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!
Reasons to love this Thai curry sweet potato soup
- it's ready in 30 minutes
- it is dairy-free and vegan-friendly
- it freezes great!
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.
Don't forget to pin this post to save it for later!
Which ingredients will we need?
- Sweet potatoes- around 4 cups, cubed. I leave the skin on!
- Aromatics- dice an onion, mince 2 cloves garlic, and grate some ginger (use the fine end of a box grater)
- Carrots- 2, peeled and sliced.
- 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!
- 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!
- Red lentils- other types of lentils probably won't work in this recipe
- Broth- I used my homemade bone broth, but any chicken or vegetable stock will work!
- 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
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.
Tips:
Video
Nutrition Information
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olivia says
So good. Had a bunch of cilantro that I needed to use up so added that in, along with the zest and juice of a big lime. Increased the curry paste just a tad, and omitted the fish sauce, since am not a fan. I know I made a few changes, but I don't think - hope, at least - that I completely slaughtered your recipe:) Really excellent consistency and taste and it's a perfect well-rounded dinner!
Dana says
Any advice on doing this in the slow cooker?
Ann says
I never review recipes because I never follow them exactly. I didn’t follow this one exactly but close enough that I had to review. It’s absolutely delicious!! I skipped the fish sauce (vegan), added a heaping 1 cup red lentils(instead of the 3/4 cup), used 1/2 can lite coconut milk, skipped the salt, doubled the red chili paste, and added 4 cups of water, just to make more 🙂 Close enough, right?
Don’t skip the lime juice. I almost did thinking it wasn’t important but it is. Cuts the sweetness perfectly.
Oh my. So so yummy!!!!
Rachel says
This was pretty good! Now that I think about it I'm not quite sure what I expected this to taste like but I like it. It was a little bland for me - I think next time I make it I'll bump up the salt to 1/2 teaspoon. I'd also be curious to try this with a mix of sweet potatoes and butternut squash.
As a general FYI, I did add a little bit of heavy cream when reheating in the microwave to bump up the liquid content a little bit.
Graeme says
Made for the first time tonight. Outstanding and have book marked. I doubled the red curry paste. Before blending I reserved a quarter of vegetables and added back during plating up. After blending I added shredded chicken and peas and served over rice. Peas to increase daily veg and rice to increase calories for sport
Denise Bustard says
Hi Graeme! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed. Thanks so much for reporting back and sharing your modifications, that's super helpful!
Adz says
Hi what type of onions did you use?
Ellen says
I make this 2x/month throughout the winter. We love it. Whenever I make the soup and share the recipe I use "2" cups of sweet potatoes, which is what is says on "yummly"website and is what it looks like you're using in your video, but, in the recipe it says 4 cups. Just curious, which is correct
Denise says
Hi Ellen, I'm so happy to hear you love this recipe! It does call for 4 cups, but if you enjoyed it with 2, then that's great.
Kelly Silver says
My boyfriend and I loved this so much we meal prepped this two weeks in a row! This recipe is super easy to make.
Denise says
Hi Kelly! You are on a roll! So happy you've enjoyed the soup. I really appreciate you taking the time to leave a review 🙂
Laurel says
Delicious! This is one of our favorite soups!
Denise says
I'm so happy to hear this, Laurel! Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to leave a review, I really appreciate it!
Kosh says
Wow sensational tastes amazing. Simply Divine❤️
Natalie Lanoville says
I've made a vegan version of this soup probably at least half-a-dozen times, maybe more. I absolutely love it, and tweet about it all the time. I skip the fish sauce (obvs) and have a vegan jarred red curry paste. The only thing I scratch my noggin at is the 2 cloves of garlic? Two cloves of garlic is for salad dressing in my house. So I use a half-dozen large. Thanks so much for this delicious recipe!!
Denise says
I'm so happy to hear this, Natalie! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review <3
Feta Topalu says
It’s the season for sweet potatoes and soup!! ..and those two put together 🤩🤩
Jeff Q says
A 5 star rating from everyone in my family, inclusding all 3 ids! Spectacular!
Denise says
WOW! Thanks Jeff! So happy you all enjoyed and thanks so much for leaving a review 🙂
Tony Payne says
This sounds good whether it's sweet potatoes or butternut squash. I must try it for lunch at work.
I assume it microwaves ok?
Denise says
Yes! It microwaves great and freezes really well too!
Denise says
So happy to hear that, Elizabeth! I am happy to hear it works in the IP too! Thanks so much for your review.
Tiffany says
I have made this soup over a dozen times! It’s a favourite in my house. I usually double and I’ve even tripled the recipe and gifted some soup! We love to add thinly sliced, super ripe mango As a garnish- it’s absolutely delicious! And as a bonus, I’ve made potatoe and pea samosas to dip in and honestly, it’s divine. I’m preparing to make some this weekend!
Denise says
Hi Tiffany, I'm so happy you enjoy this soup! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review 🙂 Also I'm going to have to try it with mango now!
Francesca Kosharian says
Love this recipe simply Devine and the mango I added as a garnish takes it to the next level ❤️
Denise Bustard says
Hi Fancesca! Woo hoo, that's so great to hear! I'm intrigued by the mango and might have to try. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to leave a review, I really appreciate it!