This Thai-inspired Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk is perfectly spicy, incredibly creamy and healthy all at once! Switch up your soup game with this super satisfying and nutritious soup!
In the mood for soup? I’ve got you covered with Easy Creamy Potato Soup, Roasted Cauliflower Soup, Carrot Soup, Green Chile Stew, and Tomato Basil Soup.
Why This Recipe Works
- Incredible Flavors: One thing I love about curry is that it is a wonderfully strong flavor and can make anything taste good. The combination of silky smooth, slightly sweet squash along with the curry and coconut milk makes this soup so flavorful! I top it with a Thai gremolata which is chopped peanuts, cilantro, lime zest and red chili flakes which adds a lovely crunch and fresh flavor!
- Easy to Make: This beautiful curried butternut squash soup with coconut milk is surprisingly easy to make. I made mine in the slow cooker, but you can also make this on the stove! After just a few minutes of prep, you can throw everything into the slow cooker to cook. Then blend and you are ready to eat!
- So Beautiful: Just look at it! This soup is so appealing to the eye. All creamy and yellow and delicious-like. So bright and cheerful looking it’s almost like a winter-summer soup hybrid.
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this slow cooker creamy butternut squash soup:
For the Soup
- Butternut Squash– Peel and dice your butternut squash. Frozen butternut squash will work as well for this recipe.
- Unsweetened Coconut Milk– You can get this in a carton or it is also sold in cans.
- Chicken Broth– Chicken broth goes well with this soup, but if you want to keep it vegetarian you can use vegetable broth!
- Brown Sugar– A little brown sugar brings out the sweetness in the squash and balances the spices.
- Sriracha– For a little spice, add some sriracha to taste.
- Seasonings– Onion Powder, Curry Powder, Garlic Powder and Salt to taste.
- Lime– Freshly squeezed lime juice is amazing in this soup. If you have bottled lime juice, it will work but you will lose some freshness!
- Milk– For a vegan soup, replace the milk for more coconut milk.
For the Thai Gremolata
- Peanuts– Crush the peanuts a little bit for smaller pieces.
- Cilantro– Freshly chopped cilantro.
- Lime Zest– Use the zest from the limes you use in the soup.
- Red Chili Flakes– For a kick of spice!
Here’s How You Make It
For the Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk
- Add butternut squash, coconut milk, chicken broth, onion powder, brown sugar, sriracha sauce, lime juice, garlic powder, and curry powder to slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 2-3 hours or on low 4-5 hours. (photos 1-2)
- Blend mixture until smooth using an immersion blender, regular blender, or food processor. You may need to do this in batches depending on your available equipment. Return mixture to slow cooker. Add salt to taste and milk to thin the soup to the desired consistency. (photo 3)
For the Thai Gremolata
- Just before serving, prepare the gremolata. In a small bowl stir together cilantro, peanuts, lime zest, and red chili pepper flakes. Serve soup warm and top with gremolata, and enjoy! (photo 4)
Expert Tips for the Best Curried Butternut Squash Soup
- Technically, you can make this soup really super easy and not do the Thai gremolata. But, you’ll be missing out on a lovely addition of flavor and texture.
- This is a great soup to make ahead! You can freeze your curried butternut squash soup in an airtight container or bag for up to 3 months. Once you are ready to eat, thaw in the fridge overnight and the reheat in the microwave!
- While this soup is filling and delicious on it’s own, you can also pair this with a grilled cheese or some focaccia bread to dip!
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I blend this soup without an immersion blender?
Using an immersion blender is the easiest way to blend soup. However, if you don’t have one and you have a normal blender or food processor you can totally use that instead. You’ll want to let the soup cool down a little bit prior to blending it. When you do blend it, place the lid tightly on the blender and hold it down with a towel. Hot liquid in a blender creates pressure and the lid could pop off if you aren’t holding it down tightly! Blend in batches if needed.
Can I make this soup without a slow cooker?
Absolutely! If you don’t have a slow cooker, cook this soup in the same way in a large pot on the stove. Let it simmer for about an hour before blending!
Did you make this recipe? AMAZING! Be sure to snap a photo and tag me on social, then come back here to rate the recipe!
Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk
This Thai-inspired Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk is perfectly spicy, incredibly creamy and healthy all at once!
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 pounds butternut squash - peeled and diced
- 14 ounces unsweetened coconut milk
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1-3 teaspoons sriracha sauce - (or to taste)
- juice of 2 limes
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1-2 cups milk
- 3 teaspoons salt - (or to taste)
Thai Gremolata
- ยผ cup packed cilantro leaves - roughly chopped
- ยผ cup peanuts - roughly chopped
- zest of 1 lime
- ยฝ teaspoon red chili pepper flakes - (optional)
Instructions
- Add butternut squash, coconut milk, chicken broth, onion powder, brown sugar, sriracha sauce, lime juice, garlic powder, and curry powder to slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 2-3 hours or on low 4-5 hours.
- Blend mixture until smooth using an immersion blender, regular blender, or food processor. (You may need to do this in batches depending on your available equipment) Return mixture to slow cooker. Add salt to taste and milk to thin to desired consistency.
- Just before serving, prepare the gremolata. In a small bowl stir together cilantro, peanuts, lime zest, and red chili pepper flakes. Serve soup warm and top with gremolata.
Notes
Add 1-2 tablespoons sriracha sauce to the soup to give it a spicy kick!ย
Nutrition
Calories: 450 kcal, Carbohydrates: 42 g, Protein: 10 g, Fat: 31 g, Saturated Fat: 23 g, Cholesterol: 6 mg, Sodium: 2471 mg, Potassium: 1388 mg, Fiber: 8 g, Sugar: 14 g, Vitamin A: 24217 IU, Vitamin C: 64 mg, Calcium: 227 mg, Iron: 4 mg
Did You Make This Recipe?Tag @cremedelacrumb1 on Instagram and hashtag it #cremedelacrumb!
I love butternut squash soup, but your addition of peanuts and cilandro sound like it would just bring it over the top! This winter has bee weird for us, too.. I wouldn’t mind seeing a bit more rain and cooler temperatures than we’ve been getting. Hopefully someday it’ll return to normal!
I know exactly what you mean. And we are a boating family so we are getting a little bit nervous about the water level in our lakes with this lack of snow and moisture!! In the meantime, lots and lots of soup will get us through it ๐
This soup looks so good! Hope to try it this weekend. Sorry about your lack of snow – it’s because we have it all here in the Northeast – 100 inches on the ground now. If I could, I would send it all to you in the mail. We have been beaten down with it this winter ๐
Oh geez that is the worst!! I’m not missing it terribly – I hate the cold! But I am worried about our lakes since we are such big boating people!! Maybe you could send half of your snow?? ๐
This food look so hungry.
This looks so delicious! Can’t wait to try it! Your photos are gorgeous!
Thanks so much Julie!
can you recommend a substitute for the cilantro in the recipe?
I think basil would be great!
would you use thai basil vs sweet basil? I only ask because Im not familiar with thai cooking, but I want to give it a try. This recipe sounds amazing, but Im one of those people that believes cilantro tastes like soap.