
• Enough water to almost cover everything, ± 750 ml, you can always add more later
• Pepper and salt to taste
• To serve
• Koriander leaves
• Chili flakes
• Bread
• Dukkah (my version)
• 3 tbsp sunflower seeds (or pumpkin seeds, or a mix of both)
• 2 tsp sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup crushed nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds etc) - optional, I didn't have any lying around
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp nigella seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• A pinch of chili flakes
• A pinch of coarse sea salt, to taste
• 1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil

Instructions

The soup

1

Heat the olive oil in a heavy based soup pan and add the onions, garlic, celery and ginger with a pinch of salt. Sauté on medium heat until fragrant and transparant, ± 3 minutes. Don't let it brown.

2

Add the fennel, carrot and potato and toss to coat everything.

3

Add the stock cube and just enough water to cover everything, some ingredients can be sticking out. You can always add more water later after blending to get a thinner consistency.

4

Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat to medium and let it simmer for ± 20 minutes until the carrot, fennel and potatoes are soft.

5

Take off the heat and blend with a handheld mixer until smooth. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time until you get your desired conistency.

6

Taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking.

7

Serve the soup with the dukkah sprinkled on top (see below), some fresh koriander leaves and fresh crunchy bread.

The dukkah

8

While the soup is simmering make the dukkah.

9

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and add all the ingredients, except the salt to the pan.

10

Stir fry on medium to high heat until everything is fragrant, toasted and crunchy. ± 2 -3 minutes.

11

Add a small pinch of salt to start with, taste and add more to your liking.

Notes

for the spice mix I would definitely add cumin and fennel seeds, but for the rest just play around with what you have and what you like!