Autumn Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup
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With carrots, sweet potatoes and apples, this savory soup with a hint of sweetness is the essence of fall.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
It seems I’ve always got the components of this soup lingering in my veggie bin (along with other mysterious things, but I’ll spare you those details), so it’s easy to whip up on a cool fall day. The nice thing is that the sweet potatoes add body to the soup, making it luxuriously silky, without even the slightest bit of guilt-inducing heavy cream.
Now, I have to admit that I’m not one of those people who look forward to fall; my pessimistic side knows all too well that winter is looming. But the thought of comfort food and cozy clothes does make it more bearable. So go ahead and think of this dish as that soft knit sweater you can’t wait to put on at the first sign of a chill. Pair the soup with crusty artisan bread, challah, or dinner rolls.
Table of Contents
“Absolutely scrumptious! My husband is still talking about how delicious dinner was last night!”
About Sweet Potatoes
Before we get started, let’s talk about sweet potatoes. It’s common practice in the U.S. to use the words “sweet potato” and “yam” interchangeably. This is confusing since yams aren’t sweet potatoes at all, but rather thick white tubers with dark brown skin. But chances are you won’t find real yams at the supermarket, so if you see “yams,” you’re probably looking at sweet potatoes. As for the different varieties, look for Garnet, Jewel, Beauregard, all of which have orange flesh and reddish-brown skin and are delicious in sweet potato pie, mashed sweet potatoes, and sweet potato casserole.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by cooking the onions in butter until they are soft and translucent. Then, add the curry powder and cook until fragrant.
Add the carrots, sweet potatoes, and chicken broth and bring to a boil.
Cover and simmer over low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes, then toss in the chopped apples.
Purée with a stick blender until smooth and creamy.
Enjoy!
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Autumn Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup
With carrots, sweet potatoes and apples, this savory soup with a hint of sweetness is the essence of fall.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon curry powder, plus a bit more for serving
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1½ pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 small), peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 8 cups chicken broth, best quality such as Swanson
- 1¾ teaspoons salt
- 1 tart yet sweet apple (such as Honeycrisp or Fuji), peeled and chopped
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Do not brown. Add the curry powder and cook a minute more.
- Add the carrots, sweet potatoes, chicken broth and salt and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until vegetables are very tender, about 25 minutes. Stir in the apples and honey. Using a stick blender, puree the soup until smooth and creamy. (Alternatively, cool the soup slightly, then puree in a blender in batches. Be sure to leave the hole in the lid open, and cover with a kitchen towel, to allow the steam to escape.) Season to taste with salt, pepper and more honey if necessary. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with more curry powder if desired. (Note: As the soup sits, it will thicken up so you may need to add a bit of water to thin it out.)
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost the soup in the refrigerator for 12 hours and then reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat until hot.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Serving size: 1 1/3 cups
- Calories: 277
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated fat: 4g
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Sugar: 18g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 8g
- Sodium: 941mg
- Cholesterol: 22mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Comments
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What kind of brown sugar can I add instead of the regular brown sugar? My husband is a Type 2 diabetic? But this recipe sounds delicious!!!
Thanks
Hi Rosemary, this recipe doesn’t call for brown sugar; are you confusing it with another one?
can you freeze it?
Yes, Judith, it freezes nicely!
LOVE this soup!! The combinations are great 🙂
This soup was so good. I used water with some spices instead of broth and still was delicious. All ages enjoyed!
Hi Jenn, I get headaches when I eat curry powder. Can you recommend another spice I can replace it with? Love your recipes.
Thanks, Kathy! What about garam masala? Or cumin?
Are you sure about the nutrition information for this recipe? It seemed high for the calorie count and I calculated it at a little over half of what you have ( with a vegetable stock that was 20 cal per cup), with 8 servings. Great recipe!
Hi Diane, because I’m not a nutritionist, I use a computer program to calculate the nutritional info. I just double checked it and got the same results so I’m assuming it must be accurate. (And glad you like it!)
I just made this soup and it is amazing! I am so happy I found this site with all of your recipes. I am a college student and also have several food allergies, so most processed or ready made foods are out of the question and finding time to cook is difficult. You have so many recipes that are easy, quick, and dairy/gluten free. This is the 3rd soup recipe I’ve tried so far and it is my favorite. The only thing I changed was I substituted the butter for Earth Balance and omitted the honey (not a fan of honey). The end result was fantastic.
Can u add another spice besides curry?
Sure, Lynne – what did you have in mind? It’s a great base and there are so many directions you could go…fresh herbs, cumin + cinnamon, etc…
Just finished making this soup. WOW! So delicious! I substituted coconut oil for the butter but followed the rest of recipe. I will be making this often, so easy and delicious. Thank you!
I’m battling a head cold and this soup is helping. I did make some changes to address our dietary concerns. I used olive oil instead of butter, and used vegetable broth, and added only 1/2 tsp. salt. I almost didn’t add the honey as it already tasted great but did opt to “follow” the recipe.
Next time, I would consider the variation of adding sage with the onions and either using 1 tsp. honey or omit it.
Also would consider, adding red lentils to the carrots and sweet potatoes.
Great soup to either enjoy yourself or use when entertaining.