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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Wondering if anyone has tried to make this in a Vitamix? Looks delicious!
Really good recipe! Thanks for sharing.
Excellent!! I roasted the sweet potato and carrot with olive oil and let cool before adding and cut down stove top cook time. So good with a dollop if sour cream. Will definitely make it again!!
I am plant based so I used olive oil and vegetable stock to substitute butter and chicken stock. Without the animal fat, I found this soup to be a bit bland and the amount of curry left a slight bitter taste. It smelled amazing when I cooked it, but the taste was disappointing. I added some lemon juice to brighten it up and a tad more real maple syrup, and it became better. Maybe the next day will be better, too. If I were to make it again, I would add some garlic, reduced the curry powder.
Simple but delicious. I planned a picnic but with this weather had to switch to fall recipes. This soup fit the bill perfectly.
What can I use in place of honey?
HI Lindsay, you can omit the honey or replace it with maple syrup. Enjoy!
So yummy, I have made it many times now! It tastes so good, it’s hard to believe it’s healthy!
Loved this! I’m plant based so I switched out the butter for 1 T olive oil and I switched out the chicken broth with vegetable broth. It was so good I used the recipe for a cooking class on plant based whole nutrition. Everyone in the class enjoyed it. Thanks!!!
I forgot to mention that I used only 1 1/2 teaspoon of curry and only 1 teaspoon of salt.
Excellent tasty soup. My son who hates sweet potatoes enjoyed the soup.
Regarding the topic of salt, I learned the valuable lesson of tasting first before adding salt…about two weeks ago, then a year ago, and another couple of years before that. Cheers!
Wow! Made one substitution: real maple syrup for honey. Everything else the same. Excellent recipe, thank you!
This is an awesome recipe, I made it without the honey at first and tasted it to see the sweetness and it was pretty sweet for my taste so I left it out as other reviews have said and added gram masala and turmeric as well as curry powder just because they’re healthy and yummy. This soup was so good I ate it multiple days in a row which usually I get bored of things. Thank you!
Why didn’t the writer of recipe say to use low sodium broth and or decrease the salt. I ruined the soup because I used 1 1/2 tsp. salt which was way too much. I trusted the recipe because of the reviews. Didn’t anyone find it too salty? It’s a shame because it has wonderful ingredients. I couldn’t even fix it and certainly wouldn’t give it to my friends who are on low sodium diets.
This is a family favorite! Love the fall flavors and creamy texture. Perfect as written for our family! Thank you.
if you have a problem with low sodium it is your responsibility to figure it out, you should be buying low sodium broth or whatever and not be expecting everyone else in the world to cater to your health problems.
To remove excess salt in soup:
Peel a white potato, cut in small pieces, place in a sieve or colander (for easy removal) place in the soup and simmer for a while. The potato attracts the salt big time. Remove the sieve or colander…soup will be much less salty. This is an old Julia Child tip.
I made this recipe exactly as written, but my gut instinct told me that 2 Tablespoons of honey would be too sweet. I decided to add one and taste for sweetness before adding the second. I wish I had just omitted the honey completely. It ruined the soup, turning it into a dish so sweet that it was unpalatable. I don’t know if my vegetables and apple just varied dramatically in natural sweetness, but my soup tasted like a dessert.
I’m giving this recipe 3 stars because I blame myself for not tasting for sweetness before adding the honey, and because I’m willing to try again with the honey omitted completely.
We found it too sweet, even without honey. I love all the ingredients individually but together as a soup …. I think it must be for those with a much sweeter tooth.
Made this for dinner last night and it is the best soup I have made in a very long time. I think the quantity and variety of ingredients was perfect. Plus I have some to share with my grandkids as well as some for the freezer. Amazing flavour and I will be making this again.
It all started with my daughter asking me if I could use the 3 sweet potatoes she was going to toss out. I love a challenge and also love to make something out of (almost) nothing. I so appreciate that all of your recipes are fool/idiot proof. I look forward to all your new ones!
So glad you enjoyed this! ❤️
The first time I made this we thought it was delicious, but a titch too sweet. Second time, I omitted the honey (honeycrisp apple is sweet enough), added a little extra curry + tumeric + garam masala and it was AMAZING!!! Topped each bowl with a bit of shredded cheddar and extra ground pepper. OMG!!! Thank you sooooo much. This soup is PERFECTION!!! A, now, favourite in our house.
Hi, Jenn, a good friend of ours served this soup to us one evening as a starter. My husband and I both loved it!! I was not at all surprised to find out the recipe was yours. I have since made a batch and because it made a large quantity, put a container in the freezer for later use. I recently defrosted it in the fridge, reheated and served it in shot glasses, as part of an appetizer buffet for a cocktail party we hosted. Most delicious! Thanks again, for yet another lovely recipe!!
I liked this recipe alot! I made a few minor changes to make it plant based. I used 1 T of olive oil instead of butter and I used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. I wasn’t sure about so much curry so I used 1/2T and I really liked how it tasted! I’m teaching this at a cooking class this Saturday! Thanks!
I just made this recipe & is absolutely delicious & easy to make. Thank you for sharing it with us.
This recipe was easy and absolutely delicious!! This will be on my weekly prep meals list from now on!!
This is really delicious. I used an immersion blender which gave it some texture. I also used garam masala instead of curry powder, which worked well.terrific recipe.
Really good recipe and a hit with all the family. Will definitely make it again ( delicious ).
Thank you, the soup was delicious and so easy to prepare. I did not have an apple so I used a small box of raisins instead -not sure how or if it changed the flavor at all –no matter, it was simple and yummy on a rainy day. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Delicious and simple to make! It makes a ton, so I was able to eat off it all week, and I had more to freeze. I will definitely make this again.
Thank you for the recipe! We are serving this with our Christmas Eve dinner- first course, out of mugs, to sip around the fireplace. I did only one tablespoon of honey, as the apple varietal (Envy apples) was fairly sweet. Also added a teaspoon of turmeric. YUM!
This soup was delicious. I will make it again. I did only use 6 cups of broth like another person suggested. It had the best texture and thickness . Great healthy soup.
I will definitely be making this soup again. Wonderful!
Everyone loved it, and tomorrow I’ll make it again.
Thank you Jenn! This soup was fantastic! I brought it to a holiday potluck and even before tasting it a friend said that if we both weren’t already married she’d asked me to marry her! 😉 I made it more “vegan” just because–modifications included: coconut oil instead of butter, salt instead of chicken broth, homemade apple sauce instead of apples, and Japanese sweet potatoes.
🙂
Glad it was a hit!
Delicious recipe! I subbed vegetable broth/bouillon because we had a vegetarian and everyone loved it!
I used low sodium chicken broth and the flavor was amazing without “adjusting” at the end. I did use more curry powder than the recipe notes as we are a family that loves curry. Excellent and will be making again.
Hi, I am about to make this delicious sounding soup for the first time. My friend cannot eat onions or much spice ( many health restrictions). Is there a substitute for onions or can I just leave them out? I also noted that you can substitute cinnamon or garam marsala for curry. Do I use about the same amount? For my friend I usually cut spice by 1/2. Thanks in advance for your suggestions, Pat
Hi Pat, Is your friend able to eat anything in the onion family? If not, here is an article that provides suggestions for onion substitutes. The soup will have a slightly different flavor with no onion, but celery would be a good alternative here. If you’d like to substitute cinnamon or garam masala for the curry, I’d use the same amount of garam masala but cut the cinnamon back to 1 teaspoon. Hope that helps and that you and your friend enjoy the soup!
Many thanks, especially for the quick response. She can only eat root veggies and peeled apples so no celery either. I will adjust the spices as you suggest.
Hi, Please help. Recipe in your cookbook says to use low sodium chicken broth. Recipe on your site doesn’t. Both say to use 1 3/4 teas of salt after adding chicken broth. I used regular Swanson chicken broth not low sodium. Do I use the additional salt?
Anastacia
Hi Anastacia, I would start with 1 teaspoon of salt and then add more to taste, if necessary. Hope that helps!
I went ahead and made the soup without additional salt and put it in the freezer. It tasted pretty good but I think it does need at least a teaspoon of salt like you suggested. I will add the salt when I reheat and serve on Thanksgiving. Thank you very much for getting back to me.
Anastacia
This soup is delicious! I usually don’t like the taste of curry, but the sweetness of the vegetables and the honey totally compliment the curry. I used 6 cups of the chicken broth as my family likes thicker soups. I kept everything else the same. Thank you for another great recipe!
This was SO delicious, thank you for sharing it! I’m glad I read the reviews beforehand. I didn’t add the honey and it was already sweet (just the right sweetness) from the carrots and apples. I also added some extra curry powder. I was going to ask if it could be made into a cream soup by adding cream but it really doesn’t need that, it’s so creamy and rich on its own. A perfect comfort soup for a May (yes, even in spring!) day while hunkering down!!
This is fantastic. I did it in the instant pot, added a little curry, garam masala and cumin to the onion. I used applesauce and no honey. I added a dollop of sour cream and it was perfect.
Just got the cookbook & this is the 1st recipe tried. Followed recipe precisely w/exception to amount of stock – I knew 6 cups would be the right consistency for this family. It turned out well – kids like the flavor but adults thought it bland which is why I’ve rated in between. I look forward to trying many recipes in the book & APPRECIATE they’ve been thoroughly tested before sharing.
A wonderful blend of flavors in this soup. It has become a family favorite. My son love this even though officially he does not like curry.
deeeeelicious: Everyone who said this was an excellent recipe was so right. Thank you so very much. I know it must be a lot of work for you to post all the recipes, but so happy that you do. Joan
Wonderful! So delicious…so perfectly explained…as are all your recipes.
Used one cup less broth and omitted the honey.
Think your suggestion of the kale, apple, pancetta salad would be a great accompaniment.
Thank you!
I’m planning on making this today but only have Granny Smith apples. Can I use them instead?
Thanks! Barb
Granny’s are more tart then what I usually use, but it should work. Enjoy!
Delicious comforting soup
Delicious on a cold fall day.
I made your soup today and I was a little apprehensive. It was delicious! I appreciate your step by step instructions and information you give (difference between yams and sweet potatoes). I’ve made several of your recipes and they have all been outstanding. I now always go to your site first to search for a recipe. Thank you.
I made a double batch of this Autumn carrot and sweet potato soup on the recommendation from a friend. I am so glad I did. It was delicious. This is a keeper recipe for me now. I found it very flavourful exactly as written. I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
PS
I have passed this recipe on to some family members and so far loved by all.
Despite the condescending Yams bit at the start, great recipe.
It’s not condescending, it’s accurate. Calling sweet potatoes “yams” is totally wrong. The description in that paragraph is just educating people on the proper terminology. Try using an actual yam, if you could even find one, in this recipe and let us know how it turns out.
I am only giving two stars because I think there was some creativity in this. However, I made this spot on and identical and it was….to put it nicely, horrible! Even my kids didn’t like it.
I made a double batch of this Autumn carrot and sweet potato soup on the recommendation from a friend. I am so glad I did. It was delicious. This is a keeper recipe for me now. I found it very flavourful exactly as written. I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
Wow, again like many of your others, this recipe is killer! It’s so easy, such few ingredients but what a burst of flavour. The right amount of sweet and subtle curry makes this one a soup that even my kids love. Thank you for this recipe! Enjoying it as we speak!
I saw this recipe and had to make it! Regrettably the temperature soared the very next day and hard to be enthusiastic about soup. Bad timing. The soup,however, was great and my critical husband gave 2 thumbs up. Will definitely keep in cool weather rotation. Another keeper from Jen!
Did I read the recipe correctly, you add the raw apples and immediately use the immersion blender? I thought maybe the apples needed to cook a bit.
Yes, Judy, that is correct. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Your answer isn’t clear….Do you cook the apples for a bit or just add them raw and use the immersion blender right away?
You’re right Jody, sorry about that! You don’t need to cook the apples at all before blending the soup. Hope you enjoy!
Delicious!!! I used only 6 cups of broth and a little cinnamon too. Absolutely amazing! Thank you for sharing another yummy recipe!!
Not a fan of curry. Are there other spices that you would recommend?
Hi KV, Sure, garam masala, cumin, or cinnamon would all work nicely. Hope that helps!
This soup has a wonderful flavor but was disappointed with the consistency which was very thin. I was hoping for a thicker, creamy texture. Thinking 8 cups of chicken broth is too much, maybe 6 would make it thicker.
I love this soup. I’ve made it many times and always get rave reviews. The curry adds a delicious exotic note.
This soup was so easy to make and delicious!
Took this soup to a Kindergarten shared meal and it got many compliments and even a request for the recipe. Didn’t need the honey, didn’t even add any salt or pepper and it was soooo good.
I used two large sweet potatoes and about 2/3 of a pound of carrots. I used about 2 tablespoons olive oil instead of butter and I probably used 3 T of curry powder instead of 2 ( I eye-balled both the oil and curry)
Instead of using the stove method, I used the Instant Pot. I did everything in order as the recipe stated (saute’d in the instant pot.) I set the timer to 13 minutes and when the pressure was released I added the apple and honey. (next time I will try without the honey as reviews here said it was unnecessary) I used an immersion blender to finish the job. It was amazing! My husband loved it, too and he is a hard sell. Super easy, easy clean up and sooooo delicious!