This creamy curried squash soup comes together in two easy steps: roast & blend! Made with coconut milk and plenty of veggies, it's totally vegan.
I had this red kuri squash sitting on my countertop for the longest time. I didn’t really know what to do with it until I picked up some lemongrass from the market and then it hit me – Red Curry Kuri soup! They say “what grows together goes together.” Well in this case, what rhymes together… also works.
If you can’t find a red kuri squash, you could sub in kabocha squash or butternut squash. If you can’t find lemongrass, use a bit of lime zest here instead. The rest is pretty straight forward and simple – plus this is a no-pot meal (that’s a thing right?), just roast the squash, shallots and garlic in the oven, then blend everything all together.
This soup is tangy and a little spicy (although you can adjust the spice to your level), and the coconut makes it super creamy. The flavors here are a little less traditional for Thanksgiving, but this can be a bright start to your holiday.
Red Curry Kuri Squash Soup
- 1 medium red kuri (or butternut) squash, about 3 pounds
- 2 shallots, sliced in half
- 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk, reserve ¼ cup for garnish
- 1 stalk lemongrass (or 1 tablespoon lime zest)
- 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon red curry paste*
- 1 cup water or vegetable broth, more as needed for consistency
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Reserved coconut milk
- Toasted, chopped cashews
- Microgreens
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Place the squash and the shallots on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and pinches of salt and pepper, and turn cut-side down. Wrap the whole garlic cloves in foil and place on the sheet. Roast for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the squash is tender and the shallots are nicely browned.
- Prepare the lemongrass by cutting off the root end and the tough upper stem of the stalk. Smash the stalk with a rolling pin to loosen the layers then pull off the thick outer layers and dice the inner, tender parts. Measure out 1 tablespoon chopped lemongrass.
- Scoop the flesh from the squash and unwrap and peel the garlic. In a blender, place the squash, shallots, garlic, coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger, curry paste, and a few generous pinches of salt and pepper. Blend until creamy. Add the water or broth, lime juice, and olive oil and blend again. Add more water or broth to thin the soup to your desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings with more salt, pepper, and lime juice.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the coconut milk, toasted cashews, and microgreens.
Delicious. I did up the spices a bit. Wish I had lemongrass on hand but had to use lime zest.
Thanks
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Okay, had to make changes. Needed twice the water and a second half can of coconut milk to thin and decrease the squashiness. And literally 4 times the curry powder.
Wowzers!! This was amazing! I pulverized the cashews before adding the cooked squash as I had to avoid any crunchy texture. This will definitely be a go-to recipe from now on!
I’m so glad you loved it!
I was delighted with how this turned out tonight. So delicious!
Hi Lily, so glad you loved it!
I made this soup for the first time in 2020 and I have made it countless times since then, so I felt like it was time to leave a comment. WE LOVE THIS SOUP. It is so simple to make and absolutely delicious. It is a fall/winter household favorite and we enjoyed it so much I actually put it on a recipe card for easy access. Thank you for sharing.
I’m so happy to hear it was a hit!
This is a really lovely soup. Anything with roasted squash, shallots and garlic has got to be delicious. This is no different. I do have a silly comment though. This tastes like I am spooning curry into my mouth. Next time I make this I would like to cut the curry in half, just to calm the curry a tiny bit. I use Aroy-D red curry. It might then feel like a soup, and not so curry-like. Husband loves it as recipe reads.
Best pumpkin soup ever, really!! No major tweaks. Thank you so much for this recipe, will definitely make this again.. ?
I’m glad you loved it!
Love love your Curry Kuri Soup. I’ve saved seeds so I can grow more, and now my friends want seeds too, so we can all make your soup!
I’m so glad you loved it!
I make a lot of soups but after serving up this one it was declared the best I have ever made. For the curry I used katsu which was lovely with the coconut. Thanks for this recipe which is destined to remain a family favourite.
I’m so glad you loved it!
can I mix the different kinds of squash to make soup.
Do you use the skin or only the flesh in the soup recipe? I know that the skin on the red kuri squash is edible.
Hi Mary, just the flesh. The skin is edible, but I use just the flesh to blend into a creamy soup.
DELICIOUS! I recieved a kuri in my home delivery produce box and had no idea what to do with it. I’m also not a fan of winter squash. This Thai-inspired soup was an awesome way to enjoy it! Next time, I’ll reduce the ginger and lemongrass slightly as a personal preference or start with half and increase to taste. I also warmed the coconut milk while adding in the kuri and other ingredients to allow for serving the soup hot. The addition of cashews on top with a some leftover chopped scallions was wonderful. Great recipe!
Just made this soup using lime zest instead of lemongrass. It was very tasty and came together quicker than expected!
I love the opportunity to try different kinds of squash and was pleasantly surprised that the red kuri variety tends more to the savoury than the sweet side.
Thanks very much for the recipe 🙂
Will this recipe work in a Cuisinart instead of a blender?
It was delicious. I used a butternut squash. Added a little fish sauce and more bouillon (same volume) and a little extra lime juice. . Got a good crisp on the shallots and put it all in the blender. The coconut milk makes it nice and creamy.
This soup was delicious and unique, I had never made a soup without a pot before!
But that did come with a weird draw back in that the soup is basically room temperature because the coconut milk and broth are not heated.
I prefer my soup piping hot so I ended up microwaving the soup after I had finished.