This creamy Butternut Squash Curry is a Thai-inspired red curry recipe made with tender squash, wilted spinach, and chickpeas for protein. It’s fragrant and flavorful, fantastic for warming you up and a total breeze to make!
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Thai curry with some Well Plated tweaks.
While I can’t claim that this butternut squash curry (or my Green Curry or Massaman Curry) is 100% authentic, Ben and I did travel extensively in Thailand so I do know what the real deal tastes like—and I try to get as close as I can to that flavor with ingredients that are accessible to home cooks in the US!
This squash curry follows in the footsteps of my Chickpea Curry, replacing the usual meat or tofu with chickpeas. To keep it from being too heavy, I use light coconut milk, and the sauce gets its aroma and flavor from an entire jar of red curry paste. We’re not playing around here!
While this butternut squash curry recipe tastes amazing right away, curries are one of those magical recipes where a day or two in the refrigerator really brings all the flavors together. Don’t hesitate to meal prep this one for later in the week!
Key Ingredients
You’ll find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below, but here are some notes to keep in mind.
- Butternut Squash. If you want to save a little prep time, a lot of grocery stores sell pre-cut butternut squash in the produce section. You could use frozen, but it tends to be a bit mushy, so it’s not my favorite.
- Shallot. Can’t find shallots? Yellow onion is the best substitute.
- Ginger and Garlic. Although the curry paste is full of aromatics, fresh ginger and garlic add some extra oomph.
- Thai Red Curry Paste. Be sure to use curry paste, not sauce! Paste is a concentrate that helps you build your own sauce.
- Cayenne Pepper. Feel free to adjust the amount to your liking.
- Light Coconut Milk. For a thicker and richer butternut squash curry, you can use full-fat coconut milk, or split the difference and use one can of light and one can of full-fat.
- Chickpeas. Rinse these well to remove that canned bean flavor.
- Lime. Fresh lime juice perks up the flavor of this curry, punctuating it with a pop of acidity. It’s a must!
- Fish Sauce. Another essential! Fish sauce isn’t something you notice is there, but you do notice when it’s not there because it adds a lot of depth and umami. If you want to make a vegetarian butternut squash curry, you can swap in vegan fish sauce or soy sauce.
- Baby Spinach. This wilts into the curry. It’s optional, but it’s an easy way to up the veggies in this dish.
- Cilantro. Haters can skip it!
How to Make Butternut Squash Curry
Start the Squash. Heat the oil in a large pot set over medium heat and add the squash, shallot, ginger, garlic, curry paste, and cayenne. Stir and cook, and keep cooking until the squash softens just a bit.
Add the Chickpeas. Stir them in until they’re coated in all that red curry deliciousness.
Simmer. Pour in the coconut milk. Increase the heat, then once the liquid comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for about 15 minutes, returning to stir the pot every so often. Keep simmering until the squash reaches your desired tenderness and the sauce thickens a bit.
Finish. Stir in the lime juice and fish sauce, then toss in the spinach a handful at a time and stir until it wilts. Add the cilantro, then give the curry a taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Serve your butternut squash curry over rice with cilantro and lime wedges. ENJOY!
What to Serve with Butternut Squash Curry
While you could serve this curry like a soup or a stew, it’s best enjoyed in a bowl with some grains to soak up that fabulous sauce.
- Rice. Serve your butternut squash curry over brown rice or white rice.
- Cauliflower Rice. For a lower carb alternative, cook some cauliflower rice in a skillet—I cook it with a touch of oil until it’s golden and just starting to lightly brown, then add a drizzle of toasted sesame oil to jazz it up.
- Quinoa. Add some more protein to your meal and serve your curry over cooked quinoa.
More Weeknight Curry Recipes
This easy butternut squash curry recipe is fragrant and flavorful thanks to the addition of Thai red curry paste. Perfect for a weeknight!
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- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small butternut squash cut into ½-inch dice, about 3 ½ cups
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger from about a 1-inch piece
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 (4-ounce) jar Thai red curry paste
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 (14-ounce) cans light coconut milk
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt plus additional to taste
- 1 (15-ounce) can reduced sodium chickpeas rinsed and drained
- Juice of 1 small lime about 1 ½ tablespoons, plus additional wedges for serving
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 3 cups baby spinach roughly torn, optional
- ½ cup cilantro leaves and tender stems roughly chopped, plus additional for serving
- Cooked brown rice for serving
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In a Dutch oven or similar large sturdy pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the squash, shallot, ginger, garlic, curry paste, and cayenne. Stir constantly to coat the vegetables with the spices, then continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash just begins to soften but is still too al dente to eat, about 10 minutes.
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Stir in the chickpeas and salt and cook 2 minutes more, allowing the chickpeas to get nicely coated with the oil and spices.
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Stir in the coconut milk. Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce to medium low, enough so that the surface of the entire pot bubbles steadily, but gently. Continue to simmer, string every few minutes, until the squash is very tender and the coconut milk has reduced somewhat, about 15 minutes more.
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Stir in the lime juice and fish sauce. If using spinach, stir it in a handful at a time, allowing it to wilt. Stir in the cilantro. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired.
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Serve warm over rice, with additional fresh cilantro and lime wedges.
- TO STORE: Keep leftover butternut squash curry in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days
- TO REHEAT: Warm in a pan over medium heat or reheat the curry in the microwave.
- TO FREEZE: I don’t recommend freezing curries made with coconut milk.
Serving: 1(of 4)Calories: 447kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 9gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gPotassium: 942mgFiber: 10gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 24837IUVitamin C: 48mgCalcium: 192mgIron: 4mg
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