Sweet potato soup is an easy recipe to whip up, but this version has a detail that makes it special: blood orange juice added right after the onions and spices have had time to slowly stew in the oil. It brightens the whole pot without making it taste overly citrusy. Under 30 minutes, under 10 ingredients, and yet it’s the kind of soup that tastes like it took considerably longer. Pair it with my white bean kale soup if you want a second soup in the rotation that hits a similar cozy-but-bright note.
The technique matters here. I cook the onions, garlic, coriander, and chili slowly in a generous pour of olive oil. The goal is to completely soften the onions with zero detectable raw edge on the spice. When you see that slick of oil mingled with spice on the surface, you’re doing it right. That base is what makes a soup this simple taste so rich and complex.
The remaining heft of the soup is pure sweet potato, blended completely smooth. One reader put it well: there’s more body here than you’d expect from so few ingredients. The blood orange does precise work in the background. It keeps the root veg sweetness from tipping over too heavily.
Don’t skip the sweet potato chip garnish. Thin slices sautéed in olive oil, dusted with Old Bay. They add exactly the right crunch and contrasting saltiness on top.
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Sweet Potato Soup with Coriander & Blood Orange
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small red onion, small dice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes
- ¼ cup blood orange juice (from 1 blood orange)
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces
- 5 cups vegetable stock
- salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Equipment
- Blender
Notes
- Juice from a regular orange or a splash or sherry vinegar would be just as nice as the blood orange.
- Also, I garnish this with some little quickie sweet potato chips: just sauté some thin slices in olive oil over medium heat, remove when lightly browned, and then dust them with a bit of salt or spice of your choice (I used Old Bay seasoning).
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, coriander, and chili flakes to the pot. Lower the heat until the sizzling sounds a bit lighter. Stir and sauté this mixture until the onions are stew-y and soft, but not browned, about 8-10 minutes. Add more oil if necessary.
- Add the blood orange juice to the pot and stir. Add the sweet potatoes and stir again. Season everything with lots of salt and pepper. Add the stock to the pot and increase the heat. Once everything’s boiling, bring it down to a simmer.
- Cook the soup until the sweet potatoes are really tender, about 12-15 minutes. Purée the soup in batches in a blender or food processor until completely smooth. Adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve the soup hot with little sweet potato chips and a sprinkle of sesame seeds if you like.
Such spectacular photos! I’ll have to keep your soup tips in mind next time I’m cooking up a batch.
I always struggle with what oil to use as well – there are so many contradictions out there! Lately, I’ve been using ghee (per my yoga / hippie reading: http://www.yogajournal.com/health/56) as my choice but who knows if it’s just another trend oil or could be the answer.
This is such an interesting and tasty-sounding twist on a simple soup. Still seems like it would be easy to make though. Delicious!
You take such beautiful pictures. How does someone take red onion peels and make them look like flowers? Well done! Also I love sweet potato so I need to make this soup.
I made this today. It was really good. It hit the spot during this cold snap we are having. Instead of the sweet potatoes I fried Yukon potatoes in with oil, rosemary and sage that I added at the end.
Really good stuff. Thanks for the recipe
Regarding using olive oil in cooking: I am of the belief to use food how we have for centuries. Olive oil has in fact been used for ‘gentle’ sauteing in Mediterranean style food for as long as the olive groves have existed. However, and here is a tip I learned while studying natural nutrition, always add chopped onion and/or garlic when cooking with olive oil over a low/ medium heat. The sulfur in onions and garlic is a powerful antioxidant that protects the oil for oxidising. If you think about it we generally always add chopped onion and/or garlic when we make soup or sauce or a casserole, right?
Happy cooking with olive oil Laura, love your recipes :)
This soup looks beautiful and the flavors sound like exactly what I need to unclench my shoulders on these subzero days we’ve been having in New York City. Thanks for the idea!
Your gorgeous pictures brighten up my day in this chilly weather. I moved away from olive oil little bit and start using ghee and coconut oil in cooking, I love the taste and smell of these oils.
I don’t use the sesame oil in baking, just for frying.
Try macadamia nut oil, it has a pleasing buttery taste. I use it for shallow frying and in baked goods. Or sesame oil.
I love when something that looks so beautiful is made with all the stuff hanging out in the bottom of my fridge at this very moment. Perhaps a swirl of cilantro oil for party purposes?
That sounds pretty bang-on, Amy! :)
This looks so delicious! Nothing beats a creamy soup on a cold day. And I love the addition of blood orange. Can’t wait to try!
YES! I am so with you on the simple ingredient thing! I’ve been making a veggie stew with little more than 6 ingredients, it leaves me super full and warm, totally essential during these months. I am so intrigued by the blood orange juice, I am totally adding it next time I make sweet potato soup! GP for the win!
I am in love with the color of the soup, so warm, like sunshine in a bowl. Perfect for the season.
That soup is the most beautiful color. I love the idea of punching up sweet potato with citrus!
This soup looks so balanced, fresh and flavorful! And the color – wow. Any vegetarian or meat eater would enjoy it. Thank you for sharing! Best, Shanna
It’s my favorite soup in that book. Can’t wait to try it with blood orange juice next time.
This looks amazing, I really wish I liked sweet potatoes!! The pictures make me want to be brave and try it again in a new way.
I thought the blood orange juice would turn this a shade of pink, but the yellow color is gorgeous! Definitely the kind of hearty soup we need in the Frozen North right now!
goooooorgeous. and ps Winnie’s book! I love it, too.
I too have moved away from grapeseed (and rice bran oil) in the last year or so, after reading about the process it takes to make the stuff (using chemicals!) Ekk. I now only ever use olive oil, ghee and coconut oil.
ps-love that you call her GP you rockstar. Lovely soup!
I praise you that you only get hangry pizza during kitchen renovations; I get them even when I am re doing any part pf the house. I am a fan of grape seed oil too; I have never relaly been in to olive oil as the flavor is way too strong for me.
it is wonderful you are being inspired by short list recipes; they are naked recipes were the best produce makes the best meals and you can focus on your cooking skills. Love this soup; and the colour is so bright and cheerful for the blue cloudy days.
Wow! Absolutely gorgeous. It’s like having sunshine in your bowl. Can’t wait to make this.
This is a favourite in our house; I love how much body this soup has considering it is made up of so few ingredients. Last weekend I made a double batch to freeze so we’ve got sweet potato soup for days! I love the idea of adding orange juice!
I was wondering what to do with the two sweet potatoes sitting in my fridge that are about to go bad. Then I realized I also have all the other ingredients for this soup in my house (minus the blood orange, but I’ll take your word on the substitutions)–problem solved! Thanks for the simple recipe. Your photos are stunning–especially that last one.
I’m with you sister! Sometimes it’s easy to make things/recipes too complicated and miss out on the simple flavors. I have everything I need for this, so be gone polar vortex! Also, can these vortexes pleaseee be over??
The addition of the blood orange juice right after browning the onions a bit is a brilliant idea! Will have to try this for future soup and perhaps other fruits too :) x
Oh yes, I remember those hangry pizzas so well especially during the month or so that we didn’t have any kind of kitchen and had a weird messed up crazy diet. It was so good to get back on an even keel. And I’m all for simplicity and paring down. There’s nothing like a gigantic list of ingredients to put me off a recipe; it just seems like you’re trying to hide something. This soup = perfect.