This vegan coconut curry butternut squash soup is delicious! Even if you aren’t a huge squash fan, this is a smooth soup with no chunks, so if you are averse to the texture, you would still probably like this.
Smooth soups are fun but I still like it when there is something to munch on, so I added spicy roasted chickpeas to the dish as well. This was the perfect extra bite and made it a bit more filling as well.
Equipment needed to make coconut curry butternut squash soup
A couple items necessary:
- Baking sheets – one is fine, but two will make the process faster (for our butternut squash and chickpeas). I use Williams Sonoma Gold Touch brand.
- Blender, food processor, or immersion blender – to make our soup nice and smooth.
- A large pot – a Dutch oven works as well.
- A sharp knife and cutting board.
How to roast butternut squash
Butternut squash is the WORST THING TO CUT OPEN. Luckily we just need to halve it, so stab your sharp knife right into it and push all the way down. Then I like to tilt the knife as far as I can get it horizontally, and then I pick up the squash and bang it on the counter. It sounds ridiculous but the force tends to make the knife cut through it. I do that a few times until it’s easy enough to tear open. There’s also a lot of helpful YouTube videos if you hate doing this too.
Be sure to scoop out all of those seeds and stringy bits with a fork or spoon. Then just drizzle with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle on salt and pepper.
Put the squash ORANGE SIDE DOWN on the pan. Then you want to take a fork and prick the squash all over, like you would a pie. This will prevent it from exploding :). Then you are ready to shove it in the oven for about 45 minutes, so be sure to get this started ahead of time!
How to make the chickpeas
If you haven’t roasted chickpeas before, it’s not difficult. Any canned chickpea works, just be sure to drain the liquid from the can. Then, pour the chickpeas onto a baking sheet dab them with a paper towel to pick up additional moisture. This isn’t a MUST, but it makes it easier for the chickpeas to dry out and crisp in the oven.
Then just add your olive oil to coat the chickpeas, and then add your spices! You can put a mixture of whatever you want here, but I went with cumin, onion powder, cayenne pepper, paprika and salt. You could use chili powder, nutmeg or dried garlic as substitutes. If you want them to be really spicy, amp up the cayenne or chili powder!
Sprinkle all the spices on and toss the chickpeas with your hands until well coated. Make sure the chickpeas aren’t on top of each other and they are well spaced out. Then just slide them into the oven for about 20 minutes!
How to make the coconut curry butternut squash soup
This is the easy part! Just brown the shallot and onion and garlic in a pot with some oil, and then you are going to scoop the flesh of the squash into the pot. After it’s nice and hot, we add our coconut milk and vegetable broth and thai yellow curry sauce (which I get at Trader Joe’s). If you don’t need it to be vegan, feel free to use chicken broth which is also delicious. Throw in some cumin, paprika and salt and let it cook up for a while.
Then, just blend up the soup! You can use an immersion blender, BUT I DON’T HAVE ONE (YET)! One can dream though. If you are like me, use a food processor or a blender for this part. Just spoon the squash into either one and blend until smooth. I did this in about 2 batches but you might need 3.
And that’s it! Top it with the chickpeas, add a swirl of coconut or greek yogurt, and throw on some parsley. The toppings really make it come together, but feel free to get creative.
Recipe Substitutions + Additions
I’m coming back from the future to write this section. I have tried a few variations to this soup that I really enjoy!
- Add potato – adding a diced yellow potato will make the soup extra thick and creamy. You can add the diced potato to your baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and bake for about 20 minutes in the oven with the butternut squash, and then remove it from the baking sheet (and let the butternut squash roast longer). Add the potatoes to the pot at the same time as you add the butternut squash to the pot.
- Add chicken – This soup tastes great with some protein if you aren’t vegetarian. If you have pre-cooked chicken, shred or dice a chicken breast and add it to the pot after the soup has been blended.
- Add gnocchi noodles – gnocchi is soft and cooks up quickly. I added about one-third cup of pre-made gnocchi (sold at Trader Joe’s) after blending the soup and let it cook on high heat for about 5 minutes.
Make this soup in a crockpot
If you own a crockpot, you can definitely make this!
Directions: Peel and dice the butternut squash and add it to the pot, along with a diced yellow potato (optional), shallot, onion, all of the spices and the broth. Cover and cook on high for four hours.
Once complete, add the thai yellow curry sauce and the coconut milk. Add about 1 cup of water. Blend the soup until smooth. If preferred, add diced chicken and gnocchi and let cook on high for an additional 5-10 minutes. Serve topped with the chickpeas and parsley.
More recipes to try
If you liked this Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup, try these other recipes on my blog:
- kale and leek soup with cornbread
- roasted red pepper soup with carrot and potato
- Delicata Squash and Ground Turkey Soup
- Easy Veggie Udon Noodle Soup
Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup with Crunchy Chickpeas
Equipment
- immersion blender or blender or food processor
- 2 baking sheets
- large pot
- cutting board
- a sharp knife
Ingredients
For the Chickpeas
- 1 can drained chickpeas 15 ounces
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp cayenne
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
For the soup
- 1 medium butternut squash halved
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 can coconut milk around 13 ounces
- 2 tbsp Thai yellow curry sauce
- 2 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
- 1 cup water
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- ½ yellow onion chopped
- 1 shallot chopped
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- parsley for serving
- coconut yogurt for serving (or greek yogurt)
- 1 yellow potato diced, (optional)
- 1 roasted chicken breast shredded or diced (optional)
- ½ cup gnocchi noodles optional
Instructions
- Start with roasting the butternut squash. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Slice the squash in half longwise, and scrape out the seeds and stringy bits. Drizzle the squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Transfer the squash face down onto a baking sheet.1 medium butternut squash
- Stab the outside of the butternut squash with a fork a few times to create steam holes. Then place the squash in the oven to roast for 45 minutes or until it's soft and fork-tender. The outside might be brown and bubbly looking. Let it cool for 10 minutes.**If you want the potato in your soup, add the potato to the sheet BEFORE baking the squash and drizzle it with oil. Bake it on the same pan for only 20 minutes, remove the potato from the pan, and put the sheet back in the oven to finish baking the squash.1 yellow potato, 2 tbsp olive oil
- To prepare the chickpeas, get out your second baking sheet. Spread out the drained chickpeas on the sheet and dab them with a paper towel to make sure they are dry. Drizzle on the olive oil and toss the chickpeas with your hands until coated.1 can drained chickpeas, 3 tbsp olive oil
- Sprinkle on the paprika, cumin, onion powder and cayenne pepper. Toss chickpeas until evenly covered with the spices. Place in the oven (next to the squash if it fits) and bake for 20 – 25 minutes at 375°F.1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp cayenne, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp onion powder
- In a large pot over medium heat, heat up a tablespoon of olive oil. After a few seconds, throw in the onion, shallot and garlic and cook over medium heat until the onions are soft and appear translucent, about 4-5 minutes.½ yellow onion, 1 shallot
- Take your butternut squash and scrape out all the insides into the pot with a fork. Mix it up with the onions and continue to cook until the squash is heated up. Add the potato if you are using it. Add in the coconut milk, vegetable (or chicken) broth and water. Add in the thai yellow curry sauce, paprika, cumin and salt and stir together. Continue to cook on high heat for 5 minutes. Then bring to a simmer.1 can coconut milk, 2 tbsp Thai yellow curry sauce, 2 cups vegetable broth, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 cup water
- Spoon the soup into a food processor or blender in 2-3 batches, making sure to get the large butternut squash chunks in there. Blend on high until the soup is smooth, and pour it back into the pot. Or, leave everything in the pot and blend with an immersion blender if you have one. Optional: If adding, dump in the diced chicken and gnocchi after the blending process is finished. Continue to simmer the soup on medium low for 5-10 minutes.1 roasted chicken breast, ½ cup gnocchi noodles
- Spoon the soup into a bowl for serving. Top with the crunchy chickpeas, yogurt and parsley. Enjoy!parsley, coconut yogurt
