A staple French soup of mixed carrots and rice, enriched with cream.
by Audrey
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A classic from the French repertoire, this Carrot Soup (also known as Potage Crécy) mixes carrots and rice to create a deliciously thick and sweet soup. It is then enriched with crème fraiche for extra richness and body, making it perfect for dinner or packed up for a quick lunch.
The Potage Crécy is named after the Crécy carrot, an older French carrot variety that has now become rare to find. This carrot was mostly grown in the region of Meaux, east of Paris, and was said to be the best tasting carrot in the country.
As for the soup, it was said to be enjoyed by English King Edward VII every August 26th, between 1901 and 1910, to celebrate the win of his ancestor Edward the Black Prince at the Battle of Crecy in 1346. The soup, made with Crecy carrots, was allegedly served to British soldiers after their win.
This Classic French Carrot soup mixes staple ingredients: garlic, onion, carrots, and rice, to create a thick, delicious soup with traditional French flavors. It is quick and easy to make and can be on the table in less than 40 minutes.
It is light enough that you can have it as a starter before a meal. Yet, it is satisfying enough that you can enjoy it as a standalone meal, with crusty bread on the side
There are of course plenty of ways to spruce up this recipe to twist the flavors: by adding a hunk of fresh ginger, some orange zest, or a swirling in coconut cream for serving … But I will leave those fixings to your liking!
After making (and enjoying) this soup, if you have any leftovers, you can store it in the refrigerator or in the freezer.
- In the refrigerator:store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat your soup portions on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- In the freezer:store it in a (freezer-friendly) airtight container and place it in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, let the soup thaw in the fridge overnight (at least 12 hours). Once completely thawed, heat it through on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- If you cook with organic carrots, you don’t necessarily need to peel them. Make sure you give them a good scrub with a vegetable brush and a good rinse. The peel will impart a slightly bitter taste to the soup, which you can balance with a little extra cream.
- If you buy non-organic carrots from the grocery store, I recommend you peel them before cooking.
- Although rice really makes the soup, you could substitute with potatoes if you would like (same quantity: 100g, peeled, diced). While the rice takes about 20 minutes to cook, potatoes take about 10-15 minutes.
- Findcrème fraicheat the grocery store, next to sour cream and whipping cream. Two of my favorite brands I recommend areLiberteandMaison Riviera.
- As a more affordable option, you can substitute the crème fraiche for heavy cream or half-and-half.
- If you would liketo make this recipe dairy-free, use 1 tbsp (15ml) of olive oil instead of butter and garnish the soup with coconut cream instead of crème fraiche or heavy cream.
- This recipe requires the use of aimmersion hand blender orregular blender.
- This recipes serves4 medium soup bowlsor6 small bowls.
I hope you’ll love this Classic French Carrot Soup (Potage Crécy) as much as I do! If you have any questions, please leave a comment. As a side, I often enjoy it with a croque-monsieur.
More Soup recipes you may like:
- Classic French Lentil Soup
- Provencal Garlic Soup (Aigo Boulido)
- Split Pea Bacon Soup (Potage Saint Germain)
- Smoked Ham Hock Bean Cabbage Soup (Garbure)
Classic French Carrot Soup (Potage Crécy)
Print Recipe
Serves: 4 people Prep Time: Cooking Time:
Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat
Rating: 4.5/5
( 15 voted )
Ingredients
2 tbsp (28g) butter, unsalted
2 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
1.3 lbs (600g) carrots, diced
4 cups (1L) low-sodium vegetable stock
1/2 cup (100g) rice
¼ cup (75g) crème fraiche or heavy cream (35% m.f)
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and black pepper, to taste.
Instructions
Step 1 -In a large pot (ideally heavy bottom), melt the butter over medium heat and cook the onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes, until soft and translucent but not caramelized yet.
Step 2 -Add the carrots, stir, and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the rice (100g) and the stock, which should cover the carrots entirely. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes until the carrots are soft and the rice is cooked. Remove from the heat.
Step 3 –Blend the soup (with a hand blender or in a processor) until smooth. If needed, add some of the water to reach desired consistency (I often add about ½ cup, but you can add more/less depending on how thick you like your soup). Add the crème fraiche and stir. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
For serving, ladle soup into individual bowls and garnish withblack pepper, chopped parsley and/or an extra dollop of heavy cream or crème fraiche.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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29 comments
Lynda+Ewing September 24, 2022 - 2:30 pm
Hello Audrey, you appear to have ommitted the quantity of rice from the list of ingredients, or am I not seeing it?
Lynda.
Reply
Audrey September 24, 2022 - 2:58 pm
No problem, Lynda. It’s 100g (1/2 cup) of rice. Glad you ended up catching it!
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Candace Bailey September 25, 2022 - 1:49 pm
Did I miss the rice in the ingredients? Thanks.
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Audrey September 25, 2022 - 4:58 pm
There seems to be a website issue. As the rice seems to be missing for mnay readers, but it shows for others. I will try to fix this issue as soon as possible.
1/2 cup (100g) rice is what is required for the recipe. Thanks so much for letting me know!
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Anya September 25, 2022 - 2:00 pm
Hi Audrey Thank you for this recipe! Looks great but think you may need an edit to include the preferred type and quantity of rice – unless I’m just not reading this correctly?
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Audrey September 25, 2022 - 4:59 pm
There seems to be a website issue, as the rice seems to be missing for many readers, but it shows for others. I will try to fix this issue as soon as possible.
1/2 cup (100g) rice is what is required for the recipe. Thanks so much for letting me know!
Reply
Joanne September 25, 2022 - 2:11 pm
Thank you Audrey another lovely recipe, however, I don’t see any rice in the ingredient list. Wouldn’t want to use too much or too little.
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Audrey September 25, 2022 - 4:59 pm
There seems to be a website issue, as the rice seems to be missing for mnay readers, but it shows for others. I will try to fix this issue as soon as possible.
1/2 cup (100g) white rice is what is required for the recipe. Thanks so much for letting me know!
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Santina September 25, 2022 - 5:44 pm
you didn’t write in your recipe how much rice or potatoes for your Classic French Carrot Soup (Potage Crécy)
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Audrey September 25, 2022 - 8:10 pm
There seems to be a website issue, as the rice seems to be missing for many readers, but it shows for others. I am trying to fix this issue as soon as possible.
1/2 cup (100g) white rice is what is required for this recipe. Thanks so much for letting me know!
Reply
Gayle September 25, 2022 - 9:01 pm
Hi! I don’t see the rice in the ingredients list. How much should we add? Thank you! I love your recipes – an your book!
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Audrey September 26, 2022 - 8:08 am
Thank you so much for the kind comment, Gayle. As I’ve mentioned to some others in the comments, the one single ingredient of rice is showing for some folks and not for others.
JUst so you know, the correct amount of white rice is 100g (1/2 cup). Thanks!
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Janet September 26, 2022 - 6:50 am
Sorry I didn’t see the other comments – is it a browser issue – I use Opera and sometimes find problems that don’t happen with Chrome.
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Audrey September 26, 2022 - 8:07 am
I wish I knew what the problem was, but it works for some and not for others.
I’m hoping it resolves itself, as I’ve never had this issue in several years of one single ingredient not showing for some people.
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Emma ROONEY September 27, 2022 - 2:33 pm
I made this with arborio rice which gave it a nutty taste – delicious! It had a very thick consistency so I thinned it with some milk rather than water (made it in my pressure cooker so it only took 20 minutes). Finished it with a handful of grated Emmenthal, a few drops of chilli oil and chopped chives….. I’d never thought of using rice to thicken a potage, I’ve only used potato before but this is so much more tasty, I’m going to try different vegetables – butternut squash, spinach, watercress….
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Audrey September 27, 2022 - 3:48 pm
Love the additions… absolutely nothing wrong with making it your own. Emmenthal is a favourite of mine as well to grate over top of soups.
As for the rice instead of potato, I agree with you on the taste – it’s better. Every bit as comforting, as well.
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Laurie September 30, 2022 - 8:51 pm
Hi Audrey, I don’t see the quantity of rice in the recipe…
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Audrey October 1, 2022 - 7:55 am
There’s an ongoing issue where some can see the quantity of rice and some cannot. I’m sorry about that. 100g (1/2cup) of white rice is required.
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Jen October 19, 2022 - 1:57 pm
Can I use brown rice?
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Audrey October 19, 2022 - 3:45 pm
I don’t see why not. You will likely need to adjust the cooking time however, as brown rice typically takes longer to cook.
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Judith Pusateri January 24, 2023 - 3:50 pm
I want to make this soup tomorrow for dinner. I have all the ingredients – I make my own crème Fraiche – but I missed the vegetable stock. Can I substitute chicken stock?
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Audrey January 25, 2023 - 12:39 pm
Hello, Judith. As my husband would say, chicken stock is better (his default answer at all times). It will ever so slightly change the taste of the dish, but it is absolutely wonderful as a substitute – it just won’t be vegetarian any more. But a perfect substitute!
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Laurie January 25, 2023 - 2:14 pm
I’m intrigued by your comment Judith. I would love to know how to make my own creme fraiche..
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Audrey January 25, 2023 - 7:14 pm
It’s very accessible and easy to find here (and also very affordable) but I would also love to know… Nothing is better than homemade!
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Judith Pusateri January 27, 2023 - 8:15 pm
Had the soup last night with chicken broth….it was delicious! A keeper.
I stir 2 ups of heavy cream with 3 TBLS of cultured buttermilk. Cover with cheesecloth (i put a rubber band around the top of the jar. Set on the counter for 24 hours until thickened. Then stir and refrigerate for another 24 hours before use. It is Chef John’s recipe from All Recipes. It is very good and last quite a long time.
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Audrey January 28, 2023 - 3:44 pm
Thank you so much for the review and the recipe! Much appreciated!
Laurie January 28, 2023 - 6:37 pm
Ok – now thanks to Judith we have no excuse for not accompanying this lovely recipe with creme fraiche. I am really into soup making these days, with the winter storms that have arrived with a vengeance. These posts were a reminder to make the carrot soup again. And the creme fraiche will work very well with other soup offerings. Bon appetit!
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Jenna Kinghorn October 22, 2023 - 4:51 pm
Delicious! I just made it today after battling a cold. Perfect for boosting the immune system for sure 💙💙💙
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Audrey October 22, 2023 - 5:13 pm
Thank you so much, Jenna! And absolutely, this soup is packed with vitamins and just warms you right up! Comfort in a bowl…
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Audrey
Bonjour ! I'm Audrey Le Goff, a French cookery writer, photographer, creator of the blog Pardon your French, and cookbook author of Rustic French Cooking Made Easy.
