Each bowl of creamy sweet potato and coconut soup is flecked with fresh ginger and infused with a zingy hint of bright lemon juice. This super spoonable soup will warm you from the inside out.
In the winter months, all I want to sip on are cozy, creamy soups! This beautiful sweet potato and coconut soup is such a classic warming soup with a touch of dairy-free richness from coconut milk. A splash of fresh lemon juice adds a touch of acidity to balance the sweetness of the sweet potatoes. Like my butternut squash soup, vegan asparagus soup, and broccoli soup recipes, coconut sweet potato soup is naturally vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free!
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Why You'll Love This Soup Recipe
Vegetable soups are my absolute favorite to make, and when they are colorful and bright, all the better. Sweet potatoes are a natural pairing with coconut milk, with their inherent sweet flavors complementing each other perfectly. A little lemon juice adds a slightly tart contrast to balance the soup beautifully.
- Velvety and rich. Pureed soups, especially those that contain coconut milk, rely on the creaminess of vegetables simmered into softness and then blended until smooth without needing butter or cream.
- Gluten and dairy-free! Yes, this soup is naturally gluten and dairy-free, making it a great choice for anyone who needs to avoid gluten or dairy.
- Will brighten up any winter's day. Look at that bowl of soup - it's like pure sunshine in a bowl! A few spoonfuls of coconut sweet potato soup is sure to lift your spirits even on the dreariest-midwinter afternoon.
Ingredients Needed
I've included a few notes below to help you gather the simple ingredients needed to make sweet potato coconut soup. Scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions!
- Olive oil - Extra virgin olive oil is my choice in cooking, but for this recipe you could use another oil such as avocado oil or vegetable oil.
- Onion - A yellow or a red onion works fine.
- Carrots -
- Salt and pepper - I use fine sea salt (table salt also works) and freshly ground black pepper
- Sweet potatoes - You'll need about 2-3 sweet potatoes. Make sure they are fresh, wtih no brown or mushy spots.
- Garlic - Feel free to adjust the amount of garlic to your taste (I like a lot of garlic!).
- Fresh ginger - In a pinch, substitute 1 teaspoon of ground ginger. But use fresh ginger if you can - you will be able to taste it.
- Lemon juice - Fresh lemon juice gives a bit of tart flavor. Save wedges of lemon to squeeze over each bowl, too.
- Water - You can use water or vegetable broth (sub chicken broth if you don't need to keep vegetarian).
- Coconut milk - I like full-fat coconut milk, and low-fat also works. My preference is for coconut milk without any additives, but you can use whatever coconut milk is available.
How to Make Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup
Here's an overview in photos of how you'll make this beautifully creamy soup!
- Cook aromatics: Heat the oil in a large pot and cook the onion plus salt and pepper until soft, then stir in the carrots, garlic, and fresh ginger and cook a few minutes more.
- Add remaining ingredients: Now add the sweet potatoes, water, coconut milk, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil.
- Simmer: Lower the heat and simmer the soup until the sweet potatoes are soft.
- Puree: Using a stick blender or a regular blender, carefully puree the soup until it's very smooth.
Sweet Potato Soup Tip: Use Broth
While I mostly use water to form a broth for economical reasons, subbing in vegetable broth will add a deeper flavor to the soup base. My preference is to use low-sodium broths so that my soups aren't too salty and I can adjust the salt as needed, but you can use whatever you like. If you don't need to keep vegetarian, chicken broth is another option. I don't recommend beef broth because it might be too meaty for this vegetable soup.
Substitution Suggestions & Tips
- Use an immersion blender. I love leaving the soup in the pot and using an immersion blender to puree it. This also avoids having to pour boiling hot soup into a blender and back into the pot!. If you don't have an immersion blender, though, no worries, a blender or food processor will be perfect.
- Substitute lime juice. I love the tartness of lemon in this soup! Another lovely flavor pairing with sweet potato is lime, so try fresh lime juice instead of lemon if you wish.
- Add olive oil and cracked black pepper. A little drizzle of olive oil and a grind of fresh black pepper across each soup bowl just before serving is a special touch.
- Add sour cream or yogurt. For a pretty flavor contrast swirl a little sour cream, Greek yogurt, or regular plain yogurt into each serving of soup. Use dairy-free sour cream or yogurt if needed.
Serving Options
- Cornbread - My favorite pairing with sweet potato and coconut soup is a warm basket of gluten free cornbread or gluten free honey cornbread muffins.
- Biscuits – Go all-in on yummy sweet potato flavors with a batch of sweet potato biscuits!
- Salad – For a heartier side, make a quinoa salad with apples, or put together a simple green salad with lots of fresh crunchy vegetables.
- Bread - Pick up a loaf of your favorite gluten-free bread and serve it, toasted or untoasted, with a bowl of hummus or your favorite cheese.
Proper Storage
Transfer the cooled soup to an airtight container such as a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat, heat the soup in the microwave or a pot over low heat until heated through.
More Veggie Soup Recipes
If you made Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how it went in the comments below! And I always appreciate a star rating if you loved it ❤️
Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, grated and sliced
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 sweet potatoes, (about 2 pounds) peeled and cubed
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3-4 cups water or broth
- 1 14-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, salt, and several grinds of pepper and sauté until soft, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add the sweet potatoes, ginger, lemon juice, 3 cups of the broth, and the coconut milk. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
- Using a stick blender, puree the soup until very smooth. Or, carefully transfer the hot soup to a blender and blender until smooth. Serve with lemon slices or wedges.
Notes
- Use an immersion blender. I love leaving the soup in the pot and using an immersion blender to puree it. This also avoids having to pour boiling hot soup into a blender and back into the pot!. If you don't have an immersion blender, though, no worries, a blender or food processor will be perfect.
- Substitute lime juice. I love the tartness of lemon in this soup! Another lovely flavor pairing with sweet potato is lime, so try fresh lime juice instead of lemon if you wish.
- Add olive oil and cracked black pepper. A little drizzle of olive oil and a grind of fresh black pepper across each soup bowl just before serving is a special touch.
- Add sour cream or yogurt. For a pretty flavor contrast swirl a little sour cream, Greek yogurt, or regular plain yogurt into each serving of soup. Use dairy-free sour cream or yogurt if needed.
Helen Spiridakis says
Nice post.....it sounds positively great for winter....but I know firsthand it works all year. Very nutrient rich and delicious. Love the photos! Keep writing. We love it!