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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Why isn’t there an option to print the recipe ingredients and instructions. Makes life so easy to do a quick print.
Hi Marilyn, you do have that option — when you’re viewing the full recipe (near the bottom of the page), look in the upper righthand corner of that box – you’ll see an icon there that looks like a printer. Select that and it (and it will open a dialog box that gives you printing options/will print only the recipe and not all the other materials.) Hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any additional questions.
This soup was over the top good. I didn’t change a thing and the recipe came out perfect. It screams Fall 🙂
Jen do I need to use butter? Can I use evoo instead?
Hi Amy, Olive oil is fine. Hope you enjoy the soup!
I loved this opportunity to clean out my veggie drawer! To make this recipe cravable by everyone in our non-dairy family, I decided to make it a little creamier by cooking with 1 cup less broth then adding 1 cup coconut cream-based “half and half” when blending, along with a pinch of cayenne. I made an extra large batch due to using up what I had, thinking that I would freeze part of it, but it disappeared too fast 🙂 Definitely will make again.
Excellent. The curry taste is very faint; if you’re not looking for it you won’t taste it. I added frozen corn after pureeing the carrot/sweet potato mixture, then let it cook 15 minutes more.
Made it as close as I could to the recipe, with a few tweaks only because I was out of things. I cooked the onions in a mix of EVOO and butter since I was low on butter. I did half and half chicken broth and vegetable broth. No apples, these aren’t fruits I usually keep on hand. Still delicious! I only used 3 carrots to my 5 sweet potatoes, but the carrot flavor still stood out great. This is a quick and simple recipe that would lend itself well to variations, and I can’t wait to try some new combos!
I made this soup today and it is the BOMB! I love how the sweetness goes well with savory! I’m def making this again! I just ate a huge bowl and feel healthier already. Thank you!
Hi Jenn
We have a strong aversion to curry powder. Is there something I can use instead? Thanks for your amazing cookbooks and recipes. …and for all the joy your work brings to so many!
Hi S, Thank you for your kind words about the recipes! 💗
Garam masala, cumin, or cinnamon would all work nicely in place of the curry. Hope you enjoy!
Love the Recipe.
Not many recipes are perfect without any changes, but this one is simple, easy, nutritious, and delicious, so doesn’t require it.
Being who I am, I could resist a few tweaks …. added a tablespoon or grated ginger at the beginning (I like a little zing}, and a little freshly squeezed orange juice at the end for the sweetness instead of adding honey.
Grateful
Thanks Jenn!
This soup is delicious, however, I do not think it needs the honey. I would suggest you make the soup in its entirety before you add the honey. Also, maple syrup is a favourite of mine, so i used it instead of honey. After adding a fair bit of salt, it was ok.
totally agree Ruth, though th quality of the carrots determines this for me.
AND, I prefer fresh orange or Maple syrup as well