Carrot, Sweet Potato, + Ginger Soup

I make Carrot, Sweet Potato, + Ginger Soup pretty much weekly as soon as the temperatures drop. It's wildly flavorful, especially considering how low maintenance it is. Packed with carrots, sweet potatoes, ginger, turmeric, lime, and cilantro – this soup  comes together with a few basic steps. Saute the aromatics, add the cubed up veg and simmer with stock just until fork-tender to keep the flavor super bright. Blend, and serve with more lime and fresh cilantro. One of the best parts of this soup is the texture. It is SO velvety. When you cook really fibrous vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes down, something truly magical happens once they're blended. They yield the dreamiest, creamiest texture, no cream required. If you have a really high powered blender like a Vitamix, secure the top on carefully, and gradually increase the speed and blend for a minute or so, until the soup is completely smooth.

Check out the Riffs section under the recipe for inspiration on switching up the flavor profiles.  If you haven't made this recipe before, first follow it to a T so you can experience the magic in it's simplicity. Then next time throw in a spoonful of Thai red curry paste or garlic chili paste with the onions if you're feelin' it. You'll notice that half of the ginger is added with the veggies and the other half right before blending - this adds different layers of ginger flavor, one that is really rounded out, and one that has a bit of a fresher kick. Add it all while cooking the veg or right before blending to streamline if preferred.

Carrot, Sweet Potato, + Ginger Soup

Packed with carrots, sweet potatoes, ginger, turmeric, lime, and cilantro - this wildly flavorful soup comes together in 45 minutes. Serves 4.

Prep:
10
min
cook:
35
min
total:
45
min
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
  • 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • kosher salt
  • 1 lb carrots, cubed (about 3 and 1/2 cups when cubed)
  • 1 lb sweet potato, peeled and cubed (about 3 cups when cubed)
  • 3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons diced or grated fresh ginger, divided
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, I love Diaspora Co. turmeric
  • juice of 1 lime, plus wedges for serving
  • 1/4 cup cilantro leaves and stems, plus more for serving
  • Toppings:
  • Fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
  • Lime wedges
  • Crushed red chili flakes such as gochugaru flakes a kind of Korean chili flake, or even Marash or Aleppo if youhave them on hand.

Instructions

Sweat the onions + garlic

  1. Add olive oil to a heavy bottomed stockpot or dutch oven over medium heat.
  2. Add diced onion, stir to coat in olive oil, and season generously with kosher salt.
  3. Saute diced onion over medium heat for several minutes until soft, stirring occasionally. You're not going for browning here - just gently sweating the onion until soft and translucent to keep the flavor more delicate.
  4. Add diced garlic, stir, cook until garlic is fragrant, about a minute or so.

Simmer the veg until fork-tender

  1. Add the sweet potatoes, carrots, broth, and half of the ginger to pot. The veggies should be submerged - if they aren't, add a little more broth to cover.
  2. Season generously with several big pinches of kosher salt, bring to a boil, and then simmer, covered with lid, for about 25 minutes, or just until the veggies are fork-tender.

Add remaining aromatics + blend

  1. When sweet potatoes and carrots are cooked through, add the remaining ginger, turmeric, lime juice, and cilantro to the pot, and give everything a big stir to combine. If you are worried about turmeric staining your blender, add it to the pot after blending if preferred.
  2. Blend everything in a blender or with an immersion blender until smooth. If you have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix, gradually increase the speed and blend for over a minute - it'll become wildly velvety and smooth. Transfer back into dutch oven to keep warm until serving. Taste and adjust to add more salt and lime if needed.

Finish + serve

  1. Serve while warm. Top individual bowls with more chopped cilantro, freshly squeezed lime juice and crushed red chili flakes.

Let's riff
  • The Veggies: Use all carrots or all sweet potatoes if preferred. I've also incorporated cauliflower florets, which add creaminess without overwhelming the carrots and sweet potatoes. Butternut squash would also work well here.
  • The Stock: Chicken stock or broth are my go-tos for richness. Vegetable stock or broth work for vegetarian and vegan swaps. If you have all of the ingredients on hand except for stock - skip a trip to the store and just use water in a pinch. If using water, you'll likely want to up the amount of kosher salt and other aromatic ingredients for added flavor. Season and taste as you go!
  • The Optional Flavorful Add-Ins: If you're using veggie broth I highly recommend adding a tablespoon of miso paste while cooking the onions to add a punch of flavor. Adding up to 1 cup of canned, full-fat unsweetened coconut milk adds richness and fattiness - it definitely switches up the flavor profile so if you go that route, start with a splash, stir, and taste.
  • The Heat: I *love* adding sambal olek (garlic chili paste) or Thai red curry for a little heat. Korean chili paste would add heat with some welcome funk. If you add these, add them into the pot with the onions.

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Hilario Druitt
April 17, 2024
Tilly Killough
April 16, 2024
Jeannine Turner
April 13, 2024
Alvin Goold
April 7, 2024
Dean Baader
April 6, 2024
Frank Hardie
April 5, 2024
Elvira
April 4, 2024
Aleisha Lee
March 31, 2024
Noreen Stretch
March 28, 2024
Sherman Cruz
March 25, 2024
Ludie Key
March 23, 2024
Gini
March 20, 2024
Loved the soup. Croutons too much trouble. Fast in a cup!
Ray Beall
March 16, 2024
Richard
February 22, 2024
send me fruits to add with another fruit to cure disease
Deneen Medland
April 17, 2023
Kelle Trouton
April 17, 2023
Caroline
January 23, 2023
I made this same amazing salad with the following additions: I used a bed of chopped romaine hearts, and squeezed the juice of all the trimmed cara cara oranges, plus 1/2 lemon, added a drizzled of Tupelo honey on top. The herbs: chopped fennel fronds and mint. Everyone went crazy for it!
Marcus
YUM! Definitely going to pair this with a nice and funky natty white next time!
Caroline
January 23, 2023
I made this same amazing salad with the following additions: I used a bed of chopped romaine hearts, and squeezed the juice of all the trimmed cara cara oranges, plus 1/2 lemon, added a drizzled of Tupelo honey on top. The herbs: chopped fennel fronds and mint. Everyone went crazy for it!