This curry sweet potato soup is as simple as it gets, yet has loads of fabulous flavors.
It's made with pureed sweet potatoes, creamy coconut milk, zesty ginger, spicy, rich curry paste and fresh lime juice.
It'll be your new favorite, that I promise.
How to make curry sweet potato soup
Featured Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes: The star of this soup. You can use fresh sweet potatoes or frozen cubed sweet potatoes.
- Garlic and ginger: These aromatics are crucial for a flavorful, balanced soup.
- Curry paste: You can use red or green curry paste - both are scrumptious.
- Cayenne: To give it a little heat - as much or as little as you like.
- Stock: I use vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade.
- Cilantro: A handful of fresh leaves will do.
- Coconut milk: The full fat canned stuff (not canned light coconut milk or coconut milk beverage).
- Lime: The zest and the juice for ultimate flavor!
- Honey: To add a dab of sweetness and to balance the flavors of the soup.
Step-by-Step Instructions
To make it on the stove top:
- Heat olive oil to medium in a Dutch oven or stock pot. Stir in garlic, ginger, curry paste, salt and cayenne.
- Add sweet potatoes and stock and bring to a simmer for 15-20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are very soft.
- Remove from the heat, add the cilantro and use an immersion blender to puree until smooth.
- Add coconut milk, lime zest and juice and honey and stir to combine.
- Taste and adjust seaosning, if necessary.
To make it in the Instant Pot:
- Add the garlic, ginger, curry paste, salt, cayenne pepper, sweet potatoes and stock into the bowl of the Instant Pot.
- Secure lid on the Instant Pot with toggle on sealed. Set on high pressure for 8 minutes.
- When complete, carefully use a wooden spoon to push toggle to venting to release the steam. Carefully remove the lid.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until very smooth.
- Stir in the cilantro, coconut milk, lime zest and juice and honey.
- Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
Recipe Substitutions and Alterations
- For the sweet potatoes: Try this recipe with butternut squash or pumpkin.
- For the cayenne: Try using minced jalapeno instead.
- Use as much or as little as you like depending on your spice tolerance.
- For the stock: Use vegetable or chicken. If you don't have stock, use bouillon with hot water.
- For the cilantro: If you don't like cilantro, use parsley.
- For the coconut milk: If you don't like coconut or are allergic, use about ¼ cup cream or half and half.
- For the honey: Use granulated sugar as a substitute.
Nutrition Considerations
- To make this gluten free: This recipe is gluten free. Be sure all packaged ingredients are gluten free.
- To make this dairy free: This recipe is dairy free.
- To make it vegan: Swap out the honey for granulated sugar.
- To make it nut free: This recipe is nut free. Be sure all packaged ingredients are nut free.
A few more of my favorite soups:
- Winter Root Vegetable Soup
- Instant Pot Bean Soup
- Carrot Ginger Soup
- Curry Cauliflower Soup
- Butternut Squash Apple Soup
- Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup
Curry Sweet Potato Soup
A simple sweet potato soup with coconut milk, ginger, curry paste and lime.
- Prep Time: 10-15 mins
- Cook Time: 25-30 mins
- Total Time: 35-50 mins
- Yield: Serves 6
- Category: Soups
- Method: Stove-Top, Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 3-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 3 tablespoons green or red curry paste
- 2 ¼ teaspoons coarse salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 4 cups peeled and diced sweet potatoes (from about 4 medium potatoes)
- 4 cups unsalted vegetable stock
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 15-ounce can full fat canned coconut milk
- Zest and juice of 2 medium limes
- 1 ½ teaspoons honey
Instructions
Stove Top Directions:
- Heat olive oil to medium in a Dutch oven or stock pot. Stir in garlic, ginger, curry paste, salt and cayenne. Add sweet potatoes and stock and bring to a simmer for 15-20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are very soft.
- Remove from the heat, add the cilantro and use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. Add coconut milk, lime zest and juice and honey and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seaosning, if necessary.
Instant Pot Directions:
- Add the garlic, ginger, curry paste, salt, cayenne pepper, sweet potatoes and stock into the bowl of the Instant Pot.
- Secure lid on the Instant Pot with toggle on sealed. Set on high pressure for 8 minutes. When complete, carefully use a wooden spoon to push toggle to venting to release the steam. Carefully remove the lid.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until very smooth. Stir in the cilantro, coconut milk, lime zest and juice and honey. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅙ of recipe
- Calories: 261
- Sugar: 31g
- Sodium: 561mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Susann Codish says
Is full-fat coconut milk the same as coconut cream? Where I live, there's a choice of "coconut milk" (labeled as being 6.4% fat) and "coconut cream" (labeled as being 19.5% fat). Nothing in the store is labeled either "light coconut milk" or "coconut milk beverage."
The recipe looks amazing!
Julie Andrews says
Hi Susann! Yes, there is a difference. You'll want to use the can labeled "coconut milk" with 6.4% fat. This will have some coconut milk solids and some liquid in the can (you'll use all of it for this recipe). The coconut cream is all cream with no liquid and is much higher in fat (delicious, but not what you want for this recipe). Light coconut milk is also canned but doesn't have as much fat or solids as the 6.4% canned - you can use this for the recipe but it won't be as creamy. Coconut milk beverage is found in with the non-dairy milks like almond, soy, pea, oat milks, etc and is the consistency of cow's milk, to be used in place of cow's milk in recipes - definitely not what you want for this recipe! I hope that helps.
Linda Fox says
I make this soup every 2 weeks now winter is here. I’ve tried mild, hot and extra hot curry paste. Love them all. This is the best curry sweet potatoe soup I’ve ever tasted. Thank you
Julie Andrews says
Thank you so much for sharing, Linda! Love the variations of spice. 🙂 Enjoy!!