The perfect flavourful soup for a dreary winter’s day, this is an ideal way to use in-season sweet potatoes. Packed with the peppery bite of ginger and plenty of warm spices, you can whip up a large batch of this soup in under an hour and it freezes so well that you can reheat it whenever you’d like.
With the added addition of pureed cannellini beans for creaminess (rather than heavy cream or the coconut milk found in my pumpkin soup), this soup is extremely filling and luscious while being a relatively healthy option.
It’s also simply an excellent and unique way to enjoy sweet potatoes as more than just a side dish – such as my sweet potato mash or my oven-baked sliced sweet potatoes.
How to Make Gingery Sweet Potato Soup
First things first, you’re going to want to roast your sweet potatoes. I like doing this in the oven rather than boiling the sweet potatoes in the broth of the soup like many recipes call for.
I think you can get more complex flavour from some browning and it prevents the potatoes from getting too waterlogged.
All you need to do is peel the potatoes and cut them into large pieces. Drizzle them with a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Spread them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast in a 200°C/400°F oven for about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are very tender and lightly browned.
While the sweet potatoes are cooking, get the base of your soup together. Add a bit of olive oil to a large saucepan and put over medium heat.
Once shimmering, add a finely chopped onion, carrot and celery. I also add in some chopped cilantro stems (this lends a really nice flavour to the soup – do the same in my black bean soup) and a good amount of minced fresh ginger.
Season with a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are very tender, beginning to brown and you notice fond (brown bits on the bottom of the pan) begin to form.
This will take about 10-15 minutes and it’s an important step in developing the flavour of the soup so please don’t cut corners and rush through it – the end result will not be as flavourful.
While you’re cooking the veggies, you can go ahead and puree your beans. This will be added to the soup at the end of cooking to add a level of creaminess (and heartiness).
Simply drain and rinse a can of cannellini beans and puree it in a blender until very smooth. If needed, go ahead and add a splash of your vegetable stock to the beans so that they puree easily. Then, remove them from the blender and set aside until needed.
Moving back to the stove, once your veggies have reached their desired stage, go ahead and add in some tomato paste and minced garlic along with some warm spices.
I call for cardamom, turmeric, ground ginger (really trying to amp up the ginger flavour in this recipe), cinnamon, cloves and cayenne pepper. Add in a few grinds of black pepper, as well.
Cook this for a few minutes until everything is very very fragrant. Then, add in your cooked sweet potatoes and stir to combine in the veggie and spice mixture. Pour over some vegetable stock and a bit of soy sauce for some umami and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for a few minutes to let the potatoes break down even further and soften even more. Now it’s time to puree the soup.
If you have a hand-held blender, go ahead and use that to puree the soup which will be the easiest option. Otherwise, transfer it to a regular blender – just note that you may need to work in batches in order to completely puree the soup.
Blend the soup until it is completely smooth.
Bring it back up to a simmer again and then swirl in the pureed beans, a little bit of maple syrup – this adds a touch of sweetness that pairs well with the soup – and a touch of apple cider vinegar for some fruity acidity.
Allow the soup to simmer for a few more minutes just for all the flavours to get to know each other and then serve! Top with some chopped cilantro leaves and maybe some toasted nuts for texture.
Ginger Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2 lb) sweet potatoes roughly 2-4 large, peeled and cut into 3cm (1.5in) pieces
- 1 carrot peeled and finely diced
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 1-2 stalks celery finely diced
- 10 g (½ cup) cilantro stems & leaves, divided
- 20 g (2 tbsp) fresh ginger finely minced or grated
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 l (8 cups) vegetable stock
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 (400g/14oz) can cannellini beans drained, rinsed and pureed in a blender until smooth
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F. Arrange the sweet potatoes on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 25-30 minutes, or until lightly browned and very tender.
- Meanwhile, add 3 tbsp of olive oil to a large saucepan and set over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the carrot, onion, celery and cilantro stems & ginger. Season with a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring frequently, until very soft, the vegetables are beginning to brown and fond begins to collect on the bottom of the pan, about 10 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, garlic, cardamom, turmeric, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cayenne pepper along with a generous grind of black pepper. Stir into the mixture and cook until fragrant and darkened, about 2 more minutes.
- Add the roasted sweet potatoes and stir to coat in the mixture.
- Pour over the vegetable stock and soy sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer and allow to simmer for about 5-10 more minutes.
- Transfer the soup to the jar of a blender or use a stick blender to puree the soup until smooth. If using a traditional blender, you may need to work in batches before returning the soup to the pot.
- Stir in the pureed cannellini beans, maple syrup and apple cider vinegar. Bring to a simmer and taste to adjust for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper where needed. Serve, topping with the cilantro leaves and perhaps some toasted nuts.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Even if you are only making this ginger-packed sweet potato soup for one or two people, go ahead and make the whole batch and freeze the rest. It’s perfect for a hearty lunch or a light dinner in the cooler months!
Are you looking for a great sweet potato soup recipe? Have any questions? Let me know in the comments!
