Thai Coconut Curry Soup

Slightly sweet and overflowing with flavors like curry and ginger, Thai Coconut Curry Soup is a great way to use your winter squash. 

I’m always happy when fall rolls around.  I love the colors, the vibe—and especially the fact that soup is once again “in”.  Not that I ever stop making it!

But wanna know what I like even better? A soup that’s loaded with flavor and nutrition–and super easy at the same time. Like this Thai Coconut Curry Soup, full of beta-carotene rich winter squash.

Because we need easy and healthy soups even more as the weather starts to change.   

Why You’ll Love This!

Healthier.  Loaded with nutrition from the winter squash, it will even go vegan if you use vegetable broth. 

Tasty.  This soup is loaded with flavor from—well so many delicious ingredients like squash, ginger and red curry paste!

Easy.  While many butternut soup recipes have you cut up the squash first, I roast it to save both working time and the stress of trying to cube a big hard squash!

What You’ll Need

Ingredient Notes (Details Below)

• Butternut squash.  This provides flavor, sweetness and nutrition.  You can also use another winter squash or even canned squash or pumpkin.
• Oil.  This is used to sautee the onion and garlic.
• Fresh Ginger, Lime, Onion, Garlic.  These add flavor and an Asian vibe.  You can substitute frozen ginger if you don’t have fresh. The lime zest can also be used as a garnish, either grated or as curls.
• Thai Red Curry paste.  This provides a lot of nuanced flavors. Most grocery stores carry it.
• Vegetable or chicken broth.  This provides the bulk of the soup.
• Unsweetened coconut milk.  This adds tropical flavor and volume.  I use full fat but you can use reduced fat.
• Salt.  Salt enhances flavor.
• Optional garnish ideas:  lime peel zest or curls, toasted coconut, peanuts, drops of pepper oil, cilantro

Special Tools

• A stick blender or high speed blender is helpful to puree the soup but it can be hand mixed if you don’t mind small bits of onion, etc.

Step by Step Overview (Details Below)

Bake squash until tender.  Scoop out the flesh and reserve.

Heat the oil over medium heat and sautee the onion, ginger and garlic until softened but not changing color. Add the curry paste and cook for a few more minutes.

Stir in the broth, coconut milk, and squash. Heat until warm. Stir in the lime juice.

Puree soup with a hand mixer or in batches in a blender (slowly and carefully since hot soup can spurt).  Taste and salt if needed (this will vary based on broth used.). Garnish if desired.  

How to Serve

Thai Coconut Curry Soup makes a lovely starter soup.  Since it doesn’t have a lot of protein, it isn’t a great entrée soup, but it’s a nice compliment to a (full or half) sandwich or a salad that includes some protein.

This soup is a delight to garnish—kind of like a cheery blank canvas. So take a look at my garnish suggestions and have fun.  Or skip entirely if you’re in a hurry. 

Variations and Special Diets

Just use vegetable broth and the soup will be vegetarian, vegan and dairy-free.

Pumpkin and winter squash are the darlings of the fall soup craze.  I can also recommend my Easy Pumpkin Coconut Soup (flavored with vanilla not curry and ginger), Three Sisters Stew (a native American classic), or Curried Pumpkin Mushroom Soup (just like it sounds!).

Leftovers

Leftovers will keep, sealed and refrigerated for 3-4 days without losing quality.  The soup can also be frozen, again without quality issues. 

And if you end up roasting a pumpkin to use as your winter squash, consider saving the seeds for Roasted Pumpkin Seeds.

Tips & FAQs

This recipe was adapted from one in the (now defunct) Family Circle magazine. 

I always keep ginger root sealed and frozen in my freezer.  When I need it I just “saw off” a piece, scrape away the brown outer coating (or sometimes not), then grate the amount I need. 

Some versions of this recipe start with cubed butternut squash.  Since it’s so hard to cut and I always envision slicing off a finger, I started roasting it first.  It adds to the elapsed time, but reduces the working time a lot.

And for more delicious Fall Flavors, see:

• Apple Cider Biscuits by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Pumpkin Loaf Cake by Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
• Refrigerator Pickled String Beans by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Beef and Pumpkin Pasties by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Brussels Sprouts Pizza by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Apple Pie Smoothie by A Little Fish in the Kitchen
• Apple Pani Puri by Magical Ingredients
• Pumpkin Pie Twists by Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Pan Fried Pork Chops by Palatable Pastime
• Apple Cider Mule by The Spiffy Cookie
• Pumpkin Spice Espresso Martini by Our Crafty Mom
• Cranberry Orange Pork Loin by That Recipe

Thai Coconut Curry Soup

Slightly sweet and overflowing with flavors like curry and ginger, Thai Coconut Curry Soup is a great way to use your winter squash.

Author: Inger

5 from 3 votes

Print

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course Soup

Cuisine Asian

Servings 6

Calories 254 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 butternut squash large, or equivalent in other winter squash
• 1 Tablespoon oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 2 cloves garlic minced or put through a garlic press
• 1 Tablespoon Thai Red Curry paste
• 4 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
• 14 oz unsweetened coconut milk 1 can
• Salt to taste
• 1 lime for juice and zest
• Optional garnish ideas: lime peel curls toasted coconut, peanuts, drops of pepper oil, cilantro

Instructions

 

• Halve squash, scoop out seeds, set cut side down in 9 x 13 pan, then add about an inch of water to pan. Bake until tender, about an hour (see note). Scoop out the flesh and reserve.
• Heat the oil over medium heat and sautee the onion, ginger and garlic until softened but not brown, 5-10 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook for a few more minutes.
• Stir in the broth, coconut milk, salt, and squash. Heat until warm, about 10 minutes. Stir in the lime juice.
• Puree soup with a hand mixer or in batches in a blender (slowly and carefully since hot soup can spurt). Garnish if desired

Notes

Or use your favorite squash roasting method.  My butternut squash yielded about 3 cups of mash.  You could probably sub with a single can of canned since that usually has a lower moisture content.

Nutrition

Calories: 254kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 3gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.01gSodium: 644mgPotassium: 656mgFiber: 5gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 14021IUVitamin C: 33mgCalcium: 84mgIron: 2mg

I am not a health professional and nutrition data is calculated programatically. Accuracy may vary with product selection, calculator accuracy, etc. Consult a professional for the best information.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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