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UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2026
Move over pumpkin spice. I want my fall soup to taste like soup, not a muffin.
This Coconut Curry Sweet Potato Soup is rich and creamy, with red curry paste and lemongrass bringing a little funky heat to all that naturally sweet potato goodness. It’s still a gorgeous autumn shade of orange, so you can absolutely wrap yourself in your favorite sweater and sip it from a mug if you live someplace where seasons are a real thing.
And this is one of our old-school recipes. We gave it a little glow-up with new photos and clearer instructions, but left the recipe exactly as it was. Because honestly? Why mess with perfection?
This soup is so creamy and full of flavor, even people who balk at a meatless meal will be happy to slurp this up-looking at you dear husband. The sweet potatoes give the soup heft and body. But the aromatics take it to the next level, lending an edge that keeps the soup from being boring. You will be surprised by the complexity as you reach for a refill. Furthermore, I’ve made this soup with both vegetable stock and water and did not notice much of a difference between the resulting soups. So go ahead and reach for the water if that’s all you have. I don’t think you’ll feel like it’s missing anything.
There’s nothing like Thai red curry paste for a jolt of flavor. While you could make your own paste, the ingredient list is pretty long, and there are good commercial options available. Personally, I prefer the Maesri brand that I talk about in my Funky Asian Pantry. I’ve tried them all over the years in our restaurants, and this brand by far has the brightest flavor and complexity. To me, it has the most authentic taste and perfect amount of heat.
Additionally, this soup gets a boost from the subtle lemongrass flavor. Usually when I call for lemongrass in a recipe it’s minced, and I reach for my frozen tub of it- truly one of the most convenient food products on earth. But you can also use a fresh stalk by first trimming the bulb, then smashing it with the side of your knife. When the soup is done, don’t forget to remove it before blending.
Finally, I toss in a couple of bay leaves to flavor my Coconut Curry Sweet Potato Soup. I love bay leaves and I don’t think home cooks use them nearly often enough. They impart a wonderful woodsy and floral note. However, bay leaves must be removed before eating because even when cooked, they are too tough to chew and could present a choking hazard.
The first thing we are going to do is sauté the onions. For this soup we only want to “sweat” them. That means we don’t want them browned, just cooked until they are soft and translucent, and release some of their liquid, or sweat.
Once the onions are softened and translucent, we add the curry paste, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and bay leaf.
Stir 1-2 minutes to bloom the spices, releasing their flavor:
While the aromatics and spices are blooming in the heat, we are also going to be sauteing the sweet potato. This way, it can soak up all that delicious flavor before we add the liquid. Once everything really begins to smell amazing, we add the stock or water and let it simmer.
Take the soup off the heat when the potatoes are soft, about 25 minutes.
Now the soup is ready to be blended. It’s easiest with an immersion blender. Pro-tip: Don’t turn the immersion blender on until it is in the soup! Pretty sure you don’t want to be surprised with orange specks of Coconut Curry Sweet Potato Soup on your ceiling. You also want to be sure to remove the bay leaves and the lemongrass stalks if you used whole ones, blending them will make their flavor way too dominant:
(You can also blend this in a regular blender. But here too you want to be very careful. Only fill the blender half way, or at last never past the blender’s maximum fill line. When you overfill it, the steam from the soup can pop the lid right off! With a regular blender, you will have to blend it in multiple batches. Your ceiling will thank you.)
Once the sweet potatoes are blended, pour in the coconut milk:
And blend until smooth:
Bring the soup back to a simmer to marry all the flavors, and you’re done! Rich, creamy, perfectly spiced sweet potato soup.
One delicious sip, and you will never want a basic, pumpkin spice muffin for soup ever again. Try my easy Coconut Curry Sweet Potato Soup tonight! If you make our Curry Sweet Potato Soup, we want to know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag us in your photos, @funkyasiankitchen. Show us the goods!
A rich, creamy and perfectly spiced soup!
2 tablespoons unsalted butter*
1 medium onion chopped
2 tablespoons peeled and chopped ginger (about 1/2 inch piece)
4 large cloves garlic minced
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 ½ pounds sweet potato, peeled and cut into large dice about 1 inch
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 stalk of lemongrass or 2 Tablespoons chopped lemongrass
1 tablespoon sugar
3 cups vegetable stock or water
1–13.5 ounce coconut milk
To serve:
Lime wedges
1. Heat a large heavy soup pot or dutch oven over medium high heat.
2. If using whole lemongrass, cut the top 2/3 of the lemongrass stalk off and discard. Trim the base of the bulb and peel off any tough dry layer. Then mince the lemongrass. Set aside.
Add the butter and onions. Lower heat to medium low and cook for 6-8 mins until the onions are translucent and soft.
3. Then add the ginger, garlic, bay leaves, curry paste, lemongrass, and sweet potato. Stir fry for 1-2 mins. to bloom the spices.
4. Next add the salt, sugar and vegetable stock and bring the soup to a simmer over high heat. Lower heat to medium low, cover with a lid, and cook for 20-25 mins. until the potatoes are very soft. Stir occasionally to keep the potatoes from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
5. Remove the bay leaves.
6. Add the coconut milk to the soup and blend the soup, either with an immersion blender or carefully with a standard blender. (If you are using a standard blender, add the coconut milk straight to the blender cup and blend the soup in batches to get a smooth consistency. Keep the feed tube open, covered with a clean kitchen towel, and start with a low speed at first to be safe).
7. Bring the soup back to a simmer over medium heat. Thin the soup with a little more stock or water as needed (the soup soup be thick and creamy but not like a thick puree). Adjust seasoning if needed (if you’ve used water, you’ll need a little more salt).
Serve with lime wedges on the side.
* This vegetarian soup can easily be made vegan by switching out the butter for either oil or a vegan butter.
Keywords: curry vegetarian soup
Hi there!
I’m Kazu, a restaurateur in Miami who wants to show you all of the best tricks for creating restaurant quality Asian meals at home.
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