Being a food blogger is great. I get to try out new recipes on a regular basis, my fridge is perpetually stocked, and I always have leftovers. I am literally never hungry. But the food blogging life has its downsides. For instance, I am always trying out new recipes, so I rarely get to make the same dish more than once or twice.
But, this Instant Pot Butternut Squash Lentil Curry was so good and so easy to make that not only did I make it more than once, I made it three times in just two weeks.
For even more terrific dishes featuring lentils, check out my round-up of lentil recipes. Or if it’s instant pot recipes you’re after, there are more than 90 incredible vegan Instant Pot recipes in my 5-star-rated cookbook, The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook!
Why you’ll love this Instant Pot Butternut Squash Lentil Curry
First, it has a low-effort, high-reward ratio. Thanks to the Instant Pot, there’s just 5ish minutes of hands-on cooking involved, so it’s one of those meals you can easily throw together on a weeknight. Once you sauté the aromatics for a few minutes, you can just toss everything in the Instant Pot and let the machine do its pressure cooking magic.
If being able to prepare a delicious, healthy, and crowd-pleasing dinner on a weeknight with minimal work isn’t motivation enough to finally buy an Instant Pot, I don’t know what is. Even better, it makes for fabulous leftovers!
Don’t have an Instant Pot? Try this Thai Butternut Squash Curry or this Vegan Pumpkin Curry instead!
Another reason I love this curry so much is that it is incredibly flavorful but has a fairly minimal ingredient list and is made with commonly available ingredients you likely already have in your pantry.
Another selling point: this curry is creamy and hearty AF, making it the perfect winter comfort food. The Instant Pot magically transforms plain old lentils into creamy morsels bathing in a velvety stew made of coconut milk and cashew butter.
But to keep this curry on the lighter side, I opted for “lite” coconut milk instead of the full-fat variety. While you can definitely use the full-fat variety, I find that “lite” coconut milk is sufficient to yield a rich, creamy texture.
As for cashew butter? No, it’s not a traditional ingredient in curries, but it does add a nice, rich creaminess, just like almond butter does in my Red Lentil Curry, which you all love so much.
This curry, however, isn’t just indulgent comfort food – it’s healthy, too. This is the kind of comfort food that will nourish your soul and your body. This butternut squash lentil curry starts with anti-inflammatory powerhouses ginger and turmeric, then gets a healthy dose of vitamin-rich butternut squash, followed by heart-healthy lentils and cashew butter, and finally a generous sprinkling of antioxidant-rich kale.
Looking for more nourishing Indian recipes? Try my Saag Aloo or Vegan Palak Paneer, which are both loaded with greens!
Substitutions for this recipe
A few notes on substitutions. I use whole cumin seeds because I love the aroma and extra depth of flavor that whole spices bring to a curry, but if you don’t have cumin seeds, you can just use the same amount of ground cumin and add it along with the turmeric and curry powder (skip the first step).
If you can find fresh turmeric (Whole Foods usually stocks it), that would make this curry even better. Grate or mince 1 1/2 tablespoons of the fresh stuff, and add it along with the garlic and ginger.
Regarding butternut squash, you can use any winter squash you like, such as kabocha squash or red kuri squash. Red kuri squash, also known as hokkaido pumpkin, makes the prep work even easier because you don’t have to peel the skin.
And if you’re having trouble finding cashew butter, just substitute almond butter or tahini (peanut butter has a much stronger taste and might be overwhelming in this curry).
That’s all there is to say about this easy Instant Pot Butternut Squash Lentil Curry, so I hope you give it a try and enjoy it!
Instant Pot Butternut Squash Lentil Curry
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons unrefined virgin coconut oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (2-inch) piece of fresh ginger, finely minced or grated
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, for spiciness)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 5-6 cups (700-850g) peeled and roughly chopped butternut squash, (can buy pre-cut squash)*
- 1 1/2 cups (360 mL) low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 cup brown lentils or green lentils
- 1 (15-ounce/ (400 mL) can “lite” coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons cashew butter (can substitute with almond butter or tahini)
- 4 ounces baby kale or baby spinach (or 4-5 large handfuls)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice
- 1 large handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- For serving: white rice and/or flatbread
Instructions
Instant Pot Directions
- Rinse the lentils and drain them.
- Select the Sauté setting on the Instant Pot and after a few minutes, add 1/2 tablespoon of the coconut oil, followed by the cumin seeds. Toss for 30-60 seconds until lightly browned and very fragrant.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, followed by the onion and 1/2 teaspoon of the kosher salt. Cook the onion for 4-5 minutes until lightly browned. Then add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.
- Stir in the the curry powder, turmeric, and cayenne (if using) for 30 seconds, adding the 2 tbsp water to prevent the mixture from drying out too much.
- Add the chopped butternut squash and stir to coat it in the spice mixture. Pour in the vegetable broth and use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up any browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Then add the remaining 1 teaspoon kosher salt, the lentils, and coconut milk. Scoop the cashew butter on top but do not stir. This helps prevent the nut butter from sinking to the bottom and possibly triggering the Instant Pot burn warning.
- Secure the Instant Pot lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook or Manual setting and set the cook time for 10 minutes.
- Once the timer goes off, allow a natural pressure release. Once the pressure has released, open the pot and stir in the baby kale. Select the Sauté setting and heat for about 2 minutes or until the kale has wilted, then select Cancel. Add the lemon or lime juice and the cilantro and stir to combine.
- Serve the butternut squash lentil curry over white rice or with flatbread.
Stovetop Directions
- Heat a deep, heavy skillet or a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 tablespoon of the coconut oil, and once hot, add the cumin seeds and fry for 30-60 seconds until lightly browned and very fragrant.
- Add the onions and cook until they are translucent, about 5 minutes. Then add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes until lightly golden and fragrant. Stir in the curry powder, turmeric, and cayenne (if using) until well incorporated.
- Add the butternut squash, vegetable broth, lentils, coconut milk, and cashew butter. Stir well to combine.
- Bring the curry mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat, and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the lentils are tender and the squash is cooked through, stirring every few minutes.
- Add the baby kale and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes until wilted. Add the lemon or lime juice and the cilantro and stir to combine.
- Serve the butternut squash lentil curry over white rice or with flatbread.
Notes
- If using the stovetop method, cut the squash into smaller cubes
This sounds amazing. I like lentils but not everyone in my family does. Will the liquid need to be adjusted if I leave them out?
Hi Linda, since lentils are a main ingredient in this recipe, we actually recommend you try this Butternut Squash Curry with Chickpeas instead!
This recipe is so comforting. The curry an cumin flavors especially remind me of the Guyanese curries my mom makes, this recipe seriously gives me some childhood nostalgia, I was so surprised. This will definitely be a go to during the winter. I’ve loved so many of Nisha’s recipes and this one is definitely a favorite.
Your positive feedback is the best reward for our hard work. Thank you, Shannon!
I follows the recipe exactly and I got a burn notice. Opened the pot, added water, scraped the bottom, and it happened again!!
Sorry to hear about your troubles, Chana! The instant pot can be finicky when cooking thicker curries, and unfortunately I’ve noticed that some models are more finicky than others (annoying, I know!). When using thicker products like coconut milk and nut butter, I recommend really scraping up any browned bits after sauteing, as stuck bits of food can trigger the IP’s burn sensor; (2) adding all the ingredients to the pot, then adding the nut butter on top of everything so that it rests on top and doesn’t sink to the bottom (it helps to pour from a very low height and to not stir afterwards).
If you’re still getting the IP burn notice using those techniques, my best suggestion would be to increase the broth used to 2 cups instead of 1.5 cups. Additional liquid will make the curry slightly thinner and less likely to trigger the burn warning.
Hope those ideas help!
This recipe is outstanding !!
We’re over the moon to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Denise. Thanks for your kind words!
I rarely write reviews but this was SPECTACULAR. My wife and I could not get enough. Thank you for such a deliciously simple recipe – this is now a staple for us.
Your review made our day, Marc! Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and for trying out the recipe.
I absolutely loved this dish! It was so incredibly delicious, with the warm spices and creamy texture. The perfect comfort food! I used tahini instead of cashew butter, and ground cumin instead of then cumin seeds. I’m so glad I gave this a try. Thanks for a great recipe!
Thanks for sharing, Coby! it’s great to hear you had success with the recipe.
This recipe was SO good (and that is saying a lot for me since I always ruin the curry dishes I try to make). It was everything my pregnant belly was craving!
I used the stove top method, omitted the cayenne, used tahini instead of cashew butter (since it is what I had on hand) and used baby kale instead of baby spinach. So so yummy and the leftovers tasted just as delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Thanks for sharing, TS! Lovely to hear this recipe came in handy during your pregnancy!
This tasted good when i first opened instapot. The flavor was ruined after putting spinach. I put frozen chopped spinach and now that’s all i can taste! Dont add spinach is my lesson learned, or way less :(
Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy the addition of spinach, Karishma! Are you normally a fan of spinach in soups and curries? How much did you use?
Love this so much, super creamy and beautiful soothing comforting flavors I definitely recommend getting the cashew butter if you don’t have it because it really makes the dish! Thank you for all your amazing recipes
Hi Samantha, we’re so happy you enjoy the recipes! Thanks for leaving a review :)
Made this tonight and I accidentally put it on for 20 minutes in the instant pot and turned the pumpkin to mush and it is definitely darker in colour then its supposed to be but the flavour is still delicious 😋
Toni, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
I made this last night, using almond butter instead of cashew butter because that is what I had on hand, and my house smelled INCREDIBLE. The curry was delicious – I will 100% be making this again.
Awesome, Charmaine. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
This was delicious. I used almond butter instead of cashew butter and baby spinach instead of kale because that’s what I had on hand and it was great. The natural release step of the cooking took 53 minutes for me, so with the warm-up and cook time it was about 75 minutes total in the instant pot. Not a problem if you expect and plan for it (before this, I had only done quick-release recipes so didn’t quite realize the timing was so different). This was also my first time peeling a raw squash so that was a bit tricky and took a while. Would be a much faster dinner with pre-cut squash as Nisha suggests. Anyhow, it was worth the time and effort. Thanks for another yummy and healthy recipe Nisha.
Hi Theresa, thank you for sharing your experience with the recipe! Good to hear you enjoyed it.
I’ve made this twice now in my instant pot – subbing spinach for kale – and it has turned out phenomenally. I do it over brown rice and it is so good y’all!
Another incredible dish and the instant worked perfectly.
Although my cashew butter did not dissolve and i didn’t notice until i was chewing on a giant chunk of it. it tasted like a chunk of bread. the lack of incorporated cashew butter did not negatively impact the flavor of my curry at all.
Love the look of so many of your recipes. Just bought an Instant Pot so will be trying this recipe tonight. Thank you for providing metric measures, (cups get me confused on how big or small my chopping should be, my medium chop is someone else’s small). Will come back and rate once I’ve made it.
You’re welcome! Enjoy the curry :)
Thanks! One of the best butternut recipes I came across in a long time! I made it in the instant pot with fresh turmeric, tahini and spinach, the flavours are absolutely amazing, warming and very satisfying. This will be on repeat :)
Ooh, thanks for sharing! Great to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Absolutely delish! I can’t wait to try more 🥰
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Angela!
Stellar recipe!
Thank you for sharing. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Alejandro, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
Wow, Nisha does it again! All your recipes are DELICIOUS. Thank you so much for all your amazing work ❤️ I cannot wait to purchase your second cookbook!
Much love,
Nikki 🤗
Awesome, Nikki. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review! We can’t wait for the cookbook to come out either!
I just made this dish. I followed it to a T, minus the cayenne and it is so delicious and so savory… I even got 2 picky eaters who, even though they are fully grown, have the pallete of a 5 year old, to approve and ask for seconds. So good thank you!
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Victoria!