Creamy Thai Sweet Potato Curry – packed with nutrition! Our favorite easy, healthy, winter comfort food recipe.
Creamy Thai Sweet Potato Curry
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I LOVE this recipe. Honestly, it’s one of the recipes I make most frequently in fall and winter, it’s a great cozy meal that reheats well through the week. Thanks!
Jessica F
So now we know what kind of food they serve in heaven.
It’s for surely gotta be sweet potato curry, for surely for sure. There just cannot be anything else.
I’m not just talking about just any old curry -> I’m talking about the kind of curry that hits that perfect spot between silky-creaminess and fire-breathing flavor all in one sweeping, saucy bite.
For example, just off the top of my head: Creamy Thai Sweet Potato Curry that can be made in about 20 minutes and that just makes your heart sing for joy when you remember that you have at least three servings of it left in the fridge and you are about to win big at Leftovers Lunch.
There is not one single thing I don’t love about this type of food.
This Will Be In Your Forever Recipe Rotation
You know those recipes that you make once, and then you make twice, and then suddenly a week has gone by and you’ve really only made that one same recipe and you realize that you’re either a boring person for making the same thing over and over again or (more accurately) a winner for knowing which recipes are worth your time?
This is that.
It’s too good NOT to make. It is all this and more:
- nutritious
- quick
- easy
- COMFORT FOOD TO THE MAX
Let’s Talk Curry Paste
Store-bought red curry paste works just fine in this recipe. It’s how I started making it, actually. But then I did something that ended up being magical: I started adding a spoonful of homemade yellow curry paste in with the store-bought red curry paste and BOOM! Flavor explosion. Maybe it’s all in my mind, but probably not – the curry paste combo is just epically delicious.
You laugh now, but we’ll see who gets the last laugh here. WE’LL SEE.
Three Curry scenarios here:
- You are intimidated by curry-making. Just buy some red curry paste (available at most grocery stores these days) or grab some on Amazon because you have Prime with 2 day shipping, don’t you, you little smartie? I knew we were twinning on that. Curry Paste: http://amzn.to/2f1WVea (affiliate link)
- You are not intimidated by curry-paste-making. In which case you are probably too advanced to be reading this blog.
- You are semi-intimidated by curry-paste-making, but you are intrigued. Friend, you are the perfect middle child that I seek for this assignment. I so strongly encourage you to try your hand at making this adapted, familiar-ingredients version of homemade Thai yellow curry paste. Keep that jar of golden love close at hand because it will go on to gift you many batches of fragrant, cozy curries all through the winter with just the swish of your spoon. I am very, very excited for you.
Voila! Look at you, Curry Master.
Thai Sweet Potato Curry: FAQs
I’m fresh out of sweet potatoes. Anything else?
Butternut squash would be good!
Should I use sweetened or unsweetened coconut milk?
Definitely use unsweetened canned coconut milk for this recipe.
Any vegan-friendly proteins ideas to add here?
Chickpeas, tofu, or tempeh would all be delicious options!
Watch How To Make This Recipe
Creamy Thai Sweet Potato Curry
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4–5 (4 in our house) 1x
Description
Creamy Thai Sweet Potato Curry – packed with nutrition! our favorite easy, healthy, winter comfort food recipe. vegetarian and vegan.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 3–4 cups fresh baby spinach
- 2–3 tablespoons curry paste (see notes)
- 1 14–ounce can regular coconut milk
- 1/2 to 1 cup broth or water
- 1/2 cup chopped peanuts and cilantro
- fish sauce (or vegan fish sauce) to taste
Instructions
- Start your rice, if you’re serving this over rice (highly recommend)! Make your HOMEMADE curry paste (you rockstar, you). Roast your garlic, shallots, and ginger. Hydrate your chili peppers. Blitz it all up in the food processor with some spices, lemongrass paste, and cilantro.
- Heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the shallots and stir fry until soft and fragrant. Add the sweet potatoes and stir to coat with oil. Add the curry paste and stir until well-combined.
- Add the coconut milk and broth and let it simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes until thickened. Stir in the spinach until wilted.
- Add half of the peanut/cilantro mixture; reserve the rest for topping. Add a quick splash of fish sauce to the curry to make the whole thing just sing harmony in your mouth. Yummy.
- Serve over rice, topped with remaining peanuts/cilantro.
Notes
For some reason, I am loving the taste of combining red curry paste and yellow curry paste in this! I’ve made it with both strictly red and strictly yellow and they’re both great as well. If you are a curry lover, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make yourself some homemade yellow curry paste. It’s amazing. This recipe uses familiar ingredients and works perfectly for quick last-minute batches of curry if you keep it in the freezer!
For vegetarian/vegan option, just double check that your curry paste is compliant or make your own. Also, obviously, omit the fish sauce.
Nutrition is for 1 out of 5 servings, not including rice or fish sauce.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: Thai-Inspired
Keywords: vegetarian curry, sweet potato curry, red curry, yellow curry, curry paste
All The Vegetarian Curry, Please
- Instant Pot Cauliflower Curry
- Bangkok Coconut Curry Noodle Bowls
- Coconut Curry Ramen
- Red Curry Lentils (Instant Pot version, too!)
- 5-Ingredient Green Curry
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our collection of best healthy gluten-free recipes. Check it out!
Filed Under: 5 Ingredients All Recipes Dairy-Free Dinner Gluten-Free Healthy Main Dishes Quick and Easy Rice Sugar Free January Sugar-Free Sweet Potato Vegan Vegetarian Winter
January 27, 2020
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
Did you make a recipe? Tag @pinchofyum on Instagram so we can find you!
This was delicious, and we really enjoyed it. I even just mixed in some yogurt (could have just used extra coconut milk if I’d had it) and my 3 1/2 year old loved it too. Wondering if I missed an instruction about pre-cooking the sweet potatoes though? They took a lot longer than 10 minutes to cook, and cooked very unevenly in the liquid.
Made this with Murasaki sweet potatoes and because they’re white I added red and orange belle pepper and baby bok choy to add color and interest. It is beyond delicious. Do you think I can freeze a portion for later?
Definitely!
Absolutely lovely I have made this recipe a few times now love it with sweet potato thank you 😊
Just wondering if the 1/2 cup peanuts/cilantro mix is 1/2 cup of each or 1/2 cup of both together.
First time making a curry, and it was super easy. Best of all it was also super tasty!! Seconds anyone??
Going to try this recipe as I’m incorporating more plant based foods into my diet. How large should the sweet potato be though?
Thanks.
Awful, ingredient and directions are vague. There’s no flavor and it’s mushy.
Sorry to hear this recipe wasn’t enjoyed!
Hi! Love this recipe! Would this freeze well?
Yes!
Simple, tasty and nutritious. Will become a staple in my menu planning.
Hi, I am confused….the recipe says red curry but you give the recipe for yellow curry????
I’m confused. Lemongrass paste is mentioned but it’s nowhere in the recipe. Is it an ingredient and if so, how much? Also not in ingredients list: chili peppers, garlic, or ginger.
Sorry for the confusion, Joan! Step 1 of the recipe is referencing the ingredients needed for this homemade curry paste, which calls for lemongrass paste, chili peppers, garlic, and ginger.
I really like this recipe, but the sweet potato should be cooked a bit before the curry. These 15-20minutes aren’t enough.
This recipes are so easy to find why not to make one at home. Thanks for the tutorial
Hello! This curry is gorgeous and so easy. Just letting you know some of the metric conversions are a little off, e.g. 1/2 cup peanuts has been converted to 8g. Thanks for all the great recipes!
This sweet potato dish sounds amazing. Thank you
OMG! the flavours and textures are spot on and it’s so easy to make. I used an authentic ready made red curry paste for ease and was delighted with the results…
My new fave!!! 👍🏼
This is delicious…the flavours and texture is spot on and it’s so easy to make. I used an authentic ready made red curry paste for ease and was delighted with the results…
My new fave!!! 👍🏼
This is delicious…the flavours and texture is spot on and it’s so easy to make. I used an authentic ready made red curry paste for ease and was delighted with the results…
My new fave!!! 👍🏼
This is delicious… The flavour and texture is spot on and it’s so easy to make. I used a ready made red curry paste for ease and was delighted with the results…
My new fave!!! 👍🏼
This is delicious! The flavour and texture is spot on and it’s so easy to make. I used a ready made red curry paste for ease and was delighted with the results! My new fave!!! 👍🏼
wow yummy I am going to cook this today 🙂
This is really tasty and relatively quick to make. I’ve been making a lot of new vegetarian recipes and most aren’t great – this one is! I guestimated for how much sweet potato (approx 2 cups) since sizes vary.
It’s really delicious~ With a banana yogurt cake, today’s day is complete~
Love this stuff so much. We use about 1/3 red curry paste to 2/3 yellow curry to avoid too much spice for our toddler. It’s delicious!!!
This recipe is sooo easy and delicious.