This recipe for sweet potato curry soup was an entry in a recipe contest that we held many years ago. It was created and submitted by Margee Berry. She infuses this soup with lemongrass, ginger, and curry for fragrant, warm, and earthy flavors. And she uses pureed sweet potato and rich coconut milk for a creamy, silky finish.
Dairy-Free Sweet Potato Curry Soup with a Creamy Finish
I was updating our quick homemade curry powder recipe, and decided to update a few of our other curry recipes, too! I’ve edited the recipe, added nutrition facts, and have a few ingredient notes, too.
- Oil – Margee uses olive oil, but technically you can use your favorite cooking oil. You can even use coconut oil, if you wish.
- Sweet Potato – Classic orange sweet potatoes are used here, but purple, white, or any yam will also work well.
- Curry – This sweet potato curry soup uses a classic yellow curry powder. But don’t be afraid to mix things up with a Thai-inspired curry. We think red curry paste would make a delicious, spicy swap. You can use it in equal amounts, or to taste.
- Coconut Milk – This is regular coconut milk, that’s usually sold in cans. One 13.5-ounce can contains about 1 2/3 cups coconut milk. So this recipe uses just shy of 1 can.
Special Diet Notes: Sweet Potato Curry Soup
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, peanut-free, soy-free, tree nut-free, vegan, and vegetarian. In fact, they are generally top food allergy-friendly.
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 cups peeled cubed sweet potato
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 lemongrass stalk, cut in half
- 1 teaspoon minced peeled ginger
- 1 teaspoon curry powder (store bought or homemade)
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 2 cups water
- 1½ cups coconut milk (full-fat canned)
- Heat the olive oil in large saucepan, add the sweet potato and onion, and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the lemongrass, ginger, curry powder, and salt, and sauté for 1 minute more. Pour in the water, cover, and cook until the sweet potatoes are fork tender about 12 minutes.
- Remove the lemongrass stalks from the soup. Working in batches, puree the sweet potato mixture in food processor or blender.
- Add the pureed mixture back to the saucepan, and pour in the coconut milk. Whisk and cook until smooth and heated through. Taste, and add more salt, to taste, if the flavors don't pop.
- Ladle the soup into 4 bowls. Top with any optional garnishes (below).
Optional Toasted Garnish: In a small skillet, toast ¼ cup coconut flakes or pumpkin seeds over medium heat, shaking the skillet often, until the coconut is golden all over, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle on soup in each bowl.
Optional Cilantro Olive Oil Garnish: In a small bowl, whisk together ⅓ cup minced cilantro and 2 teaspoons olive oil. Dollop on top of soup in each bowl.