This vegan sweet potato red pepper soup is so easy to make! Keep it simple, or use one of my seasoning suggestions to vary the flavors. It can be prepared with fresh red peppers in summertime or roasted bell peppers from the jar.

Soup has been the last thing on my mind during this warm, humid month. But we had a burst of cool weather on Sunday. So, I seized an opportunity to make something warming. Two loaves of Ali’s peasant bread and a pot of this sweet potato red pepper soup were the result.

This isn’t my first time making the soup. It’s a combination I turn to again and again. I season the soup differently almost every time I cook it.

Sometimes I use curry paste, extra garlic, and lime. Once in a while, I’ll add curry powder and vegan yogurt. At other times, I make it with smoked paprika and chili. The beauty of the soup is that it’s a solid base and canvas for adaptation.

Why sweet potato & red peppers are a winning combination

This soup is just one of many ways that I like to combine sweet potatoes and red peppers. For me, they’re a winning combination. I love their combined sweetness, offset by the brightness of the peppers.

I’ve used sweet potatoes and red peppers in a creamy spread. I especially like to pair them up in a vegan “quesadilla” (nontraditional).

Do I need to use red peppers for the soup?

Not exactly. You can use yellow or orange bell peppers instead of red.

But I don’t recommend green bell peppers for the soup. They don’t have the same level of sweetness as red, orange, or yellow. They’ll also create a different—not as appetizing—color when you blend them up!

Can I use roasted red peppers from the jar?

Yes! Using jarred red peppers will make the sweet potato red pepper soup seasonal year-round.

I love using fresh peppers in this soup during the summer months. It’s a joy to roast them from scratch. I think their flavor is more prominent when I prepare them this way.

But I’ve definitely made the soup with jarred, roasted bell peppers. It works nicely, and the jarred peppers also have a slight acidity that works well in the soup.

If you use jarred peppers in this recipe, don’t forget to adjust the salt you add accordingly. Jarred peppers are typically pretty salty, so it won’t be necessary to season heavily.

Sweet potato red pepper soup flavor variations

This soup’s adaptability is its superpower!

It’s a simple base: just onion, garlic, sweet potato, and broth. These ingredients go into the blender (or get pureed with an immersion blender). The special ingredient is that red bell pepper, fresh or preserved.

Seasoning is your adventure of choice. I’ve come up with four variations that I love:

Thai inspired

Add two extra cloves minced garlic to the base ingredients. Then, add 2 tablespoons red curry paste to the soup before simmering (along with the potatoes, broth, and salt).

Indian inspired

Add 1 teaspoon mustard seeds and 1 teaspoon cumin seeds to the hot oil before adding the onion. When the mustard seeds start popping, add the onion.

Add a tablespoon of curry powder to the soup before simmering (along with the potatoes, broth, and salt).

After the soup has finished cooking and blending, stir in 1 cup plain vegan yogurt of choice. Serve with fresh, chopped cilantro. You can also stir in some cooked basmati rice for extra staying power.

Smoky

Add 1 teaspoon smoked paprika and 1 teaspoon chili powder to the soup before simmering (along with the potatoes, broth, and salt).

Alternately, add 2 tablespoons chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.

5-Spice

Add 1 tablespoon minced ginger to the soup along with the garlic. Add 2 teaspoons Chinese five spice powder to the soup before simmering (along with the potatoes, broth, and salt).

Storing and reheating sweet potato red pepper soup

I’ve been polishing off bowls of the soup all week for lunch. I pile them with rustic croutons, and I serve them with a simple salad.

Soup leftovers will keep for up to four days in airtight containers in the fridge. They also freeze incredibly well! You can pop your leftovers in the freezer for up to six weeks.

4.32 from 25 votes

Simple Sweet Potato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Author – Gena Hamshaw

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Prep Time: 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 large or 6 small red bell peppers (substitute 1 1/2 cups jarred, roasted red bell peppers, chopped roughly before measuring)
• 1 tablespoon neutral vegetable oil, such as refined avocado or grapeseed
• 1 large or 2 small white or yellow onions, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped (1 1/2 lb after preparation)
• 5 cups vegetable broth (or 4 cups broth + 1 cup water)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (adjust based on the saltiness of your broth and whether you use jarred peppers)
• Juice of 1 lime
• Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
• Croutons, for topping (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 450F. Arrange the peppers on 1 or 2 parchment or foil-lined baking sheets. Roast for 40 minutes, or until the skins are wrinkled and charred. Remove the peppers from the oven and allow them to cool and collapse (about 20-30 minutes). Remove the stems, skins, and seeds from the peppers; chop the peppers roughly and set them aside until you’re ready to use. They can be transferred to an airtight container and stored in the fridge for up to a week.
• Heat the oil or water in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the onion. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5-7 minutes, or until the onion is soft and clear. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so. Add the potato, broth, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.
• Add the roasted peppers to the pot. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup till it's smooth and creamy, or transfer it to a blender in batches and blend till smooth. Transfer the soup back to the pot and heat gently. If the soup is thicker than you'd like, add some extra broth or water to achieve a desired consistency. Add the lime juice and crushed red pepper to taste; taste and adjust the seasonings as desired. Serve.

Video

https://youtu.be/SuoklUib6GY

Homemade croutons (and other garnishes)

For croutons, I simply cut a couple slices of the peasant bread into cubes and transferred them to a parchment lined baking sheet. I sprayed them with olive oil spray and baked at 350F for 15 minutes. I checked them a couple times to be sure they didn’t burn. Easy peasy.

You can use any type of bread boule—sourdough, peasant bread, a whole grain loaf—to make the croutons.

Or, you can serve the soup with tortilla chips, a scoop of whole grains (I like doing this with quinoa), or toasted seeds.

You can also skip a topping and choose to focus on a side dish instead. The soup is lovely with a slice of avocado toast or a salad.

Hope you’ll find this sweet potato red pepper soup to be as versatile and tasty as I have. It’s a good mainstay, but it’s also a lovely side dish for the fall and winter holidays, too!

Enjoy the soup, stay cool, and I’ll see you on Sunday with some fresh recipes and reads.

xo