Autumn Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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!
You May Also Like
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
Powered by 
- 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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I love this recipe but since this is for a large group, can I use vegetable broth in exchange for chicken broth? We have quite a few vegetarians for this meal.
Sure, Marion – that’s fine. 🙂
Can another spice instead of curry work? Combo of cardamom and cinnamon?
Sure, Malinda, that combination will work. Some other potential alternatives: garam masala or cumin. Hope that helps!
So good! I put in only half the curry, because it is a new spice for me. But, with that one exception I made it according to the recipe and we loved it! I can’t wait to serve it to friends…
Can this soup be frozen?
Yes, Lisa, it freezes beautifully!
Wonderful soup! I used a pear instead of apple as I did not have one. Very delicious, will be making again real soon.
I made this soup recently and it was absolutely delicious. I cut the recipe in half and used vegetable broth for a vegetarian version. Didn’t have a blender so I used a Magic Bullet. The addition of apple and honey after taking it off the heat adds a freshness that is fantastic. This will become one of my go-to recipes in the future.
Surprisingly delicious soup with a depth of flavor! Will certainly make this again!
This soup is DIVINE! Literally like “autumn” in a bowl. It make my whole smell like Thanksgiving. I substituted the butter for dairy free Earth Balance and turkey bone broth instead of chicken broth. I used a Vadouvan French Masala Curry from The Spice House. It’s a milder, sweeter curry that is usually best for curried salads. I figured that since there was going to be honey and apples in this soup to go that route. It’s just so good. I made it for Thanksgiving for myself because I’m the only one in my family that is gluten free and dairy free.
Totally awesome recipe. I made one small change, being a Canuck, I used Maple Syrup instead of honey. Used white pepper and liked it.next are the buttermilk biscuits.
Made this last night and it was super, super, super easy! I scaled back a little with the curry and carrots because I didn’t have quite 1.5 pounds of sweet potatoes (slightly under a pound). The result was great but as I’m not a huge curry fan. I added a splash of cream to it today though and it helped cut some of the curry and gave it a fantastic creaminess – super yummy! So happy I made a full recipe and froze half.
Amazing! Made this soup from the cookbook this afternoon and it was so yummy! Perfect for the fall and just the right amount of spice!