This Butternut Squash Curry with Chickpeas is one of the most flavorful Thai-inspired curries you’ll ever eat. It’s brimming with authentic Thai flavors but with a few fun spins, and uses butternut squash as a natural thickener. It’s incredibly creamy and comforting and perfect for cold weather.
It requires just one pot, can be completed in about 45 minutes, and is both meal prep- and freezer-friendly meal. At the same time, it delivers outstanding gourmet flavors and is special enough to serve to guests.
If you love a good curry, you MUST try this one (I think it might be my favorite, and that’s a lot considering how much I love my fan favorite Red Lentil Curry and my easy Vegan Curry with Tofu)!
Table of Contents
1. Why this recipe works
2. Ingredient notes
3. Step-by-step instructions
4. Tips for making this recipe
5. Frequently Asked Questions
6. Watch the video
7. Recipe card
Why this recipe works
The perfect creamy texture.
Partially pureeing the curry thickens it incredibly well. Butternut squash, when pureed, is naturally velvety. With the addition of coconut milk, a required ingredient in a Thai curry, you get the most unbelievable luxurious mouthfeel and texture.
A well-balanced dinner.
This curry has it all: complex carbs from the butternut squash and chickpeas, protein and iron from the chickpeas, antioxidants from the chile peppers, satiating fats from the coconut milk to keep you full, and even leafy greens for good measure.
A careful flavorful balance.
I learned quite a lot of cooking during my month in Thailand. One of the most important lessons was that each dish should be an art in balancing flavors. Here’s how that shakes out in this recipe:
- Spicy: heat comes from a good-quality red curry paste and Thai chile peppers.
- Sweet: subtle sweetness comes from butternut squash and coconut sugar; also balances the spiciness and sourness, as well as enhances the salty, umami.
- Sour: acidity comes from lime juice or rice vinegar; also balances the spiciness and enhances the salty, umami flavors.
- Umami: savory notes come from the soy sauce.
Authentic Thai flavors with a twist.
While butternut squash and chickpeas are not traditional in Thai cuisine, I’ve combined them with traditional Thai ingredients (e.g., lemongrass, red curry paste, soy sauce, coconut milk) so you get all the incredible flavors of a Thai curry.
For more Thai-inspired curries, check out my hands-off Instant Pot Thai Red Curry Sweet Potato Soup or Thai Kabocha Squash Curry. If you have my cookbook, The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook, the Red Curry Rice Noodle Soup and Thai Vegetable Green Curry in Chapter 6 are not to be missed!
But if you’re looking for a more traditional Thai curry, whip up a batch of my Homemade Thai Green Curry Paste for a spectacular Vegan Thai Green Curry at home!
No need to roast the squash.
There is so much other flavor going on in this dish from the aromatics and curry paste that you absolutely don’t need to roast the squash. Skip the extra time and extra dish to wash.
Ingredient Notes
Butternut squash. Save some prep time and buy pre-chopped butternut squash. If using a whole butternut squash, you’ll need approximately a 2 1/2 pound (1.1 kg) squash.
Lemongrass. Optional if you can’t find it, but if you have access to an East or Southeast Asian grocery store, I promise it will take your curry over the top. The lemony, minty aroma and flavor is so bright and unique. Some higher-end grocery stores like Whole Foods will sell lemongrass pre-trimmed in packages.
Red curry paste. For the best flavor, I recommend seeking out a legit Thai curry paste. My favorite curry paste is from Maesri (available online or at Southeast Asian grocery stores). Aroy-D also makes a good vegan one, but they sell versions with shrimp / fish products as well, so read labels.
If the commonly available Thai Kitchen red curry paste is all you can find, it will do (but it’s fairly flat in flavor).
Remember: (1) Read ingredient labels—some pastes include fish sauce or shrimp paste. (2) Spiciness varies (e.g., if using Thai Kitchen curry paste, use a tablespoon more, as it’s milder than Maesri).
Chile peppers. Optional, but recommended if you like a little heat in your curry. Bird’s eye chile peppers (aka Thai Chile peppers) are recommended.
Everyone’s spice tolerance is different so you should customize the amount of peppers to your preference.
My personal preference is to use 3 peppers, but I eat spicier food than most of my readers. If you can only tolerate some heat, use 1-2 peppers. And if you can barely tolerate heat, use a single pepper with the membrane (e.g., the white parts) removed or omit the peppers entirely.
Thai basil. For garnish at the end. Another optional ingredient, but worth seeking out if you have an East Asian or Southeast Asian shop in your area. It adds the classic flavors of Thai cooking with its subtle anise and cinnamon flavors.
If you can’t get Thai Basil, don’t substitute with Italian basil. The flavor is totally different and it won’t work well here. Instead, use cilantro.
Lime juice or 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, so definitely don’t skip it!
Step-by-step instructions
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 chile 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, chile 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 butternut squash curry
Visit your local Southeast or East Asian market (if you have one).
For the best version of this recipe with truly authentic Thai flavors, it’s worth seeking out the lemongrass, high-quality curry paste, and Thai basil, all of which you can find at your local Southeast or East Asian market. Smaller markets are almost always family owned and operated, so you’ll also be supporting a small business.
If you can’t make it to a South East Asian market, you can still make this recipe with a few substitutions.
For your curry paste, most grocery stores carry Thai Kitchen Red Curry paste, so use that. Some stores also carry Mekhala curry paste, which is better.
Lemongrass may be available at higher-end grocery stores, though omit if you can’t find it, as there’s no substitute. In place of the Thai basil, use cilantro.
If you can’t find Thai/bird’s eye chile peppers, try using 1 serrano pepper (2 for spicy!).
Nuke your squash to make it easier to cut.
If you’re using a whole butternut squash and struggling to slice it in half, pop it in the microwave (whole, as is) for 2 minutes to soften it up. If it’s still too hard, nuke it for another minute.
Try this recipe with other winter squash.
Kabocha squash or red kuri squash would be great here. If you want to use standard pumpkin, consider adding a bit more sugar, as it’s less sweet than butternut squash. You could also use sweet potatoes, but I’d omit the sugar entirely.
New to lemongrass? Watch the video.
To see how to peel and prepare lemongrass, watch the Youtube video below (starting at the 3:09 mark).
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are simply watching your calorie intake, use lite coconut milk instead of the full-fat variety. The reason I recommend still using coconut milk is that this is an essential ingredient in any Thai curry.
If you are allergic to coconut, make a homemade cashew cream:
1. Soak 1 cup (140g) raw cashews in water overnight. For a quick soak, add to a saucepan, cover with water, and boil in a saucepan for 15 minutes.
2. Blend the soaked cashews with 3/4 to 1 cup water (180 to 240 mL) in a high-powered blender for several minutes until smooth and cashew bits have been pulverized.
A spicy curry like this needs something high-fat and creamy, so I do not recommend using a thin plant-based milk such as almond milk.
All are commonly available at pan-Asian and Southeast Asian grocery stores. You can sometimes find bird’s eye chile peppers and pre-trimmed lemongrass at well-stocked grocery stores like Sprouts and Whole Foods.
The Tips section of this post has instructions for how you can substitute in the absence of an Asian market.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 to 6 days. When reheating, add a few splashes of water or vegetable broth to loosen it up, as it will thicken quite a bit in the fridge. You can also freeze this curry. There may be some minor texture changes, but overall, it works great.
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.
More delicious chickpea recipes to try:
If you love this Butternut Squash Curry as much as we do, please rate and review the recipe below :) It’s always much appreciated!
Watch! How to make Butternut Squash Curry
Butternut Squash Curry with Chickpeas | simple one-pot meal
Butternut Squash Curry with Chickpeas
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; only use for spicy!)**
- 2 stalks fresh lemongrass, minced or grated (optional but recommended)***
- 5 tablespoons red curry paste (see Notes below on spiciness level and brands)****
- 1 (13.5-ounce) (400 mL) can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 cup (240 mL) low-sodium vegetable broth (or water)
- 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 (60g) baby spinach or baby kale (about 4 large handfuls)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice or rice vinegar
- 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 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 frequently to coat the vegetables & prevent burning. 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 a couple spoons of the coconut milk and allow it to bubble for a minute, stirring well. Add the vegetable broth, stirring with a spatula to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Pour in the remaining coconut milk, cubed squash, soy sauce, 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 and stir to combine.
- 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 lime juice or rice vinegar. Taste for seasonings, adding salt as needed. Tear the Thai basil leaves to release their oils; add them to the curry, along with the chopped cilantro.
- Serve the curry over rice. Garnish with additional cilantro or Thai basil as desired.
Notes
Hi Nisha, Thanks for the great recipe! Made a double batch of this yesterday and it was really delicious and satisfying :)
I have a question (maybe for next time you do a Q&A): when cooking recipes with a lot of aromatics, I like to save time by throwing everything (onion, ginger, garlic, hot peppers, lemongrass…) in the vitamix with a splash of water and then cooking down the resulting paste for ~10 minutes, rather than separately chopping and sautéing these ingredients. Do you have any opinions on this technique? I can’t tell if it’s making my food worse but I’ve noticed that you don’t recommend it in your recipes.
Thanks again for all your amazing work!
Great to hear you enjoyed the curry and good question! We don’t think you’ll notice too much of a difference (unless you have a really sensitive palate). If that technique works for you and saves you time, keep doing it! When cooking with onions, Nisha often likes to get them really nice and golden brown to get the most flavor out of them, which usually requires the onions to be cooked separately.
This was delicious! I usually follow recipes pretty closely, but this time I wandered a bit. The night before this recipe arrived in my mailbox, I needed to cook some butternut squash who’s time was coming up. I wasn’t up for a big productions, so I roasted it with an onion on a baking sheet. When the recipe arrived, it sounded so good I decided to see if I could work with what I had. The biggest change to the recipe was that I added the squash and onion already cooked at the part where you add the squash. It ended up tasting great! I will definitely make this again (the right way next time).
Susan, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
Tried this tonight and it was delicious! (I subbed the peppers for tj’s ‘bomba sauce’ since I had it on hand!) I hope to find lemongrass next time around. Aside from how good this curry was, I also appreciated how thorough the recipe is, and extra info around some of the ingredients. Overall really happy about this one and excited to try more from here!!
Thanks for sharing, Mel! So glad you found the blog post useful!
We made this curry recipe tonight. OMG it was delicious. The sweetness of the butternut squash, combined with the spices, resulted in an excellent meal. We left out the peppers because my wife doesn’t tolerate hot spices. Thanks for the great recipe.
Great, Ron! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Yikes! Wow! Delicioso.
Thank you, Mark!
WOW! Just WOW! This curry is so good! I’ve missed a good curry dish since going DF. My meat eating kids really enjoyed this dish as well. It makes a lot so I’ve been able to enjoy left overs the past few days! I made this gluten free by using coconut aminos. I also used serrano peppers since my local grocer didn’t have the bird’s eye chilies. Nor did they have lemongrass, so I had to omit that ingredient. I will defiantly be making this dish again! Thank you for sharing Nisha!
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Kim!
I didn’t have red curry. I aways have Maesri Panang curry in my fridge. Added a little Malaysian curry.
DELICIOUS
Awesome, Madeleine. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
This looks delicious. I am allergic to soy. Would it be possible to skip the gluten free soy sauce/ tamari and replace it with something else?
Thank you
Hi there Isa, you could try using coconut aminos or kosher salt!
So good! My husband claims he doesn’t like curry but he loved this. We will definitely make this again and again. I found some wonderful curry pastes that come in red, yellow, and green. Mekhala – they are organic, vegan, gluten free, and delicious.
EB, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
So delicious! My meat loving husband was so impressed! Making this again, I will either use canned chickpeas like the recipe says or cook my chickpeas a tad longer!
Thanks for sharing, Molly!
Wow, my boyfriend and I were so impressed with this recipe. Autumn is around the corner and the farm stands are stocked with fresh squash/pumpkins! I made this with a little orange squash/pumpkin called an uchiki kuri. I cut and removed the seeds and put it in the pressure cooker on high for 10 minutes, then set it aside until it was time to add to the curry. I added gochujang and butter to the saute and at the end I topped with basil, lime, and coconut yogurt. I didn’t have lemongrass but will be curious to add it and taste the difference. I’m skipping the chickpeas next time because I was want a more creamy texture. Great recipe to add to the fall rotation!
Delicious, Kate! Thanks for sharing your experience!
This was the best dish I have ever tried. Hands down. It has blown everything else I know out of the park. I am absolutely in love with this recipe and I can not thank you enough for sharing this with everybody. Truly phenomenal! I have yet to try a recipe of yours that wasn’t amazing. What a great chef!
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Kat!
I’m so glad I tried this recipe! It tastes exactly like the curry at my favorite Thai restaurant :) I did tweak the recipe just a bit by using brown sugar instead of coconut sugar and green curry paste instead of red just because I didn’t really feel like spending $6 on coconut sugar and the store I was at didn’t have red curry paste but it still turned out really great! I think next time I’ll try using veggie broth instead of water, lemongrass (if I can find any), and adding some chili peppers to make it spicy 🌶☺️
Thanks for sharing your substitutions, Marlee! Glad to hear you loved this curry!
This was very good and I will make it again.
I only had acorn squash and it worked well.
I’m not vegan so I used chicken broth and some fish sauce at the end.
I also had to use lemongrass paste as my lemongrass isn’t ready yet.
Glad you loved the recipe, Lisa!
This was so tasty! I am not the best at following recipes but I managed to do most of this one right except I over blended and added parts of the lemon grass that was hard and probably should not have been chopped. I added more butternut squash from my garden cooked it a little longer and this was fantastic!
Hi Ashley, we’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe. Thanks!
I love this recipe. It is so flavourful. I have baby mouth so a little tai curry paste goes a long way and i don’t add the chili peppers. I could eat this everyday. Can be eatten cold or hot. Thank you for a great dish.
Hi Scheri, we’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe. Thanks!
I made this on Monday night in my Instapot! I substituted coco aminos for the soy sauce and added some extra veggies! This recipe came out amazing! My coworker whom is not vegan is dying to make it as well! This beautiful lady has changed my life through cooking in ways she can never imagine! With all of my heart, thank you Ms. Nisha! If I could
Awesome, Heather! Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review! We are so happy you love the recipes :)
Absolutely AMAZING recipe!!! Soooo delicious. Made for the second time and I know now it will become a staple recipe that I will go back to over and over again… the whole family loves it… even my meat eating teenagers. A real favourite, and so easy to make. This time made with our own grown spinach and kale so even more satisfying! Try it, you won’t be disappointed!
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Laila! I’m sure the addition of homegrown spinach and kale makes it that much more tasty ;)
This is now my go-to recipe when I can’t think of anything to make (or I’m lazy). It is so tasty and satisfying. Not being vegan, this is a great recipe I can whip up for my meatless days. I find most on-line recipes aren’t that great but the ones you have posted on your site Nisha all seem to work out. (And the mushroom stroganoff is so tasty as well)!
Awesome, Donna. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!! I will DEFINITELY be making this again!
Yay, Ezekiel! Thanks for trying the recipe!