Sweet Potato Soup with a homemade pecan bacon topping feels like fall in a cup. It’s savory with a hint of sweet, creamy, and comforting. Warm up a gray day with this bright and cozy soup!
Sweet Potato Soup with Pecan Bacon Topping
When it comes to sweet potatoes your first thought might not be to blend them into a soup. However, the great thing about sweet potatoes is how versatile they can be. Packed full of nutrients you could almost even say this soup is healthy. Okay maybe not with the heavy cream, bacon, and brown sugar, but it is still packed with veggies and fiber! Plus the bright orange color makes this dish appealing to the eyes and the stomach. Sweet potatoes are blended with savory onions and garlic, seasoned with ginger, cinnamon, and chili powder for some depth, and mixed with heavy cream to give you a decadent soup for the fall and winter. The homemade topping of caramelized crispy bacon and pecans adds a salty meets sweet combo as a garnish and gives some texture to the soup itself. Serve it up with a fresh winter salad and a side of crusty bread to complete this unique meal.
Now that we’ve got sweet potatoes on hand, use up the rest of that big bag by whipping up some Mashed Sweet Potatoes for a side dish, or create a classic with this Amazing Sweet Potato Casserole!
What if I don’t have an immersion blender?
No problem there, we just have to get a little creative. Use a regular blender or a food processor and work in small batches to blend up the sweet potato mixture into the smooth soup we’re looking for. Add in the heavy cream and blend again in batches or just be sure to stir until it fully combines with the soup.
How To Make Sweet Potato Soup with Pecan Bacon Topping
- Melt. Add the salted butter to a large pot over medium heat. Melt and stir in the diced onion. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the onion is soft.
- Saute. Sprinkle in half of the minced garlic, chili powder, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and ginger. Saute until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds or so.
- Stir. Add in the sweet potatoes, vegetable broth, and apple cider. Stir to combine everything. Turn the heat up and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Simmer. Once boiling, turn the heat to low and simmer the soup for about 30 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are fork tender.
- Cook. In the meantime, we can cook up the bacon. Use a medium skillet over medium heat to fry up the chopped bacon to your desired level of crispiness. Drain the excess grease.
- Combine. Add in the remaining garlic, pecans and brown sugar. Stir to combine and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Caramelize. Pour in 3 tablespoons of water and cook until it dissolves and the brown sugar has caramelized, about 8 minutes. Stir constantly to avoid burning the sugar and garlic.
- Cool. Allow the caramelized bacon and pecans to cool then break apart any large pieces.
- Blend. Once the potatoes are tender, use an immersion blender to blend up the sweet potatoes until smooth. Pour in the heavy cream and blend again until incorporated.
- Simmer. Let the soup simmer all together for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Serve. Serve with a generous crumble of the caramelized pecans and bacon along with some fresh green onions as a garnish and enjoy.
Storing Sweet Potato Soup with Pecan Bacon Topping
Leftover soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Store the caramelized bacon and pecans in a separate container from the soup. The crumble will stay fresh for 10 days in the fridge.
Reheat on the stove or in the microwave until heated through. Unfortunately due to the creaminess of this soup, it does not freeze well.
Ingredients Notes for Sweet Potato Soup with Pecan Bacon Topping
For the soup:
- Butter – I like to use salted butter in this recipe because the sweet potatoes absorb so much of the salt we don’t have to worry about too much excess. You can, however, use unsalted butter if you prefer.
- Onion – Yellow or white onions work well in a recipe like this.
- Garlic – Freshly minced and divided. We’ll use half for the soup and half for the topping.
- Spices – Chili powder (it does not make the soup spicy just adds some depth to the flavor), cinnamon, salt and pepper to taste, and ginger powder.
- Sweet Potatoes – You’ll need about 2 ½ pounds of sweet potatoes, peeled, and cut into 1 inch pieces.
- Vegetable broth – You could substitute vegetable stock if you have that on hand, you may just need to up your seasonings to adjust the flavor.
- Apple Cider – Any brand will do or make your own!
- Heavy Cream – When prepping, go ahead and set your heavy cream out so it reaches room temperature before mixing into the soup.
For the topping:
- Bacon – Any type or flavor of bacon can be used depending on your preference. Maple, applewood, whatever you choose roughly chop it into small chunks.
- Pecans – You can buy them already chopped or get them whole and chop them yourself, whichever you prefer.
- Brown Sugar – Light or dark can be used, I like to opt for whatever is already in my pantry.
- Water – Just a few tablespoons to add some moisture to the brown sugar as it caramelizes so it doesn’t burn.
Enjoy!
~Nichole
Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Salted butter
- 1 Yellow onion diced
- 4 Cloves Garlic minced and divided
- 1 tsp Chili powder
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Ginger powder
- 2 1/2 Pounds Sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 6 Cups Vegetable broth
- 1 Cup Apple cider
- 6 Slices Bacon chopped
- 1/2 Cup Chopped pecans
- 1/4 Cup Brown sugar packed
- 1 Cup Heavy cream at room temperature
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat and cook the onion until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in half the garlic, chili powder, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and ginger powder and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Turn the heat up to high and stir in the sweet potatoes, vegetable broth, and apple cider.
- Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and simmer for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- While the soup is cooking, cook the bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat until crispy then drain off the excess grease.
- Stir in the remaining garlic, pecans, and brown sugar and cook until the garlic is fragrant about 30 seconds.
- Stir in 3 tablespoons of water and cook until it’s dissolved, and the brown sugar caramelizes, about 8 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
- Set aside to cool and once the soup is ready, use a spatula to break apart the pieces and crumble to your liking.
- Once the soup is ready, use an immersion blender to blend until smooth, and pour in the heavy cream.
- Stir and simmer for 10 more minutes then serve with the bacon crumbles and sliced green onions for garnish if desired.
