Sweet Potato Soup

Creamy, dreamy, and healthy Sweet Potato Soup, thanks to a secret ingredient. Top the bowls with crispy seasoned white beans for a nutritious meal guaranteed to warm you up on even the coolest days!

This post was originally published on November 30, 2020. It was updated with new recipe information and photos on November 3, 2024.

Cool fall and winter days call for warm bowls of comforting soup, and this sweet potato soup recipe is my go-to! It’s plant-based, dairy-free, and creamy. I’ve referred to it as sweet potato bisque because of its warm, comforting flavors and creamy, silky texture. Regardless of the title, there’s one definition we can all agree upon: delicious!

Tender sweet potatoes simmer with creamy white beans and aromatics, which are seasoned with pepper and cayenne before blending. Next, we sprinkle the soup with crispy seasoned white beans before serving, making a hearty and warming sweet potato soup vegans and meat-eaters will both devour! For more healthy sweet potato recipes, check out my Chili-Lime Glazed Sweet Potatoes, Vegan Sweet Potato Biscuits, and Sweet Potato Hummus.

Ingredients

Sweet Potatoes: These tubers are naturally sweet with a silky texture when cooked and pureed, giving the soup a fantastic consistency and taste. Peel and cube the potatoes before starting.

White Beans: This is the secret ingredient in this healthy sweet potato soup, ensuring that it is creamy and rich while still plant-based and healthy! Use canned or homecooked cannellini or navy beans. If using canned, drain and rinse them before using.

Vegetable Bouillon Paste: For depth and savory flavor. I recommend vegetable Better Than Bouillon paste. If you don’t have vegetable bouillon paste, use homemade vegetable stock or store-bought vegetable broth.

Onion and Garlic: These aromatic ingredients sauté to form the soup base. Use fresh garlic whenever possible, though you can use bottled minced garlic when short on time.

Olive Oil: Extra virgin oil adds richness to the vegan sweet potato soup, providing fat to sauté the onions and garlic. It’s also used to help crisp the beans.

Rosemary: Fresh chopped rosemary adds herbaceous dimension to the crispy beans. If you don’t have fresh, you can substitute 1/2 teaspoon of dried.

Spices: Black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika layer in dimensional flavor. For the best results, always use spices with a good expiration date.

How to Make Sweet Potato Soup

Make the Soup

• Sauté aromatics. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and onion and sauté for 3-5 minutes until the onions turn translucent.

• Add vegetables and beans. Add the sweet potatoes, beans, and broth (or water and bouillon paste). Stir well.

• Simmer. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer over medium-low and cook for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

• Season and blend. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the black pepper and cayenne. Let the soup cool for 5-10 minutes or until cool enough to carefully transfer it to a blender. Remove the lid vent, drape it with a clean dish towel, and blend on medium speed until smooth and creamy.

Optional: Top with Crispy White Beans

• Preheat the oven. You can bake or air fry the beans. If using the oven, preheat it to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Season white beans. Add the beans and tablespoon of olive oil to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Toss the beans gently to coat in the oil. Sprinkle the beans with the chopped rosemary, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Gently toss until combined.

• Roast. Spread the beans on the prepared baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes. Or, add them to an air fryer basket and air fry at 375°F for 15 minutes. Stir or shake the beans 1-2 times throughout the cooking time if needed, and cook until crispy.

Recipe Pro-Tips

• Immersion blender alternative. If desired, you can blend the white bean sweet potato soup in the pot with an immersion blender, but it won’t be as smooth and creamy as in a high-speed blender.
• Prep the ingredients before you start. The cooking process moves quickly, so have the vegetables chopped, the beans rinsed and drained, and the broth and spices measured before cooking.
• Multitasking the beans and soup. If making the crispy bean topping, season and roast or air fry the beans as the soup simmers for seamless serving.

Recipe Variations

Try out any of the following ingredient swaps and additions to pair sweet potato white bean soup with your meal or use up leftover veggies:

• Different Vegetables: Sauté celery and carrots with the onions and garlic for extra savory flavor, or swap chopped butternut squash or Yukon potatoes for all or part of the sweet potatoes.
• Add Fruit: Simmer a peeled and cubed apple or pear with the sweet potatoes for a naturally sweet finish.
• Extra Spicy: Layer in heat by sautéeing 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes with the onions and garlic, or drizzle the soup and beans with chili oil before serving.
• Extra Creamy: Make next-level creamy sweet potato soup by adding up to 1 cup of coconut milk with the sweet potatoes and broth.

Serving Suggestions

Enjoy hot bowls of sweet potato and white bean soup garnished with crispy white beans, passing crusty bread to dip! Or, serve it with any of the following salads for a nutritious, full-spread meal:

• Autumn Kale Salad
• Baby Kale Salad
• Vegan Caesar Salad

Storage Directions

• Refrigeration: Leftovers keep covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• Freezing: Leftover sweet potato vegetable soup can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Cool it to room temperature before transferring it to a freezer-safe container and freezing.
• Reheating: Warm the soup over medium-low heat on the stovetop or in 1-minute bursts in the microwave, stirring occasionally, until hot. It is natural for the soup to thicken during storage; add a splash of broth or water if needed to thin it.

More Hearty Vegetable Soup Recipes

• Instant Pot Black Bean Soup
• Cure-All Vegan Lentil Soup
• Hearty Beet & Sweet Potato Soup
• Vegan Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk
• Curried Parsnip and Carrot Soup

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