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Butternut Squash Curry is a quick and healthy weeknight dinner recipe! It's made with butternut squash and chickpeas, and delicious on top of a warm bowl of rice.
Today feels like the perfect day for butternut squash curry.
Serious question: are you team butternut squash, or team sweet potato? I feel like it's cheating to say both, but I'm definitely team BOTH.
See, I love sweet potatoes in my sweet potato brownies and in sweet potato pie. And let's not forget about the BEST brown butter sweet potatoes.
But butternut squash? It's just as good and versatile! I decided it was time to make a veggie-forward curry recipe, and this coconut-y squash curry is just that. '
Recipe features
- Kind of reminds me of my butternut squash chili, but with curry flavors
- Warm, hearty yet healthy dish -- the coziest dinner recipe
- Would be great to batch prep and enjoy throughout the week (add it to your vegan meal prep line up!)
Ingredient notes
This is simply to provide further clarification for a few of the ingredients. The full ingredient list is in the recipe card below.
Butternut squash - I almost always buy pre-cubed butternut squash because it makes the prep time a lot quicker.
Chickpeas - Canned (drained and rinsed); the chickpeas add protein to this meal
Coconut milk - Canned, full fat. I think full fat coconut milk has more flavor, whereas lite coconut milk tends to be watered down a bit. To get the most out of this coconut curry, I'd opt for full fat coconut milk.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Sauté. Add oil to a large skillet or dutch oven, then sauté the shallot, red pepper, garlic for 3 minutes over medium heat.
Step 2: Add the squash. Next, add the curry paste, sugar and curry powder, along with the diced butternut squash and stir everything together.
Step 3: Simmer. Then, add the chickpeas, coconut milk and vegetable broth and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the squash is soft. Last, stir in the spinach.
Notes and FAQs
- Use pre-cut butternut squash and canned chickpeas (rather than a whole squash and dried chickpeas), to save time with this recipe.
- Use virgin coconut oil to sauté the veggies, which adds more coconut flavor to the whole dish. However, you can technically use any kind of oil if you don't have coconut on hand.
Yup! Wait for it to cool, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 2 months.
I served this curry on top of white rice, and then topped it all off with cilantro and some lime juice.
You could also serve it with brown rice or quinoa, and top it with peanuts if you'd like!
More dinner recipes
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Butternut Squash Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 shallot minced
- 1 red pepper diced, seeds removed
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tablespoon red curry paste
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 4 cups butternut squash diced
- 14 oz. chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 14 oz. full fat coconut milk
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
- 3 cups spinach
- salt and pepper to taste
for toppings:
- 3 tablespoon cilantro or more
- 1 tablespoon lime juice or more
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the shallot, red pepper and garlic cloves and sauté for 3 minutes. Then, add the curry paste, curry powder, sugar, and butternut squash and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add in the chickpeas, coconut milk and broth and bring mixture to a boil. Then, reduce heat to a simmer, place lid on top and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the squash is soft. Remove lid and stir in the spinach. Add salt and pepper as needed.
- Top curry with cilantro, lime juice and/or chopped peanuts.
Amy says
How much curry POWDER should I use if I have no curry paste? I LOVE CURRY!!
Erin says
I'd use 1 tablespoon of curry powder and increase as needed.
Thulile says
Hi I was wondering what if one is allergic to coconut can I add cream full fat...
Erin says
Yes that should work, though it will alter the flavor a bit.
Bobbi says
Is it supposed to thick or thin? I’m having trouble getting mine to thicken up. Also I used brown curry paste instead of red as I couldn’t find any red
Erin says
The type of curry paste you use can impact the texture, as can if you use full fat coconut milk vs. light coconut milk (full fat will make it thicker). It should be slightly thicker than soup, but not as thick as, say, chili. Hopefully that helps!
Kim says
This is a great recipe! I subbed an onion for the shallot and omitted the sugar, tho. I also added cardamom seeds, because I just love them... lol! This will definitely be a keeper and in my rotation. Thank you!
Erin says
Thanks for the positive review, Kim!
Roberta says
I added a couple of sweet potatoes, used a Delicata squash and increased the curry. It was a fabulous fare and I've been spooning it over Basmati rice, topped with a handful of fresh cilantro and sharing with the neighbors. A wholesome dish that speaks to INCLUSIVITY during a crazy pandemic. Thank you!
Erin says
Thanks for your kind comment, Roberta!
Caitlyn says
Currently eating leftovers of this curry and loving it as much as the first night I made it. Really great recipe! Thanks!
Erin says
That's great to hear!
Teri Bott says
Could I add chicken breast pieces in place of chick peas?
Erin says
Yes that should work!
Janet says
When do you add the tomatoes? They’re pictures above but don’t seem to be in the recipe!
Erin says
Whoops -- good catch! I opted to not use the tomatoes, and used a red bell pepper instead. The written recipe in the recipe card is correct, and I just went in and updated the ingredient photo. Let me know if you try it!
Sabrina says
nice change of flavors! thank you, curry is a totally different but welcome set of flavors for me, much appreciated!