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 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.
“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
Step 1: Cook the aromatics. Begin by cooking the onions in butter until they are soft and translucent. Then, add the curry powder and cook until fragrant.
Step 2: Add the veggies and broth. Add the carrots, sweet potatoes, and chicken broth and bring to a boil.
Step 3: Simmer and add apples. Cover and simmer over low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes, then toss in the chopped apples.
Step 4: Blend. Purée with a stick blender until smooth and creamy.
Step 5: Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls and enjoy!
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Autumn Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup
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 (2.5-cm) pieces
- 1½ pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 small), peeled and chopped into 1-inch (2.5-cm) 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.)
Notes
Nutrition Information
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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Such a satisfying and delicious soup for fall! Wonderful flavors. I served it with Bell’s Brown Ale. Thank you for sharing this recipe, Jenn.
I saw this recipie and began doing it. I loved it. Very easy! The curry brings a lot of flavor out and also does the apple. I did half of the recipe because is for me only. I have some for tomorrow and other frozen.
Thanks Jenn, I always enjoy your fantastic recipe.
Iliana Mendez
My new favorite soup!
Holy heck, this soup was amazing!!! For those asking about Instant Pot- I made mine in one and just added all the ingredients and cooked on high pressure for 20 minutes. The adjustments I made were based on what I had in the house- substituted one of the onions for shallots and used 1/2 tablespoon of garam marsala. I used a honeycrisp apple and didn’t need any sweetener at the end! I did take the recommendation to use 6 cups of chicken broth and omit salt.
Made this soup last night and it was so flavorful and delicious. My 2 year old granddaughter loved it too.
Jenn, do you have any serving suggestions?
Hi Pennie, This would pair nicely with this Kale, Apple, and Pancetta Salad and Buttermilk Biscuits. For future reference, you can search for any recipe (or ingredient) you’d like by using the search bar in the upper right corner of each page on the blog. (Just click on the little magnifying glass you see there.) Hope that helps!
If I could rate this a 10 I would. I usually follow recipes to the “T”. However I am not a fan of Cumin. So I did tweak that part. Instead I added pumpkin spice and no honey. A little heavy cream drizzled on the finished product. This was one of the most amazing soups ever! Sure to be one of my new favorites. Thank you!
Have made this recipe several times. I leave out carrots and substitute with butternut squash.
It’s a hit and delicious every time. Definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing!
This was delicious. Made this today while watching the packers!
Just made this and it is soooooo good. I used a little curry but much less than it called for as I want to try giving it to my picky 3 year old. However, after putting in the bit of madras curry powder, I had a moment of genius and grabbed some Baharat spice from my cabinet (I use Savory Spice’s mix). Sooooo good. It has the sweet spiciness that complements this perfectly. Next time I make it I’ll leave out the curry entirely and go with more of the Baharat. Flavors scream fall…just looking at the pot of it makes me think of a cozy blanket and a good book! Its definitely going to be something I stock my freezer with.
I don’t like curry. Can I make this soup without it or will it be too sweet?
Hi Betty, I’d just replace the curry with a different spice – garam masala, cumin, or cinnamon would all work nicely. Hope you enjoy!