Thai-Inspired Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk
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This Thai-style butternut squash soup is soothing and flavorful, and the heat from the curry and Sriracha will warm you right up.
This Thai-style butternut squash soup, flavored with red curry paste and coconut milk, is as soothing as it is flavorful. The ginger and spices add just the right amount of heat to warm you up, while the toppings—Sriracha, peanuts, scallions, and cilantro—bring vibrant flavor, texture, and a pop of color. For me, this soup is hearty enough to enjoy as a main course, but if you’ve got heartier appetites at the table, a scoop of jasmine rice makes a perfect addition to bulk it up.
Table of Contents
“This might be my new favorite Once Upon a Chef recipe! Easy and delicious…a winning combination!”
What You’ll Need To Make Thai-Inspired Butternut Squash Soup
- Vegetable Oil: Helps sauté the onions, garlic, and ginger, forming a flavorful base for the soup.
- Onions And Garlic: Provide a savory depth that balances the sweetness of the squash and carrots.
- Fresh Ginger: Adds a warm, slightly spicy note that complements the curry flavor.
- Butternut Squash And Carrots: Create the creamy, slightly sweet body of the soup.
- Chicken Broth: Forms the liquid base, adding depth and richness.
- Fish Sauce: Enhances the umami element of the soup, adding a subtle savory note and authentic Thai flavor.
- Sugar: Balances the subtle heat of the curry paste with a hint of sweetness.
- Thai Red Curry Paste: Infuses the soup with a bold flavor. Red curry paste is generally not very spicy, but the flavor profile can vary between brands.
- Unsweetened Coconut Milk: Adds creaminess and a slight sweetness that tempers the spice.
- Lime Juice: Provides a bright, tangy contrast to the rich, creamy soup.
- Sriracha, Scallions, Peanuts, and Cilantro: Optional garnishes that add texture and additional layers of flavor to the finished dish.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger.
Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes.
Add the butternut squash, carrots, broth, fish sauce, sugar, and 2 tablespoons of the curry paste.
Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
Using a hand-held immersion blender, purée the soup until silky smooth. (Alternatively, cool the soup slightly, then purée in a blender in batches, making sure to leave the hole in the lid open to allow the steam to escape.)
Stir in the coconut milk, lime juice, and salt; bring to a simmer but do not boil. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding the remaining tablespoon of curry paste if more heat is desired.
Ladle the soup into bowls. Drizzle with Sriracha and garnish with the scallions, peanuts, and cilantro, if desired. Enjoy!
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Thai-Inspired Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 medium yellow onions, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, very roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh ginger, from a 2-inch (5-cm) knob (see note)
- 2½ lb pre-cut butternut squash or one 3-lb (1.3-kg) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
- 3 large carrots, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1½ tablespoons fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 1 14-oz (400-ml) can unsweetened coconut milk (preferably not low fat)
- Juice of half a lime, plus more limes for serving
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Optional Garnishes
- Sriracha sauce, for drizzling
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
- ¾ cup salted peanuts, roughly chopped
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Do not brown; reduce heat if necessary.
- Add the squash, carrots, broth, fish sauce, sugar, and 2 tablespoons of the curry paste. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
- Using a hand-held immersion blender, purée the soup until silky smooth. (Alternatively, cool the soup slightly, then purée in a blender in batches, making sure to leave the hole in the lid open to allow the steam to escape.) Stir in the coconut milk, lime juice, and salt (if the coconut milk is solidified, use the immersion blender to mix it in). Bring to a simmer, then taste and adjust the seasonings, adding the remaining tablespoon of curry paste if more heat is desired. Ladle the soup into bowls. Drizzle with the Sriracha and garnish with the scallions, peanuts, and cilantro, if using.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Absolutely delicious. I didn’t make any changes to the recipe and my husband and I both enjoyed it for days.
I love using butternut squash this time of year!
What could be better than butternut squash, red curry, coconut milk, ginger and lime! Delicious!
Instead of adding rice, we added shredded chicken and crusty bread to make this a full meal.
The flavors liven up our cold, winter days!
I forgot to click on 5 STARS for Thai-Style Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk !!!
Best butternut squash soup! Came together super quickly and was just as good the next day!
The soup is seriously good! If you like spicy, substitute 2 tablespoons of yellow curry paste instead of red. The second time I made this I used carnival squash and it was still a success. Freezes well too.
I love this soup so much!!!! It tastes amazing and works so well as leftovers too. I added some shrimp to mine and it was delicious! Also, if you want to save time you can get your squash pre-cut but its still so easy to make since you just put everything in a pot and then blend it!
This looks and sounds amazing. Question: a couple of folks in my house have a really strong aversion to coconut (potentially allergic). Is it ok to omit it? Is there a good substitute, such as cream, half and half, etc?
Hi Martin, you could use heavy cream or half and half. Enjoy!
This is my go to recipes for butternut squash soup. First time i made this i followed the recipe exactly and it was divine albeit very spicy so i made a note to only add 1 tbsp of curry paste. I did eventually try substituting the sugar for brown sugar and i added a couple of kafir lime leaves. It was delicious with a bit more depth of flavor. I love your recipes. None have ever failed, just me:)
I just made this for my Grandson who had his wisdom teeth removed. It is good, but I wanted more zip so I increased the curry paste and lime juice and added the zest of a good sized lime.
Very flavourful squash soup!!! I put 1.5 tbsp of thai red curry paste because that was hot enough. A full can of unsweetened coconut milk and lime juice was the perfect silky/tangy taste. Who knew fish sauce in soup was so good. Thanks Jenn!!
This soup was so delicious! Made as instructed, no need to make any changes! Your cookbook and blog are my go to when I’m searching for a recipe and they are always a home run! Thanks for another one for my recipe folder!