Spicy Coconut Peanut Soup Recipe

There's nothing that will warm you up quite like a spicy dish, and there's nothing better to fill you up quite like a hearty soup. This spicy coconut peanut soup checks both of those boxes, all while retaining a vegan profile. "My favorite thing about this dish is that is packed with punchy, comforting flavors like hearty sweet potato, nutty peanut butter, and creamy aromatic coconut cream," recipe developer Tanika Douglas describes. She loves how easy it is to make this soup, and once you whip up a batch, you can enjoy it for lunch or dinner. " In addition," she adds, "This soup is vegan and gluten-free, making it very dietary-friendly!"

Douglas also highlights the inclusion of peanut butter in this dish, which may not be too surprising considering this is a peanut soup, but the ingredient does stand out against the otherwise savory elements. "Peanut butter is often used in sweet foods, though the salty, nutty creaminess often works wonderfully in savory foods," Douglas describes, and she also appreciates that this recipe offers a useful way to put the common pantry staple to creative use.

To make this recipe, you'll need some typical soup-starting ingredients, including olive oil, garlic, and an onion, along with fresh ginger, cumin, and chopped red chiles to add a kick of flavor. Next up you'll need sweet potatoes, finely chopped into cubes, along with vegetable stock, canned tomatoes, salt, black pepper, and coconut cream. 

It'd be pretty hard to make peanut soup without peanuts, so you'll need unsalted and roasted ones, both to include in the soup and to use as garnish. You'll also need the special ingredient, AKA peanut butter, and Douglas notes that there's some flexibility with the kind that you use. "Any type of peanut butter will work, but I recommend a peanut butter that is made simply with just peanuts and salt," she explains. "Often times, peanut butter is laden with vegetable oils which can add too much oil to a dish." Creamy or crunchy is up to personal preference, however, and as Douglas says, "Choose your own adventure when it comes to the texture of the peanut butter!"

Finally, you'll need some finishing touches to make the final dish something truly special. You'll want an extra red chile to slice and use as garnish, along with additional coconut cream and fresh cilantro.

Start by grabbing your trustiest soup pot and place it on the stovetop over medium heat. Add in the olive oil, minced garlic, ground cumin, diced onion, freshly grated ginger, and finely chopped chiles, and sauté for about 3 minutes, making sure to stir every now and then. Once the onion is beginning to soften and turn translucent, you can move on to the next step.

Now it's time to build the soup itself; to the pot, add the sweet potatoes, vegetable stock, tomatoes, salt, pepper, peanut butter, 1 ¾ cups of coconut cream (remember that you're reserving some for garnishing), and ¾ cup of the peanuts, roughly chopped. Bring the soup to a boil then reduce it to a simmer, leaving it to cook uncovered for 50 minutes. Be sure to stir the soup every 10 minutes or so. By the time the 50 minutes are up, most of the sweet potatoes will have broken down into the sauce, though some of them will remain cubed — either way, they will be nice and tender.  

Once the soup has finished simmering, go ahead and portion it out into serving bowls. Top off your bowls with the remaining ½ cup of roughly chopped nuts, fresh cilantro, and the remaining coconut cream. And, for an extra kick of spice, garnish your soup with sliced red chile as well. 

This soup does make for a fulfilling meal all on its own, though Douglas has some good pairing options, should you choose to go that route. "You could certainly serve this dish with added protein if you desire! I adore satay tofu skewers, as the peanut butter ties nicely into the soup, but any kind of grilled meat would work as well," she says. "Alternatively, soup and toast always pairs brilliantly!"

If you have leftovers, you're in luck — Douglas notes that the soup stores very well. "In fact, the flavors will only develop even more as time goes on," she says, adding, "I recommend storing this soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days."