Sweet Potato Soup with Coconut Milk
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Sweet Potato Soup with Coconut Milk combines tender sweet potatoes, crispy bacon, and nutritious kale with a flavorful broth enriched with coconut milk. Top this delicious soup with roasted pepitas and serve with crusty bread!
Dairy-Free Sweet Potato Soup
While I don’t specialize in dairy-free cuisine, I do love the taste of coconut milk in many recipes and it shines in this soup and in others – like our Coconut Curry Vegetable Soup and Curry Fish Stew.
After a maddening hot (HOT!) summer, we’re looking so forward to soup season. There is really nothing better than enjoying a warm bowl of soup on a chilly fall day. Right? I’ve said it before – homemade soup and bread are my love language!
Why This Recipe Works:
- SIMPLE – This soup is made in one pot with simple ingredients found at your local grocery store.
- COMFORTING – Creamy soup is a great way to stay cozy on a chilly day.
- FULL OF FLAVOR – We love sweet potato recipes for many reasons but mostly for the natural sweetness. A creamy sweet potato soup with great flavor!
- BEAUTIFUL – We eat with our eyes first, right? The vibrant color of this sweet potato soup recipe is a great way to impress your guests.
Ingredients Used:
Only a handful of ingredients (or two) are needed for this easy sweet potato soup.
- Bacon
- Onion, Carrots, Garlic
- Sweet Potatoes
- Seasonings – Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and onion powder.
- Lower-Sodium Chicken Broth – Or use vegetable stock.
- Full-Fat Coconut Milk – Use coconut cream or cream of coconut for a thicker consistency.
- Kale – Baby spinach works well instead of kale.
- Serve with roasted pepitas, extra bacon, and freshly ground black pepper. Some fresh cilantro would also be an excellent finish.
How to make Sweet Potato Soup with Coconut Milk:
Step 1
Crisp the bacon. In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, add the diced bacon over medium-high heat. Stir with a rubber spatula and cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from the pan and leave some of the grease (or use extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil).
Step 2
Saute veggies. Add the diced onions and carrots to the pot, and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the minced garlic and seasonings (salt, pepper, and onion powder) and stir for another minute.
Step 3
Add sweet potatoes, broth, and milk. Add the diced sweet potatoes to the pot and top with chicken broth and coconut milk. Stir well and bring soup to a boil.
NOTE: If you’d rather make roasted sweet potatoes for this simple soup, use a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast the potatoes spread in an even layer – with olive oil, salt, and pepper until tender.
Step 4
Cook soup. After soup comes to a boil, add bay leaves and then reduce heat to a simmer. Continue cooking until the potatoes are fork tender, about 30 minutes.
Step 5
Puree a portion of soup. (Optional) Use an immersion blender and puree just a portion of the soup – for approximately 30 seconds or so. You’ll want to keep about half of the sweet potatoes intact.
NOTE: For a velvety smooth soup, pour it into a regular blender and pulse until very smooth.
Step 6
Add kale and bacon back to the pot. Then add the massaged kale and crispy bacon to the pot. Cook for a few minutes or until the kale is tender.
Step 7
Serve. Serve sweet potato soup with some extra bacon, roasted pepitas, and and an extra swirl of coconut milk.
Storing and Freezing:
- Store leftover soup in an airtight container for up to four days.
- Freeze soup in a freezer-safe container for up to three months.
What to serve with Sweet Potato Soup:
- BREAD – Chewy French Bread, Garlic Sourdough Bread, Italian Focaccia Bread Recipe, Cast Iron Naan, or Mexican Cornbread Muffins.
- A SALAD – Fried Goat Cheese Salad, Grilled Peach and Burrata Salad, or Arugula Caprese Salad.
- FINISH WITH DESSERT – Skillet Peach Cobbler, Caramel Swirl Ice Cream, Oreo Brownie Cookies, or French Silk Pie.
Recipe FAQs:
The flesh of sweet potatoes is usually sweet and moist. Yams are typically starchier and less sweet than sweet potatoes, and their flesh is dry and starchy. Both are nutritious and provide a good amount of fiber, as well as some vitamins and minerals. However, yams are not as rich in vitamin A as orange-fleshed sweet potatoes.
Yes, you can use dairy in this soup but avoid low-fat milk. I recommend whole milk.
Yes, roasting the sweet potatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper will add even more flavor to the soup but will add more time to the recipe. Both ways are delicious!
You can change the taste of this soup by trying other spices. Try ground cumin for a smoky taste, turmeric for added health benefits, or cardamom, oregano, etc for even more flavor profiles.
Other Delicious Soup Recipes:
Kitchen Tools Used: (affiliate links)
xoxo ~Sue
Sweet Potato Soup with Coconut Milk Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon – chopped
- 1 medium onion – diced
- 2 large carrots – diced
- 3 cloves garlic – minced
- 3 pounds sweet potatoes – peeled and diced
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 4 cups lower-sodium chicken broth
- 15 oz. full-fat unsweetened coconut milk
- 3 cups kale – torn in bite-sized pieces and massaged
- roasted pepitas – to serve
Instructions
- Crisp the bacon. In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, add the diced bacon over medium-high heat. Stir with a rubber spatula and cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from the pan and leave some of the grease (or use extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil).
- Saute veggies. Add the diced onions and carrots to the pot, and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the minced garlic and seasonings (salt, pepper, and onion powder) and stir for another minute.
- Add sweet potatoes, broth, and milk. Add the diced sweet potatoes to the pot and top with chicken broth and coconut milk. Stir well and bring soup to a boil.
- Cook soup. After soup comes to a boil, add bay leaves and then reduce heat to a simmer. Continue cooking until the potatoes are fork tender, about 30 minutes.
- Puree a portion of soup. (Optional) Use an immersion blender and puree just a portion of the soup – for approximately 30 seconds or so. You’ll want to keep about half of the sweet potatoes intact.
- Add kale and bacon back to the pot. Then add the massaged kale and crispy bacon to the pot. Cook for a few minutes or until the kale is tender.
- Serve. Serve sweet potato soup with some extra bacon, roasted pepitas, and and an extra swirl of coconut milk.
Notes
- If you’d rather make roasted sweet potatoes for this simple soup, use a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast the potatoes spread in an even layer – with olive oil, salt, and pepper until tender.
- For a velvety smooth soup, pour it into a regular blender and pulse until very smooth.
What does “massaging” the kale do?
Massaging the kale helps break down the bitterness and makes it soft and more delicious to eat.
Fantastic recipe and I highly recommend a little extra bacon. You will thank me later.