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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Mamie says
This soupi s easy and delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Denise says
Hi Mamie, I'm so happy you enjoyed the soup! Thank you for taking time out of your day to leave a review 🙂
Danielle says
This is one of the best soups I've ever had! I used soy sauce to keep it vegan and oh man! It's so velvety and has just enough of a kick to warm you up. I've made it a bunch of times and my twin toddlers love it too! One time I was out of sweet potatoes so I used butternut squash instead and it worked really well too, but the original is perfection. Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe!!
Denise says
Wow! Thank you so much for the awesome review, Danielle, and that's so great to hear the soy sauce works well in this recipe.
Khristen says
This soup is absolutely delicious!! While the temperatures outside aren't fall just yet, although it's October, I've been feeling like making fall-type dishes. I came across your recipe and was extremely interested. It's not spicy whatsoever, but has such a full flavor. The ginger and spices come together perfectly! I ended up using soy sauce instead of fish sauce since that's what I had on hand. I was also nervous to use coconut milk since I'm not a fan of anything coconut. It merged very well, gave a subtle sweetness, and added more creamy goodness to the mix. I think a nice apple cider (alcoholic or non-) would pair great with this. Thank you for sharing your creativity!
Denise says
So happy you enjoyed! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Amber says
I really want to make this, sounds delish. However, I just had weight loss surgery and have to avoid spicy foods. How spicy are we talking here? Do you have a suggestion for a milder version?
Thank you so much!
Denise says
Hi Amber! It's not crazy spicy but it has a bit of a bite. If you want a less spicy soup, you could try this one: https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/vegan-carrot-ginger-soup-instant-pot/
carol says
Soup i make all the time ,i have made this soup today it is fabulous i will be making it again.
Thankyou Denise.x
Denise says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Carol 🙂
Stacey says
I love that all three of my children will eat this, and not even realise it's healthy.
Denise says
That's awesome! I love it when I can sneak some extra veggies into my kiddo's diet 🙂
Maureen says
This recipe looks so tasty that I plan on making it this week but am wondering how it would taste without the coconut milk. I love coconut milk but see that 400 ml is 933 calories. Does the coconut milk really add to the flavour or would milk work as well.
Denise says
Hi Maureen, I HIGHLY recommend going for the coconut milk as it really adds flavor that goes with all the Thai seasonings in the recipe. As you can see, the calorie count is only 200 per serving, so it's not very high at all. You could always try light coconut milk?
Maureen says
Thanks Denise. I will give it a try with the coconut milk.
Aimee says
Is there a swap I can make for the fish sauce? Picky vegetarian in the house. Sorry if this is a repeat question.
Denise says
Hi Aimee! I've had readers omit it and they still enjoyed the soup. I might add a bit of soy sauce in place 🙂
Lisa says
Hi! Would you replace with same amount of soy as used fish sauce, or less? Thanks.
Denise says
Hi Lisa! Unfortunately I myself have not tried. You could try adding in 1 tablespoon and tasting, then adding more if you feel it needs more flavor?
Denise says
I hope you enjoy it, Rayne 🙂
Terra says
I have been making this soup for a few years now and I have to say it is my favourite soup of all times. Life would not be the same without it. I make a HUGE dutch oven full for lunches for my husband and I. It's a warm bowl of comfort that I love in any weather. There is something so smooth and satisfying about it. I can never get enough of this little bowl of goodness.
Denise says
Wow, what a HUGE compliment!! I'm so happy you like it that much, Terra <3
Amanda says
So delicious! My hubby and toddler both enjoyed it too which is very rare! And so easy to make, will become a new regular for me. Will hunt out your soup with lemongrass next.
Denise says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, and wow, the toddler vote of approval is especially awesome! (I have a super picky 3 year old 😛 )
Liz says
Just made this soup! To say it's delish is an understatement! It's the new favourite ?
Denise says
Wow, so happy you enjoyed it, Liz!
Amy says
I'm violently allergic to fish, & apparently vegan fish sauce uses mushrooms & our son is allergic to mushrooms...so, soy was most ofte cited as a substitute & I used that.
So...I used more oil, switched to grapeseed oil (olive oil somehow didn't seem to fit an Asian flavor profile to me).I put tge chopped carrots in 1st & let them soften...then added the sweet potatoes & gor then started to soften, then added the rest. Since the carrots I got weren't very sweet, I added some sugar, ~ 2 tsp. I also used a half pound of Red lentils...because IMHO you can never have too many lentils. The Thai red curry paset I have has what I call an "afterburner" taste: the heat blossoms in the back of your mouth/throat. I added some of my favorite mild curry powder, Madras (I get vit from my spices age dot com) to mellow the buRN h a ltlle Hungarian paprika - ~1 tsp - to bring the burn forward more. .zthe combo didn't alter the overall taste IMHO, even though paprika isn't Thai.
I also served it over plain quinoa, made in my rice cooker.
The overall effect on the heat was mild enough for my husband, but with enough for my hot-sauce-on-everything (well, almost everything) son, it suited my somewhere-in-between heat preference. A constant taste test as I went resulted in these changes. It was very well received, but I was almost overstuffed on half a bowl, so I advisor waiting until 20 min. past your meal starttime to avoid feeling like an over-packed suitcase! lol
Great recipe...I know I changed it up but your basics were great. I wouldn't have thought of carrots & sweet potatoes with red lentils! You're a genius! Also, I hate pureed soups, sorry...I got a taste of them when we lived in Scotland. Both my husband & I disliked it. instead, I mashed up some of the soft sweet potatoes ťo thicken it. served it over quinoa because it was too thin for our tastesm, plus quinoa is a neutral taste that blends well with other stuff, plus adds protein.
Krista Bullen says
Made this soup last night. It is DELICIOUS!!!!!! A new favourite for me. I added 2 tbsp of curry paste (I like spicy). I will be making this again and again!
Denise says
Yay, I'm so glad you liked it Krista! It's one of my go-to soup recipes 🙂
Milly says
Love this soup. I did change a couple of things. Used coconut oil instead of olive oil. Added 1/2 tsp. of cumin seeds to the oil before adding onion. Also, used 4 cups of stock instead of three. Will certainly make again.
Denise says
Hi Milly, I'm so glad you liked the soup! Thanks so much for reporting back here with your changes!
Carly says
this looks very tasty, can you suggest a vegetarian option to the fishoil?
thanks!
Denise says
Hi Carly! While I haven't tried this myself, one reader used liquid aminos in place of fish sauce and enjoyed the soup. I hope this helps!
Mary says
Literally the best soup I've EVER had in my liiiife!!!
I just skipped out on the fishy stuff 😉
Denise says
Holy moly, Mary! Thank-you SO much! Such a compliment 🙂
sabrina says
So delicious! Do you have the nutritional information?
Denise says
Thanks so much, Sabrina! I don't currently have nutritional information, but it is definitely something I'm looking into for the future!
Niki says
Can this be frozen (as single-serve portions)? Would the coconut milk curdle?
Denise says
Hi Niki! This freezes really well. No curdling 🙂
Marianne says
Wow, this is amazing!! This was the first soup I made and I love it! Thank you for such an amazing recipe! 🙂
Greetings from Finland!
Denise says
Thank-you SO much, Marianne! I'm glad you liked the soup! I am going to be posting another sweet potato soup, this time with some Caribbean flavors, in the next week or so!