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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I was trying to figure out what to do with the sweet potatoes that I had peeled and chopped for something during Thanksgiving, didn’t use them but they were well stored. I found your recipe and it was a perfect use of these along with whatever else was in our pantry. I like to make a recipe first time according to how it’s written and this was perfect. Only change I made was that we had Thai Red Curry powder and it gave it a little more heat – thought about croutons, but just didn’t seem right for this soup. It is so flavorful and rich in it’s own right, really doesn’t need anything else (we considered garlic, thyme, cream, etc, but think it is so right just how it is). Thank you for this healthy, warm nutritious soup recipe. Glad I found your website and other recipes! The Thai Red curry was a great addition, but am sure that standard Curry powder (store bought or made) is good as well. We just enjoyed the little bit of heat. If using regular curry, could add a shake of red pepper flakes to the soup when cooking, or a tiny bit of cayenne to heat it up a bit. Thank you!
so so so good!!!! i used olive oil instead of butter and i dont think the taste was compromised one bit. i added in a heaping teaspoon of cinnamon and i feel that rly changed the game. also, noticing how many other recipes call for roasting the veggies first before throwing them in the pot, i thought this recipe would be less tasty but I WAS WRONG. SAME RESULTS. LOVE IT!!! apples were a lovely addition
Also I wanted to add that to reduce calories you can put less butter.
Great recipe! I substituted chicken broth by vegetable one since I prefer no meat, also I added only 6 cups of broth instead of 8 to make it thicker.
Absolutely souperb!!!! Thanks for an amazing recipe!
Sooo good. Made as directed (more or less) except for the apple which I finely diced and sprinkled on top of each portion as garnish. Added a bit of heavy cream as well, as much for mouth-feel as for taste. Hubby said it was the best soup he had ever had…but he always says that, god love him.
Have made many of your recipes and your website is now my first go-to for inspiration. Thank you Jenn.
This soup is great was worried about curry but the flavor was great. I made it in a pressure cooker – think I should have left out two cups of broth but great. took some to the grandkids
when do you add honey, salt,and pepper?
Hi Debbie, the salt gets added along with the carrots, sweet potatoes, and broth. The honey gets added with the apples and the pepper can be freshly ground over the soup when serving. (If you feel like the soup needs any additional salt or honey, you can add a bit more right before serving too.) Enjoy!
Loved this soup as did my wife and neighbor whom we had over. My wife said it was as good as her favorite restaurant’s tomato bisque. And she loves her tomato bisque. Great recipe!
What a fabulous soup for this time of year!
My husband loved it! Now the rest is in the freezer for our first stormy day! Would love a potato leek soup recipe please and thank you!
So god you and your husband enjoyed it! I do have a potato leek soup. You can check it out here.
Your autumn carrot and sweet potato soup is absolutely awesome. The flavours marry so well together and that little bite from the curry leaves a most pleasing taste on one’s palate. I have tried a number of your recipes and they are always delicious. Thank you for sharing your recipes. You are amazing.