Vibrant, creamy, and nutritious, this purple sweet potato soup is an easy recipe that comes together quickly. Keep it vegan and enjoy as is or add chopped pistachios and feta cheese for extra flavor. No matter how you slurp down this soup, it’s sure to be a winner!
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Lizzie’s Notes
One of my simple pleasures is a baked purple sweet potato smothered with butter and sprinkled with flaky salt. It’s convenient, easy, and delicious! You really don’t need much else when it comes to this vibrant vegetable. The flesh is so filling and has an amazing, mildly sweet flavor.
That’s why I kept this purple sweet potato soup incredibly simple. The sweet potatoes add so much flavor and creamy texture that the rest of the ingredients are just complements.
The purple hue of the potatoes also signifies the abundance of antioxidant compounds, known as anthocyanins, they contain. These compounds have anti-inflammatory properties and a variety of potential health benefits, which is even more of a reason to try this recipe!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Purple sweet potatoes: I made this recipe using Stokes Purple sweet potatoes (Frieda’s brand) that are available in many grocery stores in the United States. You can substitute Okinawan sweet potatoes if that’s what you have.
- Garlic and onion: I enjoy fresh garlic and sweet onion in purple sweet potato soup, but you can substitute red onion, white onion, shallots, or even leeks. If you don’t have fresh garlic, use ½ teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Vegetable broth: Sub chicken broth if that’s what you have.
- Toppings: I recommend chopped pistachios (raw or dry roasted and salted) and crumbled feta cheese. I think the green pistachios look beautiful on the purple soup, but you can feel free to sub other nuts or seeds for some crunch. Goat cheese would be another good topping. If you want the soup to be vegan, omit the cheese.
Instructions
The full recipe card for purple sweet potato soup is at the bottom of the post. Here’s a preview of the steps with photos to guide you in the kitchen.
Warm oil in a soup pot. Add onions and cook until softened. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
Put chopped sweet potatoes and broth in the pot.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender.
Blend until smooth, using a hand blender or upright blender (see notes on recipe card for safety tips).
Storage and Reheating
Keep leftover purple sweet potato soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days. Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until warm. You can also reheat in the microwave in 45-second intervals on high, stirring in between them. The soup will thicken as it sits, so add some broth or water if desired to thin it while reheating.
To freeze, let the soup cool completely then transfer to freezer-safe containers. Leave a couple inches of headspace to allow for expansion during freezing and seal tightly. Label and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Let frozen soup thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating in a saucepan over medium heat. You can also reheat straight from frozen. Put it in a saucepan with a lid over medium heat, and remember to stir frequently to prevent scorching.
More Soup Recipes
Love this purple sweet potato soup? You may also enjoy the Purple Sweet Potato Fries. Plus, check out these other soups while you’re here!
📖 Recipe
Purple Sweet Potato Soup
Equipment
- Hand blender (or upright blender – see notes)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1.5 cups diced sweet onion - about ½ large onion
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1.5 pounds purple sweet potatoes - I recommend Frieda's Purple Stokes, scrubbed clean and chopped, about 6 cups/3 medium potatoes
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup chopped pistachios - dry roasted and salted; for garnish, optional
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese - for garnish, optional; omit to make it vegan
Instructions
- Warm the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until softened.
- Stir in the minced garlic and salt and cook for another minute or so until fragrant.
- Add the chopped sweet potatoes and vegetable broth. Increase heat to bring to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce heat to maintain a simmer, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
- Remove from heat. Carefully use a hand blender to blend the soup right in the pot until smooth. See notes if you only have an upright blender.
- Ladle into bowls, garnish with pistachios and feta (optional), and enjoy warm!
- Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!
Notes
- Sweet potato prep: You don’t need to peel the sweet potatoes but can if you want. I like to keep the skin for added fiber.
- Upright blender instructions: Carefully transfer the soup in batches to a blender. Do not fill it all the way to the top. To allow steam to escape, leave the lid slightly cracked or remove the plastic circle from the center of the lid and cover with a dish towel. Blend on low until smooth, pour the soup into a large bowl, and repeat with the rest of the soup until it’s all been blended.
- Storage and reheating: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days. Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until warm. You can also reheat it in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave in 45-second intervals on high, stirring between them, until warm. The soup will thicken during storage, so you can add some broth or water to it during reheating if you want to thin it.
- Freezing and reheating: To freeze, let the soup cool completely then transfer to freezer-safe containers, leaving an inch or two of headspace to allow expansion during freezing. Seal tightly, label, and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Let the soup thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating. Or, to reheat from frozen, transfer soup to a saucepan with a lid over medium heat and stir frequently to prevent scorching.
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