It is full-on soup season and whether you are looking for side dish for your Thanksgiving table or just a soup to add into your fall arsenal, this sweet potato coconut soup is a WINNER.
Most soups are probably a bit too long to be considered a true Crunch Time recipe, but also soups are one of the best leftover meals. This one, for example, reheats beautifully days after its made and can make for quick weeknight dinners or lunches.
How to make brown butter
Brown butter is one of my all-time favorite tricks to boosting the flavor in a recipe.
It’s not at all hard to make brown butter and in soups like this you can use it as the base of your soup to give a slightly nutty flavor to the finished dish.
Start the brown butter in whatever large pot you are going to use for your soup and melt it over low heat. After 5-6 minutes, the butter will start to foam and the brown solids will fall to the bottom.
It’s done at that point! Don’t overcook it or you’ll end up with burnt butter, which is a very not delicious thing.
- Want another fun use for brown butter, check out my brown butter burgers!
Ingredients for this sweet potato soup
Besides the brown butter, there are only a few ingredients you need to bring this soup together.
- Sweet potatoes – the bulk of this soup is sweet potatoes. They work as a great thickener for a soup once they are blended.
- Aromatics – I use onion and garlic. You could double the amount of garlic in the recipe if you are so inclined.
- Coconut milk – A little sweetness and creaminess is great in this soup.
- Vegetable stock – You could use any stock although I think beef stock would be a bit too heavy.
- Spices – Paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper round out the flavors in this sweet potato soup.
- Want another buttery soup option? Check out this buttery tomato soup!
Making the soup on the stovetop
This soup is easy enough to make on the stovetop and is my preferred method since you have to brown the butter anyway. Once your butter is done, you can finish the entire soup in one pot.
Add the onion, sweet potato, and garlic to the pot and sautee them for a few minutes.
Then you can add the liquid and spices to the pot and bring the soup to a simmer. You’ll want to simmer the soup for 20 minutes or until the larger chunks of sweet potatoes are very tender.
Making the soup in a slow cooker
I don’t really feel the need to make this soup in a slow cooker, but you absolutely could. You would want to make the brown butter separately and then add it to your cooker with all your other ingredients.
Cook the soup on low for 8 hours or high heat for 4-5 hours. Proceed with blending and serving the soup and it’ll be great!
To blend or not to blend
If you like a chunkier soup, there’s no reason to blend this sweet potato soup. It would be just fine as a chunky soup.
Personally, I prefer it blended and smooth though so I use an immersion blender to blend it together once the soup is done simmering.
If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can transfer the soup in batches to a traditional blender and blend it that way. Just be careful not to splatter hot soup on yourself as it might burn you.
Crispy Almond Topping
While I love the creamy texture of this sweet potato soup, I do think it needs some crunch to it. So I top it with this crispy almond topper. It’s very easy to make.
When your brown butter is done, spoon off a tablespoon and add it to a skillet over low heat. Add the slivered almonds and breadcrumbs and cook them until they are toasted, 4-5 minutes. Done deal!
Crunch Time Tips
For seasoning this sweet potato coconut soup, I used 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, but feel free to start with 1/2 teaspoon. You can always add an extra pinch after the soup is blended.
Since the soup is being blended, save time by doing a very rough chop on your vegetables and you don’t have to chop the garlic at all.
Be sure to let the soup cool if you are using a traditional blender. Hot soup will expand in a blender and splatter!
Substitutions
There are some easy and delicious substitutions you can make on this sweet potato coconut soup!
Sub out any root vegetable for the sweet potatoes. I used carrots, for example in this carrot coconut soup.
Instead of coconut milk, use half and half for a dairy version of the soup that will be very creamy.
Add a pinch of cayenne or a tablespoon of curry paste to make this soup spicy.
Leftovers
This soup keeps really well for up to a week or you can freeze it for up to three months. Reheat the soup gently in a pot with a splash of water to bring it back to life. It is a perfect leftover meal and goes really well with half of a grilled cheese sandwich (like this pesto grilled cheese, for example).
Brown Butter Sweet Potato Coconut Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, browned, divided
- 1 small sweet onion, chopped
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 quart vegetable stock
- 1 14-ounce can coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- Chives, garnish
Crispy Almonds:
- 1 tablespoon brown butter, from above
- ¼ cup bread crumbs
- ¼ cup slivered almonds
Instructions
- To start the soup, add butter to a large pot over low heat. Melt butter and allow to come to a simmer. After 5-6 minutes, butter will start to foam and browned protein bits will sink to the bottom. It will smell very nutty. Be careful not to over-brown it or it will burn.
- Meanwhile, prepare your vegetables. When butter is browned, divide off 1 tablespoon of the brown butter for the crispy topping if you are making it. Then add the onion, chopped sweet potato, and garlic to the pot and stir to coat the vegetalbles. Sautee for a few minutes.
- Add vegetable stock, coconut milk, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper to the pot and bring to a simmer. Turn heat down to low and simmer, slightly covered, for about 20 minutes or until sweet potato pieces are very tender.
- Remove soup from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Then blend until smooth either with an immersion blender or transfer in batches to a traditional blender.
- Serve soup immediately garnished with chives and crispy almonds.
Crispy Almond Topping:
- Add 1 tablespoon brown butter to a skillet over low heat. Add breadcrumbs and almonds and toss to combine. Cook over low heat for 4-5 minutes until breadcrumbs and almonds start to toast and turn brown. Watch carefully so they don't burn. Remove from heat once they are toasted and crispy. Let cool.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Here are a few other great recipes to try!
- Sheet Pan Carrot Soup
- Vegan White Bean Soup
- Pot Roast Soup
- Sausage Potato Soup from The Recipe Rebel
