Creamy Thai Curry Sweet Potato Soup

Creamy Thai curry sweet potato soup is slightly sweet and spicy, and is so creamy! With red lentils, carrots, and Thai red curry paste.

I'm a total sucker for a thick and creamy soup. Butternut squash soup and roasted cauliflower soup are up there amongst my favorites, but this Thai currysoup takes the top spot!

Sweet potatoes and Thai curry may not immediately seem like the should go together, but oh my goodness. They sure do.

It doesn't matter what season it is, I crave this soup!

Red curry paste, fish sauce and lime juice bring the spicy/salty/sour flavors that are characteristic of Thailand, while sweet potatoes balance everything out with a bit of sweetness, and coconut milk brings a rich, creamy texture to the soup.

Between the red lentils, sweet potatoes and coconut milk, you will be hard pressed to find anything creamier than this Thai curry lentil soup!

Recipe video

Are you a visual learner? It always helps me to watch a video demo when prepping a recipe for the first time. Watch the video below to see how this soup is made! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.

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Which ingredients will we need?

1. Sweet potatoes- around 4 cups, cubed. I leave the skin on!
2. Aromatics- dice an onion, mince 2 cloves garlic, and grate some ginger (use the fine end of a box grater)
3. Carrots- 2, peeled and sliced.
4. Coconut milk- I actually really like the Thai Kitchen brand because it is so thick and creamy, but the Grace brand worked well in this recipe. Definitely go for full fat coconut milk if you can!
5. Fish sauce & Thai red curry paste- again I love the Thai Kitchen brand, although I highly recommend the Mae Ploy red curry paste if you can find it!
6. Red lentils- other types of lentils probably won't work in this recipe
7. Broth- I used my homemade bone broth, but any chicken or vegetable stock will work!
8. Lime juice- I prefer fresh, but work with what you've got!

Tips for the creamiest soup

This soup is all about that creamy texture. Here are a few tips to get the best texture:

• cook until sweet potatoes and carrots are fork tender- if they still are still firm, your soup will not be smooth
• use full fat coconut milk- a good quality, full fat coconut milk gives this soup rich body and texture.
• puree for longer than you might think- with my immersion blender I do a full minute, sometimes longer. There are always sneaky veggies hiding in the corner

Best Thai red curry paste?

I have tried so many! We love Thai kitchen brand, but have also enjoyed Mae Ploy and Cock brand. We are not a fan of Blue Dragon red curry paste.

Cook ahead and eat later

Soup works amazingly well for meal prep and this sweet potato soup is no exception. Here is how to store it:

• store in the fridge for up to 4 days
• store in the freezer for 3 months+

I like freezing in 1 quart jars (leave ¼ empty and lids ajar until it freezes), or these reusable plastic freezer jars.

Make it vegan!

Swap the fish sauce for vegan fish sauce or a few teaspoons of soy/tamari. Also- check the label on your curry paste as some contain seafood.

Instant Pot?

Yes. Sautée the onions & curry paste, deglaze the pan well, add all ingredients, and pressure cook on high pressure for 5 minutes with a 10 minute natural pressure release. A double batch of this soup fits well in the 8 quart Instant Pot.

Ingredient swap suggestions

While I haven't tested these, I feel confident that these swaps would work in this recipe

• Swap sweet potatoes for butternut squash or more carrots
• Swap coconut milk for full fat cream
• Swap carrots for extra sweet potatoes
• Red lentils- extra sweet potatoes

More soup for you!

• Healthy Broccoli Cheese Soup
• Healthier Beef Barley Soup
• Hearty Lentil Soup
• Crockpot Broccoli Turmeric Soup
• Crockpot Taco Soup

This post was originally published in 2014, but was updated with fresh photos & video in 2019. Same great recipe!

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

Thai Curry Sweet Potato Soup

4.45 from 47 votes

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

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Creamy Thai curry sweet potato soup is full of nourishing ingredients including red lentils, sweet potatoes and coconut milk that will fill you up while keeping things healthy.

6

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 medium onion (diced)
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon ginger (finely grated)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
• ▢ 4 cups sweet potato (peeled and diced into ½ inch cubes; roughly 500 g)
• ▢ 2 carrots (peeled and sliced)
• ▢ 3 cups stock (veggie or chicken; or homemade bone broth)
• ▢ ¾ cup dried red lentils
• ▢ 1 ½ tablespoons fish sauce
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt

After simmering:

• ▢ 13.5 oz coconut milk (full fat recommended)
• ▢ ½ lime (juiced)

Instructions 

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
• Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and cooked through (roughly 5-7 minutes).
• Add the garlic and ginger, and cook for one minute.
• Add the curry paste and stir until onions/garlic/ginger are coated and you can smell the curry paste, 30 seconds-1 minute.
• Add the sweet potato, carrots, stock, lentils, fish sauce, and salt. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, until lentils and sweet potato are cooked through.
• Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth and creamy. Stir in the coconut milk and lime juice.

Storage

• This soup can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days or frozen for 3-6 months.

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Tips:

Instant Pot

Sauté the onions & curry paste, deglaze the pan well with the stock, add all ingredients, and pressure cook on high pressure for 5 minutes with a 10 minute natural pressure release. Puree and add in the coconut and lime juice after cooking. A double batch of this soup fits well in the 8 quart Instant Pot.

Video

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/6 of batch, Calories: 332kcal, Carbohydrates: 40g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Sodium: 994mg, Potassium: 759mg, Fiber: 11g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 16629IU, Vitamin C: 8mg, Calcium: 71mg, Iron: 5mg

Author: Denise Bustard

Course: Lunch

Cuisine: Thai

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