Name: Curried Butternut Squash Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 3-4 cups); 1 carrot, peeled and coarsley sliced; 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and cubed (any kind of apple will do); 1 large yellow onion, diced (or 2 small onions); 1 celery rib, chopped small; 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced; 6 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped; 2 tsp dried ginger (or 1 inch fresh peeled ginger, sliced); 2 tsp curry powder; 2 tbsp maple syrup; 3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth); 1 tsp sea salt; 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper; 1 400ml can full fat coconut milk; few tablespoons roasted pumpkin seeds (optional); 1 handful fresh chopped herbs like cilantro, parsley, green onion, thai basil, etc. (optional); handful shredded unsweetened coconut, lightly toasted (optional); 6 naan flatbreads, served warm with herb butter or Za'atar (optional)

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As soon as the weather cools down in the fall one of the first things I like to make is butternut squash soup. It’s so warm and comforting with all the lovely flavours of fall in a bowl. The flavours of curry pair beautifully with squash. I first tried this combo years ago with an Ina Garten recipe and fell in love with it. It was somewhat time consuming though, and I was really looking for a quick dump and go version I could make in the Instant Pot that still tasted as delicious as the original. I came across this recipe from Curry Trail on Pinterest and it completely fit the bill – it takes 10 minutes to pressure cook (plus the time to come up to pressure)! I love that it has SO many vegetables – we’ve got butternut squash, carrot, onion, celery, red pepper, garlic… that’s a lot of veggies! I tweaked the flavours a bit to suit our tastes and ended up with a keeper of a recipe we make often. All the goodness in those veggies are pureed into a silky smooth soup that even your pickiest eaters are likely to approve. Especially when given a piece of naan bread to dip in 🙂

Now, I know butternut squash can be an intimidating vegetable to prepare, especially your first time. They’re large and require a sharp knife and firm pressure to get the job done. Over the years I’ve streamlined the process of cubing a butternut squash so I shared a full video tutorial over on my Instagram. Look for the “Cut B. Squash” highlight for the full tutorial!

This soup is the perfect opportunity to use some of your homemade bone broth, I’m hoping you have stashed in your freezer by now! This is such a great immune boosting soup this time of year with cold and flu season in full effect. You’ve got collagen rich broth, Vitamin C rich red pepper, immune boosting garlic and ginger, antioxidant rich onions, along with the other vitamins and mineral packed vegetables that fill this soup. This soup is also dairy free, using full fat coconut milk for our creamy taste. I absolutely love the taste of coconut milk when paired with curry – the flavours work together so perfectly.

Now, I am totally sold on the Instant Pot method for this soup because how how speedy it is. I also love the keep warm function, so I can make this soup earlier in the day and then just leave it in the Instant Pot on warm and it’ll be ready whenever my family wants to eat. Perfect for busy nights! I’ve also included Stovetop and Slow Cooker methods below for those of you that prefer either way. For the stovetop method, I have you roast the vegetables beforehand as it adds a really nice depth of flavour (this was the method used in the Ina Garten recipe I used to frequently make). You can feel free to skip this step though, if you’re in a hurry, and proceed with a one pot simmering method like we do in the instant pot and slow cooker. It’ll still taste great!

I’ve fallen in love with topping my naan bread with Za’atar to dip in the soup. Its a super flavourful Middle Eastern spice mixture that becomes a spread once mixed with olive oil, perfect for topping pitas with! I’ve even used it to rethink leftovers and it tasted absolutely amazing fried on leftover sliced baked potatoes, I’ll link the post for that here. Of course, a herb butter like the one we made in our sourdough naan recipe, or even just a good swig of olive oil, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper will do the trick also!

You can easily make your own Za’atar at home, check out this recipe from Feasting at Home to do it yourself!

If I’m making this soup for supper, I’ll often make some Pan Seared Chicken and serve it sliced on top of the soup to round out the meal for my family, though I personally find it perfectly filling without any meat. Especially when using good homemade bone broth! However you choose to serve it, I hope you and your family enjoy these cozy fall flavours. Let me know in the comments below how it turns out for you, I love hearing about your kitchen adventures! Talk to you soon 🙂

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5 from 1 vote

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

This super flavourful soup is packed with veggies and immune boosting ingredients like garlic, ginger, and bone broth. It's puréed into a silky smooth soup with curry spice and creamy coconut milk. My whole family loves it and I love knowing that they're getting a huge dose of vegetables and bone broth with every bowl. Don't forget the naan bread for dipping!

Course Soup

Keyword butternut squash, curry, Dairy free, instant pot, soup

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Author Garnish at Home, adapted from Curry Trail

Ingredients

Soup:

1 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed about 3-4 cups
1 carrot, peeled and coarsley sliced
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and cubed any kind of apple will do
1 large yellow onion, diced or 2 small onions
1 celery rib, chopped small
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
6 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tsp dried ginger or 1 inch fresh peeled ginger, sliced
2 tsp curry powder
2 tbsp maple syrup
3 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 400ml can full fat coconut milk

For Serving:

few tablespoons roasted pumpkin seeds optional
1 handful fresh chopped herbs like cilantro, parsley, green onion, thai basil, etc. optional
handful shredded unsweetened coconut, lightly toasted optional
6 naan flatbreads, served warm with herb butter or Za'atar optional

Instructions

Instant Pot:

Add all of the soup ingredients, except the coconut milk, to the instant pot. Stir to combine. The broth will not completely cover the vegetables, that is fine! In order to get a nice thick soup, we don't want to add too much broth.
Secure lid and cook on manual high pressure for 10 minutes.
Perform a quick pressure release by carefully tapping the sealing valve to the venting position.
Using an immersion blender or in batches in a food processor/blender, blend soup until smooth.
Add coconut milk and gently reheat soup. Season to taste. What does that mean? If it needs more spice, add more curry powder. If it is a tad bitter, add a swig of maple syrup. If it needs more flavour, season with more salt and pepper or add some bouillon base. A squeeze of lemon also brings some nice acidity if you like!
Top with any of the optional garnishes you prefer and serve with naan bread.

Stovetop:

Preheat oven to 400F.
Add all the vegetables to a sheet tray. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 40 minutes, or until very tender. I find roasting the vegetables gives the soup a lot of flavour for the stovetop version, but if you prefer you can instead add all the soup ingredients (except the coconut milk) to a pot and boil for 20-30 minutes until the veggies are very tender before blending.
Add roasted vegetables to a pot along with the rest of the soup ingredients, except the coconut milk.
Using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth.
Add coconut milk and gently reheat soup. Season to taste. If it needs more spice, add more curry powder. If it is a tad bitter, add a swig of maple syrup. If it needs more flavour, season with more salt and pepper.
Top with any of the optional garnishes you prefer and serve with naan bread.

Slow Cooker:

Add all of the ingredients, except the coconut milk, to the slow cooker. Stir to combine.
Cook on low heat for 8 hours or high heat for 4 hours.
Using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth.
Add coconut milk and gently reheat soup. Season to taste. If it needs more spice, add more curry powder. If it is a tad bitter, add a swig of maple syrup. If it needs more flavour, season with more salt and pepper.
Top with any of the optional garnishes you prefer and serve with naan bread.

Notes

This soup recipe is very forgiving. If you don’t have one or more of the veggies listed, you can easily sub more of another. The main ingredients to include are the butternut squash, onion, garlic. If you don’t have have a bell pepper or celery, just add another carrot. If you don’t have a carrot, add a small potato or sweet potato peeled and cubed!

Leftovers: This soup also makes a fantastic base for a curry. Sauté some chicken breast and peppers (or protein and veggies of your choice), add the soup and simmer until everything is cooked. Serve over rice with a squeeze of lime or lemon. So good!!

Featured in This Post:

This post includes affiliate links, meaning I made a small commission at no extra cost to you, should you decide to click through the links and purchase anything. These are my honest opinions and I would never recommend anything to you I didn’t absolutely love and use on a regular basis. Hope you find these lists helpful!

Instant Pot (8 Quart) – This is my most used kitchen appliance, I am obsessed with this thing! It saves me so much time and hassle in the kitchen and serves so many purposes that I think it is definitely worth the purchase. My favourite things to make are hard boiled eggs, rice, whole chickens, broth, pulled beef and pork, chili, soups, ribs, mac’n’cheese…. the list goes on!

Immersion Blender– I can’t imagine going through the hassle of transporting hot chunky soup in small batches to a blender to puree – what a hassle! I absolutely adore my immersion blender when it comes to blending soups. It could not be easier, you just stick it in the soup and whiz away. Just make sure the blade is fully immersed before blending and while blending or you’ll have a hot mess, quite literally… everywhere! 😉

Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk– This is my go to brand for coconut milk. It is super thick and creamy, making perfect whipped coconut cream or the perfect creamy taste for soups and curries. The other brands just don’t seem to be as creamy or solidify when refrigerated – such a disappointment when you open the can in the morning ready to whip up some cream. This brand has never failed me!

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Curried Butternut Squash Soup