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 and caught a red-eye from Chicago to London (hello from Heathrow!). I only wish I’d been smart enough to pack basic toiletries and a change of clothes in my carry on. Here’s to hoping that my luggage meets me in Tel Aviv eventually.
I love how cultures collide in airports. Right now, I’m listening to a guy speak French into his iPhone while wearing a shirt that says “Brooklyn” across the front. I just accepted German chocolate from a friendly Jordanian and earlier walked by a group of chic Europeans (maybe Italians?) drinking Stella before noon. Then there’s the pink-faced stranger of unknown origin who’s snoring loudly a few seats over. Snoring is a universal language, n’est-ce pas?
This soup is a blend of origins, too. I don’t 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 while and I just couldn’t resist seasoning it with red Thai curry paste like I did for my sweet potato soup. I added some other Thai flavors to round it out, like cilantro and toasted coconut flakes. The soup is really creamy yet very light since it’s almost all butternut with just a swirl of coconut milk on top.
This soup isn’t so spicy that it won’t 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 ½-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
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes (up to ¼ teaspoon for spicier soup)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth
- ½ cup full fat coconut milk for drizzling on top
- ½ 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 don’t 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 it’s 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 purée the mixture until smooth. Transfer puréed 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 Eats’ 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 “Let’s Do Organic” (green package) and Bob’s 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 nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
We made this last night with a few variations (only had light coconut milk on hand, so I just added 1/4 can or so to the soup versus swirling in. Also had no coconut flakes so had to forego this unfortunately). It was VERY spicy – next time I would use 1 Tablespoon or red curry paste versus 2 (used Thai kitchen red curry paste from the jar…). That said – the flavor was delicious. I added extra coconut milk and veg broth to my bowl so that I could eat it :)
Glad you enjoyed the soup, Janet!
I LOVE this soup! I make it all the time now. It’s my go to recipe for any get togethers.Never fails to impress.
In fact lol I’m making it right now! My favorite recipe of yours so far but keep them coming. I can’t wait for the cookbook :)
Hooray! :)
Truly divine. I added a whole can of coconut milk (so as not to waste), and extra of all the spices. I served it over quinoa for protein (I’m breastfeeding right now, so need all I can get), and it was lovely. I think this is my favorite of all your recipes I’ve made-which is saying a lot! Bravo.
Thank you, Robynne! So glad you enjoyed it!
This soup was a delicious end to a fall day. My wife loved it too. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks, Zachariah! Glad to hear it!
Has anyone doubled the recipe? If so, how did it turn out and do you have any tips for doubling it successfully?
Thanks!
Amy
I haven’t, but I’m sure doubling it would work fine.
Hi, my partner is vegan and thinking of surprising him with this dish!
Do you think it would matter if I halved the amounts to make less or should I just stick to the recipe?
Also, how long does the soup keep for after it’s been cooked?
Thanks!
Emma
Hi Emma, hope he loves it! You could halve the ingredients, but then you’ll be left with half of a butternut squash. I’d suggest making the full batch and, if you won’t be able to finish the leftovers within, say, four days, then freeze the rest. I freeze extra soup in pint-sized mason jars, leaving some extra room on top for expansion and waiting to screw on the lid until the soup has fully frozen.
I was looking to make a soup resembling the wonderful red curry pumpkin rice dish we had last week at Thai Kitchen here in Albuquerque. Your recipe sounds great. I’m thinking of sauteing the items in Step 1 and throwing them in a crockpot along with the coconut milk (hoping it will not curdle) to make an easy soup for two for the weekend. I hail from Kansas City, the home of the Dazey and Rival Crockpots. I am subscribing to your blog to stave off homesickness.
Thank you for your comment! I don’t think the coconut milk will curdle. Hope it turned out great! :)
We just made this soup for dinner tonight. It was delicious! We used a Thai red curry paste that my husband bought online. The brand is Mae Anong. I’m thinking it must be spicier than the Thai Kitchen brand, because even though we used the smaller amount of curry from the recipe and I like things spicy, this was SPICY! Next time, we’ll use a little less and leave out the red pepper flakes. Thanks for a great recipe, though. It’s exactly what we were looking for.
I made this tonight with my boyfriend. We made a double batch and added a rutabaga and a couple of jalapeño peppers (we I like spicy foods) to the dish. I also added some ground black pepper and ground cayenne pepper to the soup. Delicious!
Thanks, Shelby! Your version sounds great!
Amazing soup recipe cannot stop slurping straight from the pan…mild chilli heat, squeeze of lime…wow.
This soup was great.
Thank you.
I am making this for the second week in a row as I type this! I’m not a huge fan of squash and get tired of the same-old recipes. However I just LOVED this one and ate it every day last week. I added in a dash of fish sauce to my bowl along with the coconut milk for extra Thai flavor. Delish. Thank you! Totally looking forward to having this for lunch again this week. (PS I also love your squash and black bean chili!)
So I accidentally roasted a butternut squash before deciding to make this recipe, and I didn’t have vegetable broth, so I used diluted chicken broth instead.
I wasn’t sure initially if the flavours were going to be ‘full’ enough with diluted stock, but it worked just fine! Especially after adding the lime juice and serving with the coconut milk.
Bookmarking to make again with more planning some time in the future!
This is in my top 5 favorite recipies that I’ve found on pinterest (and I’ve made hundreds!). Such a light creamy tast that makes your insides feel all warm and fuzzy.
Hi! This soup was the best Curried squash soup I have ever made! Or had, for that matter It was perfect for the first day of Autumn yesterday. I used my immersion blender and a kobucha squash. Delish! Thank you!
Thank you, Meghan! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Divine recipe so flavorful. I put a can of coconut milk right in with the broth (I use chicken broth). Also added a couple teaspoons of Garam Masala spice.
Thank you, Katie!
Do you think delicate squash would work in this recipe?
That’s a good question. I’ve never used delicata squash to make soup before. It would taste quite a bit different and wouldn’t be as creamy, but might be worth a shot.
This soup was awesome for a fall afternoon — my only complaint is that it didn’t make enough for left overs!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed this one, too. My blended soups typically yield less just because it can be challenging to blend up lots of soup at once.
I made this recipe and it is an instant family favorite! It is warm spicy soup perfect for fall and winter! Thank you!
This us such a warm and wonderful soup, perfect for fall’s it comes together so easily. I’ve always suited the cilantro in and left off the toasted coconut (haven’t had it on hand) and it’s still great. Thank you!
This us such a warm and wonderful soup, perfect for fall. It comes together so easily. I’ve always stirred the cilantro in and left off the toasted coconut (haven’t had it on hand) and it’s still great. Thank you!
NOTE: my previous comment was heavily auto corrected.
This is one of my all time favorite soups – especially now that my farmer’s market has so much amazing looking butternut squash. I use Mae Ploy Yellow Curry Paste which you can get on Amazon (Prime! and this variation is veggie-friendly) and like another commenter, add Garam Masala and some other fun spices to change it up (Penzey’s Spices is an addiction!), and also tend to add coconut milk in with my veggie broth. Thanks for an absolutely fabulous recipe, Kate!
Have you tried to freeze this soup?
Great recipe, perfect for a cosy Sunday dinner in fall :) Used a lot of substitutions and it turned out great. Added ~3/4 cup dried lentils to bulk it up a bit, swapped the pumpkin for sweet potato, and added extra fresh herbs/spices as suggested by another reader (1 red chilli, 1 tsp minced ginger, finely chopped cilantro stalks). It is a very versatile soup! Definitely one you can adjust depending on what you have in the cupboard and it’s too cold to go to the shops.
Just made this for my lunches this week and oh my goodness it is incredible. I couldn’t stop taste testing it. ;-) So excited for my lunches now! Thank you for this awesome recipe!
I love this soup. It is so flavourful and easy to make. I add pulled, steamed chicken breast to it to make it a full meal and serve it with baguette. My whole family loves this spicy soup, especially now when it’s cold outside. Thank you for publishing it.
Thanks for the great recipe. I’m making it tonight and I can’t wait to eat it.
Your site is pretty and you have great content, but your ads do not fit the site. They cheapen it and make it look like a click bait site, plus make the whole thing load more slowly. The ones with sound are the worst. I’d rather watch your videos, they’re much nicer.
I’m sorry, Kris. None of my ads should play audio automatically, so I’m going to try to hunt those down.
Nice recipe! Are you using coconut milk from a can off the shelf or coconut milk from the diary-like carton?
Hi Claudia! I always use canned coconut milk. The carton kind is much less creamy/lower in fat.
This is easily the best butternut squash soup I have made so far. I did add half the can of coconut milk to the pot which really made it great.
I just made this for dinner. Due to a freak accident, the coconut milk was poured down the drain by someone helping me who though it was a can of beans…..and of corse that was the only can of it in the house. I used a bit of coconut oil to sautee the onions and garlic and used almond milk to blend in with my immersion blender. The rest of the soup was made to recipe directions. It was fantastic! Thanks for all the great vegan recipes. They are truly exceptional. I love your blog and can’t wait to buy your cookbook!
Making it for family dinner. Can I make this up the point where you let it cool and instead refrigerate overnight to warm up and blend to serve the next evening? Also, would some fresh grated ginger root hurt anything?
Nice idea, but instructions are a bit off. Can’t mix all this stuff, then cook onions til translucent. Also, spices don’t get a chance to marry. Better to saute the onions & spices til onions are translucent. Then garlic, stir a few times, add the squash & either saute til a bit soft or add broth & cook til soft. I used more coconut & reduced the broth a bit. Immersion blender prevents having to do the transfer.
Just made the soup. Didn’t have vegetable stock and had to use chicken stock (yes, I know not vegetarian), oh my goodness. It is DELISH! I also only had coconut cream in a can. Of course that made is even more fabulous. I am on my third bowl.
Miss Kate,
I happened upon your Thai Curried Butternut Squash Soup somewhat by accident. I was looking how to make my own powdered sugar.
I don’t know if I’ll ever have need more more powdered sugar in my kitchen but the squash soup is one I will try tomorrow.
Except for the Thai red curry powder, I have just about all ingredients on hand. There is a Thai grocery store not far from us so will shop there tomorrow.
If I can remember, I will let you know how it turns out.
Happy 2017
joni repasch
This soup was amazing
I made this soup for lunch today during our blizzard on Cape Cod. It is amazingly delicious! The toasted coconut on top really makes it! I used an immersion blender and added the coconut milk to the soup in the pot afterwards. Not as pretty as yours but still delicious. Thanks for another great recipe, Kate. I will definitely make this many times.
Thank so much, Cindy. I’m glad this kept you warm during the winter weather!
I made this soup yesterday and will be serving it today with the chopped cilantro, toasted coconut shreds and I am going to whip coconut milk into a cream and swirl that on top!
Ooh, whipped coconut cream sounds delicious with this! Let me know how it works out :)
I made this for dinner tonight and it’s delicious! I left out the roasted red peppers because I didn’t have any. And I put 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk in at the end which put it over the top!
Sounds creamy & delicious, Allison. I’m happy it worked out!
I LOVED THIS RECIPE, BUT IF YOU HAVE NOT PLAYED WITH THAI RED CURRY PASTE BEFORE, YOU MAY WANT TO START OUT SLOW. I ONLY USED 1 TSP AND IT WAS PLENTY HOT FOR US. SO I WOULD START THERE AND WORK UP. :0)
Thanks for the tip, Gillian! I’m sure other readers will benefit from it.
This recipe was not a keeper for us. I love most of the recipes but this one was just okay…
Sorry to hear this, Kathy. What was off for you? I’m always looking for ways to improve.
I can’t stop making this soup! This might be my favourite soup ever, and I consider myself pretty spectacular when it comes to soups ;) My daughter doesn’t like spicy so I only put in one tbsp of the red curry in the main batch of soup, but I stir another full tbsp into each of my son’s, my husband’s, and my bowl since we like a little more heat! I’m also really into limes lately and I’ve been putting a whole lime into the recipe. Sometimes I add the coconut milk and sometimes I don’t. It’s so adaptable and delicious every single time! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Rhonda! I’m so glad this recipe is versatile for your needs.
Just tried your recipe tonight… we all loved it! Instead of topping with cilantro I used kaffir lime leaves — wonderful. It’s in my “keeper” file.
Sounds delicious, Kim.
I recently began receiving your posts by email and am I ever glad I did! I had purchased several squash last fall and one is a french variety that was huge. I finally got around to using the last one but had so much squash I did not know what to do with it. I found this recipe and had my boyfriend make it and we both LOVED it!! He followed the instructions and no changes were made. He did use the full 3 Tbsp of curry paste and we found it was just about right but we would not want it hotter. We rate recipes we try and gave this one an easy 10/10! Thanks for an excellent recipe!
So happy both of you liked this, Jesse!
Excellent, Kate! If you’re cooking for one this freezes well. Pour leftover Coconut milk into silicone ice cube tray, freeze, and pop and use when you need them!
Thanks so much, Joan! That’s a great tip.
This was so delicious! So glad I found your recipe – it’s sure to be regular feature this winter.
Wonderful! Thanks, Kelly.
I made this tonight! It was delicious! My 15 year old son exclaimed “oh man, theses are some good flavors!”
Another fabulous recipe! If you want to cut corners (and dishes!) I took out a masher and mashed the soup up in the bowl. Delicious! Thank you, Kate!
Welcome! Glad you enjoyed it, Ali.
Just made this for dinner and it was so good, I’ve been licking the spoon! Absolutely delicious! I even forgot to add the curry paste till after I had been simmering the broth for a while and it still tasted great. Thanks Kate!
You are very welcome, Jana! I love hearing my readers can’t get enough. Thank you for your review!
Kate, I love reading your site; I love spicy food so this Curried Butternut Squash Soup is just great. Thank you and keep them coming. Perthladie
I have a great line-up this week! Make sure to check them out too! Thank you, Francine!
Superb soup. I roasted the squash instead of cooking it in the liquid but this recipe is a keeper.
Thank you, Kirk!
Kirk, thanks for your review! Glad you liked it with roasting the squash too.