Thai Curried Butternut Squash Soup
Light and creamy, vegan butternut squash soup recipe. This simple butternut bisque is seasoned with Thai red curry paste and swirled with coconut milk.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on July 17, 2024
Have you ever gotten to the airport only to find that your pilot has gone missing? Apparently that happens. I finally got out of Kansas City andย caught a red-eye from Chicago to London (hello from Heathrow!). I only wishย Iโd been smart enough to pack basic toiletries and a change of clothes in my carry on. Hereโs to hoping that my luggage meets me in Tel Aviv eventually.
I love how cultures collide in airports. Right now, Iโmย listening to aย guy speak French into his iPhone while wearing a shirt that says โBrooklynโ across the front. I just acceptedย German chocolate from a friendly Jordanian and earlier walked by a group of chic Europeans (maybe Italians?) drinking Stella before noon. Then thereโs the pink-faced stranger of unknown origin whoโs snoring loudly a few seats over. Snoring is a universal language, nโest-ce pas?
This soup is a blend of origins, too. I donโt think butternut grows in Thailand but the sweet squash pairs so nicely with Thai flavors. Curried butternut soup has been on my list of recipes to conquer for a whileย andย I just couldnโt resist seasoning it with red Thai curry paste like I did for my sweet potato soup.ย I addedย some other Thai flavors to round it out, like cilantro and toasted coconut flakes.ย The soup isย really creamy yet very light since itโs almost all butternut with just a swirl of coconut milk on top.
This soup isnโt so spicy that it wonโt pair well with other foods. In fact, I think its colors and flavors would liven up a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
Watch How to Make Thai Curried Butternut Squash Soup
Thai Curried Butternut Squash Soup
Light and creamy, vegan butternut squash soup recipe. This simple butternut bisque is seasoned with Thai red curry paste and swirled with coconut milk. Recipe yields about 6 cups (48 ounces) soup.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or olive oil
- 2 pound butternut or kabocha squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into small ยฝ-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, pressed or chopped
- 2 to 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste*
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ยผ teaspoon fine salt
- โ teaspoon red pepper flakes (up to ยผ teaspoon for spicier soup)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth
- ยฝ cup full fat coconut milk for drizzling on top
- ยฝ cup large, unsweetened coconut flakes**
- Handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add squash, onion, garlic, curry paste, coriander, cumin, salt and red pepper flakes to skillet. Stir to combine.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until squash is soft, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- While the soup is cooking, toast the coconut flakes in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant and golden on the edges. Keep an eye on them so they donโt burn. Transfer coconut flakes to a bowl to cool.
- Once the squash mixture is done cooking, taste and add a little more Thai red curry paste if itโs not quite flavorful enough for you. Remove the soup from heat and let it cool slightly. Working in batches, transfer the contents to a blender (do not fill your blender past the maximum fill line and be careful with the hot soup!). Securely fasten the lid and use a kitchen towel to protect your hand from steam escaping from the top of the blender as you purรฉe the mixture until smooth. Transfer purรฉed soup to a serving bowl and repeat with remaining batches.
- Stir the lime juice into the blended soup. Taste and season with additional salt if necessary. Ladle soup into individual bowls. Use a spoon to drizzle coconut milk over each bowl, then lightly swirl the spoon through the topmost layer for a pretty design. Top the soup with toasted coconut flakes and a sprinkle of chopped fresh cilantro.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my creamy (vegan!) butternut squash linguine, How Sweet Eatsโ similar soup and Simply Recipes.
*Where to buy Thai red curry paste: Look for it in the Asian section of the grocery store. I like Thai Kitchen brand, which is vegan (many others are not).
**Where to buy coconut flakes: Look for them in the baking section at Whole Foods, health food stores or well-stocked grocery stores. The brands I see most often are โLetโs Do Organicโ (green package) and Bobโs Red Mill.
Make it vegetarian/vegan: Choose your curry paste carefully to avoid animal products. Thai Kitchen is vegan.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionistโs advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Delicious recipe with this crucial note: red curry paste (at least the brand I bought) is *insanely* spicy and three Tbs of that stuff rendered the soup uncomfortably hot, even in my family of spice lovers. I would recommend starting with 1 Tb and work up from there. I made an additional quick batch with no curry and added to the first batch to even things out spice-wise. All good now but โ whew!
Oh No! Thank you for sharing, KB.
I made it last night. My husband and I loved it!! I did add the whole little jar of red curry paste and the whole can of coconut milk add about 2 cups of chicken stock instead of 4 cups of vegetable stock. I also added much more crushed red peppers. We love really spicy foods.
Hooray! Thank yo for sharing how you made it, Marnie.
I made this tonight. It was okay, but nothing special. Good if you need a quick weeknight dinner.
At what point is the vegetable broth added? Your recipe leaves us guessing. I added it after the initial 8 minutes cooking with good results. Did not have red curry >paste< so I used Trader Joe's red curry sauce โ the whole bottle โ and it came out great. My kids enjoyed this which is saying it's really good!
Iโve been loving this recipe for years. Itโs delicious, balanced, and beautiful too. Sometimes I add pumpkin seeds to the top for a bit of extra protein. Overall itโs a 10/10 dish.
The flavors were delicious โ I love spicy food, but I think 2-3 tbsp of red curry paste made it a little too spicy. I would recommend starting with just 1 for sure.
Great to hear, Andrea!
I added carrots and threw it into the slow cooker. Halved the spicy curry and had extra hot sauce on side for people to customize to their own spice level. Very tasty and will make again.
So yum! I made it for my friend who is recovering from surgery and we both loved it <3 Will definitely be making again, I think there's a lot of potential for experimentation with this dish!
How would I make this in a slow cooker?
I havenโt tried it so I canโt say for sure, sorry!
Umbrella, at what point is the vegetable broth added? Your recipe leaves us guessing. I added it after the initial 8 minutes cooking with good results. Did not have red curry >paste< so I used Trader Joe's red curry sauce โ the whole bottle โ and it came out great. My kids enjoyed this which is saying it's really good!
OMG! This soup is beyond remarkable! I made it with a butternut squash from my friendโs garden, and it turned out perfectly delicious. The myriad flavors are sensational.
A firm fave with my husband and I. Thanks. Such a winter warmer with buttered crusty bread.
The Thai flavor in this was just right for us with 2T of the hot red curry paste. It had great texture with just at quick cycle in my high speed blender. Your recipes are my absolute favorite โ love all the explanation and tips, the colorful veggies and the spice level and I make many of them regularly. For this one I got a 2 lb 10 oz squash, and half of it measured over 3 cups, so I ended up making a second batch. Can you perhaps clarify the squash weight and volume measurements. Thank you!
Iโm not usually a fan of butternut squash soup as it reminds me a bit too much of baby food (!), but the spicy little kick from the red curry paste adds a wonderful complexity to the flavour โ we loved this. I didnโt love the texture of coconut flakes on top, so made up for this with extra cilantro and a tiny pinch of red pepper flakes on the next portion.
This is absolutely delicious and so easy to make! Even my husband, who doesnโt usually care for soup, went back for seconds! I used the Thai red curry paste as recommended. I also had a little piece of fresh ginger that needed to be used. I peeled and chopped it up and added it with the squash and other aromatics. Thank you, C&K for another fabulous recipe.
Love this recipe. Just made some and my daughter is getting her wisdom teeth out next week so this would be perfect for her. Have you tried freezing? Just wasnโt sure on the coconut milk since I already mixed that in. Made it just a week too soon.