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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This soup is excellent! I left it chunky, as is, without pureeing. We used Hubbard squash just because we grew a bunch. Were vegan so used vegan fish sauce. Today is the second time in as many weeks that we are making a double batch of this. Great recipe.
I can’t wait to make this for my family. To make it vegetarian, I’m planning to use vegetable broth and omit the fish sauce. Just wondering Jen if you would add liquid aminos or soy sauce instead of the fish sauce? Thanks!
Yes, I would recommend replacing the fish sauce with soy sauce. Enjoy!
You can easily find vegan fish sauce at oriental markets or health food stores. I have 4 different brands currently in my refrigerator. It tastes quite authentic.
I love your website. Thank you! Just to say that instead of butternut squash, which I was not able to find in my local supermarket, I used red lentils and the result was delicious.
A knockout! A perfect fall soup, totally delicious and super easy preparation. I simply can’t praise it enough, also Jen’s Thai inspired Chicken and Rice Noodle soup. I find Jen’s recipes completely reliable and reproducible which doesn’t always happen with other cooking websites where what you see is often not what you get when you make it yourself.
We love this soup. I use Hubbard squash as that is what hubby planted. 🙂 The honey gives it something that makes the texture rich and decadent. The Thai red curry paste lets you adjust to whatever heat you like. It is just the perfect soup!
Oh. My Goodness!! What an awesome soup! I made this yesterday for dinner tonight and I can hardly wait. I’m serving it with all the toppings. Yum!
Hi Jenn… Can frozen butternut squash be used instead of fresh?
Sure!
LOVED this recipe! I did not adjust one thing. I did find the 2 TB of red thai curry paste provided just the right amount of heat. Adding this to my list of go-to recipes
Hi Jenn…I KNOW this is a crazy question but here goes. I made your sweet potato/carrot soup last week and had to freeze it. I’m hosting friends soon and they all love Thai so thought this a better option but was wondering if I could marry the two. Maybe sauté the ginger and scallions, then add with fish sauce, curry paste and coconut milk to the other soup? Insane? Love everything about your site…ty!
Hi Cheryl, I think it should work! 🙂
Made this soup for 500 ladies at a retreat the last weekend. What a hit! Yes, it took me a lot of hours to prep and cook it BUT it was worth seeing the smiles afterward. Thank you for all the hard work you do to make sure your recipes are top notch and tasty! Have never been disappointed!!
Wow! For 500 people, that is impressive and your comment sold me on trying this recipe, if it’s good enough to spend that much time making 500 servings I will trust you on this!