Warm up with this classic Sweet Potato Dessert Soup recipe, featuring tender sweet potatoes infused with aromatic fresh ginger in a hearty sugar syrup. This easy Asian sweet soup is simple to make, naturally vegan, and perfect for a comforting dessert or snack.

Featured image of sweet potato ginger dessert soup

What Is Sweet Potato Dessert Soup?

Step foot inside a Chinese household when they serve tong sui (dessert soup) and you’ll most likely encounter Chinese sweet potato dessert soup, especially during the winter months.

Cantonese sweet potato dessert soup (番薯糖水) is a traditional Chinese dessert made by gently simmering sweet potatoes in a lightly sweetened ginger broth. The sweet potatoes are soft and tender, and just melt in your mouth along with the fragrant ginger sugar syrup.

This Asian dessert soup is known for being soothing, warming and perfect when the weather gets cold.

My parents used to make sweet potato tong sui a lot during winters here in Canada.

It’s fast and easy and only requires a few ingredients, making it perfect for households short on time.

Let’s discuss some of the key ingredients that you’ll need for this Chinese sweet potato ginger dessert soup recipe.

Sweet Potato Dessert Soup Ingredient Notes

Sweet potatoes: Make sure that you’re using regular sweet potatoes, the kind that has an orange flesh inside. Do not use yams for this sweet potato ginger dessert soup recipe; that is something else!

Ginger: The ginger adds aroma and spiciness to the syrup and helps to balance out some of the sweetness of the syrup. Make sure that your using old ginger (regular kind) and not the young ones!

Chinese brown sugar slabs: Chinese brown sugar slabs aren’t as sweet as regular white granulated sugar and is often times used in Chinese desserts along with rock sugar. The brown sugar slabs will also help add a nice golden brown color to our syrup as well.

Table salt: a tiny pinch is added to the dessert soup to help balance out the sweetness.

Substitutions

Table salt: You can substitute it with sea salt.
Chinese brown sugar slabs: You can substitute them with rock sugar. Try to use the yellow kind of rock sugar to add a nice yellow color to the syrup.

How to Make Sweet Potato Dessert Soup

To start, remove the skin from a piece of ginger and slice the ginger into 5-6 thick slices. Then smash the ginger slices using your knife or a blunt object.

Then, take your brown sugar slabs and break them into smaller pieces so that they will melt faster.

Chinese brown sugar slab broken into smaller pieces

Now, in a large pot add in your water, ginger slices, and the brown sugar pieces.

Ginger, brown sugar, and water inside of pot

Bring the pot to a boil with the lid covered with a slight opening over medium to medium-high heat.
While your water is heating up, wash and remove the skin from your sweet potatoes.
Now, cut the sweet potatoes into thick wedges roughly about 2 inches in width.

Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to medium and add your cut sweet potatoes to the pot. Give it a quick mix and let it cook on medium heat with the lid covered with a slight opening. Occasionally, mix the sweet potatoes around in the pot.

Cook the sweet potatoes until they are soft and tender (approximately 20-25 minutes).
Once the sweet potatoes are soft enough, turn off the stove and add in a pinch of salt.

Mix everything well together and then serve while hot.

Finished making sweet potato dessert soup in pot

Another blog image of sweet potato dessert soup

A Few Helpful Tips

Keep peeled sweet potatoes soaked in water if not cooking right away: This helps prevent them from browning and undergoing oxidation right away.
Don’t boil and cook the sweet potatoes for too long: If you cook the sweet potatoes for to long then they will become too soft and mushy and will easily break apart.
Taste the ginger syrup and make adjustments to suit your own palate: Remember to taste the ginger syrup while it’s cooking to ensure that the sweetness level is just right for you. You can either reduce or increase the amount of sugar, ginger, or water, depending on your own taste.

Common Mistakes Beginners Make

Cooking the sweet potatoes for too long. This leads to overly soft and mushy sweet potatoes that easily disintegrate in the ginger sugar soup.
Not cooking the sweet potatoes immediately after cutting them open or soaking them in water if not cooking immediately. This leads to browning on the sweet potatoes.

Storage Tips

The sweet potato ginger dessert soup can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Other Similar Recipes

If you enjoy soup-based dessert soups (糖水) then I recommend that you try black sesame tang yuan (湯圓), Chinese black sesame dessert soup, and Chinese tofu pudding. All of these recipes are similar to sweet potato and ginger dessert soup.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can I Use a Different Type of Sweet Potato for This Recipe?

It’ll probably work, however you won’t get the traditional orange color from this dish.

If you want your Chinese ginger sweet potato soup to be authentic then stick with using regular sweet potatoes.

Can I Use Yams Instead of Sweet Potatoes?

No.

How Long Should I Cook My Sweet Potatoes For?

The sweet potatoes should be cooked in the ginger sugar syrup until they are fork tender. It should take around 20-25 minutes.

How Do I Know When My Sweet Potatoes Are Ready?

Take a chopstick or fork and try to poke a hole in the sweet potato. The chopstick or fork should easily poke through and make a hole in the sweet potato if it’s soft enough.

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