Spicy Sweet Potato Peanut Soup

A touch of peanut butter gives this sweet and spicy soup a creamy texture without any actual cream – keeping it vegan and heart-healthy.

Course Appetizer, Soup

Cuisine African, American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 167kcal

Heat oil in a large soup or stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the shallots. Saute. Add the garlic, chili powder and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the spices are incorporated.
Add the sweet potatoes and broth. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium (a rapid simmer). Cook about 20 minutes - until the potatoes are soft enough to mash with a spoon. Remove the pot from the heat.
Add the room temperature peanut butter. Using a stick or immersion blender on high, blend the soup in the pot until smooth and creamy. Add water or broth (up to ¼ cup at a time) to thin the soup if needed.
Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with roasted, lightly salted peanuts. Enjoy!

Tips for success:

Cut the sweet potatoes into evenly sized pieces for even and quick cooking.
This recipe uses shallots but a medium sweet onion would work too.
Peanut, avocado, or any other neutral tasting oil works great. If you happen to have roasted peanut oil, that woud add a nice nutty flavor.
Go with unsweetened peanut butter. The brand doesn't much matter, look for an ingredient list of simply peanuts or peanuts and salt.
Choose a good broth. It will make a big difference in this soup. Homemade vegetable broth is best but a good store bought one is perfectly fine. Just adjust the salt you add at the end according to the flavor you get from the broth.