Pressure caramelization unlocks incredible flavors with just a few simple ingredients. Take our Pressure-Caramelized Carrot Soup, for example. When you combine carrots, butter, a pinch of salt, and baking soda in a pressure cooker, magic happens. The result is a combination of caramelization and the Maillard reaction (what people commonly call “browning”), which produces a rich, caramelized, nutty flavor. Pressure cookers are particularly suited for promoting the Maillard reaction because elevated temperatures encourage foods to develop their characteristic flavors far more quickly than conventional cooking methods (such as roasting) do, thereby transforming a long process into a short 20-minute cook time. Adding 0.5% baking soda when pressure-cooking further speeds flavor reactions by producing an alkaline pH of about 7.5.
By using this technique, the carrot flavor is further heightened because no heavy cream is needed. It’s just carrots, carrot juice, and butter. It is so delicious that you can only taste two things: the pure intense essence of the carrots and a warm undertone of caramel flavor.
Carrot soup is just the beginning. Using this technique, you can create variations with a wide range of vegetables and fruits. Under pressure, ingredients transform into something dramatically new yet strikingly familiar. Sweet corn becomes a creamy soup with popcorn-like notes, bananas turn into a dessert-like puree reminiscent of baked banana bread, and sweet potatoes intensify into a flavor powerhouse. Below, you can see the many variations that we made in Modernist Cuisine at Home.
If you’re looking for a way to tempt even the pickiest eaters into loving vegetables, this might be it. Simply swap the carrots in our recipe with another ingredient, adjust the liquid (e.g., corn juice, banana puree, or sweet potato water), and follow the same steps. For a thick puree, skip the final thinning steps and serve it as a decadent side dish.
Pro tip: While these recipes scale up beautifully, avoid scaling down too much, as the vegetables’ internal moisture is critical for creating steam.
The Science Behind the Technique
Vegetables have strong cell walls that soften under high heat, but they rarely exceed the boiling point of water in traditional cooking methods. Enter the pressure cooker, where elevated pressure raises the boiling point, allowing vegetables to cook quickly and evenly without drying out. The result? Juices stay concentrated, flavors intensify, and textures become luxuriously tender—perfect for soups and purees.
We exploit a similar technique to re-create a classic vegetable stew. Pressure-cooked barley is quick to make and perfectly toothsome. The pressure extracts juices undiluted from sweet onions, leeks, and garlic to yield an intense broth. And all the season’s best vegetables take on the texture of fudge in a matter of minutes.
You can use whichever vegetables and greens are currently at their peak. This pressure-caramelizing technique is versatile enough to accommodate a wide range of flavors.
Whether you’re savoring caramelized carrot soup, velvety sweet potato puree, or popcorn-flavored sweet corn soup, pressure cooking takes winter vegetables to the next level. Pressure-cooking isn’t just about speed—it’s about discovery. Try swapping carrots for your favorite seasonal vegetables, like parsnips, leeks, or squash, and let your pressure cooker do the rest. Before you know it, you’ll have a repertoire of unique hearty soups to make all year long.
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