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Rich and creamy sweet potato soup is a delicious (and deliciously easy) comfort food recipe you’ll want to make over and over again this autumn! It’s super satisfying and nutrient-dense, with sweet potatoes, spices, and a secret ingredient for added flavor. A guaranteed hit with everyone at the table!
Before You Get Started
- You’ll definitely want to completely peel the sweet potatoes and the Granny Smith apple before getting started. If you don’t, those peels will throw off the texture and flavor of the soup once everything’s puréed together.
- When cubing the sweet potatoes, keep all the cubes as even as possible. I recommend 1-inch cubes if you can! If you cut them unevenly, your sweet potatoes will cook through at different speeds. Same for your apples!
How to Make This Recipe
Make the base.
Sauté chopped onions, celery, and minced garlic in melted butter for 5 minutes, then add in the cubed sweet potatoes and chopped apples. Sauté those ingredients for just a few minutes, to give them a little extra flavor, then add in your vegetable stock.
Once you add the vegetable stock, make sure to scrape your wooden spoon along the bottom of the pot, to loosen anything that may have stuck while sautéing!
simmer.
Cover the pot and let everything simmer for 20 minutes or so. You’ll know you’re ready to move to the next step when you can easily pierce the sweet potatoes with the tines of a fork. If you meet any resistance or need to use a bit of force to pierce the potatoes, they need to cook a little longer.
blend ’til smooth.
When the sweet potatoes are ready, take the pot off the heat and let the soup mixture cool slightly. Once it’s cooled, insert your immersion blender into the pot and carefully blend everything together until the sweet potato soup is completely smooth. You can leave it a little chunky if you prefer that texture, but I love how velvety the soup is if you purée everything really well.
Add the Finishing Touches.
Stir in heavy cream, then move the pot back to the warm burner. Taste the soup and season it with salt and pepper as needed, then simmer the soup for a few minutes until everything’s hot. From there, ladle it into serving bowls, garnish each bowl however you like, and enjoy!
What I Love About This Recipe
- Sweet potato soup is super easy to make! There’s a decent bit of prep work involved, what with the peeling and chopping, but the actual cooking process is pretty hands off. Definitely easy enough for a throw-together-on-a-weeknight meal.
- It’s deliciously satisfying. Not only is it full of flavor, but this soup is also loaded with filling, nutrient-dense ingredients. Sweet potatoes are a solid source of fiber, which is good for your gut and also helps you feel more full. They’re also rich in antioxidants, beta carotene, and anthocyanins, all of which can support your body and brain functions in different ways.
- Don’t disregard the flavor, though. Sweet potato soup might be generally good for you, but it also tastes good, too! The earthiness of the potatoes is balanced with a hint of sweetness from the Granny Smith apple, both of which are enhanced by the bold curry powder. You’ll want to look the bowl clean, it’s so good!
No Immersion Blender? No Problem!
An immersion blender is definitely the way to get a super smooth sweet potato soup, but it’s not the only way! A standard blender will work, too.
Blending hot soup can be dangerous, though, so there are some precautions you’ll need to take.
- Let the soup cool for 5-10 minutes first.
- Fill the blender no more than halfway. You’ll most likely need to blend the soup in batches.
- To keep pressure from building inside the blender, take the center cap out of the blender lid before blending. Hold a kitchen towel over the opening in the lid to keep the liquid from splashing out.
Recipe Variations
- A Pop of Color: Orange sweet potato soup is gorgeous in its own right, but purple sweet potato soup? Perfect for Halloween or to break up your Thanksgiving table! Making it is so easy – just swap out the orange sweet potatoes for purple ones. Purple sweet potatoes are starchier, though, and may need to cook longer. They’ll also change the flavor of the soup a bit, making it a little sweeter.
- Make it Vegan (or Dairy Free): Replace the heavy cream with ½ cup of full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk – from a can, not a carton. Use a vegan butter instead of traditional butter, too.
- Make it Paleo: Replace the heavy cream with ½ cup of full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk – from a can, not a carton. Use ghee instead of butter, and make sure your vegetable stock is paleo-friendly.
Sweet Potato Soup
Simple but oh-so-delicious, this creamy sweet potato soup is nutrient-dense and super satisfying.
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stovetop
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Large, heavy-bottomed pot with lid
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Large wooden spoon
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Fork
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immersion blender or standard blender, see Notes
Serving Suggestions (All Optional)
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Place large pot on stovetop over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons unsalted butter to pot and let butter melt completely, pushing butter across pot occasionally to cover entire surface.
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When butter has melted, add 1 cup chopped yellow onion, ½ cup chopped celeryand 2 teaspoons minced garlic to pot. Stir to incorporate. Sauté vegetables, stirring occasionally, approximately 5 minutes or until onions have softened.
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Once onions have softened, add 2 teaspoons curry powder, 1 pound cubed sweet potatoesand 1 cup chopped Granny Smith apples. Stir to incorporate. Sauté potatoes and apples, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes.
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After 2 minutes, pour in 1 quart low-sodium vegetable stock and stir well.
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Reduce heat under pot to low. Place lid on pot and let mixture simmer 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes can be pierced easily with tines of fork.
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When sweet potatoes are cooked through, remove pot from heat. Let mixture cool slightly, then insert immersion blender into pot. Blend mixture until completely smooth.
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Once soup is completely smooth, remove immersion blender. Add ½ cup heavy cream and stir to combine, then return pot to low heat.
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Taste soup and season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Simmer soup, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes or until hot.
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Portion soup into serving bowls. Top each bowl with drizzle of heavy cream and roasted pumpkin seeds if desired. Serve warm.
- Heavy Cream: Dairy products can curdle or separate if they’re too cold when you add them to hot liquids. Make sure your heavy cream is at room temperature before adding it to your soup.
Tips for Blending Hot Liquids in a Traditional Blender
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- Fill blender no more than halfway. Work in batches as needed.
- Let mixture cool slightly before blending.
- Always blend hot liquids with center cap of blender lid removed. Cover with dish towel and hold down tightly to keep lid on blender and keep mixture from splashing out.
Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 200calProtein: 2gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 687mgPotassium: 372mgTotal Carbs: 24gFiber: 4gSugar: 9gNet Carbs: 20gVitamin A: 11526IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 53mgIron: 1mg
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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