Creamy Sweet Potato Soup Recipe (2024)

This Sweet Potato Soup is easy, nutritious, absolutely delicious, and has been a family favorite for years. It’s silky smooth and the addition of bacon and coconut milk makes it so comforting.

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup Recipe (1)

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Creamy Sweet Potato Soup Recipe

As soon as the weather cools, soups like Corn Chowder, our famous Beef Stew, and of course this Sweet Potato Soup are on the regular rotation.

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup is major comfort. It is a blended soup that doesn’t need any cream! The surprising addition of coconut milk adds a silky sweet nuttiness to the soup.

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup Recipe (2)

Sweet Potato Soup Ingredients:

This soup is so delicious and creamy you will have a hard time believing there isn’t any cream!

  • Sweet Potatoes: peeled and diced. Get organic sweet potatoes if you can get your hands on them.
  • Bacon: cooked and diced for the perfect garnish. Thin or thick-sliced work well.
  • Chicken Broth: We love using our Homemade Chicken Broth, but any chicken stock or broth will work. You can even use a vegetable broth.
  • Coconut Milk: I like to use original coconut milk in the refrigerated section of the grocery store (unflavored and unsweetened). The nuttiness of coconut milk pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the yams
  • Onion and Celery: this pair of ingredients make the perfect soup base
  • Garlic: an easy way to infuse flavor into the soup base
  • Dried Thyme: wonderful seasoning with sweet potatoes. A little bit goes a long way so be sure to measure it correctly.

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Yams vs. Sweet Potatoes

Decades of debate over sweet potatoes and yams can be blamed on Louisiana farmers from the 1930s trying to market their crops. The farmers began calling their sweet potato crops “Louisiana Yams” and the name stuck. 99% of the yams and sweet potatoes in a grocery store are the exact same thing!

  • Sweet Potatoes – have an orange or reddish peel and sweet orange flesh. Look for ones that are medium-sized as the larger ones are starchier. They should have tight and unwrinkled skins without blemishes. They are nutritious* and very high in Vitamin A and a good source of Vitamin C and Manganese. You’ll feel better about eating Sweet Potato Casserole.
  • Real Yams – much harder to find in a typical grocery store and less nutritious than the vegetables we typically refer to as sweet potatoes. They have a darker brown skin that looks like tree bark, are more fibrous, and less sweet.

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How to Make Sweet Potato Soup:

  1. Cook bacon in a large pot or French Oven, cook the bacon until crisp and remove from pot. Reserve about 3 tablespoons of bacon grease in the pan.
  2. Sautee vegetables – add onion, celery and saute 4 minutes then add garlic.
  3. Add sweet potatoes, along with thyme, and salt. Add the chicken stock, partially cover, and simmer until sweet potatoes are soft.
  4. Puree soup until smooth (see “How to Puree Soup” below) then stir in coconut milk. Serve in warm bowls garnished with bacon and fresh parsley.

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup Recipe (5)

Pro Tip: If you want to avoid kitchen messes while cooking soup, place a wooden mixing spoon across one side of your pot and place your lid over it. This way the lid won’t hang over the edge and drip onto the stove and you are more likely to avoid the mixture boiling over from a lid that accidentally covers the top.

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup Recipe (6)

How to Puree a Creamy Soup:

We love creamy soups in the fall and winter! This Sweet Potato Soup along, with our Creamy Carrot Soup, and our Creamy Cauliflower Soup, are some of our favorites. Getting ultra-smooth restaurant-quality soup can be tricky. Here are some of our favorite methods to make a creamy soup.

  • Immersion Blender: Our favorite method allows you to blend your soup right in the pot! Use an immersion blender to save on dishes and get the right consistency directly in your soup pot. Be sure to wear an oven mitt and apron in case of splatters!
  • High Powered Blender: A high-powered blender will do the best job. We love this one with openings in the lid to allow heat to escape so you don’t end up with a vacuum. You will need to transfer your soup in batches and be sure to never fill a blender more than half full with a hot liquid to avoid explosions and burns.
  • A Food Processor is our least favorite option. It is better for processing thicker sauces and soups but can work in a pinch. Just realize it won’t give you the same smoothness as the other two options.

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What to Serve with Yam Soup?

Soup is a meal in itself and often all you need are a batch of warm Dinner Rolls with Honey Butter. Soup and salad is a classic meal combination. Our favorite salads to pair with Sweet Potato Soup are:

  • Autumn Chicken Salad:a fall favorite!
  • Beet Salad with Arugula: show-stopping and flavorful
  • Kale Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing: gets better with time!

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More Comforting Soup Recipes:

Just as soon as the leaves start to turn, this Creamy Sweet Potato Soup is a staple dinner at our house. I hope it becomes a favorite for you as well! Be sure to try some of our other delicious soups.

  • Loaded Potato Soup– cheesy, creamy base with bacon
  • Clam Chowder Recipe– tender clams and silky potatoes
  • Easy Chicken Noodle Soup– juicy chicken and tender noodles
  • Chicken and Wild Rice Soup– packed with flavor
  • Taco Soup– hearty 30-minute soup!
  • Borscht– hearty beet soup

*Read more about the health benefits of sweet potatoes here.

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup Recipe

4.94 from 105 votes

Author: Natasha Kravchuk

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup Recipe (10)

Sweet Potato Soup is comfort in a bowl. It’s creamy without using cream and an easy, cozy soup recipe you’ll enjoy in the cooler months.

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Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 35 minutes mins

Total Time: 45 minutes mins

Ingredients

Servings: 6

  • 8 oz 1/2 lb or about 6 strips bacon, diced
  • 1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 large celery rib, diced (1 "stick" of celery)
  • 2 lbs 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
  • 4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup coconut milk, I used "original" from the refrigerated section of the grocery store
  • 2 tsp Salt and 1/8 tsp ground black pepper, or to taste
  • 2 Tbsp parsley to garnish, optional

Instructions

  • In a large pot, or French Oven, over medium heat, cook bacon in it's own fat until crisp (8-10 min). Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Leave 3 Tbsp oil in the pot; discard excess or leave it in there for a more flavorful soup.

  • Add chopped onion, and celery and cook 4 min or until soft, stirring occasionally, then add 2 pressed garlic cloves and saute another minute.

  • Stir in diced sweet potatoes, 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves and 2 tsp salt. Now pour in 4 cups chicken broth, partially cover and simmer 20 min or until sweet potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.

  • Puree soup until smooth. I accomplished this in two batches in my Blender. Return soup to pot and stir in 1 cup coconut milk, or add it to reach desired consistency then season with more salt and pepper to taste if desired. Serve in warm bowls. Sprinkle the tops with bacon and garnish with chopped parsley, if using.

Notes

Great tip from my husband Vadim: To partially cover with lid, place a wooden mixing spoon across one side of your pot and place your lid over it. This way the lid won't hang over the edge and drip onto the stove and the lid is less likely to shut closed unexpectedly and cause your pot to boil over.

Nutrition Per Serving

418kcal Calories36g Carbs20g Protein22g Fat12g Saturated Fat37mg Cholesterol1566mg Sodium970mg Potassium5g Fiber7g Sugar21607IU Vitamin A8mg Vitamin C74mg Calcium3mg Iron

  • Full Nutrition Label
  • Nutrition Disclosure

Nutrition Facts

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup Recipe

Amount per Serving

Calories

418

% Daily Value*

Fat

22

g

34

%

Saturated Fat

12

g

75

%

Cholesterol

37

mg

12

%

Sodium

1566

mg

68

%

Carbohydrates

36

g

12

%

Fiber

5

g

21

%

Sugar

7

g

8

%

Protein

20

g

40

%

Vitamin A

21607

IU

432

%

Vitamin C

8

mg

10

%

Calcium

74

mg

7

%

Iron

3

mg

17

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: creamy, sweet potato soup

Skill Level: Easy

Cost to Make: $$

Calories: 418

If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen

Natasha Kravchuk

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup Recipe (11)

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.

Read more posts by Natasha

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What makes soup more creamy? ›

A roux is a classic technique for thickening soups and sauces, and simply refers to the use of fat and flour together—in this case, butter and flour! Whole milk adds plenty of creaminess, too, and voila! A lovely rich and creamy chicken soup.

How do you thicken creamy potato soup? ›

Combine cornstarch and a little bit of water—or the chicken stock from the soup—in a small bowl. With the soup simmering over medium-low heat, whisk in the slurry. The soup should start to thicken almost immediately.

Does cream cheese thicken up potato soup? ›

Cream cheese can be a delicious and tangy thickener for mashed potatoes so it stands to reason that it can also be used to add body to your favorite silky potato soup recipes — right? The answer is yes. It only works well if you do it carefully, though.

How to make creamy watery soup? ›

Add Flour, Cornstarch, or Other Thickener: Starches thicken soup and give it body. Whisk a few tablespoons of starch into a little of the broth in a separate bowl before whisking it into the main pot. This prevents the starch from clumping and helps it dissolve into the soup evenly.

What is the secret ingredient in soup? ›

It may sound a bit strange and unusual for some, but vinegar is a common ingredient in some soup recipes, and there is a good reason for it. If you think about it, vinegar is really a flavor-enhancer (umami). That's why it is so often used in cooking, sauces, and salad dressings. The same is true with soups.

What is the most important ingredient in soup? ›

For clear, brothy soups, stock is your most important ingredient. If you want to make a good soup, you need to use an excellently flavored stock — otherwise, the entire pot could be tasteless.

Does sweet potato thicken soup? ›

Starchy Vegetables

Grate a starchy vegetable like squash, pumpkin, sweet potato, or white potato into the soup and let it simmer. It will release that starch and help to thicken the liquid as it cooks.

Can I use cream cheese instead of heavy cream in soup? ›

Cream cheese will work as a one-to-one substitute for heavy cream. Keep in mind that cream cheese may alter the taste and texture of the final product, so make sure to use it in suitable recipes in which the flavors will work together, such as in creamy soups or cheesy sauces.

Which cream is best for soups? ›

Use what you love! Cream: Half and half, heavy cream, light cream or thickened cream all yield similar results, however heavy cream adds richness.

Can I add milk to soup to make it creamy? ›

Milk or Half-and-Half: This is the other magical ingredient that turns your homemade chicken noodle soup into the creamiest soup ever. Use 1 cup of whole milk or 1 cup of half-and-half. If you want to make regular (non-creamy) chicken noodle soup, replace the milk with more chicken broth.

What is the secret ingredient to thicken soup? ›

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool. Add a few tablespoons of flour or cornstarch to the bowl and whisk until it's blended smooth. Next, bring the soup to a simmer and add the mixture back to the pot. Pro tip: Don't dump in the entire mixture at once.

Does adding milk to soup make it creamy? ›

Milk or Half-and-Half: This is the other magical ingredient that turns your homemade chicken noodle soup into the creamiest soup ever. Use 1 cup of whole milk or 1 cup of half-and-half. If you want to make regular (non-creamy) chicken noodle soup, replace the milk with more chicken broth.

What are the thickening agent for cream soups? ›

Add flour or cornflour

Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes to allow the starch granules to burst to thicken, and to cook out any flour flavour.

Does sour cream make soup creamier? ›

Yogurt, Sour Cream, and Crème Fraîche – Dairy like yogurt, sour cream, and crème fraîche can add a creamy acidity to soups, but can curdle and be unpleasant if cooked over heat for too long, so swirl these in last.

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