Sweet potato soup is a vibrant and velvety smooth soup full of comforting flavors. Topped with crispy chorizo, this rich, silky bowl of warm goodness is bursting with layers of taste, all made with minimal effort. While blending, the soup is thickened by its own purée giving it a luxuriously smooth texture. This sweet potato soup recipe is perfect to make ahead ensuring an effortless lunch or stress-free dinner for the week.

What are sweet potatoes?

Sweet potatoes are root vegetables with a naturally sweet taste and a vibrant range of colors, including orange, purple and white. They are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber making them a nutritious and versatile ingredient in both sweet and savory dishes.

Sweet potatoes are sometimes referred to as ‘yams’ in North America, although a yam is a slightly different type of root vegetable.

Yams or sweet potatoes are a great and versatile ingredient to use in the kitchen as they can be steamed, boiled, roasted, grilled and fried.

Sweet potato soup ingredients

• Sweet potatoes: They are the key ingredient of this soup recipe. Use plenty of sweet potatoes, peeled and diced in order to make this soup thick and flavorful.
• Onions: Yellow onions add depth of flavor and sweetness to this soup.
• Garlic: I use 3 cloves of garlic, but feel to adjust to taste. Preferably use fresh garlic cloves over garlic powder for the best results.
• Olive oil: Olive oil is used for sautéing the sweet potatoes, garlic and onions in order to bring out their best aroma and to provide the flavor base for the soup. While I use olive oil, feel free to use butter or any other oil you have at home to sweat the vegetables.
• Broth: You can use either chicken or vegetable broth for this soup. For this sweet potato soup I have used vegetable broth.
• Smoked paprika: Gives this soup a lovely smokiness. Smoked paprika or pimentón comes in a mild and spicy variation. Both are fine in this soup depending on the amount of heat you love.
• Turmeric: Just a pinch of turmeric powder is enough to give a touch of earthiness and to add a deeper, more vibrant color.
• Salt and pepper: Sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
• Chorizo sausage: Crispy fried chorizo cubes for garnish. Use a mild (semi)-cured chorizo sausage cut into small cubes.
• Parsley: Fresh parsley for garnish adds freshness and color to this already vibrant soup.

How to make this sweet potato soup

Note: All the exact quantities of the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

This sweet potato and chorizo soup is so easy to make and comes together in under 30 minutes, making it perfect for a super simple weeknight dinner or lunch.

• Chop the vegetables: Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 1-inch (or 2.5 cm) cubes. Make sure all cubes are more or less similar size to allow for equal cooking. Peel and dice the onions and mince the garlic.

• Sauté the vegetables: Heat olive oil in a large pot on medium heat and sauté the onions until they are soft and translucent. Then, add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the sweet potatoes, turmeric, smoked paprika and sauté for a few minutes until the sweet potatoes start to soften. Keep stirring regularly.

• Simmer the soup: Add the broth and bring to a boil. When the liquid starts boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover with a lid and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender.
• Purée the soup: Take the pot of soup from the heat and purée with an immersion or stick blender until velvety smooth. If the soup is still too thick, add more liquid (either water or extra broth) until the desired thickness. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
• Make the crispy chorizo topping: While the soup is simmering, prepare the crispy chorizo topping. Cut the chorizo into small cubes. Heat a skillet or small frying pan on medium to low heat, without any oil or butter. Fry the chorizo until crispy. The chorizo will release a fatty red oil while cooking (that’s why you don’t need any additional oil). When the chorizo is ready, remove from the pan and dry on top of kitchen paper to remove the excess oil.

• Serve: Serve the soup with the crispy chorizo and some chopped parsley.

Best way to puree soup

Who does not love to indulge in a thick and creamy soup in fall or winter with a velvety smooth texture? But what is now the trick is to obtain that silky smooth consistency. There are various methods to obtain a creamy soup:

• Immersion blender: Also known as a hand blender or stick blender, it is a convenient tool for pureeing soup directly in the pot. Blend the soup until it reaches your desired smoothness. This method is quick, and there’s less cleanup compared to a traditional blender.
• High power blender or countertop blender: A high power blender is a countertop blender with more watts and so more power to make any soup really silky smooth. It is a great tool, but you will probably have to work in batches as due to the heat of the liquid you cannot fill the blender up to the top. Also, you will have to let the soup cool down in order for the hot soup not to explode while blending.
• Food processor: Similar to a countertop blender. You will also have to let the soup cool down a bit and then work in batches to puree the soup.

All these options are possible to blend the soup, although using a good quality immersion blender with high power is the best, easiest and cleanest option in my opinion.

Recipe variations

This sweet potato soup recipe describes the basic method. Adding additional ingredients allows you to make variations to this basic and classic sweet potato soup.

• Creamy: Even though this soup already has a creamy texture when blended, you can add other ingredients to make it even more creamy and soft tasting; like coconut milk, coconut cream, heavy cream, sour cream or mascarpone cheese.
• Spicy: Add chilli flakes or cayenne pepper for some more heat.
• Smoky: Add chipotle spice or spicy smoked paprika for extra smokiness.
• Earthy: Ground cumin, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom or coriander for earthy notes.
• Extra vegetables: Consider adding leeks, carrots, potatoes, butternut squash, tomatoes or red bell peppers.
• Toppings: Crispy bacon, croutons, roasted chickpeas or toasted pumpkin seeds are all great toppings along with the chorizo.
• Herbs: Sage, rosemary, thyme and bay leaves can be added to cook the soup. Fresh herbs like coriander, parsley and chives are also great for toppings.

Can you freeze this soup?

Absolutely. This soup with sweet potato as described in this recipe (without any dairy) is great for making ahead and freezing. After cooking, allow to cool to room temperature. Portion in smaller batches and store in sealed freezer safe containers in the freezer for up to 3 months at the correct temperature.

When ready to eat, defrost in the fridge overnight. Warm in the microwave oven or in a small pot on the stove on low temperature. Only add the crispy chorizo when serving.

More creamy smooth soup recipes to try

• Classic pumpkin soup
• Eggplant soup with roasted chickpeas
• Cauliflower and chestnut soup
• Carrot and red lentil soup
• Carrot and ginger soup
• Creamy yellow pepper soup

More sweet potato recipes to try

• Sweet potato and chicken curry
• Mashed sweet potatoes with feta cheese
• Grilled halloumi and sweet potato salad

Print Recipe

5 from 5 votes

Sweet potato soup with chorizo

Sweet potato soup is a vibrant and velvety smooth soup full of comforting flavors. Topped with crispy chorizo, this rich, silky bowl of warm goodness is bursting with layers of taste, all made with minimal effort. While blending, the soup is thickened by its own purée giving it a luxuriously smooth texture. This sweet potato soup recipe is perfect to make ahead ensuring an effortless lunch or stress-free dinner for the week.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Servings: 6

Author: Sabine

Ingredients

• 2 pounds (or 900 grams) sweet potato peeled and cubed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 medium yellow onions finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 5 cups (or 1.25 liter) vegetable broth
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• salt and pepper to taste

For the topping

• chorizo finely cut in small cubes
• fresh parsley chopped

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and sauté the onions for 5 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
• Add the sweet potato, turmeric, smoked paprika and toss to coat. Cook for 5 minutes while stirring regularly.
• Add the broth, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover with a lid, reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
• Meanwhile, finely dice the chorizo and fry in a dry pan (without butter or oil) on medium heat until crispy. Transfer the chorizo on a plate.
• When the soup is cooked, take the pot off the heat and mix with a handheld mixer or immersion mixer until smooth. (See notes for mixing with a blender). Add more liquid if the soup is too thick.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with crispy chorizo bites and fresh parsley.

Notes

• Mix the soup with a blender: Pour the soup in a soup blender, working in batches if necessary and blend until smooth. Add more liquid if the texture is too thick.
• Leftovers: Leftovers can be kept in the fridge in airtight containers for up to 3 days. Or keep in the freezer for up to 3 months in freezer safe containers at the right freezing temperature, at least -18 Celsius.

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear how it turned out! Leave a comment with rating below and share a picture with the hashtag #thetastychilli and tag me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.