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This ultra-delicious Thai-inspired butternut squash red curry is creamy, spicy, rich, and comforting! The sweet butternut squash pairs beautifully with all the red curry spices.
And here it is!
Thai butternut squash red curry has always been one of the most popular recipes on my blog. And the taste is incredible!
Maybe it’s the fact that it’s loaded with vegetables, but it’s also very customizable? Like chickpeas? Throw in a can! Let it bubble and simmer away with thai curry paste until the whole house smells delicious. Top the curry recipe with fresh herbs like chopped cilantro and serve it up with brown rice or white rice.
Thank goodness it’s butternut squash season again—AKA the best season there is, in my very humble opinion. Because, um… hello! Butternut squash red Thai curry is actually a thing. And it’s creamy, spicy, sweet, crunchy, comforting, and just downright addicting. Something I’ve been waiting all summer long to share. But who makes spicy curry in the summertime other than me?
Everything we love about food in general all rolled into one easy curry recipe. What I need you to know is that this is weeknight curry. We’re using store-bought red curry paste and really amping up the flavor with a little yellow curry powder. WHAT.
Yes friends. The yellow curry powder adds so much spice and flavor to this easy one-pot butternut squash curry.
How to Make Butternut Squash Curry:
Butternut squash curry ingredients:
- Basmati Rice: You can also serve this with naan, quinoa, white rice, or brown rice!
- Coconut Oil: I like to cook curry recipes that naturally use coconut milk in coconut oil to help enhance the flavor. You could also use avocado oil or any other oil that you typically cook with.
- Shallots: I like to use shallots for most Thai recipes that I make. If you happen to have a red or yellow onion on hand, you could make that swap too!
- Butternut Squash: We’ll dice the squash and simmer it in the curry until it’s fork-tender! Even my never-vegetarian hubby loves this recipe!
- Fresh Ginger: We’ll add grated ginger to the curry to amp up the flavor.
- Red Curry Paste: Buy a good brand of red curry paste, as most of the flavor in this recipe comes from it. This is my favorite brand.
- Yellow Curry Powder: contains ingredients like cumin, turmeric, and other seasonings. You can use any mild yellow curry powder you like. Here’s what you need.
- Coconut Milk: I like to use full-fat coconut milk for this recipe, but a low-fat version will work too. Coconut milk helps thicken the curry, so this recipe is naturally gluten-free.
- Vegetable Broth or Chicken broth: This is what helps thin out the coconut milk and makes a delicious curry that you can spoon over your rice.
- Fish Sauce: adds umami to the recipe. Feel free to omit this if you follow a strict vegetarian or vegan diet. This is my favorite brand.
- Sugar: helps balance the salt in the recipe.
- Baby Spinach: adds color and is another source of fiber and nutrition.
Making Butternut Squash Curry:
- Serve it up. Grab a bowl and load it up with your favorite rice or quinoa. Then top it with this freshly made, extremely fragrant curry recipe! Sprinkle some crushed peanuts or cashews on top and cilantro. Squeeze on fresh lime juice to really wake up the flavors!
- Saute the aromatics. Start by heating the oil in a skillet. Once melted, add the shallots and give them plenty of time to sweat down and become golden. Then, add the butternut squash and grated ginger.
- Simmer the curry. Once the butternut squash is well coated in the oil, we’ll add in the red curry paste and curry powder and stir until the squash cubes have a chance to get nicely coated in these ingredients. Continue to cook until the curry starts to get fragrant. Add the broth, coconut milk, fish sauce, and sugar. Bring the curry to a simmer, then lower the heat and allow the squash to cook until it’s completely fork-tender. You’ll know it’s done when a fork pierces through the cubes without any resistance. Stir in the baby spinach.
FAQs about this recipe
Swap it for sweet potatoes if you’d like.
Keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave before serving.
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
- 20-Minute Panang Chicken Curry
- Chicken Tikka Masala
- Creamy Coconut Curry with Shrimp and Corn
- Curried Butternut Squash Soup
- Finger Lickin’ Butter Chicken
Thai Butternut Squash Red Curry
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoons coconut oil or any oil really
- 1 shallot chopped
- 2-2 1/2 cups diced butternut squash about 1.5 pounds
- 1 tablespoon ginger grated
- 2-3 tablespoons red curry paste
- 1/2 tablespoon curry powder
- 15 ounce can coconut milk
- 3/4 cup vegetable stock or chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce omit for vegans/vegetarians
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 3-4 cups fresh baby spinach
- cooked basmati rice
- for serving crushed cashews/ peanuts, cilantro, lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add the shallots and saute them for 5-6 minutes or until they just begin to get golden. Add the butternut squash and grated ginger, stir to coat with the oil.
- Add the red curry paste, yellow curry powder and stir until all the butternut squash is nicely coated. Continue to cook the curry paste for 2-3 minutes or until it's fragrant. Add the broth, coconut milk, fish sauce, and sugar. Let the sauce come to a simmer before covering.
- Lower the heat and allow the squash to cook all the way through, about 12-18 minutes. You'll know it's done when you can easily pierce the butternut squash with the tip of a knife. Stir in the baby spinach and allow it to wilt.
- Serve with basmati rice topped with crushed nuts, cilantro, and lime wedges.
Notes
- Kale can be used in place of the spinach in this recipe but keep in mind you’ll need to add it in earlier so that it has enough time to wilt.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This? Leave a comment & rating below!
Are you using regular sugar or brown sugar?
Either will work for this recipe so I didn’t specify but I think I slightly prefer it with brown sugar.
when you say ‘yellow curry powder’ do you mean indian curry powder or thai yellow curry? thanks!
I used a regular ‘yellow curry’ spice mix from the grocery store, but if you have the choice, I’d say go with the Thai yellow curry powder! 🙂
A friend brought this to a girls night this winter and I asked her to send me the recipe! It was great then, and I hope it will be when I make it as well. Any thoughts on converting this to a crock pot recipe?
Glad to hear you enjoyed it Liz! I’ve never tried making this in a crock pot so it’s a little difficult to say without recipe testing. If you decide to give it a go, i’d love to hear how it went! 🙂
This was fabulous!! I added turmeric and a lil salt and pepper.. also used garlic instead of shallots and forgot the fish sauce. Still came out delicious though!!
I kinda want to thicken it with flour or something and just eat it alone as a soup! ?
I made this with frozen butternut squash, which turns out a bit squishier and falls apart more easily, so I simmered it for about 10 minutes and left the lid off because I like the sauce a little thicker. I also cooked up some red lentils in salted water separately and added at the end for a complete protein with the lentils and rice. I didn’t have any spinach, but this dish was so satisfying and hearty. My hubby and I loved it and will make it again! It was also quite spicy from the red curry paste we used, and we liked that as well. Great recipe!
This looks totally delicious! Love the balance of creamy butternut squash and basmati rice. Definitely going to add to my “to try” list!
I can’t believe how amazingly yummy this recipe was! Spicy and savory and so, so good. Everyone in my family loved it and it made it to the repeat list! I made it with sweet potatoes and doubled the recipe but the directions were fool proof. This recipe is a winner!
How could i change this recipe into a soup? It sound delicious.
Hi Lynn, Here’s a similar recipe i’ve done in the past for butternut squash soup. You can probably replace the curry powder with red curry paste and use coconut milk instead of cream at the end if you want it to be more similar to this red curry. Hope you enjoy it!
So delicious! I’ve made this multiple times and have shared it with so many people. I even turned my butternut squash hating, carnivorous husband into a fan. This recipe is so easy and filling. Perfection!
Haha! Love hearing that! Thanks for commenting Jessica!
Even my picky kid liked it! Delicious taste , I didn’t have the fish sauce and added some Sriracha for some heat and we loved it!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I made it a while ago, and absolutely loved it. I plan to make it again this week, but am wondering if leftovers will freeze well? Thanks!
They do freeze well!
Made this tonight an it was delicious! Both my husband and I loved it. We had a lot of butternut squash in our gardens and so I’m always looking for new recipes… Thank you for this one!
SO good!! The fish sauce and sugar really do add a great touch to the curry. So glad I made this. I’m not a vegetarian and I was afraid this wouldn’t be filling enough but I am super full right now. I also added carrots and red bell peppers to it. Thanks for the recipe! Definitely a keeper.
Finally a red curry recipe that tastes just like it came from my favorite Thai takeout joint! Thank you!
I made this last night and it was FANTASTIC!!! Thank you for posting. I will definitely make again!
This is so delicious. I’ve made it twice, my kids love it. Perfection!
Can’t wait to make this! I’m curious, has anyone tried freezing it?
One of our favorite curry dishes! So much amazing flavor 🙂
**Note I did use a homemade curry powder, instead of the standard store bought spice. I think homemade always tastes better 🙂
3 tsp turmeric
2 tsp coriander
1½ tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
¾ tsp yellow mustard
½ tsp white pepper
½ tsp fenugreek (hard to find. Omit if necessary.)
½ tsp cardamom
½ tsp cloves
½ tsp nutmeg
⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp black pepper
I just saved this recipe to make REALLY SOON! But, have to ask, why are you adding sugar? Does it really need it?
Sugar provides a nice balance to the flavors. You can simply omit it if you wish.
Literally one of the best curry recipes ! And a simpler one. Definitely on my list to make again and again, and with different veggies. Thanks Marzia !
Happy to hear you enjoyed it Lauren 🙂
What a fantastic recipe ! Followed the recipe exact. However, I add new potatoes.
Really really tasty. Will definitely make this again!
Thank you!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing! Great recipe!