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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!
Made it tonight, delicious! I added chickpeas to get some protein.
This dish is delicious! I used reduced fat coconut milk and still came out amazing. Will definitely be making again!
After making this as written (which was delicious), I adapted it to make a massaman-inspired curry by subbing garam masala for the curry powder and potatoes and carrots for the butternut squash and spinach, plus some added peanuts. I think it turned out great! Easy, versatile and tasty!
Delicious, and easy. I was out of fish sauce so subbed coconut aminos, but it was still great.
Layers upon layers of flavors. I ran across this when my parents send me home with a giant butternut squash from their garden and I really didn’t feel like the usual preparations. This is amazing.
I double this up for a neighborhood chili/curry every year for the past three years and the crockpot is always empty halfway through the event!
It is often a request at home, too . I vary it with different curry pastes, sometimes adding shrimp for protein. Don’t skimp on the coconut milk and do try it with fish sauce, tempered with brown sugar-so umami! Excellent recipe!
This was SO good. Definitely going into the winter season rotation!
I had an acorn squash. I wanted something different, I looked up a curry recipe. Yes, just happen to have curry paste. Huh! Good for me!
Took less than an hour to get it rolling, the hardest part was peeling the squash. I just left some Peel on. Why fight???
My rice never ever comes out right… did this time!
So the rest is a yummy history!
Delicious and super easy! Definitely a keeper. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
I just finished a bowl of this great soup! Used can of lite coconut cream, no vegetable broth(just water), and no spinach. Added a can of garbanzo beans (don’t drain) and 5 oven roasted carrots. Used a stick blender and Yum!! Wish I knew the calorie count…
Great recipe. Loved it the first time. I added sweet potatoes and carrots. Making a double batch now gonna try freezing half. And adding a little panneer and prawns for tonights dinner. Very excited! Wish me luck.
Made this for dinner tonight since I had a squash I wanted to use up and wanted a veggie meal. Delicious and easy! My one change was using garlic instead of shallots since that’s what I had in the house.
Delicious ! I haven’t had success with other curry type of recipes, they often come out bland, but this was so flavorful and rich but not heavy somehow at the same time. My mom and husband loved it too!
This will be my go-to weeknight curry from now on. The ingredients are pretty easy to find, it’s substitute-friendly (almost any veggie will do, throw in some chicken if you want), and delicious.
The first time I made it, I added sliced mushrooms (I was low on butternut squash, used gochujang because I didn’t have red curry paste, and threw in some grilled salmon chunks on top. Everyone in my family loved it – thanks!
Excellent! I’ve made this twice. 1 1/2 T of curry paste is enough for me. The curry powder really ads great flavor. I made as written the first time, and roasted the cubed squash the second time. Both are good. Thanks for the amazing recipe!
Made this tonight. We both loved it. I accidentally bought honey-nut squash. They looked like small butternuts so I bought two. When they rang it up I noticed the name. I cooked it a little longer because I left the skin on the honey nut squash.
Did anyone else struggle with consistency? Mine was totally watery. I didn’t think you normally simmer curry covered.
I have a recipe like this that I love as well. Actually, I have a few now, and I combine and mix and match ingredients. I have not tried butternut squash, but the sweet potato sounds wonderful. And I have not tried the fish sauce or coconut milk yet, but will.
i make this once a month. i LOVE it.
I was, truthfully, a little nervous heading into this recipe. The idea of fish sauce and butternut squash sounded off. But this recipe was delish! Added bell pepper and cauliflower and subbed frozen peas for spinach. My squash was pretty sweet so I skipped the additional sugar. Very hearty!