Instant Pot Thai Coconut Carrot Soup- Oh those warming Thai curry spices! Just the right amount of flavor without being overly spicy. This creamy comforting soup is a blend of healthy ingredients like carrots, sweet potatoes and coconut milk. Everything comes together in the Instant Pot (read easy clean up!) in about 30 minutes. { Vegan, Vegetarian}
How to Make Thai Coconut Carrot Soup in an Instant Pot
- Select the Sauté function on the Instant Pot and add coconut oil (or butter) to bottom of the pot. When melted, add onions and sauté until onions are translucent (about 3-5 mins.). Add red curry paste, garlic and ginger and sauté for an additional 1 minute. Add vegetable broth, carrots and sweet potatoes.
- Select the Soup function on the Instant Pot and set time to 20 minutes. Natural pressure release for 10 minutes and then set vent to Quick Release to remove any remaining steam.
- Open Instant Pot and add Coconut Milk. Using an Immersion blender (stick blender) puree until smooth. Alternatively, you can puree soup in batches in a regular blender (allow soup to cool slightly before blending in a regular blender).
- Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro, a drizzle of crème fraiche (or sour cream, or coconut yogurt) and croutons/crushed Pita chips or crunchy chickpeas.
Recipe Notes:
What kind of Red Curry Paste to use?
Red curry paste is an important ingredient to this recipe. For those not familiar with curry paste it is essentially a blend of dry spices that have been mixed with fresh herbs, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, chilies and other "wet" ingredients to form a thick paste. Each brand will have a slightly different version of Red Curry Paste (different amounts of certain spices) but any version/brand will work with recipe.
Because curry paste is much more intense and complex in flavor regular curry powder is not a good substitute for this recipe.
Red curry paste is available in many grocery stores (usually in the International/Asian section), Target (those with food items), Amazon and Thrive Market. I used Thai Kitchen brand. (I'm not affiliated with Thai Kitchen brand...just love the product).
How to make the "swirls" with crème fraiche
Every bowl is a work of art! and it's super easy to make this soup look restaurant fancy by swirling some crème fraiche (or sour cream, or yogurt) on top. Simply add a small amount of water to thin the consistency of crème fraiche (or sour cream/yogurt). You want it to be thin enough to drizzle and light enough not to sink to the bottom of the bowl.
Use a spoon to drizzle/dollop in a circular pattern around the middle of the bowl. I like to use the pointed end of a chopstick to the swirl the crème fraiche. You could also use a toothpick or the end of a knife. Unleash your inner Picasso 🙂
Don't forget to add a little crunch
This soup is fantastic all on it's own, but adding something crunchy on top just elevates it to the next level. You could use croutons, crushed up Pita chips, or crunchy chickpeas.
The chickpeas pictured here happen to be my favs with this soup! They are Bombay Spice Crunchy Chickpeas by Saffron Road . The spices on the chickpeas perfectly complement the soup! You can find them at Whole Foods and other retailers, check out the Saffron Road website to find a store near you ( I'm not affiliated with Saffron Road I just happen to really love these chickpeas and thought I'd share the info with you).
To make this recipe Vegan
Make sure to check the ingredients and look for red curry paste that is Vegan ( like Thai Kitchen brand) some curry pastes include shrimp.
Omit the crème fraiche garnish or use coconut yogurt or your favorite plant based yogurt (thinned with a little bit of water) as a substitute.
Want more Instant Pot soup ideas? You might also like:
Instant Pot Thai Coconut Carrot Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or butter
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 2 tablespoon red Thai curry paste (like Thai Kitchen brand)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 lb. carrots peeled and diced ( about 5-6 large carrots)
- 1 sweet potato about ¾ lb. peeled and diced
- 1 13.5 oz can coconut milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh cilantro and crème fraiche or sour cream, or coconut yogurt as garnish
- Croutons, Pita Chips or Crunchy Chickpeas * for garnish
Instructions
- Select the Sauté function (medium heat) on the Instant Pot and add coconut oil (or butter) to bottom of the pot. When melted, add onions and sauté until onions are translucent (about 3-5 mins.). Add curry paste, garlic and ginger and sauté for an additional 1 minute. Add vegetable broth, carrots and sweet potatoes.
- Secure the lid on the Instant Pot and select the SOUP function on the Instant Pot and set time to 20 minutes. After the completion of the cooking cycle do a NATURAL RELEASE for 10 minutes and then a QUICK RELEASE to remove any remaining steam.
- Open Instant Pot and add Coconut Milk, stir to combine. Using an Immersion blender (stick blender) puree until smooth. Alternatively, you can puree soup in batches in a regular blender (allow soup to cool slightly before blending in a regular blender). Taste soup and add salt and pepper, to taste if needed.
- Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro, a swirl of crème fraiche (or sour cream, or coconut yogurt).
Notes
- Chickpeas used for garnish are "Bombay Spice Crunchy Chickpeas" by Saffron Road ( available at Whole Foods and other retailers( check out Saffron Roads website to locate a store near you, or you can buy them on Amazon ). ( I'm not affiliated with Saffron Road...I just LOVE these chickpeas! they also make a great snack).
Anna
A friend mentioned getting this soup at a nearby market and I was instantly hit by cravings. I found this recipe and followed it exactly. AMAZING!!! So good plain, so good over rice. I made a bunch and it freezes so well! Thank you!