Welcome fall with this easy to make sweet potato soup. In this recipe, sweet potatoes are cooked with onions, carrots, celery, and a combination of spices. Then the soup is finished with half and half. Enjoy it as a starter or make it a meal with a side salad and a generous piece of crusty bread.
Fall is in the air and after a long, hot summer I think we’re ready for a change. Like this creamy sweet potato soup, this chicken pot pie soup, vegetable beef soup, and ham wild rice soup are perfect for chilly nights and will make us feel warm and cozy.
And for more tasty sweet potato recipes try this sweet potato casserole, simple mashed sweet potatoes, and loaded sweet potatoes.
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Ingredients
- Oil – We use olive oil, use your favorite if it is suitable for sautéing.
- Produce – Onions, carrots, celery, and garlic are sautéed to make a base for the soup. Sweet potatoes are the star of the show.
- Spices – The spices are simple, dried oregano, salt, cumin, and black pepper add flavor without overpowering the sweet potatoes.
- Broth – Make the soup with chicken broth, like we do, or use vegetable broth.
- Cream – Use half and half to add a touch of creaminess without being too heavy.
- Optional garnish – Crumbled bacon, parsley, croutons, pumpkin seeds, cilantro, sour cream, and shredded cheese are all good options.
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery, cook 3-4 minutes until the onions are translucent.
Add the garlic, oregano, salt, cumin, and black pepper. Stir well to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add the sweet potatoes and the broth to the pot, stir well. Raise the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil.
Lower the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes until the sweet potatoes are very tender.
Remove the pot from the heat. Process the soup in the pot with an immersion blender. If you do not have an immersion blender, use a blender (see note).
Add the half and half (or cream) and stir. Place the soup back over low heat to warm through but do not let it come back to a boil.
Note: Do not fill the blender to the top with hot liquid, process in small batches. Remove the center piece (feeder cap) of the blender lid. Replace the lid (without the feeder cap) and cover with a clean, folded kitchen towel. Hold the towel down while blending. Start at a very low speed and increase gradually if necessary.
Taste the sweet potato soup and add salt, if needed. As a reference we added ½ teaspoon to ours.
Recipe tips and variations
- Substitute vegetable broth to make the soup vegetarian.
- Use reduced sodium broth if you are sensitive to salt.
- Cut the sweet potatoes roughly the same size so that they cook at the same rate.
Serving and storing
This simple sweet potato soup is great on its own, but you can dress it up with a little garnish. Crumbled bacon, croutons, shredded cheese, parsley, cilantro, pumpkin seeds, and extra cream or sour cream are all good topping options.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Freeze the soup in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Leave an inch or two of space in the container to allow for expansion.
This soup serves 4 as a meal or 6-8 as a starter soup with dinner.
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Check out the Web Story for this creamy sweet potato soup recipe for a quick visual on making this delicious, warming soup.
Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Medium Onion diced
- 1 Carrot diced
- 1 Celery Rib diced
- 3-4 Garlic Cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon Dried Oregano
- ½ teaspoon Salt plus extra if needed at the end
- ¼ teaspoon Cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1¾ – 2 pounds Sweet Potatoes about 3 large, sweet potatoes peeled and cubed into roughly 2 inch pieces
- 4 cups Chicken Broth (or vegetable broth)
- ¼ cup Half and Half (or heavy whipping cream)
- 3-4 Bacon strips cooked crispy and crumbled, for garnish, optional
- 1 tablespoon Chopped Parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery, cook 3-4 minutes until the onions are translucent, stirring frequently.
- Add the garlic, oregano, salt, cumin, and black pepper. Stir well to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the sweet potatoes and the broth to the pot, stir well. Raise the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes until the sweet potatoes are very tender (they should break apart easily when pierced with a fork). Stir the soup occasionally.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Process in the pot with an immersion blender. If you do not have an immersion blender, use a blender (see notes).
- Add the half and half (or cream) and stir. Place the soup back over low heat to warm through but do not let it come back to a boil.
- Taste the sweet potato soup and add salt, if needed. As a reference we added ½ teaspoon to ours.
- Garnish with crumbled bacon, croutons, shredded cheese, parsley, cilantro, pumpkin seeds, or sour cream if desired.
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