Easy Instant Pot Sweet Potato Soup
This comforting winter soup cooks in less than 20 minutes in the Instant Pot, but tastes like it's been simmering away all day on the stovetop.
Serves4
Prep15 minutes
Cook17 minutes
One of my favorite wintertime meals is soup — especially when it’s been simmering on the stove for hours (and making my house smell amazing in the process). But in all honesty, I rarely have time to dedicate a full day to soup-making. That’s where my Instant Pot comes in.
The cult-favorite stovetop pressure cooker makes it possible to cook my favorite soup recipes in under an hour, and they still taste like they have that simmered-all-day flavor. That’s because the steam and pressure from the Instant Pot causes the flavors to meld quickly for a depth of flavor you would never be able to achieve on the stove in the same amount of time.
The soup I make time and time again is sweet potato soup, both for workday lunches and as a Thanksgiving appetizer (it’s that versatile!) What’s great about this soup is it’s made with ingredients I always have in my kitchen during the winter months. It’s also a crowd-pleaser — even the pickiest of eaters love this recipe.
I also love that using the Instant Pot frees up stovetop space, which is especially useful if I’m making it for Thanksgiving or a wintertime dinner party. Once the soup is done, I just keep it in my Instant Pot on the Keep Warm setting so that my guests can help themselves while I finish preparing the rest of the meal.
Read more: 75+ Recipes to Make in Your Instant Pot
Tips for Making Pressure Cooker Soup
When converting one of your favorite soup recipes to be compatible with your Instant Pot, it’s important to look at the amount of liquid in the ingredient list. Since the pressure cooker is a steam capsule, it needs a lot less liquid than the average stovetop soup — it extracts flavors from the ingredients much faster, and liquid doesn’t evaporate like it does when it simmers on the stove. It takes a bit of trial and error, but even the flops still taste delicious.
I recommend starting by cutting the amount of stock or liquid in half from your original stovetop recipe. If the soup is still too watery after cooking, press the Sauté button on the Instant Pot and allow the soup to simmer and reduce until it reaches your desired consistency. Next time you make that specific soup, add half the amount of stock you tried previously, and you probably will get it just right!
Instant Pot Sweet Potato Soup
This comforting winter soup cooks in less than 20 minutes in the Instant Pot, but tastes like it's been simmering away all day on the stovetop.
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 17 minutes
Serves 4
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds
sweet potatoes
- 1
medium shallot
- 2 cloves
garlic
- 1 1/2 teaspoons
chopped fresh sage leaves
- 1 teaspoon
chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons
chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 2 tablespoons
olive oil
- 1 teaspoon
kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon
ground cinnamon
- 2 cups
low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup
heavy cream or coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon
maple syrup
Instructions
Peel 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces, and place in a medium bowl. Dice 1 shallot and mince 2 garlic cloves, and place both in a small bowl. Chop 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh sage leaves and 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, and place both in a small bowl. Chop 2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves and reserve for garnish.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil an electric pressure cooker or Instant Pot with the Sauté function until shimmering. Add the shallot and garlic and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the thyme and sage, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and cook 1 minute more. Add the sweet potato and cook until lightly golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups vegetable broth.
Lock the lid on and make sure the valve is set to seal. Cook under HIGH pressure for 8 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release for 5 minutes. Quick release the remaining pressure.
Use an immersion blender to purée the soup directly in the pot until smooth. (Alternatively, transfer the soup to a stand blender and blend until smooth, then return to the pot.) Stir in 1/2 cup heavy cream or coconut milk and 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve garnished with the parsley.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 5 days.
Excerpted from Instant One Pot Meals. Copyright 2018 by Laura Arnold. Reproduced by permission of The Countryman Press. All rights reserved.