This coconut curry twist on traditional butternut squash soup is spiced up by red curry paste, coconut, lime, and cilantro. It might sound like an unlikely combination but it’s so surprisingly GOOD! It’s light and full of good-for-you ingredients. The coconut and butternut squash make the soup deliciously creamy and the fact the squash has been roasted gives it depth and dimension. It’s also vegan (if you use veggie stock) and makes a great light meal, side dish, or easy frozen and reheated lunch.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Butternut squash – The squash is the star of the show here. Make your life a whole lot easier and buy prepackaged cubed butternut squash. If you’re committed to prepping your squash from scratch, go for it. A 2.5 pound squash should leave you with just about the right amount of cubed squash for this recipe.
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Onion
- Chicken or vegetable stock
- Fresh lime juice
- Cilantro
- Shredded coconut – This might seem like a really strange thing to sprinkle on top of soup. I find I actually like the crunch and it goes so well with the flavor profile! I’m using my favorite coconut chips, but feel free to use whatever you like, including regular sweetened, shredded coconut.
- Sriracha sauce
- Coconut milk – Light or full fat coconut milk work well in this recipe. Make sure you use coconut milk from a can, and not a carton near the almond milk. You’ll generally find this in the Asian foods aisle of the grocery store.
- Red Curry Paste – You’ll find curry paste near the Asian foods in your grocery store. Make sure you grab red curry paste, not green. I use this one by Thai kitchen because it’s widely available in grocery stores. Note that curry paste can be quite spicy, though it varies. The brand I buy sometimes varies by bottle. Generally it is extremely mild, but readers have reported that sometimes it’s spicy, and that some other brands of red curry paste are extremely spicy. You might want to look for one that is labeled more mild, and if you are sensitive to heat, try starting with just half the amount called for in the soup and adding more to taste. If you want to avoid spice all together, you could change the flavor profile of this soup a bit and add 2-3 teaspoons of curry powder instead.
How to Make Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup
- This soup starts off with roasted butternut squash. Line a baking sheet with foil, pop your cubed squash on there, and drizzle some olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt, give it a quick toss, and pop it into the oven.
- When the squash is done, heat some olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When hot, add some diced onion and cook, stirring frequently, until tender. Next add some stock, the roasted squash, and curry paste and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add some lite coconut milk and lime juice.
- Next, it just needs to be blended until smooth. Use an immersion blender, or carefully transfer your soup in batches to a countertop blender.
- Ladle into bowls and season with a sprinkling of kosher salt, chopped cilantro, shredded coconut, lime wedges, and a squirt of Sriracha sauce (if desired).
Storing and Other Tips
- Store cooled soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- Freeze individual portions for an easy meal on busy days!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can this soup be frozen?
This coconut curry butternut squash soup freezes great! I like putting it into my favorite silicone molds for easy storage. You can feel free to add additional liquid after reheating to get the consistency you prefer.
Can I skip the roasting step?
Roasting the squash really adds flavor to the soup, but if you don’t have access to the oven, you could always simmer the squash in the broth until it was soft. You would probably need to add a little extra broth than the recipe calls for to make sure there was enough liquid for that.
What should I serve with this soup?
Since this soup is mostly vegetables and broth, it’s very light! To make it a meal you could serve it with grilled cheese sandwiches, a loaf of bread, a side salad and fruit, naan bread, or a more hearty turkey sandwich.
Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup
This twist on traditional butternut squash soup is spiced up by red curry paste, coconut, and lime. Roasted squash gives it a nice depth of flavor.
Servings servings
Ingredients
- 36 ounces butternut squash, peeled peeled, cubed to 1/2"
- 4 teaspoons olive oil extra-virgin,divided
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt plus more for seasoning
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon red curry paste
- 1 ½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk lite
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves chopped
- ¼ cup shredded coconut
- Sriracha sauce to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 ℉. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment. Place the cubed butternut squash onto the lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and toss to combine.
- Roast for 35 minutes or until tender and starting to brown. Note: the smaller your chop, the faster it will roast. I find the pre-chopped bags of squash are fairly small so if using, you may want to set your timer for about 20 minutes and keep an eye on it after that.
- While the squash is roasting heat the remaining teaspoon of oil in a large pot over medium heat. Free free to add a bit more oil if you need to, to cover the bottom of your pan. When hot, add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until tender about 5 minutes. Add the stock, roasted squash (when it's done roasting), and curry paste and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Add the coconut milk and lime juice. Blend until smooth, either by using an immersible stick blender or in batches in a countertop blender. If using a blender, make sure to remove stopper in lid and cover with a paper towel to let steam escape. Be very careful when blending hot liquids.
- Ladle into bowls and season with a sprinkling of salt, chopped cilantro, shredded coconut, additional lime wedges, and a squirt of Sriracha sauce (if desired). Serve immediately.
Notes
- Buy pre-packaged butternut squash to make your life easier!
- Store cooled soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- Freeze individual portions for an easy meal on busy days!
Nutrition
Calories: 184kcal, Carbohydrates: 29g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 4mg, Sodium: 384mg, Potassium: 785mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 19426IU, Vitamin C: 40mg, Calcium: 105mg, Iron: 2mg
Calories: 184kcal
Cost: $8
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Questions & Reviews
I love plain greek yogurt with 2 packets of Truvia and blueberries and tons of cinnamon. I love cinnamon so its a ton 🙂
Wow! I love curry and make it almost once a week. I normally use curry powder but had some of this paste left over so used it. This soup is super hot and spicey and I’m from Austin, TX and like moderately spicey food. I couldn’t eat it, it was so hot and didn’t even use the full amount of curry paste the recipe called for. I think this soup would be very delicious and will try it again but please be aware! 🙂
What was spicy? Was your curry paste spicy? My soup was super mild until I added a little squirt of sriracha.
OMG ours is sooooooo super spicy too! It must be the curry paste we have. And my husband loves spicy food and has a very high tolerance for it. Haha, I know we’ll eat it anyway.
UPDATE: (haha) We tried to lessen the spiciness by adding four potatoes, a quart of milk with flour and bouillon, and it’s still really spicy. We are even serving it with rice. We figure our curry paste increased in spiciness over the year we’ve had it or it’s a super legit brand straight from Thailand…whatever the case, this soup is SPICY. Whatevs, my husband is obsessed all the same.
I love fruits and veggies as a healthy snack. I love all the ideas given, I am always looking for something new.
This sounds great! wonder if I could slide it by the meat-and-potatoes hubby if I made it for lunch?
And I didn’t notice your hands, I was fascinated by the measuring spoons (My name is Wendy and I’m a kitchen gadget junkie…lol!)
I am making this now–it seems like a lot of red curry paste–is that going to be like half the jar? Just wondering. Can’t wait to try it.
OK – I have to ask: Why did the kids have black paint on their collective feet???!
Ha! Yeah, I went to visit my daughter’s kindergarten class and her teacher was working on a penguin project where the bodies of the penguins were the kids’ feet. She was painting their feet and stamping them and I wiped them off. 🙂
I can’t even tell you how excited I am about this soup. I heart butternut squash, curry and cooking light. I am also coveting your pot (le creuset?), just a little bit.
It’s actually a Martha Stewart pot (http://reviews.macys.com/7129/324821/martha-stewart-collection-cookware-enameled-cast-iron-reviews/reviews.htm); I’ve really loved it and just got my first Le Creuset in a larger size. I’m bummed to see the Martha Stewart line isn’t available anymore–it’s been a good, beautiful workhorse! 🙂
Would acorn squash work? I have three of them sitting in my pantry and this soup looks delish!
I really don’t know. Acorn squash is a little more stringy, but you could always give it a try! 🙂
I made this soup yesterday, and just had a bowl of it for lunch. The sriracha & cilantro are a must, & I would suggest the curry haters give it a try. Red curry has such a different flavor than yellow curry, which is what I think most people think of when they see curry in a recipe. It is very satisfying for low WW points.
Looks delicious! I’ve been on a coconut kick for the past several weeks. Have been thinking about making your amazing coconut chicken soup (love it!). But I might have to make this instead! 😉