Sweet Potato Soup
This sweet potato soup recipe turns two pounds of orange sweet potatoes into a velvety, spoon-coating bowl in about 45 minutes, balanced with smoked paprika, fresh ginger, cumin, and a splash of apple cider vinegar so every spoonful reads savory first.
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven or heavy soup pot - at least 5 quarts / 4.7 liters
- Immersion blender - for blending right in the pot
- Sharp chef's knife - for cubing the sweet potatoes
- Sturdy cutting board
- Ladle - for serving
- Microplane or fine grater - for the ginger
- Countertop blender - (optional) if you don't own an immersion blender; blend in batches with the lid vented
Ingredients
- 2 lb sweet potatoes - 900 g, peeled and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes (about 3 medium)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil - 30 ml
- 1 large yellow onion - diced
- 2 medium carrots - peeled and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger - 15 g, grated
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 4 cups vegetable broth - 960 ml, or chicken broth
- 1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk - 240 ml, plus more for drizzling; use full-fat canned, not carton drinking style
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt - plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Optional Garnishes
- toasted pumpkin seeds - optional garnish
- chopped cilantro - optional garnish
- red pepper flakes - optional garnish
- pure maple syrup - optional garnish, for a swirl
Instructions
- Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes so they cook evenly and quickly. Dice the onion, chop the carrots, mince the garlic, and grate the ginger, keeping all pieces roughly the same size.
- Warm the olive oil in your Dutch oven over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the diced onion and chopped carrots, then cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion turns soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for just 30 to 60 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add the cumin, smoked paprika, cinnamon, and nutmeg directly to the pot and stir constantly for about 30 seconds so the spices toast in the oil and release their aroma.
- Tip in the cubed sweet potatoes and stir to coat them in the spiced oil. Pour in the 4 cups (960 ml) of vegetable broth and add the salt and black pepper, then raise the heat and bring everything to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until a fork slides through the largest sweet potato cube with no resistance.
- Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool for a couple of minutes. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup directly in the pot until completely smooth, moving the blender around to catch every piece. Blend in a little extra broth if you prefer a looser soup.
- Stir in the 1 cup (240 ml) of full-fat coconut milk and the apple cider vinegar. Warm the soup over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, without letting it boil, then taste and adjust with more salt or a small drizzle of maple syrup if needed.
- Ladle the soup into bowls while hot. Finish each bowl with a swirl of coconut milk, a scatter of toasted pumpkin seeds, and a pinch of red pepper flakes if you like heat.
Notes
- Cut the sweet potatoes small. One-inch cubes cook in about 20 minutes, while big chunks can take twice as long and blend unevenly.
- Do not skip the acid. A splash of apple cider vinegar keeps the soup from tasting cloying and heavy; without it the whole pot can taste flat and sweet.
- Bloom the spices in oil. Toasting cumin and paprika for 30 seconds before the liquid goes in pulls out far more flavor than stirring them into broth.
- Reach for full-fat coconut milk. The light or carton versions consistently leave the soup thin, so the full-fat can is not the place to cut corners.
- Add coconut milk off a hard boil. Stirring it in over low heat keeps it from splitting into oily flecks on the surface.
- Season at the end, not just the start. Sweet potatoes vary in sweetness, so taste the finished soup and correct the salt before serving.
- Thin gradually. The soup thickens as it sits, so add broth a little at a time rather than all at once.
- Storage: Cool completely, then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or freeze in portioned containers for up to 3 months (leave headspace since the soup expands).
- Reheating: Thaw frozen soup in the fridge overnight, then warm gently over medium-low heat, stirring often. The soup thickens in the fridge, so stir in a splash of broth or water to loosen it. Avoid boiling once coconut milk is added to prevent separation.
- Make it your own: For a spicy Thai-style version, add a tablespoon of red curry paste with the spices and finish with lime juice and cilantro; for a curried version, swap the smoked paprika for 1 to 2 teaspoons of curry powder.
Nutrition
Serving: 1BowlCalories: 245kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 3gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gSodium: 620mgFiber: 5gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 380IUVitamin C: 30mg
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