Sweet Potato Soup
Posted Oct 06, 2021, Updated Nov 18, 2023
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This sweet potato soup is silky-smooth and slightly sweet with a touch of fall spices. The addition of celery, onion and carrots make this sweet potato soup recipe flavorful and delicious. Plus, it’s easy to make in one pot with an immersion blender or with a standard blender.
Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite foods, so I cook with them all the time (see: sweet potato tacos, sweet potato casserole, roasted sweet potatoes, etc.). This sweet potato soup is one of my favorite cozy fall creations.
It’s made in one pot (no roasting required) which I means it’s quick and easy. Celery, onion and carrots give this sweet potato soup a beautiful depth of flavor, and it’s silky-smooth and perfectly sweet with a touch of fall spices.
Watch our video and check out the step-by-step photos to learn how to make sweet potato soup either with an immersion blender or in a high-powered blender.
Sweet Potato Soup Recipe: Ingredients and Substitutions
I cannot stress how absolutely perfect this recipe is. So I recommend keeping substitutions to a minimum (if you have to make any at all). However, as always, we will talk about possible substitutions
- Salted butter. Unsalted butter works well too.
- Onion. I prefer a sweet onion, but any variety of yellow or white onions work well. (I don’t suggest using red for the way it will change the color of the soup).
- Carrot. I’d stay away from baby carrots here. I prefer large, organic, sweet carrots for the best flavor.
- Celery. This is a must, no substitutes here.
- Sweet potato. I suggest organic sweet potatoes or yams. You can also use purple sweet potatoes to make a purple soup!
- Maple Syrup. Again, I don’t recommend subbing anything for the pure maple syrup – as the maple flavor is important.
- Light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar can be used in place of light for a richer molasses taste.
- Heavy Cream. Half and half can be used in place of heavy cream, but I don’t recommend making any other substitutions.
- Apple Cider Vinegar. White vinegar can be used in place of apple cider vinegar if you don’t have any on hand.
How to make Sweet Potato Soup
In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, melt the butter. Then add onions, celery, and carrots and cook over medium-high heat until the onions become translucent (about 5 minutes).
Then, add the sweet potato, cinnamon, nutmeg, sea salt black pepper, and brown sugar and stir until spices are evenly distributed.
Next, add the water and stir until combined. Then cover to pot and bring the mixture to a boil.
Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat slightly and continue boiling for 15-20 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are soft.
Once sweet potatoes are soft, transfer the contents of the pot to a high-powered blender, or use an immersion blender, and blend for 60 seconds or until completely smooth.
Pour the smooth mixture back into the large stockpot.
Add heavy cream and apple cider vinegar and whisk or stir until smooth.
Taste and adjust salt/pepper as desired.
Serve
Serve warm with a drizzle of heavy cream and a sprinkle of fresh herbs.
We love dipping homemade bread into this sweet potato soup. Some of our favorites are homemade french bread, no knead bread, homemade biscuits (or cheese biscuits) and homemade dinner rolls.
Or, have a “soup night” and make some of these soup recipes as well: potato soup (seriously the best), chicken noodle soup, butternut squash soup, and homemade tomato soup!
Store
Store this sweet potato soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.
Freeze
I recommend freezing this soup in individual portions for easy reheating. These silicon cubes are a great way to freeze soup in 1-cup portions. You can also use small glass storage containers.
Reheat
Remove the sweet potato soup from the freezer and let it thaw slightly. Then transfer to a pot on the stove or a microwave-safe container to reheat until warmed through.
Recipe FAQs
You can roast the sweet potato if you’d like, but in this recipe it’s sautéed with butter for a delicious flavor and a quicker process with less dishes.
So many! Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, sage, thyme, and rosemary are all wonderful.
I like serving this soup with the following recipes:
Homemade bread like this French bread and no knead bread.
Top it with homemade croutons, or these cornbread croutons!
These cinnamon sugar pecans are a delicious garnish as well.
Fresh herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme), croutons, nuts/candied nuts, a drizzle of heavy cream, freshly cracked pepper, a dash of nutmeg, etc.
This recipe is thick on its own, however you can cook it uncovered to cook off the water in the recipe. Or simply use less water if you find your soup too thin.
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Sweet Potato Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup salted butter
- 1 cup onion diced (1 small onion)
- 1 cup celery diced (2 stalks celery)
- 1 cup carrot peeled and diced (1 large carrot)
- 1 lb. sweet potato peeled and chopped, (about 3 ½ cups)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1 ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 4 cups water
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ tsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, melt butter. Then add onions, celery, and carrots and cook over medium-high heat until the onions become translucent (about 5 minutes).
- Add the sweet potato, cinnamon, nutmeg, sea salt black pepper, and brown sugar and stir until spices are evenly distributed.
- Add water and stir until combined. Cover and bring mixture to a boil.
- Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat slightly and continue boiling for 15-20 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are soft.
- Once sweet potatoes are soft, transfer the contents of the pot to a high-powered blender, or use an immersion blender, and blend for 60 seconds or until completely smooth.
- Pour the smooth mixture back into the large stockpot.
- Add heavy cream and apple cider vinegar and whisk or stir until smooth.
- Taste and adjust salt/pepper as desired.
- Serve warm.
Video
Notes
Ingredient Substitutions
- Salted butter. Unsalted butter works well too.
- Onion. I prefer a sweet onion, but any variety of yellow or white onions work well. (I don’t suggest using red for the way it will change the color of the soup).
- Carrot. I’d stay away from baby carrots here. I prefer large, organic, sweet carrots for the best flavor.
- Celery. This is a must, no substitutes here.
- Sweet potato. I suggest organic sweet potatoes or yams. You can also use purple sweet potatoes to make a purple soup!
- Maple Syrup. Again, I don’t recommend subbing anything for the pure maple syrup – as the maple flavor is important.
- Light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar can be used in place of light for a richer molasses taste.
- Heavy Cream. Half and half can be used in place of heavy cream, but I don’t recommend making any other substitutions.
- Apple Cider Vinegar. White vinegar can be used in place of apple cider vinegar if you don’t have any on hand.
Store
Store this sweet potato soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.Freeze
I recommend freezing this soup in individual portions for easy reheating. These silicon cubes are a great way to freeze soup in 1-cup portions. You can also use small glass storage containers.Reheat
Remove the sweet potato soup from the freezer and let it thaw slightly. Then transfer to a pot on the stove or a microwave-safe container to reheat until warmed through.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Absolutely wonderful soup!!!! My husband and I love the soup and will definitely put it in our rotation. It’s so very good. Words just can’t justify how good this soup really is!!!!!! I would give it 100 stars!!!!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe😀
Thank you so much, Georgianne! I’m so glad you love it!
Thank you for the recipe! This soup is very good and super sweet! Too sweet for my taste honestly. I am going to pour it into popsicle molds for my kids. I will make it again but maybe only use a teaspoon of brown sugar. The brown sugar definitely adds good flavor but it is just too sweet for dinner for me.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it – even if it was sweet. It is definitely a sweeter soup, and you absolutely can adjust the sweetness to your liking!
As an update, the kids loved the popsicles!
I’m so glad! What a great idea!
This soup will never make it to the freezer – it’ll be gone way before we get to thinking about freezing it! Followed recipe to the letter and will soooo make this again but will cut back on the maple syrup which I presume we add the same time we add the cream and apple cider vinegar. 1/4 cup is a little to sweet for us but it is one delicious soup! Thank you ☺️