This Smoky Sweet Potato Soup is thick and creamy yet dairy-free, and is flavored with a delicious blend of smoky spices. This healthier soup is made in the slow cooker with easy prep!
Brian and I have a supermarket routine. Actually, a lot of supermarket routines. He gets the cart, I hold the list, and our first debate is about produce. Yes, I'm aware that we probably have a fair amount of leafy greens at home...and yes I'd like to get spinach anyway. Obviously we need onions because we go through a million a week, and no, I'm not sure what our sweet potato situation is like so we better buy six.
Inevitably we come home and the spinach can't fit in the stuffed produce drawer, the bushel of onions we brought home is added to the (rather large) stockpile, and we've run out of room to house all of our sweet potatoes. More than infrequently I'll pull down a mixing bowl from the shelf and find a sweet potato or two hiding in there. It's a problem.
Our stockpile was getting out of hand and we needed space for our latest bunch of duplicative fruits and veggies so large scale sweet potato usage was in order. Large scale in relation to our household of two, that is.
Since Thanksgiving is looming, all of those favorite flavors are on my mind. A casserole would have been an easy go-to (without marshmallows, please! -- anyone else?) but I wanted to make something different and new to me. Bonus points if it was easy! This smoky sweet potato soup is a play on pumpkin/butternut squash soups, though it's savory through and through. We loved this soup so much, I'm thinking it'll make an appearance as a non-traditional Friendsgiving table addition this year!
This soup makes use of the slow cooker, which continues to be my kitchen MVP this fall. Peeled and cubed sweet potatoes are added to it with diced onion and broth. They cook until tender and then the whole mixture is pureed. If you have an immersion blender, it'll be your kitchen co-MVP here, but I don't so I (carefully) added everything to a blender and then transferred it all back to the slow cooker to keep warm. Lite coconut milk and water are added to thin the mixture out, and then a smoky blend of spices are stirred in to amp up the flavor. Do I ♥ smoked paprika or what? It adds such a great boost here.
This soup is smoky but it isn't spicy, so feel free to add a spicy element such as hot sauce or red pepper flakes if that's more your speed! Using lite coconut milk here keeps this sweet potato soup dairy-free (without giving much of a coconut flavor at all), but you can certainly use milk or cream if you prefer. I added water along with the milk to thin the soup out while keeping the calories in check. Also so you're not eating a bowl of mashed potatoes as soup. 🙂
Slow Cooker Smoky Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 5 medium-sized sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 ½" - 2" chunks
- 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- ½ onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
- ¾ cup lite coconut milk or more to taste
- 1 cup water or more to taste
Instructions
- Peel and cube sweet potatoes. Place sweet potato chunks and diced onion into a slow cooker (mine has a 4.5 quart capacity). Pour chicken broth over top. Cover and cook on high heat for 4 hours or about 8 hours on low. The sweet potato chunks are done cooking when they're very tender and a utensil will easily slide through without meeting resistance.
- Transfer entire contents of the slow cooker into a blender and puree until mostly smooth (it will still be thick). Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender if you have one to make this part easier!
- Transfer pureed mixture back into the slow cooker (now using the warm setting) and add coconut milk and water and stir until liquid is fully integrated. Add garlic powder, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and ancho chile powder and stir.
Notes
Rachel @ Bakerita says
I haven't been using my slow cooker nearly enough the fall, especially considering all the gorgeous recipes being posted! I'm loving this soup and it's SO cold out right now, I wish I had a big bowl to dig into!
Annie says
You are braver than I am! I can't let Clayton go to the grocery with me...he pushes the cart into displays and puts 7 packages of bacon in the cart! 😉 haha!
This sweet potato soup looks amazing! I love the smokey flavors!
Alyssa says
Hahaha I deal with a little of that as well. 😉 We'll get to the check-out and I'll go "hmmm, where did that come from?" Also routinely I go off in the aisles looking for one thing, end up loading my arms with unplanned purchases, and spend 5-10 minutes searching for Brian and the cart. All the while hoping and praying I don't drop anything. Every time!
Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel says
This sounds so good! I've had butternut soup and pumpkin soup, but I don't think I've ever had sweet potato soup! Sounds awesome! And I love how easy it is in the crock pot. 🙂
Alyssa says
Thanks Jess! I love all of those orange fall soups - thought sweet potato was next up!:)
Ashley says
haha my husband can't come with me to the grocery store - when he does we end up with sooooo much extra snacking stuff!!
This soup sounds amazinggg. I am always looking for new ways to use sweet potatoes and with the smoked paprika? Yes yes!
Alyssa says
Hahaha we definitely have some unplanned purchases, but I appreciate the help! Thanks Ashley!
marcie says
I love sweet potato soup, and making it in the slow cooker makes it extra easy! This sounds delicious with the smoky flavors and coconut milk!
Alyssa says
Thanks Marcie! I think I'm beginning an obsession with slow cooker soups. They're just too easy!
Nostramomous says
This soup is the picture of fall! Yum. Great job Alyssa !
Alyssa says
Thank you! 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Mmm the thicker the soup the better for me! And of course anything smoky!
Basically all my grocery money and space in the fridge is take by all the produce 😛 My mom gets mad, but really? That's what we should all be eating!
Alyssa says
Haha I agree, Rebecca! Or at least that's how I justify the higher produce bill, too. 🙂