Small ingredient list, big flavor. This Curried Sweet Potato Soup is perfect for a vegetarian dinner on a cold fall evening. Make a double batch and freeze some for a busy week!
*Originally published 11/2010. Post updated 9/2024*
Hi friends –
This curried sweet potato soup is a family recipe and in total transparency, I used to hate it.
I vividly remember my mom making it all the time when I was growing up. My dad loved it and now as I’ve gotten older, I understand why.
I’ve been making it for myself and my husband for years and along the way, I’ve made some modifications. Lots of recipes for sweet potato soup use coconut milk but I prefer to blend in a can of white beans for some extra fiber and protein. I also add carrots along with the sweet potato for an extra veggie.
This soup is hearty and spicy and it makes a great dinner side or appetizer.
Curried Sweet Potato Soup Ingredients
The ingredient list is simple but full of flavor:
- Leeks- I prefer them over onions for the milder flavor. I always have some sliced and stored in the freezer to make it easy to add them to things.
- Ginger – Fresh ginger is so flavorful and the perfect compliment to the curry powder.
- Sweet potatoes – The star ingredient!
- Carrots- Why not toss another orange veggie in since it’s all getting blended together?!
- White beans – These are so mild in flavor that they blend easily into the soup while adding both protein, fiber and creaminess.
- Broth – Use veggie broth to keep it vegetarian or chicken broth if that’s what you have on hand.
- Spices – Curry powder adds the signature flavor, cayenne adds a little kick and salt enhances it all!
How To Make Easy Sweet Potato Soup with Curry
To make this soup, simply saute the leeks and ginger in some butter, then add the veggies, beans, broth and spices and simmer until soft.
Using a blender or immersion blender, puree everything up. I always start with 3 cups of broth and then add more at the end so I can control what thickness I’ll end up with.
You can also puree only 3/4 of the way and leave some of the veggies for a little more texture.
Other way to use sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite veggies so if you’re looking for other ways to use them up, here are some ideas:
- Sweet Potato White Bean Bars
- 4 Ingredient Sweet Potato Muffins
- Sweet Potato Chicken Chili
- Healthy Sweet Potato Cookies
- Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Brownies
Or try one of these 35+ Sweet Potato Dinner Recipes or one of these 20+ Baked Sweet Potato Dessert Recipes. Find all of my sweet potato recipes here.
Sweet Potato Soup Recipe
Here’s how I make my version of this family recipe:
PrintCurried Sweet Potato Soup
Warm, hearty and full of spice this soup makes a great appetizer or meal of its own!
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: serves 4-6 1x
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter (or oil)
- 1 cup sliced leeks
- 1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger (approx a 1 inch knob)
- 5–6 cups peeled and chopped sweet potatoes (approx 3 medium, roughly 1.5 pounds)
- 1 cup peeled and sliced carrots
- 1 (14.5 oz) can great northern beans (drained and rinsed)
- 2 Tbsp curry powder
- 4–5 cups broth (vegetable or chicken broth)
- 1/2 – 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Plain yogurt to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot melt butter. Add leeks and ginger and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat.
- Add sweet potatoes, carrots, beans, spices and 3 cups of broth.
- Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat and simmer until sweet potatoes are tender (about 15-20 min).
- Puree the soup in batches in blender or using an immersion blender.
- Add remaining broth as needed to thin to desired consistency.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
- Drizzle with plain yogurt to garnish if desired.
Notes
Other garnish options- roasted chickpeas, crispy onions, cilantro, etc
If you prefer a chunkier soup, you can puree only part way.
Curried Sweet Potato Soup FAQs
How to store curried sweet potato soup?
Store in a glass container in the fridge. Soup may thicken as it cools so feel free to add a splash of water or broth if needed when you reheat it to help thin it out again.
Can I freeze curried sweet potato soup?
Yes! Let cool completely and then store in a freezer-friendly container. I love Souper Cubes (aff link) so you can freeze in whatever portion size you want and easily thaw as needed.
Is this vegetarian sweet potato soup?
Yes! As long as you use vegetable broth, use oil instead of butter and skip the yogurt garnish, this soup is both vegetarian and vegan.
Is curried sweet potato soup gluten-free?
Yes, this soup is naturally gluten-free.
Are there other curried sweet potato soup recipes?
If you’re looking for a bit of a different spin, try one of these:
- Curried Sweet Potato Soup
- Curried Sweet Potato Soup (with Crispy Onions)
- Instant Pot Thai Red Curry Sweet Potato Soup
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
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I love your recipes but would like to have the nutritional information posted with them. Any chance of that? 🙂
I’ve been thinking about doing that for a while. It’s on my list of blog tasks for winter break 🙂
This soup looks unbelievably good! Any dish that has ample curry flavor is a winner in my book. Thanks for linking this up to my hop.
How much celery?
This. Looks. So. Good.
I love soup season and this looks like a recipe I need to try. I haven’t made sweet potato soup before and I can only imagine how delicious it is with the curry added in
I’m loving that you show the old and new photo. Your photography has come so far! This recipe looks delicious too!
ok i want to try this – the ginger in here is probably amazing!
I made this last night – so good!! I decided to add roasted red peppers to it because I had a couple bell peppers to use up. I would highly recommend! I roasted them for around 20 min at 450 then steamed and took the skins off and threw them in right before the stage where you bring the soup to a boil and then simmer. Probably added a few minutes to the prep time but they were roasting while I chopped up the leeks and potatoes, so it worked out!
also for those wanting nutrition info, I entered everything into MyFitnessPal. Divided into 5 servings, with added 2 red bell peppers and using low-sodium chicken broth instead of veg broth, it comes out to 260 cal/serving. VERY hearty and filling!
I love the rich flavor combination of the curry and the sweet potato in this soup. Delicious!