This creamy Sweet Potato Coconut Curry Soup is loaded with cozy spices and bulked up with tender white rice. Try it once and you’ll find yourself craving this delicious, nutritious soup again and again!
The coconut milk and curry base accents sweet potato perfectly in this soup. It’s also the delicious basis for my crave-worthy Coconut Curry Chicken.
This sweet potato curry soup is amazing, my friends. It’s creamy, but not overly rich, and spiced with curry, garam masala, and a touch of cayenne for just the right kick. Brown sugar adds a touch of sweetness and I throw in some cooked Jasmine rice for texture and to make the soup a bit more substantial for my guys.
Whenever I find myself under the weather in the cold weather months, this ultra-comforting soup is exactly what the doctor ordered.
As I sit here writing this post, I’m giving in to the first cold to hit our house this season. As it moved from person to person, I tried to hide, but it found me. I started out so optimistic. Positive, reinforcing thoughts filled my mind as I cooked and cared for the sick ones
I’m going to be fine, just fine. Just keep moving.
These people obviously don’t know how to take care of themselves.
My immune system has been bolstered by years and years of exposure to these things.
And, then I started sneezing, and coughing, and…well, you know the rest. So, I give in cold. You have exactly 24 hours to do your thing, so go for it. I’m hunkered down with my pillow, my snuggle puppy Bruno, and a hot cup of tea. But that’s all I’m giving you, 24 hours.
Do you think that will work?
Ingredient Notes
- Sweet potatoes – Look for red-skinned sweet potatoes for the most flavorful soup. They have deep orange flesh that is loaded with color, flavor, and vitamins and minerals.
- Jasmine rice – Any long grain white rice is fine but Jasmine is my favorite.
- Water
- Coconut milk – You can use regular or light coconut milk to reduce the fat and calories. I’ve made many times with both and it’s always delicious.
- Low sodium broth – I mix up my own broth with Better Than Bouillon Chicken or Vegetable Base. It’s organic, reduced sodium, and creates a lovely, rich broth. It stays fresh in the fridge, you can make up only what you need, and make it as strong or weak as you like.
- Minced garlic
- Light brown sugar
- Spices – Salt, curry powder, garam masala, and cayenne pepper. When you open the garam masala, give it a whiff. It smells amazing! I want to pour it in little bowls and place it around my house. I won’t, but I want to.
- Cilantro leaves – It adds some really nice flavor as a garnish but if you’re not a fan, you can substitute it with a little parsley or fresh chives or omit it altogether.
How to Make Sweet Potato Coconut Curry Soup
This is a quick overview of how to make this recipe. You’ll find detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Cook the Sweet Potatoes and Rice
You can either boil or bake the sweet potatoes until tender. For alternate baking instructions, see the recipe card below. You’ll need about 3 cups of cooked sweet potato. A little more or a little less is fine.
- Place the sweet potatoes in a large pot covered with about 1-inch of water. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and cover the pot. Simmer the sweet potatoes until you can easily pierce them through to the center with the tip of sharp knife. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sweet potatoes out of the pot to cool.
- While the sweet potatoes are cooking, prepare the rice. Bring 1 1/4 cups water to boil in a small saucepan and add the rice. Turn heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat and set aside.
When potatoes are cool enough to handle, the skin will easily come off with a paper towel. Remove and discard all of the skin.
Blend and Cook the Soup
- Add lite coconut milk, chicken broth, and minced garlic to a large, heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the cooked sweet potato.
- Remove pot from heat and using an immersion blender, blend the sweet potato into the mixture until smooth and velvety.
- Return the pot to the heat and add the brown sugar, salt, curry powder, garam masala, and cayenne pepper. Stir in the cooked rice and allow the mixture to simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes to allow the spices to work their magic. The starch from the rice will help to thicken the soup as it simmers.
If you don’t have an immersion blender, transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and puree it in batches, returning it to the pot when smooth.
Garnish with a little chopped cilantro for some pretty contrast and even more flavor.
Storage and Reheating Tips
Refrigerator – Transfer leftover soup to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 to 5 days.
Freezer – Like dairy-based soups, soups with a coconut milk base are not the best candidates for freezing. Rice can also take on an odd texture when thawed and reheated so I don’t recommend freezing this soup.
Reheating – This soup reheats very well. If it thickens too much in the refrigerator, add a little water or additional broth to thin out before reheating gently on the stove or in the microwave, just until heated through.
More Creamy Soups You’ll Love
- Creamy Cauliflower Soup
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup (non-dairy!)
- Creamy Southwest Chicken Soup
- Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Creamy Mushroom Wild Rice Soup
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Sweet Potato Coconut Curry Soup
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked red-skinned sweet potatoes, from 2 small or 3 large sweet potatoes (directions for cooking below)
- ½ cup long grain white rice, like Jasmine
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 13.5 ounces coconut milk, regular or lite
- 3 cups low sodium broth, chicken or vegetable
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
Cook the Sweet Potatoes and Rice
- Place the sweet potatoes in a large pot, cover with about 1-inch of water, and place the pot over HIGH heat. Bring the water to boil then reduce the heat to LOW, cover the pot and simmer for about 50 minutes to an hour, or until the sweet potatoes are very tender through to the center when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sweet potatoes out of the pot to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, remove skins with a paper towel and discard.
- Meanwhile, prepare rice by bringing the water to boil over HIGH heat. Stir in the rice, reduce the heat to LOW, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until all water has been absorbed and rice is tender. Remove the pan from heat and set aside.
Blend and Cook the Soup
- Place a large, heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven over MEDIUM-LOW heat. Add the coconut milk, broth, and minced garlic. Allow the mixture to get warm but do not allow it to boil.
- Add the cooked sweet potato. Remove the pot from the heat and using an immersion blender, blend the sweet potato into the mixture in the pot until smooth.
- Return the pot to the heat and add the brown sugar, salt, curry powder, garam masala, and cayenne pepper. Add the cooked rice and reduce the heat to LOW. Allow the soup to simmer for about 15 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove the pot from the heat when the soup is heated through and cooked to the desired consistency.
- Ladle into bowls and garnish the individual servings with cilantro.
Notes
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F Wash and scrub your sweet potatoes and wrap them each in a sheet of foil.
- Bake for about an hour or until tender all the way through when pierced with a knife. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- Transfer leftover soup to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 to 5 days.
- Like dairy-based soups, soups with a coconut milk base are not the best candidates for freezing. Rice can also take on an odd texture when thawed and reheated so I don’t recommend freezing this soup.
- This soup reheats very well. If it thickens too much in the refrigerator, add a little water or additional broth to thin out before reheating gently on the stove or in the microwave, just until heated through
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
This post was originally published on September 21, 2012. It has been updated with new text and images.
Adapted from Eat, Live, Run
Nothing like some spice to clean out those sinuses! I always go for hot and spicy when I have a cold. Great soup for your whole household and mine! Loks delicious! Hope you all get very well soon!
I am such a soup fan. I don’t even care that it’s still in the 90’s here, I totally want this.
This looks so comforting…I love your process photos, I never cook sweet potatoes that way to add to soup but I will now! I hope you are feeling better!!
This looks amazing. And I love that you used better than bouillon. Love that stuff to bits. I particularly love the veggie one.
Hi Kim 🙂 You can absolutely sub the veggie broth in this to make it a vegetarian dish. It would be wonderful.
I love creamy soups for fall – to me they’re the ultimate comfort food. And the curry flavors sound like a perfect way to kick a cold. I hope you feel better soon Valerie!
Thanks Kat. I’m working on it!
Yummm! Great for the incoming cold months!
This is so perfect for Fall, Valerie! This will be one of my must-try this Autumn season! Hope you feel better soon.
Thanks Abby. If you try it be sure to come back and let me know what you think.
Great recipe Valerie! I see you must shop at World Market too! I have the same set of bowls. I love them!
You got that right Peggi! I love the stuff at World Market. I have to restrain myself from buying everything in sight when I go.
So sorry to hear you’re sick! Hopefully it’ll pack up and leave soon.
This soup sounds so good – in fact, I *just* made a very similar curried sweet potato soup (a favorite recipe I found years ago and have made every fall since) and now that it’s almost gone I’m already missing it. Will have to try your version sometime. 🙂
This sounds delish Valerie. It’s gettin cold around here so a nice warm soup would surely fit the bill. Hope your cold gets better soon – that’s certainly no fun. Great job as always!
Thanks Jan. I’m working on it!
Looks delicious and so comforting. Perfect for the cooler weather we finally started to get!
This looks delicious, Valerie! I love all those flavors and the use of rice. A perfect fall meal!