Light and creamy, vegan butternut squash soup with a curried twist. This simple pureed soup is spiced with sriracha and curry powder, and balances heat with brown sugar and apple.
This, my friends, is a gateway recipe. Meaning, it’s a great place to start if you’re not sure about butternut squash, but
- You’re curious about butternut squash and what it tastes like…
- You’ve had butternut squash but it was, well, “squashy”, and you want to turn that down a notch…
- You’re wanting to shake up your veggie routine and add variety…
- Because someone somewhere said “it’s good for you”…
- Because “all of your recipes are absolutely delicious, Jennifer, so now that you’ve posted this, I must try it…”
(It’s definitely that last one…isn’t it?)
Personally, I developed this recipe because I was trying to add more veggie variety in my life. I have some dietary intolerances in the vegetable department, so making the most of what I *can* eat without repercussions is a priority in my kitchen.
Plus I could hear my mom, echoing in the deep recesses of my memory: “It’s good for you…”
Key Ingredients
The main players in Curried Butternut Squash Soup are:
- Winter Squash – *Technically* you can use any winter squash you’d like. Butternut is relatively common and easy to find, but you can also use Acorn Squash, Hubbard Squash, Carnival Squash… even Sweet Potatoes would work well.
- Curry Powder – The flavor of curry powders vary. I mean, VARY. I use a curry powder blend from my favorite spice shop (you can find it here) which happens to have a nice medium heat and a gentle sweetness to it. Finding a blend that you like takes time, but is so worth it.
- Broth – This recipe calls for vegetable broth to keep things on the vegetarian/vegan side of things, but chicken broth would work just as well
The Process
Chopping the Squash – Carefully cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Next, remove the peeling with a vegetable peeler.
It doesn’t have to be perfect – there’s no temperamental chef in starched whites lurking just over your shoulder waiting to unleash a torrent of obscenities at you if you don’t achieve a perfect ¼″ small dice.
(See? I paid attention in culinary school.)
Sautéing the Squash – You don’t want low heat, unless you have plenty of time your hands. You don’t want high heat unless you want to end up ordering takeout. We’re looking for medium heat here. If a few bits brown a little, that’s just more flavor, so don’t worry. But you don’t want to brown the squash overall.
If you do notice the squash is browning a little too quickly, turn down the heat and add the broth.
A Note on Carefully Blending Soup
I prefer using an immersion blender for their ease. Immersion blenders are easy to handle, easy to clean and take up minimal storage space. (Plus, they’re relatively cheap).
USING AN IMMERSION BLENDER – be sure your pot is deep enough to contain splatters
USING A BLENDER – BE CAREFUL. (If you’re using a food processor, you’re going to want to read this too)
If you’ve ever overfilled your blender with hot liquid and hit the “ON” switch, you know what I’m about to say from experience…and for that, I am sorry.
Hot Liquids + Your Blender = Possible Recipe for Disaster
Steam from the hot liquid can build up inside the blender…RAPIDLY. This potentially creates enough pressure to blow the lid off the top, spewing forth scorching hot liquid in all directions.
Unless you’d like your kitchen to have a certain Jackson Pollock motif to it, (not to mention if you’d like to avoid scalding burns), you’ll want to:
- Allow the squash mixture to cool for a few minutes before blending
- Blend in small batches – Do NOT fill your blender more than halfway
- Vent the blender lid – Remove the center cap from the lid of your blender and cover with a clean, folded kitchen towel
- Use LOW speed
- DO NOT look directly into the blender with nothing between your eyeballs and the searing hot soup
- Pour pureed soup into a clean pot or bowl
- Repeat with the remaining squash mixture
Curried Butternut Squash Soup
Equipment
- Blender, Immersion Blender, or Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Butternut Squash, peeled, seeded and chopped About 6 cups
- 1 Apple, peeled, core removed, and chopped About 1 cup (suggested: honeycrisp)
- 2 Tbsp Curry Powder
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 carton vegetable broth (4 cups)
- 4 Tbsp brown sugar (dark or light – both are fine)
- 1 Tbsp Sriracha Optional
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a deep soup pot over medium heat. Add diced squash and apple. Sautee for 5-10min, until squash begins to soften.
- Add spices and sauté for another 2-3min, stirring gently to prevent burning.
- Add broth and sugar and bring to a simmer. Cover, but leave vented and gently simmer until squash and apple are soft, About 20min.
- Carefully puree soup using a blender, immersion blender or food processor, working in batches if necessary. (SEE PROCESS NOTES)
- Add sriracha, if using, and stir to combine. Serve hot. See Finishing Touches for more serving and topping ideas.
Notes
Recipe Notes
- Can I prepare this recipe ahead of time? Yes. This soup can be stored for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
- Can I freeze this soup? Yes. This soup is basically a vegetable puree with no cream or dairy, which means it will freeze and thaw nicely.
- Can I use another type of squash? Yes – any type of winter squash can be used in this recipe (Acorn, Hubbard, Carnival, etc…)
- How long can I keep the leftovers? This soup can be stored for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
Finishing Touches
Wondering what to serve with Curried Butternut Squash Soup, or want ideas for dressing it up?
Serve with:
- Garlic bread or Breadsticks
- Grilled Cheese Sandwiches or Quesadillas
- Flatbreads
- Naan with hummus
Top with:
- Fresh cilantro (shown)
- Pepitas or toasted walnuts
- Queso fresco or crumbled paneer
- Thick, toasted croutons
- Grilled shrimp
- Grilled Chicken cut into bite-sized pieces
