Curried Butternut Squash Soup

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This South Indian Curried Butternut Squash Soup recipe features creamy pureed squash with coconut milk and mango chutney for a delicious blend of sweet and spicy!  You can substitute pumpkin or acorn squash and use apricot or peach preserves.  This deliciously flavorful soup is naturally vegan, dairy free and gluten free!

We grow a variety of squash every year and this past fall we grew a particularly large harvest that has been lasting us through the winter and I suspect we’ll still have quite a bit left by spring.  Especially the varieties known as Tahitian melon squash, Italian tromboncino, and this beautiful French butternut heirloom variety called sucrine du berry (pictured below and used in today’s soup), all of which store really well.

So soups, stews and sauces featuring squash make regular appearances at our dinner table. 

Key Ingredients & Substitutes

While this recipe calls for butternut squash, you can use other varieties of winter squash such as acorn squash or pumpkin. Mango chutney is a star ingredient in this soup, providing incredible flavor and sweetness. It can be found in most well-stocked grocery stores, often in the ethnic foods section.  You can also make your own and I’ve got you covered with my ever-popular homemade Mango Chutney.  Alternatively, apricot or peach preserves also work well. 

Of equal importance to this soup’s flavor is the coconut milk or coconut cream which is the South Indian influence here. Likewise it’s important to use a really good curry powder. As will all spice blends I encourage you to make your own (see my recipe for homemade Curry Powder) but for a store-bought blend I really like this one.

This is a fairly light soup that’s perfect for serving as a first course or as a light lunch or dinner with a salad and/or bread.  If you’d like to bulk it up a bit, you can stir in some cooked Jasmine or Basmati rice at the end.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

Let’s get started!

Heat the ghee or oil and sauté the onions until soft and translucent, 4-5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Add the cubed squash and cook for another 4-5 minutes.

Add the spices and continue to cook for another minute.

Add the broth, salt, and mango chutney and stir to combine.

Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the squash is very soft.

Transfer the soup to a blender or use an immersion blender to puree the soup.  Return the soup to the pot.

Stir in the coconut milk and return to a simmer for 2 minute.

Add salt to taste.

Enjoy!

For more delicious vegetable-packed soups be sure to try my:

• Creamy Tomato Soup
• Cream of Celery Soup
• Curried Roasted Sweet Potato Soup
• Creamy Carrot Soup
• Minestrone Soup
• Curried Lentil Soup
• German Potato Soup
• Creamy Cabbage and Kielbasa Soup