I first devised this Thai Butternut Squash Chickpea Curry two years ago when I was living in NYC. It was early January and it was 25°F on that particular day, so this curry really hit the spot. Even though I luckily benefit from warmer temperatures these days, this fragrant, Thai-inspired curry is no less satisfying.


Why you’ll love this Thai Butternut Squash Curry
Easy but gourmet: This curry is easy to make, not complicated, and can be made in 45ish minutes (if you use pre-chopped squash). But, it also delivers gourmet flavors and is special enough to serve to guests.
Maximal flavor: Packed with the flavors of ginger, garlic, chili peppers, and lemongrass, this dish evokes the incredibly fragrant, aromatic curries I happily devoured in Thailand. More on that in the next section.
Indulgent yet healthy: This curry is oh-so-creamy and tastes decadent (hi, full-fat coconut milk). But it’s also really nourishing and packed with antioxidants, protein, and fiber, thanks to a garlic-ginger duo, a plentiful amount of chickpeas and butternut squash, and a helping hand from baby greens.
Meal prep-friendly: This dish makes excellent leftovers and will stay good in your fridge for 4-5 days and freezes well too.


How to make a flavorful Thai curry
During my month in Thailand, we ate the most incredible Thai street food. And we also got to take a day-long Thai cooking class, which was one of my favorite experiences. What I learned from Thai cooking is that every dish should be well-balanced in flavors: a little spicy, a little sweet, a little sour, and plenty of umami.
Here’s how that shakes out in this recipe:
- Spicy: heat comes from a good-quality red curry paste and Thai chili peppers (aka bird’s eye chili peppers).
- Sweet: subtle sweetness comes from butternut squash and coconut sugar; also balances the spiciness and sour, as well as enhances the salty, umami.
- Sour: acidity comes from rice vinegar; also balances the spiciness, as well as enhances the salty, umami.
- Umami: savory notes comes from the soy sauce


How to make Thai Butternut Squash Chickpea Curry
Gather your ingredients!


Dice the onion and the carrots. Chop the butternut squash into cubes (or use pre-chopped butternut squash).
Mince the garlic, mince or grate the ginger and lemongrass, and thinly slice the Thai chili peppers (if using).


Sauté the diced onions and carrots in a bit of coconut oil in a deep sauté pan or Dutch oven until lightly browned. Add the garlic, ginger, lemongrass, chili peppers, and curry paste, and stir frequently for 2 minutes.
Deglaze the pan with vegetable broth, then add in the coconut milk, butternut squash, coconut sugar, and soy sauce.
Simmer the curry for 20 minutes, until the squash is tender. Then, blend about half of the curry using an immersion blender. If using a stand blender, transfer half of the curry, blend, then return it to the pan.
Add the chickpeas to the pan and bring to a simmer. Then add in the baby spinach or kale and cook until wilted. Finally, stir in the Thai basil (if using) and/or chopped cilantro.
Tips for making this curry
Butternut squash. To save time, you can buy pre-cut butternut squash cubes, available at most grocery stores these days. If using a whole butternut squash, you’ll need approximately a 2 1/2 pound (1.1 kg) squash.
Lemongrass. Not essential if you can’t find it, but if you can, lemongrass really elevates this recipe. It’s lemony, herbaceous, and minty, and extremely delightful. Since it’s so unique, there is sadly no substitute.
To see how to peel and cut lemongrass, watch the Youtube video below (starting at the 3:09 mark).
Curry paste and chili peppers
There is variability in the spiciness across curry paste brands. For instance, commonly available Thai Kitchen red curry paste is less spicy than many other brands, including the one I used in this video (Maesri). If using Thai Kitchen, I use 5 tablespoons. With Maesri, I usually use 4 tablespoons.
Whichever brand you choose, be sure to read the ingredient labels – some pastes include fish sauce or shrimp paste.
If you like spicy food, go ahead and use the bird’s eye chili peppers (aka Thai chili peppers). But if you’re on the fence about spicy food or sensitive to it, omit them! They are very spicy! My personal preference is to use 3 of these peppers, but I eat spicier food than most of my readers.
If you want a good deal of spiciness but aren’t familiar with bird’s eye chili peppers, try just 1 pepper. If you can’t find bird’s eye chili peppers but still want a spicy kick, try 1-2 serrano peppers.
Rice wine vinegar. Don’t skip the final step, which is to add a bit of rice wine vinegar (aka rice vinegar). Finishing a rich dish like this curry with a splash of acidity at the end helps balance the spicy and sweet flavors, and also brings some freshness to the dish.


Watch! How to make Thai Butternut Squash Chickpea Curry!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this curry without coconut milk?
If you are allergic to coconut, I would recommend a homemade cashew cream: 1 cup (135g) raw cashews (soaked overnight or in boiling water for 1 hour) blended with 3/4 to 1 cup water (180-240 mL). I do not recommend using a thin plant-based milk such as almond milk. A spicy curry like this needs something high-fat and creamy to balance everything out.
If you are simply watching your calorie intake, you can use lite coconut milk instead of the full-fat variety. You won’t get the same quality of creaminess, but it will still be fairly creamy (and delicious). Alternatively, you can use half the amount of full-fat coconut milk.
Where can I find lemongrass, Thai basil, and Thai chili peppers?
You can sometimes find lemongrass and Thai basil at Whole Foods, but not consistently. Lemongrass and Thai basil are commonly available at various Asian grocery stores, particularly Southeast Asian grocery. You can find bird’s eye chili peppers at some grocery stores, including Sprouts and Whole Foods.
How to peel and cut butternut squash?
To make it easier to cut butternut squash, microwave it for 1-2 minutes to slightly soften the flesh. Then slice off the stem from the top. Use a sharp vegetable peeler to peel the squash until the flesh is vibrant orange. Slice the squash in half, horizontally. Then cut the rounded bottom portion of the squash in half, and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
Cut the bottom halves into wedges, then cube. Slice the top half of the squash in half, vertically. Finally, cut the halves into spears, then cube.


Are there substitutes for butternut squash?
If you don’t have butternut squash, you can use sweet potatoes. However, sweet potatoes are much sweeter than butternut squash, so I would omit the coconut sugar. A better substitute would be red kuri squash (you don’t even need to remove the peel!) or kabocha squash.
What pairs well with Thai butternut squash curry?
My favorite way to serve any Thai curry is over white jasmine rice. For something a little more nutrient-dense, you can serve it over brown rice, millet, or quinoa.
Can I freeze this curry?
Yes, this curry can be frozen! There might be some change in the texture, but overall, it freezes quite well.


More delicious vegan curry recipes
Love a fragrant curry? Take a look at these other flavor-packed curries:
- Vegan Red Lentil Curry
- Vegan Thai Kabocha Squash Curry
- Instant Pot Butternut Squash Lentil Curry
- Instant Pot Thai Red Curry Sweet Potato Soup
You might also want to check out my Vegan Chana Masala. It’s not a curry, precisely, but it is heavy on the chickpeas and utterly delicious.


Thai Butternut Squash Chickpea Curry


Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil (use refined for a neutral taste, or a neutral oil of choice)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- Kosher salt to taste
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2- inch piece ginger, grated or finely minced
- 1-3 bird's eye chili peppers, thinly sliced (optional, for spicy version)*
- 2 stalks fresh lemongrass, minced or grated (optional but recommended)**
- 5 tablespoons red curry paste (see Recipe Notes below on spiciness level and brands)***
- 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth (or water)
- 1 (13.5-ounce / (400 mL) can full-fat coconut milk
- 5 cups (700-730g) of peeled and cubed butternut squash (~ 2.5 pound butternut squash)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce (or 1 tablespoon Thai Light Soy Sauce)****
- 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut sugar (or pure maple syrup)
- 2 (15-ounce / 425g) cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 4 cups baby spinach or baby kale (about 4 large handfuls)
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar (or lime juice)
- 1 large handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 handful Thai basil leaves
- White rice or brown rice (for serving, optional)
Instructions
- Heat a Dutch oven or a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the coconut oil, and once shimmering, add the onions and carrots along with a pinch of kosher salt. Cook the vegetables for 7-8 minutes, or until they are very tender and lightly browned.
- Add the garlic, ginger, chili peppers (if using), lemongrass (if using), and red curry paste, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to coat the vegetables. If not using a nonstick pan, you'll likely need to add a tablespoon or two of water to prevent the mixture from drying out, sticking, and burning.
- Pour in the vegetable broth, stirring with a spatula to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Pour in the coconut milk and stir to combine, then add the cubed butternut squash, soy sauce or tamari, and coconut sugar, stirring to combine.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low or medium-low to maintain a rapid simmer for 20 minutes, or until the squash is tender and cooked through. Turn off the heat and use an immersion blender to blend roughly half of the curry. Make sure to leave some chunks of squash intact. Alternatively, transfer half of the curry to a stand blender. Blend until the mixture is puréed and mostly smooth, then return it to the pan.
- Stir in the chickpeas and bring the curry to a gentle simmer. Once simmering, stir in the baby spinach or kale, stirring until the greens have wilted.
- Turn off the heat, and stir in the rice wine vinegar. Taste for seasonings, adding salt as needed. Tear the Thai basil leaves to release their oils and add along with the chopped cilantro to the curry.
- Serve the curry over rice and additional cilantro or Thai basil to garnish.
I would like to see the nutrition breakout and serving size on your recipes.
Made this last week and really enjoyed this curry! It was so flavorful and was delicious as lunchtime leftovers. Made it without the chili peppers, but used a locally made red curry paste which is spicier than the Thai kitchen brand. I also didn’t have the lemongrass this time, but next time (and there will be a next time!) I will be sure to get that. For the greens, I just used some defrosted and squeezed out frozen spinach since that is what I had on hand. After getting 20 lbs of winter squash at a bulk buying farmers markets in the late fall, I have been enjoying several of your winter squash recipes!
Hi, can I use a green curry paste instead?
Hi Nisha. I’ve just treated myself to an Instant Pot – it arrived today and I’ve not used it yet) I also bought a copy of your book ‘Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook’ and I look forward to trying out the Instant Pot and your recipes. Could this Thai curry be made using the Instant Pot?
Absolutely delicious. There are so many layers of flavors! I couldn’t find Thai basil or the chili peppers, but a little extra red curry paste provided enough heat for me.
Thanks for the tip about not having to peel ginger. I used pre-cut squash too.
This is going into the rotation.
Can’t wait for the leftovers!
I just made this for dinner tonight and wasn’t able to find the lemongrass at our closest grocery store. Still it was delicious and we ate it with quinoa. It almost tastes like the Tasty Bites brand Channa Masala but this is one star better. Do you have a nutritional information for this dish?
What a great flavour combo. We all loved it and this will become a staple in our family as Thai dish lovers:-) Many thanks for the great recipe and greetings from Frankfurt, Germany
Full of flavor, beautiful color, love the all textures too! I give it 5 stars!
Another out-of-the-park dish! We doubled it for lunches for the week, with yummy coconut rice. I did forget to blend half of it (oops!) before I added in the greens. So, as you noted, it wasn’t as thick. But the flavor was still amazing and thickness was fine since I took my own chickpeas in my instant pot
and I diced the squash quite small. But next time I won’t forget!
Other notes:
– The Maesri red curry paste really is the best and shines in this dish.
– And if anyone else tries to double, out 6qt Dutch oven was VERY FULL, but worked!
Thanks Nisha!
Thanks for your feedback on this butternut squash curry, Cait! So happy it was a success. Glad you got to try it with the maesri curry paste – it really is outstanding!
Super YUMMY!!! Converted to Instant Pot to make it even easier
Super YUMMY and satisfying on a cold day. Converted to Instant Pot to make it even easier. I didn’t have lemongrass so I added 3 drops of lemongrass essential oil.
That’s awesome to hear you were able to make this butternut squash curry in the Instant Pot! How long did you cook it for?
Made this and it was faster to make than I thought and Very delicious.
Will make this regularly.
Love all of her recipes
Another winner!
How does she do it?! 🤩
Every recipe of Nisha’s that we’ve tried has been so great! This one was no exception!
So flavorful and healthy.
Aww I appreciate it, Jessica! Lots of love and recipe testing, I imagine haha. Thank you for the wonderful feedback on this butternut squash curry!
Another great one by Nisha. I have made a bunch of her recipes and they are all accurate and relatively easy to execute. This one has a significant number of ingredients and steps, but well within reach. I opted not to add the chili, but got some nice warmth from the curry paste (don’t know the brand). This will be a go-to-dish for family and friends.
Keep ’em coming, Nisha.