This silky, 6-ingredient, naturally vegan sweet potato soup is ready in about 30 minutes. Thai-inspired and made with coconut milk, it’s perfect topped with chopped peanuts, cilantro and sriracha.
While I love soups and make one almost every week, I usually lean toward chunkier varieties like this vegetable soup recipe, packed with texture and flavor. They just feel like more of a meal to me.
But this silky smooth sweet potato soup definitely has the flavor component covered and sweet potatoes are hearty enough to fill me right up.
Sweet Potatoes
I buy sweet potatoes every single week, whether I have specific plans for them or not. Because it’s practically guaranteed that I will crave some kind of sweet potato dish at some point.
And if I don’t use them, well they keep just fine for the following week. And usually the one after.
Sweet potatoes are, of course, delicious any way you prepare them, but this velvety soup has rapidly become the recipe of the moment in my house. Since I always have a can of coconut milk in the pantry, it can happen on a moment’s notice, and with minimal effort.
In other words, it’s recipe perfection, by my standards!
Health benefits of sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a nutritionally dense food. They are packed with beta carotene to promote good vision, vitamin C and potassium, not to mention fiber. See this healthline article for more information on the nutritional profile of sweet potatoes (link).
How do I make this soup thicker or thinner?
People have different tastes when it comes to preferred thickness for creamy soups. I would classify this one as being of medium thickness (see below photo). Definitely not pasty, but not runny either. This is pretty subjective though.
Your best bet for achieving the consistency you prefer is to start with less liquid than the recipe calls for, and add more at the end as needed. Because once blended, there’s obviously no going back to remove liquid if it’s thinner than you like.
In this case, the recipe calls for 3 cups of vegetable broth. You could start with 2 cups. Then after blending, you can stir in more broth until it’s just how you like it.
How can I store this soup?
It will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer in an airtight container.
If you freeze it, the coconut milk may cause it to separate a bit when thawed, but a quick blitz with an immersion (or regular) blender should solve that. Here are some useful tips for freezing soup from Taste of Home.
How to Make Vegan Sweet Potato Soup Step-by-Step
- Grab these 6 ingredients.
2. In a large pot or dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally until onions are softened.
3. Add the cubed sweet potatoes and stir to combine.
4. Add the broth and coconut milk. (If you prefer a thicker soup, add just two cups of broth instead of 3, and add more broth to taste after blending the soup).
5. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes until sweet potatoes are very soft.
6. Puree the soup using an immersion blender, or transfer in batches to a regular blender. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
I love to top this sweet potato soup with cilantro, chopped peanuts and sriracha for a little heat. Green onions would be great too if you’re not a fan of cilantro.
Enjoy! xx
Vegan Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 6 cups peeled and cubed sweet potato about 3 medium
- 3 cups vegetable broth *see note
- 15 oz can coconut milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- Optional toppings: sriracha, chopped cilantro or green onions, chopped roasted peanuts
Instructions
-
In a large saucepan or dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute.
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Stir in the sweet potatoes, and add the vegetable broth and coconut milk. Simmer 25-30 minutes until the sweet potatoes are completely soft.
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Puree with an immersion blender, or process in a regular blender in batches. Season to test with salt and pepper.
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Top with sriracha, cilantro and chopped peanuts if desired.
Notes
Storage:
This soup will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer in an airtight container.
If you freeze it, the coconut milk may cause it to separate a bit when thawed, but a quick blitz with an immersion (or regular) blender should solve that.
