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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Fabulous. Made as is but added applejack liquor. 🙂 Oh, also put toasted pumpkin seeds on top.
Really an outstanding and easy to make soup! I do recommend really making the veggies well soft before putting them in the blender to create the smoothest soup structure (or maybe blend longer). My soup was still a bit grainy. Still delicious though!
Thank you!
Wow. THANK YOU for this recipe. I have been feeling quite frustrated about the huge number of online recipes I’ve been trying that have not turned out that great. This was soooo good.
I made it exactly as written, with one exception. Didn’t have unsalted butter so I used regular and added about half (if that) of the salt called for in the recipe.
Can’t wait to try other recipes. Thank you for sharing.
I made this today. My husband was not enthusiastic at the idea of it but it was delicious and we both loved it. I folloewd the recipe exactly (a rarity for me) but I wouldn’t change a thing!
This was so good!!! It took well over an hour to make; some of that was just waiting for it to boil. It was well worth the time. Can’t wait to have more of it!
Added pumpkin seeds at the end..no curry sub fresh ginger, cinnamon and a little nutmeg .. great!! Paired with pumpkin cranberry crisps from trader Joe’s!
This is a yummy soup. I halved the recipe and made a vegan version, substituting coconut oil for butter, veggie stock and a small amount of agave for the honey. I also did not peel the potatoes or carrots, just scrubbed them well. It made a lot and was pretty satisfying and hearty. I think you could skip the sweetener and it wouldn’t make a big difference. I also added more spices in the beginning (cumin, coriander, turmeric) because I love those flavors. My 2 year old wasn’t crazy about it, but she did eat it!
Loved it!
Absolutely DELISH! Made this soup according to the recipe and it was perfect! Served it to a group of friends and they loved it. I directed them to your website for this and other recipes.
Thanks for a perfect fall recipe, Jenn. Another winner!
Loved this soup. I found a great deal on sweet potatoes at a local market. I left out the Apple and still was so good. Healthy and warming for cool season.
I was trying to figure out what to do with the sweet potatoes that I had peeled and chopped for something during Thanksgiving, didn’t use them but they were well stored. I found your recipe and it was a perfect use of these along with whatever else was in our pantry. I like to make a recipe first time according to how it’s written and this was perfect. Only change I made was that we had Thai Red Curry powder and it gave it a little more heat – thought about croutons, but just didn’t seem right for this soup. It is so flavorful and rich in it’s own right, really doesn’t need anything else (we considered garlic, thyme, cream, etc, but think it is so right just how it is). Thank you for this healthy, warm nutritious soup recipe. Glad I found your website and other recipes! The Thai Red curry was a great addition, but am sure that standard Curry powder (store bought or made) is good as well. We just enjoyed the little bit of heat. If using regular curry, could add a shake of red pepper flakes to the soup when cooking, or a tiny bit of cayenne to heat it up a bit. Thank you!
so so so good!!!! i used olive oil instead of butter and i dont think the taste was compromised one bit. i added in a heaping teaspoon of cinnamon and i feel that rly changed the game. also, noticing how many other recipes call for roasting the veggies first before throwing them in the pot, i thought this recipe would be less tasty but I WAS WRONG. SAME RESULTS. LOVE IT!!! apples were a lovely addition
Also I wanted to add that to reduce calories you can put less butter.
Great recipe! I substituted chicken broth by vegetable one since I prefer no meat, also I added only 6 cups of broth instead of 8 to make it thicker.
Absolutely souperb!!!! Thanks for an amazing recipe!
Sooo good. Made as directed (more or less) except for the apple which I finely diced and sprinkled on top of each portion as garnish. Added a bit of heavy cream as well, as much for mouth-feel as for taste. Hubby said it was the best soup he had ever had…but he always says that, god love him.
Have made many of your recipes and your website is now my first go-to for inspiration. Thank you Jenn.
This soup is great was worried about curry but the flavor was great. I made it in a pressure cooker – think I should have left out two cups of broth but great. took some to the grandkids
when do you add honey, salt,and pepper?
Hi Debbie, the salt gets added along with the carrots, sweet potatoes, and broth. The honey gets added with the apples and the pepper can be freshly ground over the soup when serving. (If you feel like the soup needs any additional salt or honey, you can add a bit more right before serving too.) Enjoy!
Loved this soup as did my wife and neighbor whom we had over. My wife said it was as good as her favorite restaurant’s tomato bisque. And she loves her tomato bisque. Great recipe!
What a fabulous soup for this time of year!
My husband loved it! Now the rest is in the freezer for our first stormy day! Would love a potato leek soup recipe please and thank you!
So god you and your husband enjoyed it! I do have a potato leek soup. You can check it out here.
Your autumn carrot and sweet potato soup is absolutely awesome. The flavours marry so well together and that little bite from the curry leaves a most pleasing taste on one’s palate. I have tried a number of your recipes and they are always delicious. Thank you for sharing your recipes. You are amazing.
What kind of brown sugar can I add instead of the regular brown sugar? My husband is a Type 2 diabetic? But this recipe sounds delicious!!!
Thanks
Hi Rosemary, this recipe doesn’t call for brown sugar; are you confusing it with another one?
can you freeze it?
Yes, Judith, it freezes nicely!
LOVE this soup!! The combinations are great 🙂
This soup was so good. I used water with some spices instead of broth and still was delicious. All ages enjoyed!
Hi Jenn, I get headaches when I eat curry powder. Can you recommend another spice I can replace it with? Love your recipes.
Thanks, Kathy! What about garam masala? Or cumin?
Are you sure about the nutrition information for this recipe? It seemed high for the calorie count and I calculated it at a little over half of what you have ( with a vegetable stock that was 20 cal per cup), with 8 servings. Great recipe!
Hi Diane, because I’m not a nutritionist, I use a computer program to calculate the nutritional info. I just double checked it and got the same results so I’m assuming it must be accurate. (And glad you like it!)
I just made this soup and it is amazing! I am so happy I found this site with all of your recipes. I am a college student and also have several food allergies, so most processed or ready made foods are out of the question and finding time to cook is difficult. You have so many recipes that are easy, quick, and dairy/gluten free. This is the 3rd soup recipe I’ve tried so far and it is my favorite. The only thing I changed was I substituted the butter for Earth Balance and omitted the honey (not a fan of honey). The end result was fantastic.
Can u add another spice besides curry?
Sure, Lynne – what did you have in mind? It’s a great base and there are so many directions you could go…fresh herbs, cumin + cinnamon, etc…
Just finished making this soup. WOW! So delicious! I substituted coconut oil for the butter but followed the rest of recipe. I will be making this often, so easy and delicious. Thank you!
I’m battling a head cold and this soup is helping. I did make some changes to address our dietary concerns. I used olive oil instead of butter, and used vegetable broth, and added only 1/2 tsp. salt. I almost didn’t add the honey as it already tasted great but did opt to “follow” the recipe.
Next time, I would consider the variation of adding sage with the onions and either using 1 tsp. honey or omit it.
Also would consider, adding red lentils to the carrots and sweet potatoes.
Great soup to either enjoy yourself or use when entertaining.
My favorite of the soups…I will sometimes add grated fresh ginger in addition to or instead of the curry to change it up a bit.
I was looking for a recipe where I could test my new immersion blender and came across this recipe – such luck! A tasty and nutritious soup. I added a dollop of plain yogurt just for fun.
I made this soup and froze it in pint jars.
I have added it to my recipes as it was
very good!!!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I managed to start cooking at 5pm while holding the baby and with a little support from baby’s siblings dinner was ready at 6pm. Even the soup-hating middle child ate up. It’s delicious and warming and interesting! I’ll be sharing this recipe with my sister and friends!
Popped this into the freezer before going into the hospital for surgery. Nine days post op, am home and sipping a hot mug of this wonderful concoction as I write. Thanks Jenn for another wonderful soup. Am loving it!
Hi Jenn,
I’ve been on a cooking frenzy this holiday season and this soup was a huge hit with everyone. The flavors are amazing.
Excellent recipe.
Thanks again!!
I usually make butternut squash soup which everyone loves but decided to change it up and am so happy I did!! This is delicious!! Can’t wait to start making it on regular basis. Followed pretty much as is but had to cook it much longer than 25 min for the veg to cook. Next time I’ll chop them much smaller. Also, add the apples to the soup midway as they need time to cook thru. Then place soup in a blender to make real smooth. Yummy!!!!!!
We just made this for dinner and used frozen turkey stock from Thanksgiving. We happened to smoke the turkey this year and that gave this soup a subtle smokey flavor. It was incredible. Thanks for the recipe!
I had some left over roasted sweet potato and carrots and thought I would make a soup to use them up. I found this recipe- delicious. Just added in my roasted veggies at the end to heat prior to blending.
Really tasty! Perfect balance of salt, heat, sweet and great texture.
I love double batch soup recipes – so good I need to make a double batch, one for now and one to freeze for a quick dinner later! Thanks for another winner!
This delicious soup is easy to make but tastes like it was hard to make. It is so filling that it makes an easy supper with a piece of good bread.
I rarely find any recipe that’s perfect, until this soup. I served this at a dinner party recently and it was enjoyed by all. Good full bodied taste, excellent consistency “just right”. Perfect amount for the eight of us. Wouldn’t change a thing. Thank you
could you add fresh sage to this soup? would it work with the curry spice?
thanks.
Hi Jazzbird, I think that could work. Sage is slightly peppery and the soup is a bit sweet, so it might be a nice combination. Would love to hear how you liked it!
the sage worked like a dream (2 chopped tablespoon of fresh sage) added to the butter and onions. i only used one teaspoon of honey to dial back the sweetness a little. great way to use up all those extra carrots! thanks again for sharing your lovely recipes!
made this again and added a pear – which was also lovely.
This is the most delicious and easy soup I’ve ever made. You are at the top of my list for recipe ideas!
Hi! This looks wonderful! What is the volume of soup this recipe makes?
Hi Jessie, I think this makes approximately 13 cups (or 104 ounces) of soup. Hope this helps!
Have just made this soup. Delicious especially on this cold frosty morning.
made it for the first time and bar none the best carrot sweet potato recipe ever! simple tasty and quick! I hade to make a couple of modification only because I was short 2 items. Instead of 2 onions I used 1 and instead of 2 sweet potatoes I use 1 plus 1 regular white potato. Still came out amazing and my family including picky kids ate it all up! thumbs up and big smiles!
Would I be able to make this ahead and freeze it?
Definitely– it freezes nicely!
This is the perfect fall soup when the weather turns colder. I have made this several times, my family loves it. What a perfect flavor combination, warm and comforting. You are so inspiring, I love forward to every new recipe you add. I have made many recipes from your website, I have never been disappointed and my family has been thrilled with the meals I have made.
This was the first time I had tried to make a creamy soup like this. It was absolutely delicious! I shared it with my niece and sister-in-law and they loved it, plus asked for the recipe. The recipe is easy to follow ( as all of Jennifer Segals are) plus I love the little bit of apple in.