This should be obvious, but I love cooking and testing out new recipes and cooking methods. But, some days, I just want to make the easiest recipe possible. It’s that, or ordering in a large pizza and scarfing it down with a glass of red wine or three.
Enter dump-and-go Instant Pot recipes. If that wasn’t self-explanatory, I’m talking about recipes where you can just dump in a bunch of ingredients into the Instant Pot, turn on the pressure cook setting, walk away, and come back to a complete dinner!
As pretty as this soup might look, this Thai-Inspired Red Curry Sweet Potato Soup is one such dump-and-go recipe. A lot of dump-and-go recipes I’ve seen online seem like the epitome of convenience food and seem to lack flavor—it’s like they’re just mixing canned beans, corn and tomatoes on top of a protein, and calling it a day.
Since I am a stickler for maximizing flavor, that is definitely not what we’re going to do with this recipe!
Why you’re going to like this Thai Red Curry Soup
Dump-and-go. We already talked about this, but how can you not like a recipe that requires zero hands-on cooking??
Weeknight-friendly. See above. You can have dinner on the table and all you need to do is 10ish minutes of chopping. Oh, and one-pot meals also mean minimal dishwashing! Bonus: the Instant Pot inner pot is dishwasher safe!
Aromatic and flavorful. As with any good Thai or Thai-inspired dish, this soup is well balanced in flavors. Spicy from the curry paste, sweet from the sweet potatoes and a spoon of agave or sugar at the end, and sour from the tomatoes and lime juice! I learned how to balance flavors when I took some cooking classes in Thailand, and it’s a principle that I use in all of my recipes to this day.
If you love Southeast Asian flavors, you’ll go crazy for my Indonesian Tempeh Kecap and Thai Butternut Squash Curry. And if you have some more time, go all out and try my Homemade Thai Green Curry Paste to make a phenomenal Vegan Thai Green Curry!
Creamy and rich. Thanks to red lentils and sweet potatoes, this soup is naturally thick. Red lentils break down and get mushy when cooked, making them perfect for curries, soups, or curry-soup hybrids like this! And the high pressure of the Instant Pot virtually melts the sweet potatoes into the soup. Plus, the recipe also adds light coconut milk for extra creamy measure.
Hearty and satiating. Some soups leave you hungry after a couple hours, but this soup will stick to your ribs! We’ve got protein from the lentils, complex carbs from the sweet potatoes, and satiating fats from the coconut milk.
Ingredient Rundown
The aromatics. If you’ve made any of my savory recipes before, you know that I usually like to start with some aromatics. This could be as simple as onions or garlic, but it always varies based on the flavor profile and cuisine of the dish.
Since this a Thai-flavored soup, I’m using green onions or scallions instead of regular onions, along with garlic and ginger. A truly authentic Thai recipe would use galangal, also referred to as Thai ginger, but it’s pretty uncommon to come across outside Asian grocery stores.
This recipe is a bit different than most in that you don’t cook the aromatics in oil before adding the remaining ingredients. That’s because there’s no hands-on cooking involved. But don’t omit the aromatics – they still add a good amount of flavor.
Sweet potatoes. Scrub, peel, and chop them into roughly 3/4-inch cubes. The smaller the cut, the more they’ll melt into the soup. I recommend using garnet sweet potatoes or yams, not Japanese sweet potatoes .While I love the latter, they are naturally firmer, denser, and dryer in texture, so they don’t quite melt into the soup.
Tomatoes. I know, it’s not tomato season, but when the tomatoes are pressure cooked down into a soup, you won’t notice their unremarkable taste. But, if you don’t want to buy winter supermarket tomatoes, feel free to use canned diced tomatoes.
Red lentils. You can use red lentils or split red lentils – they are virtually the same.
Thai red curry paste. My favorite brand is Maesri (available at Thai and Southeast Asian grocery stores, or online), but Thai Kitchen also works decently and is widely available. Whichever brand you use, be sure to read the ingredients to ensure it’s vegan. Some brands might use fish sauce. Another vegan red curry paste to try is from Thai Taste.
Note: keep in mind that there is variance in the heat level across curry paste brands. I find that Thai Kitchen is not too spicy, but if you know that the curry paste you’re using is quite spicy and/or you’re sensitive to spicy food, feel free to use less than the amount called for in the recipe.
Lite coconut milk. Since this soup is really thick and creamy thanks to the sweet potatoes and lentils, there’s no need to use full-fat coconut milk. If all you have is full-fat coconut milk, feel free to use it, but you’ll want to either (a) water down the milk or (b) use more vegetable broth.
Tips for making this Thai Red Curry Soup
This section is going to be super short because, again, this is a dump-and-go recipe.
To minimize the number of dishes you need to wash, puree the soup using an immersion blender. If you don’t have one, use a stand blender and transfer the soup in batches. Remove the center cap from the blender and cover it with a dish towel to prevent steam from building up inside the blender.
After pressure cooking and pureeing, if the soup is too thick for your liking, add some vegetable broth or water, and stir to heat through until the soup has thinned out a bit. The soup thickens even more as it rests, so if you’re serving leftovers, heat it up on the stove with a bit of water or vegetable broth.
How to Garnish this Soup
Chopped cilantro is a must. Optional add-ons include thinly sliced scallions and chili peppers (if you like it spicy), a spoon of extra coconut milk (use a toothpick to make these fancy swirly designs), and/or bean sprouts.
Finally, this recipe couldn’t be simpler, but if you want a visual (always helpful IMO), check out this video on my dump-and-go Instant Pot recipes! This Thai Red Curry Sweet Potato Soup recipe is the first one and begins at the 00:33 mark.
DUMP AND GO Instant Pot Recipes | easy vegan instant pot meals
If you give this recipe a try, be sure to tag me on Instagram with your recreations and please comment with your feedback below!
Instant Pot Thai Red Curry Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large bunch of scallions, sliced
- 5 garlic cloves, mined
- 2 tablespoons freshly minced or grated ginger
- 1½ pounds (680g) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch (2 cm) cubes
- 3 medium Roma or plum tomatoes, chopped*
- 4 tablespoons (60g) red curry paste** (use less if sensitive to spicy food)
- 1 cup (190-210g) red lentils, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups (480 mL) vegetable broth
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon tamari (or soy sauce if not gluten-free)
- 1 (15-ounce / 400 mL) can “lite” or reduced-fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2-3 teaspoons agave nectar, coconut sugar, organic brown sugar, or organic cane sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- Optional Garnishes: extra coconut milk for a pretty swirl, thinly sliced scallions, bean sprouts, thinly sliced chili peppers
Instructions
- Pour the vegetable broth into the Instant Pot. Add the scallions, garlic, ginger, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, red curry paste, red lentils, salt, and tamari or soy sauce, and lite coconut milk. Stir to combine.
- Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook setting at high pressure and set the cook time to 10 minutes.
- Once the 10-minute timer has completed and beeps, allow a natural pressure release for 10 minutes and then switch the Pressure Release knob from Sealing to Venting to release any remaining steam.
- Add the lime juice, agave or sugar, and chopped cilantro. Stir to combine. Taste the soup and adjust the seasonings as needed, adding more salt for saltiness, lime juice for acidity, or agave/sugar for sweetness. Puree the soup using an immersion blender. If you don’t have one, use a stand blender and transfer the soup in batches (remove center cap of the stand blender and cover blender with a towel to allow steam to vent). If the soup is too thick for your liking, add some vegetable broth or water, and stir to heat through until the soup has thinned out a bit.
- Ladle soup into bowls and garnish as desired. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. The soup thickens as it rests, so if you’re serving leftovers, heat it up on the stove with a bit of water or vegetable broth.
Notes
Nisha, thank you for this incredible recipe. So quick and easy and absolutely delightful flavours and texture. We had it with good quality crispy sourdough bread and for a weeknight dinner it came together so easily. Love being vegan since we have followed you. Thanks again
That combo sounds amazing, El C! Thanks for trying the recipe and sharing your experience!
Just made this soup and it was amazingly flavorful and filling and relatively easy to make. The red curry paste made all the difference – hunt it down if you can – so worth it. Thanks for an amazing recipe!
Thank you for your lovely comment, Linda! It makes us happy to know that you enjoyed the recipe.
This is my favorite recipe from your website. So hearty and flavorful! Since I don’t tolerate heat well, I half the curry paste. This leads to wonderful flavor without the spice. I love to freeze this soup and bring it to work for a quick and healthy lunch. My only criticism is that I need more of it! I’d love to double the recipe but it won’t fit in my instant pot, so I usually make the recipe x 1 1/2. I would love a stove top version that would allow me to make more of it at one time. Thank you!
Hi Melinda, we appreciate the feedback! It’s great to hear you’re such a fan of the soup.
One of our favorites! Works great with full fat coconut milk as well. And a variety of squash if you don’t have sweet potatoes.
Hi John, thank you so much for your kind review!
Oops almost forgot, this is a 5 star Delicious EASY RECIPE.
Can not recommend it high enough. I’m literally going in to get the IP started for this.
L
Thanks for such a wonderful review, Leah! It’s great to hear you’re a huge fan of the soup.
Incredible soup. I’ve made it fairly regular for the last year. It is so very good and so easy. Perfect for busy nights. Oh, and leftovers? They are lip-smackingly good. I serve it over steamed Thai jasmine rice and sop up the extra yum with naan.
This was my gateway recipe to cooking Indian food at home without fear. It’s so good. Try it! You will lick your bowl clean. :)
Red Curry Sweet Potato Soup,
I made this soup today according to the recipe and it was fantastic. My wife and I ate over half of the batch. In the future I would double the batch it tasted so good. My wife does not like real spicy food so I only used two and one half tablespoons of the red curry paste while making the soup. I also doubled the vegetable broth because we like a little thinner consistency. I do not have a instapot device so I made the soup on the stove top. Regardless it turned out great and I would definitely make this recipe again. Thank you for the great recipe..
Hi Robert, it’s great to hear you had success with the recipe. Thanks for the review!
Can I double this to make for 8 people? Would the cook time stay the same?
Hi Megan, we haven’t tried this ourselves so we can’t say for sure. In general, you can double instant pot recipes without changing the cook time. The important thing you need to be mindful of is the instant pot maximum capacity line. Watching the Youtube video for this recipe, I feel like doubling the recipe in a 6 quart Instant Pot would exceed the maximum capacity line. If you have an 8 quart model, however, doubling should be fine.
I have tried (and enjoyed) many of your recipes but this curry is so insanely delicious I had to make my first comment. I tried the maesri as recommended and won’t go back. The depth of flavor is outstanding. Plus, IP is perfect for hot summer days when you don’t want to heat the kitchen.
We appreciate your feedback and support, Staci. Thank you for leaving a review!
I don’t have an instant pot. Can i just make this in a regular saucepan? I love all of your recipes that is have made so far! Always winners in our house. Thank you so much!!
Jane
Hi Jane, happy to hear you’ve loved the recipes thus far :)
We haven’t tried making this in a regular saucepan ourselves but this is what we’d do if we tried it: In a large pot, heat a tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the scallions, garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant. Add the sweet potatoes, chopped tomatoes, and curry paste to the pot and stir to coat the vegetables with the curry paste.
Then add the red lentils, vegetable broth, salt, tamari (or soy sauce), and lite coconut milk. Stir well to combine all the ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Simmer for 25 to 35 minutes or until the sweet potatoes and lentils are tender, stirring occasionally.
Once the sweet potatoes and lentils are cooked, add the lime juice, agave or sugar, and chopped cilantro. Stir to combine. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth.
I really enjoyed this recipe! I gave half of what I made to my parents so they’d have something for dinner too. They loved it too!
I have made it twice now. The first time I soaked the lentils in water and bk soda overnight, then rinsed them before putting them in the pot. The final soup consistency was creamer and smoother, and not too thick of a soup.
The second time I made it I forgot to soak the lentils and when I finished blending the soup I thought I’d missed an ingredient because it was so different in consistency. The flavor was still amazing but not as smooth and it became super thick to the point that I had to do as the recipe advised, add more water when warming up.
We’re happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Helen! :) Sorry about the forgetting to soak the lentils part, hopefully in the future you won’t have that issue again!
Great soup recipe! I get my red curry paste from the local Asian market and I know it runs a bit hotter than the grocery store brand, so I used 2 Tbsp instead of 4, and it’s still a bit hot for my taste! I think next time I’d do 1.5 Tbsp of red curry paste. I also used chicken broth instead of veggie since we aren’t vegan and that’s what I had on hand. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out delicious. I love how quickly it comes together.
Hi Katie, it’s great to hear you had success with the recipe. Thanks for the review!
This is by far my favorite soup. I love it , my wife loves it and even my grandchildren love it. It is the only recipe that I follow exactly. Thank you for your great recipes and tremendous balance I find in your meals. I’m not vegan but if I was I would ever lean that way, I know that I’ll never be short on flavor and nutrition eating your recipes. Thanks again.
We’re so happy you and the family are big fans of the soup, Howard! And that you’ve found value in the recipes. Thanks for sharing that with us :)
Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe. Thanks!
Just a warning for others, i used 3 tablespoons of maesri red curry paste and it was sooooo hot. Next time I’ll use 2 tablespoons
I had to put more coconut sugar and eat it with a big dollop of coconut yoghurt to be able to eat it. I know everyone is different but this was too spicy for me
Hi Sonny, sorry to hear the soup turned out too spicy for you. Unfortunately there is quite a large spice range between all of the different store-bought curry pastes. We hope someday you get the chance to try this soup again using less curry paste and are able to enjoy it!
I’m really interested in this recipe for a potluck at my church, but I need to double the recipe which will be too much for my instapot. Can this be done in a crockpot?
Hi Aree, we’ve never tried making this in a crockpot ourselves but based on our research this is what we’d suggest:
Cook on high for 4 hours, or on low and for 6 hours until the potatoes are fork-tender.
Then, using an immersion blender, mash and puree the soup until you get a creamy consistency.
Add the coconut milk and sugar and adjust the taste if needed. Cook for another 30 minutes.
Add lime juice and herbs before serving.
Hey there, I’m hardly a vegan (although I eat as low as I can, nothing higher than chicken). But your recipes are baller thru and thru. Keep up the great work!!
Thanks for trying the recipes Davi! We’re glad they’ve encouraged you to eat more vegan meals! And thanks for the lovely review :)
Sooo good!! I cooked a batch of this a few weeks ago and was very happy with how easy it was to come together – just cut everything up and throw it in the InstantPot! I froze my leftovers and warmed some up in a pot last week and swear it tasted even better then. This is a wholesome, comforting meal, and it’s the perfect balance of spicy and sweet. Thank you for this gem of a recipe Nisha, it’ll definitely be in my rotation and I’ll be sure to keep some frozen for quick last minute meals 🧡🧡🧡
Lovely, Kaitlyn! You’re so welcome for the recipe :)
This was so good! I like spicy food so I added a few habanero peppers. I also skipped the sweetener since it’s not something we usually like in savory dishes.
Thanks for sharing, Sharon!
Well it’s not fully Thai because the ingredient substitutions for ease aren’t yielding the same effect as a Thai curry. However I’m giving it five stars because of the ease of execution and the outstanding value of the meal as a Thai inspired and flavorful warming seasonal soup for Autumn. Following Nisha’s toppings of green chilies, coriander, and scallions helped with freshening up the mouth feel.
Notes I substituted tomato with a can of tomato sauce. Easy peasy.
We’re glad you enjoyed the recipe, Ansu! Thank you for the feedback.
I have made this sooo many times, it is one of my go to comfort soups . i use the immersion blender and make is soooo creamy
Thanks for sharing, Terri! We’re thrilled the recipe is a favorite!