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Hello! I’m Anjali. I’m a board certified health coach, author, wife, mom and food lover from the SF Bay area (now living in Seattle, WA!); with a passion for delicious food and a desire to make healthy eating easy, tasty and fun! Learn more about me here and stay for a while!

Anjali Shah

Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

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This delicious Spicy Sweet Potato Soup is rich, creamy and a touch decadent! But you won’t find any cream, fat or butter in this easy, healthy soup.

spicy sweet potato soup served in a white bowl, topped with crushed nuts and cilantro

When colder weather hits, I turn to soups that have rich, warm flavors and a bit of heat — to warm me up from the inside out. This spicy sweet potato soup is the perfect way to escape from the cold! It’s decadent, filling, but also happens to be vegan, gluten-free and low-carb! It’s a healthy vegetarian Indian recipe!

I like my food on the spicier side, so I added a bunch of additional spices to the original recipe that gave it even more warmth and comfort. My husband gobbled this up so fast, he was onto his second bowl before I finished my first!

spicy sweet potato soup served in a white bowl, topped with crushed nuts and cilantro

The best part was this was super easy to make – took just a little over 30 minutes total (including prep and simmering time).

The cilantro and peanuts added a great depth of flavor and texture to the soup. You can serve this as an appetizer for a dinner party in smaller portions, or in bigger soup bowls for a light dinner for the whole family.

Tools and Equipment You’ll Need for Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

ingredients for spicy sweet potato soup - sweet potatoes, onions, spices, cilantro, crushed nuts

How To Make Spicy Sweet Potato Soup – Step By Step

Step 1: Sauté the onions and garlic in 1/4 cup of vegetable stock to prevent sticking. Meanwhile, bake the sweet potatoes in the microwave or the oven.

onions sauteed in a pot

Step 2: Place sweet potatoes, garlic, onions, and spices into the pot. Add 4 cups of vegetable broth and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover.

sweet potatoes, spices and broth added to pot

Step 3: Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, or until all of the ingredients are tender. 

soup simmering on stovetop in large pot

Step 4: Turn off the heat and puree with a hand blender until smooth, adding more broth to achieve desired consistency.

immersion blender going into sweet potato soup

Step 5: Once the soup is pureed, bring it back to a simmer to warm it through.

blended sweet potato soup in a pot, ready to serve

Step 6: Ladle into bowls and top each bowl with cilantro and chopped peanuts. Enjoy!

spicy sweet potato soup served in a white bowl, topped with crushed nuts and cilantro

What makes this Spicy Sweet Potato Soup healthy?

  • Rich in Fiber: Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of fiber. They help you feel fuller longer and help with your digestive system. Studies also show that foods rich in fiber such as sweet potatoes can lower cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart disease. The fiber and complex carbohydrates in sweet potatoes can help keep your blood sugar stable. Each bowl has about 3g fiber.
  • Low in Calories and Fat: This recipe makes 6 servings. One serving of this soup has about 120 calories (without the peanuts) and 150 calories (with the peanuts). 
  • Anti-Inflammatory Ingredients: The curry powder is loaded with flavorful and beneficial spices such as anti-inflammatory turmeric and cumin, which also helps with digestion. 
  • Rich in Vitamins and Nutrients: Sweet potatoes are also high in potassium, which works in balance with sodium in your body to maintain healthy blood pressure.

Will kids enjoy this Spicy Sweet Potato Soup?

This soup is creamy with a hint of sweetness from the sweet potatoes. The curry and other spices add some heat. To make this soup more kid friendly dial back the heat. Add the red pepper flakes to the soup after you give the kids their serving!

spicy sweet potato soup served in a white bowl, topped with crushed nuts and cilantro with spoon

What makes this sweet potato soup spicy?

This soup has an array of spices including curry powder, red pepper flakes, cumin, and cinnamon. The mixture of these spices brings a depth of flavor to this soup. The red pepper flakes is what gives this soup its kick. Curry powders differ from one to the other but you can expect that most curry powders contain the following spices: turmeric, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, dried chillies, black pepper, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, mustard seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, peppercorns and bay leaves. The turmeric is what gives curry the distinctive yellow coloring. The added cumin and cinnamon adds more richness to the broth.

What’s the difference between sweet potatoes and yams?

The skin of a yam looks kind of like tree bark, while a sweet potato is more reddish-brown. Real yams are different type of root vegetable from sweet potatoes that have a starchier consistency, and the flesh is not as sweet. Both sweet potatoes and yams have health benefits and are rich in vitamins and minerals. Sweet potatoes are slightly lower in calorie than yams, and have more beta-carotene and vitamin C. While both contain decent amounts of B vitamins.

spoonful of spicy sweet potato soup served in a white bowl, topped with crushed nuts and cilantro

Can You Freeze Sweet Potato Soup?

Yes! Allow to cool completely. Then transfer to an air tight container leaving some room at the top for expansion. This soup will be good for 2-3 months in the freezer. When ready to serve, thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat on the stovetop.

What To Serve With This Curried Sweet Potato Soup

This soup is hearty and filling all on it’s own, but it would be fantastic with these additions.

  • Crusty whole wheat bread
  • Garlic bread
  • Whole wheat pita chips
  • Beet Salad
  • Winter Greens Salad with Kale and Apple

Top Tips For Curried Sweet Potato Soup 

  • Soups are great for batch cooking, so you can double up on ingredients to create a bigger batch. 
  • Remove the skin from the sweet potato – after cooking – if you want a super creamy soup.
  • Taste and adjust with salt and pepper as needed.
  • Use low-sodium vegetable broth.
  • Top the soup with cilantro and chopped peanuts.
  • Freeze soups after they have been chilled overnight in the fridge. Soups will last up to two months in the freezer.
  • If you’re serving a hot soup, make sure it’s actually hot. Also, the ideal serving size for an appetizer portion is about 1 cup (250ml), while a meal portion is about 1 1/3 cups (350ml).
spicy sweet potato soup served in a white bowl, topped with crushed nuts and cilantro top view

Check out these other delicious soup recipes!

If you have tried this Spicy Sweet Potato Soup recipe, or any other recipe on my blog, then please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious, healthy, family friendly food!

spicy sweet potato soup served in a white bowl, topped with crushed nuts and cilantro top view
Print Recipe
5 from 5 votes

Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

While this sweet potato soup is definitely decadent and filling, you will find no cream, fat or butter in this recipe.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Soup
Cuisine: American, Indian
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 120kcal
Author: Anjali Shah

Ingredients

  • 4-6 cups low sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 yellow onion diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 large sweet potatoes baked with skin (you can remove the skin after baking if you want a super creamy soup)
  • 2 tsp curry powder more to taste
  • 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes omit if you don’t like things too spicy!
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 pinch cinnamon about 3 shakes of the bottle
  • 1/2 tsp Salt more to taste
  • Chopped cilantro garnish
  • Chopped peanuts garnish (1 tbsp per bowl)

Instructions

  • Steam and saute the onions and garlic, adding stock as needed to prevent sticking. Meanwhile, bake the sweet potatoes in the microwave or the oven.
  • Add 4 cups of vegetable broth and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover.
  • Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, or until all of the ingredients are tender. 
  • Turn off the heat and puree with a hand blender until smooth, adding more broth to achieve desired consistency.
  • Once the soup is pureed, bring it back to a simmer to warm it through.
  • Ladle into bowls and top each bowl with cilantro and chopped peanuts. Enjoy!

Notes

Top Tips For Curried Sweet Potato Soup 
  • Soups are great for batch cooking, so you can double up on ingredients to create a bigger batch. 
  • Remove the skin from the sweet potato – after cooking – if you want a super creamy soup.
  • Taste and adjust with salt and pepper as needed.
  • Use low-sodium vegetable broth.
  • Top the soup with cilantro and chopped peanuts.
  • Freeze soups after they have been chilled overnight in the fridge. Soups will last up to two months in the freezer.
  • If you’re serving a hot soup, make sure it’s actually hot. Also, the ideal serving size for an appetizer portion is about 1 cup (250ml), while a meal portion is about 1 1/3 cups (350ml).

Nutrition

Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 15.5g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4.7g | Saturated Fat: 0.7g | Sodium: 300mg | Potassium: 167mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4.1g

Posted In…

Plant Based Soups And Stews ·

Plant based soups can be hearty enough for a cozy winter meal, or fresh and light like my summery cucumber gazpacho. All of my vegetarian soup recipes are made with wholesome ingredients, and are hearty enough to be a main meal.

These healthy soup recipes are all packed with veggies, super flavorful, and deliciously filling! Try favorites like this mushroom soup without cream, this 15 bean soup (crock pot recipe), my Italian chickpea soup, this curried cauliflower soup, and my instant pot tomato soup

34 responses to “Spicy Sweet Potato Soup”

  1. Delicious soup! Served it to my family and everyone loved it! I also added a little bit of sour cream to the garnish, looked and tasted so yummy!! Thanks so much for sharing😊5 stars

  2. This looks like the perfect, healthy delicious soup recipe. I can’t wait to give it a go. I will definitely try the chilli flakes!5 stars

  3. This soup is so yummy! I have made sweet potato soup but never thought to leave the skin on. It tasted good and less food waste, perfect!5 stars

  4. Anjali I’m going to try this recipe out. I am a big fan of sweet potatoes but have never made a soup as sweet potatoes being the main star! Looks amazing… and easy too. Thanks!

    • This recipe is definitely super easy to make! It’s one of my favorites for this time of the year 🙂 I can’t wait to hear how it turns out for you!

  5. This was delicious as are all of your recipes. I’ve started using your recipes everyday and I’m obsessed…thank you!!

  6. This was really amazing. It even got the smiles n head nod from my semi picky 1 year old daughter! Thanks for sharing.

    • Oh that’s so great!! I’m so happy your daughter liked this soup – thanks for letting me know Jenn!

  7. Hi! I found your site through Gina’s, and what a great find! I’m curious – did you peel the sweet potatoes? Or include the skin when you pureed them? Thanks, looking forward to trying all of these delicious reipces!

    • Hi Meaghan! It’s so nice to meet you! To your question – I peeled the sweet potatoes after I baked them and before I pureed them. So the skin didn’t end up in the soup – which made the soup a lot creamier! Hope that helps, can’t wait to hear how you like this recipe!

    • Hi Carolyn! Great question! This recipe makes about 6 servings, so for one serving – which is more than 1 cup of soup – you’ll end up with only 120 calories without the peanuts and 150 calories with the peanuts. 1 serving also has about 3g fiber and 2.5g protein. You inspired me to add that info to the post too, so it’s on the printable version of the recipe in case you need it on hand 🙂 Hope that helps!

  8. Hi, This looks like a tasty recipe. Congratulations on the Whole Foods cooking class, I wish they had those here in AZ. Love your blog!

    • Aw thank you so much Chanel! So glad you like my blog 🙂 Hopefully they’ll open up a Wellness Club in AZ soon! In the meantime, hope you have fun making this recipe at home!

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