This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This creamy sweet potato soup has been on my blog since 2014, and it’s still one of the soups I make most in the fall.
It has five main ingredients, almost no chopping, and it turns out thick and velvety without a drop of cream.
The sweet potatoes do all the work.
Once they’re soft, they blend into a smooth, naturally sweet base.
Onion cooked in butter, a little cumin and a pinch of red pepper flakes balance the sweetness, so it tastes savory, not like dessert.
I cook the sweet potatoes in the microwave to save time, but you can boil them on the stove if you prefer.
Either way, it’s an easy sweet potato soup for a weeknight, a cheap lunch to meal prep, and a soup my kids actually eat.
Why This Sweet Potato Soup Works
- Creamy without cream. Blended sweet potatoes are naturally thick, so the soup is rich but light.
- Few ingredients. Sweet potatoes, onion, butter, stock and spices. That’s it.
- Budget-friendly. Two sweet potatoes feed four people, which makes this one of the cheapest soups on my site.
- Easy to make vegan. Use olive oil instead of butter and vegetable stock.
- Great for meal prep. It keeps all week in the fridge and freezes well.
- Kid friendly. Skip the red pepper flakes and little ones love it.
Ingredients for Sweet Potato Soup
Sweet potatoes: two large ones, any orange-fleshed variety.
Onion: one small yellow onion, chopped.
Butter or olive oil: butter gives a richer flavor; olive oil keeps the soup vegan.
Stock: vegetable stock for a vegan sweet potato soup, or chicken stock for a deeper flavor.
Spices: ground cumin, red pepper flakes, black pepper and salt.
Toppings (optional): shredded parmesan, crispy bacon and fresh parsley. For vegan, use toasted pumpkin seeds or croutons.
How to Make Creamy Sweet Potato Soup
- Cook the sweet potatoes. Halve them, place cut side down in a microwave-safe dish with 1/4 cup water, cover, and microwave on high for about 15 minutes, until very soft. Let them cool slightly, then scoop the flesh out of the skins. Stovetop option: peel, cube and boil the sweet potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender, then drain.
- Cook the onion. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the spices and stock. Stir in the cumin and red pepper flakes for 30 seconds, then pour in the stock and bring to a boil.
- Add the sweet potatoes. Add the cooked sweet potatoes, black pepper and salt, and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Blend. Blend in batches in a blender, or use an immersion blender right in the pot, until completely smooth. Return the soup to the pot.
- Adjust and serve. Thin with a splash of water or stock if it’s too thick, taste for salt, and serve warm with your toppings.
Tips for the Best Sweet Potato Soup
- Cook the sweet potatoes until very soft. Undercooked sweet potatoes make a grainy soup.
- Blend longer than you think. A full minute in the blender gives the silkiest texture.
- Fill the blender halfway. Hot soup expands, so blend in batches and vent the lid.
- Balance the sweetness. If it tastes too sweet, add a pinch more salt and cumin, or a squeeze of lemon.
- Control the thickness. Add water or stock a little at a time after blending until it’s the way you like it.
Creamy Sweet Potato Soup Recipe – easy and effortless to make, this soup is light and nutritious, perfectly paired with a sandwich or salad for a healthy lunch or dinner. Kid friendly and ready in under 30 minutes.
This creamy sweet potato soup is one of my favorite soups to make, because it is so easy! All you need is very few ingredients, minimal prep work and short cooking time.
The result – a luscious and comforting soup, that is creamy and airy, without even the use of heavy cream.
This Creamy Sweet Potato Soup Recipe could easily be made vegan.
Just swap the butter with vegetable oil and skip the bacon topping (you can use toasted nuts like pepitas instead).
The spices that I used are (salt and pepper of course) and also cumin and red pepper flakes. If you are making the soup for your children (or babies), you can omit the red pepper flakes. I like to also add hot sauce, like Tabasco to this soup.
A kid friendly soup as I already mentioned, but I really meant a “baby friendly soup”.
Creamy soups, made with just a few nutritious ingredients, like “superfood sweet potatoes”, loaded with flavors and the perfect amount of sweetness are just what my baby boy loves. And of course I love making them for him.
This recipe for Creamy Sweet Potato Soup was originally shared on my blog back in 2014, but it was time to update the photos and share the love for it again. It is perfect for the holidays.
As I’m sharing this soup recipe today, I thought that it was important to mention that temperatures around here are in the 90-s. It is unusually hot and as excited as I am about fall, I love the warm weather.
What Ingredients do I need to make this creamy sweet potato soup?
- sweet potatoes
- onion
- butter
- stock
- cumin
- salt
- black pepper
- red pepper flakes
- water
- bacon bits (optional)
- parmesan cheese (optional)
- parsley (optional)
How to make this creamy sweet potato soup?
-
Cut potatoes in halves and place them in a microwave safe dish, cut sides facing down. Add 1/4 cup water. Cover the dish with plastic wrap. Cook on high for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Cool until they are comfortable to touch and remove the skins.
-
Alternatively, peel potatoes and cut into small, bite sized pieces. Boil in a pot, filled with water until tender. Drain and add to the stock.
-
In a sauce pan heat butter (oil) over medium heat and add chopped onion. Cook for 1 minute and add cumin and red pepper flakes and stir. Add vegetable stock (can use chicken stock) and bring to a boil.
-
Puree potatoes and stock in batches and pour into a bowl.
-
Serve soup warm with cooked bacon and shredded parmesan cheese on top. Garnish with parsley.
Sweet potato soup Recipe Highlights:
- If you are not a fan of microwave cooking (I’m not a huge fan!) you can peel and cut potatoes into small pieces and boil them until tender. Then drain and add to the soup.
- This Creamy Sweet Potato Soup Recipe is kid friendly and very nutritious.
- If you find the soup too thick, you can add up to 1/2 cup of water to it, after blending. I personally don’t find the soup too thick.
- This recipe uses no heavy cream, but the creaminess is amazing. This makes it low calorie and low fat.
- If you’d like to make the soup vegan, use vegetable oil instead of butter and skip the bacon topping. Chopped toasted nuts or croutons make a great vegan topping.
- For this recipe you need a microwave safe dish and a blender.
Variations
- Vegan sweet potato soup: olive oil, vegetable stock, and pumpkin seeds on top.
- Smoky: add 1/2 tsp smoked paprika with the cumin.
- Coconut: stir in a splash of coconut milk at the end.
- More protein: blend in a can of white beans or red lentils cooked in the stock.
- Roasted: roast the sweet potatoes at 425°F (220°C) for deeper, caramelized flavor.
Storage and Meal Prep
- Fridge: up to 4 days in an airtight container.
- Freezer: up to 3 months. Freeze without toppings and thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Reheat: on the stove or in the microwave, adding a splash of water if it thickened.
- Meal prep: portion into jars for easy lunches all week.
FAQ
Is sweet potato soup healthy? Yes. It’s made from vegetables and stock, with no cream, and sweet potatoes are high in fiber and vitamin A.
Can I make sweet potato soup without cream? This recipe has no cream at all. Blended sweet potatoes make it naturally creamy.
How do I make it vegan? Use olive oil instead of butter, vegetable stock, and skip the parmesan and bacon.
Can I freeze sweet potato soup? Yes, for up to 3 months. Freeze it before adding toppings.
Do I have to use a microwave? No. Boil peeled, cubed sweet potatoes on the stove instead.
More Soup Recipes
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Roasted Cauliflower Kale Soup
- Easy Lentil Potato Soup
- Easy Carrot Soup
- Creamy Tomato and Spinach Soup
- Sweet Potato Lentil Chili
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Feta
Creamy Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes
- 1/4 cup water, for the microwave
- 2 tbsp butter or olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Shredded parmesan, for serving (optional)
- Crispy bacon bits, for serving (optional)
- Chopped parsley, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Halve the sweet potatoes and place them cut side down in a microwave-safe dish with 1/4 cup water.
- Cover and microwave on high for about 15 minutes, until very soft.
- Let cool slightly, then scoop the flesh out of the skins.
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat and cook the onion until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the cumin and red pepper flakes for 30 seconds.
- Add the stock and bring to a boil.
- Add the sweet potatoes, black pepper and salt, and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Blend until completely smooth and return to the pot.
- Thin with water or stock if needed and adjust the salt.
- Serve warm with parmesan, bacon and parsley.
Notes
- Stovetop option: peel and cube the sweet potatoes and boil for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender.
- For a vegan soup, use olive oil, vegetable stock, and top with pumpkin seeds instead of parmesan and bacon.
- Keeps 4 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
Easy Kale Potato And Sausage Soup Recipe
Easy Spinach Egg Drop Soup Recipe
Creamy Leek And Potato Soup With Bacon Recipe
This is the best sweet potato soup I’ve ever made!
I’m ready for fall, but I’m not complaining about this hot weather, because we know what’s coming next! 🙂 This soup is absolutely gorgeous, Mira! I’ve never had sweet potato soup before, and I’m loving how easy it is. Sounds so good for those chilly fall days!
Right??? It has been so nice in the 90-s 🙂 I agree, we all know what is coming next 🙂
I love sweet potato soup and this looks so delicious Mira! What gorgeous photos too — I’m dying for a bowl!
so comforting! it’s cold here and I would love this soup!
potato soup is perfect fall cooler weather soup in my own opinion. This recipe sounds like it needs a try to see what my group thinks thanks for sharing
come see us at https://shopannies.blogspot.com
This sweet potato soup is perfect for this fall!!
It’s starting to get cold outside again so this soup sounds perfect!
I have been looking for a creamy sweet potato recipe and I am so happy to have found yours. I had a recipe card I got from Walmart back when they had recipe cards in the produce area, that was a creamy sweet potato soup and I lost it in a move and was totally bummed that I had lost it. I have been looking for the recipe that embodied the core ingredients I recalled from the recipe card I lost. Your recipe has been the closest match I’ve come across. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe! I am looking forward to making it this weekend now that fall is here.
SO delicious and easy to make. For me, I’ll half the amount of cumin next time. Thanks for the great recipe!