Thai sweet potato curry is quick and easy, made in one pot with a few ingredients. It’s packed with robust flavors and tastes amazing with jasmine rice!
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Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry
- You’ll need basic pantry ingredients.
- Quick and easy to make.
- It’s creamy, hearty, rich, flavorful, and a comfort meal.
- It’s great for make-ahead meals and meal preps. It stores well, you can make it ahead and freeze it.
- Made in one pot.
- Versatile recipe, easy to customize. Add any vegetables of your choice.
Ingredients
- Shallots – For authentic Thai flavors, use shallots. Regular onions may be used.
- Ginger – Garlic – Use fresh ginger and garlic for the best flavors. Do not substitute fresh ginger or garlic with powders. It won’t give the same flavor.
- Thai Bird’s Eye Chili (optional) – Thai curry paste does have a certain amount of kick. For extra heat, consider using 1 or 2 Thai bird’s eye chili. Use chili with caution. Skip chilies if you can’t handle heat.
- Vegetables (of your choice) – I have used instant pot chickpeas and baby spinach for the curry. You can substitute chickpeas with brown or red lentils, and use vegetables such as bell peppers, mushrooms, or kale.
- Coconut Oil – cooking curry in coconut oil enhances the flavors and gives you authentic Thai curry flavors. Feel free to use vegetable oil or canola oil.
- Coconut Cream – recommend you use full-fat cream for a rich and creamy curry.
- Broth (or water) – not shown in photo. Use vegetable broth or water along with coconut milk (coconut cream) to cook vegetables.
- Fish Sauce – a dash of fish sauce at the end, for authentic Thai flavors. For vegetarian/vegan, skip it.
- Toasted Peanuts(crushed) – sprinkle toasted crushed peanuts on top before serving. So delicious!
- Cilantro – Yes, to cilantro for garnish. Not a cilantro fan? Skip it or use parsley (though it won’t be authentic Asian per se)
Step-by-Step Instructions
Scrub and rinse the sweet potato. Peel the skin off and chop into 1-inch cubes.
Step 1: Heat the oil over medium heat. Fry sliced shallots(onion) in oil until they turn translucent.
Step 2: Add fresh ginger and garlic mince to the pot and cook until fragrant. for 2 to 3 minutes. Do not let it brown.
Step 3: If using Thai red chilies, add them to the pot now and mix. Skip it if you don’t want the curry spicy.
Step 4: Fry Thai red curry paste until the oil separates from the sides of the pan. Jo’s Tip: Fry curry paste well in oil. It will release all the flavors and enhance the taste. Do not hurry up on this stage.
Step 5: Once the curry paste is cooked, add in diced sweet potatoes and chickpeas. Stir to coat with curry paste until well combined.
Step 6: Pour coconut cream and water (or vegetable broth), stir.
Step 7: Let it come to a boil.
Step 8: Cover partially and let it simmer on low heat for 12 to 15 minutes or until the sweet potato is tender and cooked and the curry has thickened. Stir the curry occasionally.
Step 9: Cook until sweet potatoes are tender.
Step 10: Stir in baby spinach until wilted. Will take a minute or two only. Don’t overcook spinach. You can switch off the heat and then add spinach.
Step 11 & 12: Remove pan from heat. Squeeze lime juice, fish sauce, half of the toasted and crushed peanuts, and half of the cilantro into the curry. Stir well.
Serve hot with jasmine rice and smashed cucumber salad on the side.
Garnish remaining toasted crushed peanuts and cilantro before serving.
Tips to make the best curry
- Fry the curry paste well in oil first. This will release all flavors and enhance the flavor and taste.
- I highly recommend using full-cream coconut milk (or coconut cream).
- To cook vegetables, mix coconut milk and broth (or water) on a low flame so the fat in coconut milk doesn’t split.
- Add juice of lime and fish sauce after removing the pot from the heat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. This curry is great for make-ahead meals and meal preps. It stores well; you can make it ahead and freeze it.
To make it vegetarian or vegan, skip fish sauce.
Yes, you can. Feel free to use anything – for protein: chickpeas, red lentils, brown lentils. Vegetables: use any of these – baby spinach, regular spinach, kale, bell peppers.
Sure, you can. If you want to include protein, consider adding lentils instead of chickpeas or leaving them out completely.
Absolutely. Baby spinach is great. Chopped regular spinach, kale can also be used.
Feel free to use any yellow, red, or even green curry paste. Try a mix of yellow and red curry paste. Curry turns out amazing!
It can be used, but the sauce won’t be rich, creamy, and have a good coconut flavor. And will be thinner. I highly recommend using full-cream coconut milk (or coconut cream). Full-fat is best for flavor; fat is where the flavor is.
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📋Thai Sweet Potato Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or vegetable oil
- 2 shallots sliced thin
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 inch ginger finely chopped
- 1 or 2 Thai bird’s eye chili optional
- 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and diced
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas drained (use ½ cup homemade chickpeas)
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 3 tablespoon Thai red curry paste homemade or store bought
- 1 14 oz can full fat coconut milk
- ½ cup vegetable broth or water
- Salt to taste
- Ground pepper to taste
- ½ to 1 teaspoon fish sauce adjust according to your palate
- ½ cup toasted peanuts crushed or chopped
- ½ cup fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Scrub and rinse sweet potato. Peel skin off and chop into 1 inch cubes.
- Heat oil over medium heat. Fry sliced shallots(onion) in oil until soft.
- Add fresh ginger and garlic mince to the pot and cook until fragrant. Will take 2 to 3 minutes. Do not let ginger-garlic brown.
- If using Thai red chilies, add it to the pot now. Give a quick mix.
- Fry Thai red curry paste fry until oil separates from the sides of the pan.Jo’s Tip: fry curry paste well in oil. It will release all the flavors and enhance the taste. Do not hurry up on this stage.
- Once curry paste is cooked, add in diced sweet potatoes and canned (or instant pot chickpeas). Stir to coat with curry paste until well combined.
- Pour coconut cream and water (or vegetable broth) stir. Cover partially and let it simmer on low heat for 12 to 15 minutes or until sweet potato is tender and cooked and curry has thickened. Stir the curry occasionally.
- Stir in baby spinach until wilted. Will take a minute or two only. Don’t over cook spinach. You can switch off heat and then add spinach.
- Remove pan from heat.
- Stir in juice of lime, fish sauce, half of toasted and crushed peanuts and half of cilantro to curry. Give one final stir.
- Serve hot with rice and cucumber salad on the side.
- Garnish remaining toasted crushed peanuts and cilantro before serving.
Video
Notes
- Fry the curry paste well in oil first. This will release all flavors and enhance the flavor and taste.
- I highly recommend using full-cream coconut milk (or coconut cream).
- To cook vegetables, mix coconut milk and broth (or water) on a low flame so the fat in coconut milk doesn’t split.
- Add juice of lime and fish sauce after removing the pot from the heat.
Comments & Reviews
Natalie says
This curry looks so delicious. So perfect for cold winter days. I never used sweet potatoes to make curry. Thanks for the lovely idea. I bet my family will like this for dinner.
Sam says
This curry looks and sounds amazing. I love sweet potatoes and Thai flavours so I am very excited to try this.
Tara says
This looks so inviting! Can’t wait to give it a try. I know my family will love it, especially with the cooler weather!
Cindy says
The sweet potato and thai chili flavor combination is really good. This dish is so comforting, I couldn’t stop getting seconds and plan on making this for meal prep next week!
Neha says
My mouth is literally watering lookin at this curry! I am loving the addition of fish sauce. Paired with rice it looks so comforting and is making me so damn hungry!
Kathryn Donangelo says
Yum what a great combination of sweet potatoes and curry! We loved this and served it with rice. Made a perfect side dish, thank you!
Raksha says
Is there a vegetarian substitute for fish sauce?
Jyothi Rajesh says
You can try substituting with soy sauce. Yes they are totally different sauces and may vary in taste, but that’s the best substitute you can use for fish sauce.
Jane Saunders says
I love your use of Thai ingredients with the sweet potato. Despite its sweetness, I do think sweet potato holds up well to bold, savoury flavours, so I’m pleased to have discovered this unique Thai curry recipe.
Chef Dennis says
I am looking forward on making this Thai Sweet Potato Curry soon! My wife will surely love this recipe so much.
Jyothi Rajesh says
Hope you’ll like it Denis
Valerie Skinner says
I love how sweet potatoes balance out the flavors of this curry. Perfect for a weeknight dinner with plenty of leftovers!
Gloria says
Nothing beats a great curry, especially during comfort food season. I would love to wrap my hands around a warm bowl of this today. The weather here is rainy and cold. This would make a great dinner tonight.