Sweet Potato Soup with Red Curry & Coconut

I’m back after a long holiday hiatus that included a trip to Pittsburgh to visit my family for Christmas, a weekend in Oklahoma City for a friend’s wedding, and a quick hop over the pond to England, because why not! My break from the blog was extra long, because in addition to traveling and lots of holiday cooking,  I moved into a new place last week!

I’m so excited about my new house for a lot of reasons, but I think the best part has to be the kitchen! My old kitchen was totally fine but I didn’t have a lot of space and it was DARK, which made taking pretty photographs of food really hard. Now I have lots of natural light all day long and much more counter space. Check out the new countertops in this post!

I couldn’t wait to cook in my new kitchen, so among the boxes and odds and ends I made this Sweet Potato Soup with Red Curry & Coconut. It was the perfect comforting lunch after a long day of moving in twenty degree weather. My wonderful mover – I mean – boyfriend – liked it so much he agreed to be photographed eating it… a rare occurrence!!

I think of January as soup month. After all the abundance of the holidays, soup feels virtuous yet hearty and comforting enough for one of the coldest months of the year. This Sweet Potato Soup with Red Curry & Coconut is one of my favorites. It’s thick and creamy, and packed with Thai-inspired flavors, thanks to red curry, ginger, garlic,  and coconut milk.  Most of my friends who have tried it were surprised to find out it’s totally vegan-  perfect for everyone’s various New Years resolution diets.

This may look like a lot of ingredients, but the soup is really easy to make and you can make it start-to-finish within an hour. Trust me, it’s worth every ingredient and every minute!

And while I love this soup on its own, my favorite part of the recipe is the toppings. I top each bowl with toasted coconut flakes, lightly salted peanuts, a squeeze of lime juice, and fresh herbs. Disclaimer: cilantro would be the natural choice here, but like Ina, I am cilantro averse. I have that weird soap gene! It’s not my fault! Thankfully, basil is also delicious with Thai flavors. I’ll leave it up to you to decide. Finally, I recommend a shake of red pepper flakes for anyone who wants a more distinct kick.

One more little note on reheating. The starch in the sweet potatoes thickens this soup as it sits. If you’re reheating it, you may want to add some water or vegetable stock to thin it back to its original consistency.

Enjoy! And enjoy this rare photo of Joe eating soup! Lots more pictures of the new place to come.

Print Recipe
4.34 from 3 votes

Sweet Potato Soup with Red Curry and Coconut

Servings: 6 -8

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1½ cups chopped yellow onion (1 large)
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
  • ¼ cup red curry paste, such as Thai Kitchen
  • 2½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and 1-inch diced
  • 2 small Fuji apples, peeled and 1-inch diced
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, such as Bob’s Red Mill
  • 1 (13.5 ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
  • Freshly squeezed lime juice, for serving
  • Chopped fresh cilantro or basil, for serving
  • Chopped lightly salted peanuts, for serving
  • Crushed red pepper flakes, for serving (optional)

Instructions

  • In a large (11-inch) Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat the coconut oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent. If the onions begin to brown, lower the heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and curry paste, and cook for one more minute. Add the sweet potatoes, apples, vegetable stock, and salt. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are very tender when pierced with a fork.
  • Meanwhile, in a medium (10-inch) sauté pan, toast the coconut over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown at the edges. Begin stirring almost constantly and continue to cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the coconut is golden brown. (Be careful, coconut burns quickly!) Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
  • When the sweet potatoes are tender, stir in the coconut milk, and using an immersion blender (or in batches using a food processor or blender), blend until smooth.
  • Serve hot, with a squeeze of lime juice, and a sprinkle of toasted coconut, chopped cilantro or basil, peanuts, and crushed red pepper flakes, if using.
    Note: The soup will thicken as it sits; you may need to add a splash of water or stock to thin it when reheating.
    Copyright 2019, Lidey Heuck, All Rights Reserved
12 Comments

    1. Hi Stephanie, I haven’t tried making this soup with green curry paste but I have subbed it for red curry paste in other recipes. I think it should work, though the flavor profile will be slightly different, but I can’t be 100% sure without having tried it myself!

      Reply

  4. I made this soup for dinner last night! Finally figured out how to get my husband to eat sweet potatoes! The soup is awesome!

    Reply

  5. Dear Lidey,

    This soup is so delicious! I made it tonight and loved it! I have two questions: in the picture on your site the vegetable was orange, but as the sweet potatoes at my market were white, I used yams instead. I assume they are interchangeable? Also, I was unable to find red Thai chili paste and had to substitute Sambal Oelek. Regardless, the soup was tangy, comfortable as so full of flavor – loved it on this rainy night!

    Thank you – and please keep up the great work!
    PattiO

    Reply

    1. Hi Patti!
      So glad to hear you liked the soup!! And yes, yams and sweet potatoes are interchangeable. You could use the white sweet potatoes for this recipe, but you would lose the beautiful orange color. I’m glad the Sambal Oelek worked as a substitute for Thai red curry paste. I will have to try that!

      Reply

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