You will fall in love with this autumnal, heart-warming, Asian-style curry made with really simple ingredients and delicious butternut squash. For this recipe, we use the butternut squash in two different ways: to make the creamy curry sauce and to serve in the curry, so this is definitely the right recipe if you want to savor the season!
I declare myself a fall lover. When summer is ending, and we are getting ready for cooler days, a bit of rain, and autumnal vibes, I simply love it. We harvest our butternut squashes at the end of August, and our kids love it; somehow, it feels like we are saying goodbye to our summer garden and welcoming chillier days.
This year, we had an amazing harvest, more than 30 butternut squashes! So yes, we've been making this recipe quite often, and we love it every time.
For this recipe, we use half of the butternut squash to blend in the sauce, and for the other half, we cut it into cubes to add to the curry. We like using this versatile squash in two different ways for the same dish.
If you have a larger squash (this year, we harvested some enormous squashes), you can use the leftover squash for other recipes like this butternut squash mac and cheese or our lovely butternut squash pasta.
What Other Readers Say About This Recipe:
- Heather: I love curry but I’ve never had a butternut squash curry. I tried this and it was amazing. I only had yellow curry paste in the house but I liked this so much I know we will be making it again and I’ll have to get red curry next time for a little more spice
- Shawna: This is sooooo good! Didn’t have shallot but red onion worked out just fine. Used 1 Not-Chik-N bouillon cube and water for the stock. My 5 and 7 year old loved this dinner even 🙌🏻. Thank you! This will be in our rotation this fall for sure!
Ingredients
Butternut Squash. You will need a medium-size butternut squash for this recipe.
Shallots, garlic, carrot, and ginger. These four ingredients add delicious flavors to the curry sauce. You can substitute shallots for yellow onion and if you don't have fresh ginger, you could use ginger powder as well.
Chickpeas. Adding chickpeas to this butternut curry is our way of adding protein to the meal. We love the texture that adds to the dish as well. We use canned or jarred chickpeas.
Vegetable stock. We use vegetable broth, but you can as well use water and add more salt to taste.
Red Curry Paste. We use a tablespoon of our homemade red curry paste to give our curry a delicious Thai flavor. You can use yellow curry paste or massaman curry paste, they both work really well for this recipe. If you want to use a store-bought curry paste, we recommend this brand, which doesn't use shrimp paste or fish sauce.
Coconut milk. Full-fat coconut milk is creamier than light coconut milk, but both will be good for cooking this curry. Instead of coconut milk, you can use soy cream, almond milk, or oat milk.
Soy sauce or tamari. We use a little bit of soy sauce or tamari (gluten-free) to add saltiness and umami.
Toasted cashews, fresh coriander, and lime for garnishing.
Step-by-Step Method
Peel and cut the butternut squash into cubes. Transfer to a baking tray or baking sheet, drizzle some olive oil and salt, and bake for about 35-40 minutes at 200C (400F). The butternut squash cubes need to be fork-tender.
While the butternut squash is roasting, add some coconut oil to a frying pan and stir-fry chopped carrot, shallots, ginger, and garlic.
Once the butternut squash is roasted and the veggies are ready, transfer just half of the diced butternut squash and all the stir-fried veggies to a blender jug with the stock. Blend until you have a smooth consistency. You can use an immersion blender or a high-speed blender.
Heat some coconut oil in a pan; we use our cast iron pan for this curry. Add red curry paste and a little bit of coconut milk. Stir for a couple of minutes.
Add the blended mixture, the rest of the coconut milk, chickpeas, soy sauce, and the other half of the butternut squash still in cubes.
Leave simmering for 10 minutes, add toasted cashews and chopped coriander, drizzle some fresh lime juice, and serve.
If you are serving this Thai Butternut Squash Curry to young kids and toddlers, you can leave the Thai curry paste out, use a mild one such as yellow paste, or make two separate pans, like we normally do when cooking this curry. One spicy and the other one mild!
Butternut Squash Curry
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash medium size
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 3 shallot
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 thumb-sized ginger piece
- 1 carrot
- 1 ¼ cup stock
- 1 tablespoon red curry paste
- 1 ½ cup coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 9 oz chickpeas
- Salt to taste
For Garnishing
- A handful coriander
- A handful cashews toasted and crushed
- Lime juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C (400F)
- Peel and cut into cubes the butternut quash. Transfer to a baking tray or baking dish, drizzle some olive oil and salt and bake for about 30 minutes. Depending on how big you cut the cubes, it will need longer or shorter.1 butternut squash
- While the squash is roasting, roughly chop the shallots, carrot, ginger and garlic clove. Add coconut oil to a frying pan and the chopped veggies. Stir-fry until the shallots soften and the rest start to golden.1 tablespoon coconut oil, 3 shallot, 1 garlic clove, 1 thumb-sized ginger piece, 1 carrot
- Once the butternut squash is roasted and the veggies are ready, transfer just half of the butternut squash and all the stir-fried veggies to a blender jug with the stock. Blend until you have a smooth consistency.1 ¼ cup stock
- Heat some coconut oil in a pan and add red curry paste and a little bit of coconut milk. Stir for a couple of minutes.1 tablespoon red curry paste
- Add the blended mixture, the rest of the coconut milk, chickpeas, soy sauce, and the other half of the roasted butternut squash still in cubes.1 ½ cup coconut milk, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 9 oz chickpeas
- Leave simmering for 10 minutes, add toasted cashews, and chopped coriander, drizzle some fresh lime juice, and serve.A handful coriander, A handful cashews, Lime juice, Salt to taste
Notes
- You can change the red curry paste by yellow curry paste to make this recipe milder.
- Make the curry spicier by adding sriracha or chili flakes before serving.
Newsletter
Nutrition
Variations for our Creamy Butternut Squash Curry
- Change the curry paste. We love Thai red curry paste or massaman paste for this dish, but if you want to try a milder version of this squash curry, add yellow curry paste instead.
- Change the protein. If you are not a big fan of chickpeas, you could add other pulses, such as cannellini beans, or other sources of protein, such as tofu, seitan, or tempeh.
- Serve it with noodles. Add more water, stock, or coconut milk to the curry and serve it with noodles. Double the amount of liquid from the recipe, and you will have a nice coconut noodle curry.
- Add more veggies. You can add loads of other veggies and make a yummy vegetable curry for this season. We wanted to keep the recipe simple, but red peppers, carrots, mushrooms, or zucchini would go fantastic in this curry. You can also roast sweet potatoes while roasting the butternut squash and add them to the curry—such a lovely addition!
- Make this dish an Indian curry style by swapping the red curry paste for some spices such as garam masala, cumin, and coriander. You can serve it with basmati rice and some naan bread on the side.
If you liked this recipe, you need to try our Spinach and Chickpea Curry, it's as hearty and delicious as this one!
Serving Suggestions
Our Butternut Squash Curry is a hearty main dish. You can choose to serve it on its own as a curry bowl or add a simple side dish. Here are some suggestions for side dishes to go with our curry:
Rice. Brown rice or steamed white rice, both options are great for this meal. We prefer long-grain rice to serve with our curries, such as jasmine rice or basmati.
Noodles. You can also serve this meal with wheat or rice noodles. Other options are soba noodles, sweet potato starch noodles, or brown rice noodles.
Quinoa. For a healthier twist, serve your curry over cooked quinoa. Quinoa adds a nutty flavor and provides extra protein and fiber.
Cauliflower Rice. If you're looking to reduce carbohydrates, try cauliflower rice as a low-carb alternative to traditional rice. It's light and absorbs the curry sauce well.
To complete your dish, garnish it with some toasted cashews or peanuts, chopped fresh herbs such as coriander or parsley, and a squeeze of lime juice or lemon juice. If you want your curry spicier, you can add some sriracha, cayenne pepper, or chili flakes before serving.
Store and Reheat
This recipe is perfect for meal prep as it keeps well for a few days in the fridge. Keep the rice in a separate container and garnish right before serving.
You can freeze any leftovers or save them in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Reheat the leftovers using a microwave or stovetop.
FAQ
Yes. You can, and it will still be delicious. We add curry paste to give our curry a mildly Thai flavor and add umami.
You can substitute the coconut milk for cashew cream made with soaked cashews and water or store-bought. As well, instead of using coconut oil, olive oil can be used.
Yes, you can keep any leftovers in the freezer.
Gloria says
I love cooking all the varieties of squash this time of year. We love curry. This sounds so delicious, and I know my family will love it.
Tracy says
What a delicious curry! A great way to use butternut squash that's not the norm! My whole family loved it. Thanks for another great recipe!
Laura says
Thank you Tracy!
Kathryn says
This was so easy to whip up and I love the curry and butternut squash flavors together. It's so simple, yet delicious for lunch or dinner. Thanks!
Astra says
Thank you Kathryn
Marie says
This vegan curry is aromatic and hearty, just so perfect for fall! Loved how easy to make and also that it allowed me to use up some of those many squashes I've received lately in my CSA 😂 Loved it, thanks!
Debbie says
This Butternut Squash Curry is so hearty and delicious . I loved the crushed cashews it really provided a contrast in flavors . My husband has already asked me when I am making this again
Debbye says
I just made butternut squash soup yesterday and did not even think of adding red curry paste. Gonna try it again tomorrow and add that. Thanks so much.
Laura says
Thanks Debbye, surely you will like it!
Veronika says
This recipe is amazing! I love how all the flavors were balanced. Great for a cold Fall weather 😉
Megan says
Such a great curry. I love the curry and squash combo so much. Thanks for a great recipe.
Ann says
I love a good butternut squash recipe! I have never tried making it as a curry before. This sounds delicious!
Moop Brown says
Curry is one of my favorite dishes because of how comforting and filling it is to me. I love the addition of the squash in this recipe.
Erin says
I wanted something different than our usual and this was perfect! Not too hard to make and so much flavor. Yum! Thank you.
Heather Sandell says
I love curry but I’ve never had a butternut squash curry. I tried this and it was amazing. I only had yellow curry paste in the house but I liked this so much I know we will be making it again and I’ll have to get red curry next time for a little more spice
Laura says
Thank you Heather. Yellow curry sounds delicious, we love adding it when making butternut squash curry as well. Actually, we will be posting our own yellow curry recipe this week!
Shawna says
This is sooooo good! Didn’t have shallot but red onion worked out just fine. Used 1 Not-Chik-N bouillon cube and water for the stock. My 5 and 7 year old loved this dinner even 🙌🏻. Thank you! This will be in our rotation this fall for sure!
Laura Arteaga says
Thank you Shawna, really happy you liked the recipe! Our kids love it too 🙂
Shawna L says
I’ve made this at least 5 times over the last few months. We love it. I have been adding extra veggies— mushrooms, zucchini and red bell. Sauté separate and set aside. Add in toward the end. ANYWAY. I am making tonight and I am just noticing it says soy sauce in the ingredient list. It’s missing from the instructions. When do you typically add it? Is it supposed to be there, or a typo? Would love to hear back soon!! Thank you!
Laura Arteaga says
Hi Shawna, glad you made this recipe so often! We also love it at home. You're right about the soy sauce, I forgot to include it in the instructions. You wanna add it right at the end, when you add the chickpeas and coconut milk. I fixed the instructions now so you can follow the recipe card. Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
Sherri says
Very good. My family loved it.
Laura Arteaga says
Thank you Sherri, this recipe is definitely a family favorite at home too!
Kimberley Neff says
Hello and thank you for this delicious recipe. I made it and couldn't get enough so I passed it along to a few friends and they too loved it.
I followed it precisely except I had green curry and not red. I worked wonderfully.
Thank you so much
Kimberley
Laura Arteaga says
Glad to hear the recipe worked also with green curry, will have to try that myself!
Anne says
This curry is amazing: tasty, creamy and healthy! I am a fan of thaï and indian cuisine, recently vegan and I have just come across your blog. This is the first recipe I have tested and it won’t be the last since they all look so delicious. Next on my list is the massaman
Laura Arteaga says
Thank you Anne, so glad you enjoyed the squash curry. You should definitely try the Massaman next!