Thai Butternut Squash Red Curry
Ultra delicious Thai-inspired butternut squash red curry that is creamy, spicy, rich, and comforting! The sweet butternut squash pairs beautifully with all the red curry spices.
And here it is!
Two very different curry recipes delivered to you back to back. You should know that this was seriously poor planning on my part. I didn’t mean to bombard you with curry recipes one after the other. But in my defense, this curry is absolutely worth obsessing over.
Won’t you let me feed you a spoonful of red curry with basmati rice to make it up to you?
Thank the lawwwwd it’s butternut squash season again. 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 down right 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 sooo much spice and flavor to this easy one pot butternut squash curry.
How to Make Butternut Squash Red Curry:
Food like this is my life.
I go a little loopie when I think about all that sweet, tender butternut squash nestled in a slow simmered silky coconut curry sauce. Judging by this and the last recipe i’ve shared, it’s obvious that curries would be on the list of food that I could eat forever and ever. Also, top it with crushed cashews/peanuts and freshly chopped cilantro and i’d think you were after my heart.
And speaking of butternut squash. I’m no longer allowing myself to purchase whole butternut squash anymore. That privilege was immediately revoked last fall when I made a decent sized cut between my thumb and forefinger and then proceeded to almost faint from the ample amount of blood that was gushing from the wound. It’s not that slicing and dicing butternut squash is difficult, it’s that the person behind Little Spice Jar happens to have a ton more accidents than the average human being. ‘Uncoordinated’ can totally be my middle name from now until the end of time. So it’s a rule now. For my own sake, I must only purchase precut butternut squash.
And hey! On the positive side, shortcuts like these are totally welcome. Especially when I want to get butternut squash red curry in my belly in 30 minutes. Found that silver lining. ??
There are two main components to my butternut squash red curry:
1.) the curry base: I’m using store-bought red curry paste and really oomphing up the flavor with a little yellow curry powder. Along with that we need shallots, ginger, a little fish sauce, and some sugar. If you follow a vegan/vegetarian diet, feel free to omit the fish sauce. I know, the stuff smells terrible but what it does for this curry is amazing. It really adds a nice depth that makes the curry taste//smell like it’s been simmering all day. And finally you need a can of coconut milk. I’m not gonna tell you that low-fat coconut milk won’t work, because it will. I’m just going to tell you that full fat coconut milk makes this a more luxurious red curry experience. And to that, i’ll say no more. ?
2.) the veggies: in our case, i’m using butternut squash and baby spinach because I find the combination of the two works really well. We’re big fans of baby spinach and use it for just about everything. Needless to say, we always have some on hand. Kale also works well for this recipe, but keep in mind you’ll have to let it cook with the butternut squash a bit as it takes longer to wilt than spinach. Kabocha squash, acorn, sweet potatoes, and even carrots would work really well in place of the butternut squash. All of these ingredients have that sweet starchy factor that this curry needs.
Grab a bowl, because curries are meant to be eaten in a bowl. Fill it with a nice mound of fluffy basmati rice and top it with that silky coconut sauce loaded with tender squash and top it off with a handful of crushed nuts and fresh cilantro. A squeeze of lime juice wouldn’t hurt either.
This is get snug-on-the-couch-with-netflix food.
Thai Butternut Squash Red Curry
Ultra creamy and delicious Thai inspired butternut squash red curry that is creamy, spicy, rich, and comforting! The sweet butternut squash pairs beautifully with all the red curry spices.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoons coconut oil (or any oil really)
- 1 large shallots, chopped (or 2 small)
- 2-2 ½ cups diced butternut squash (about 1.5 pounds)
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 2-3 tablespoons red curry paste
- ½ tablespoon yellow curry powder
- 1 (15 ounce) can coconut milk
- ¾ cup vegetables or chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce (omit for vegans/vegetarians)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 3-4 cups fresh baby spinach
- basmati rice, 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.
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
instant pot cajun butternut squash soup
I have tried lots of online recipes and this is by far the best tasting Thai recipe by far
Thanks for submitting this
It will be part my go to vegan Thai dishes
Can you make this with green curry paste instead of red?
Excellent! You cannot go wrong with the basic elements of this recipe and spices. I doubled everything except coconut milk and sugar and this was so good, quick, and easy. I used four cups of water and two large vegetable bouillon cubes and added a few previously roasted carrots and potatoes which also worked well. Used a large yellow onion instead of shallot and threw in a few pressed garlic cloves. Omitted fish sauce since I didn’t have it. Will make this again and again, thanks!
I made this tonight for dinner it turned out amazing! I doubled the butternut squash and coconut milk and I put a whole packet of red curry paste in and 3 tbs fish sauce. I love how the lime juice brought out the flavors. So creamy and delicious. I’m obsessed
I just wasn’t feeling this recipe. I LOVE thai curries, i make a red curry on the regular. I don’t like the addition of the indian yellow curry, i don’t think it fits with the flavors. I think some kafir lime leaves would be awesome. I like the idea of adding chick peas for a different texture and protein. Also, depending on which brand of red curry you using be aware that some are spicer than others. 3 Tbs of my traditional thai paste would be too much whereas the Thai Kitchen brand is much milder.
This was DELISH!!! I added 1 pound of shrimp for my meat-loving husband, right at the end with the spinach, and it couldn’t have been better. Warm, rich, sweet, creamy, savory… Everything I want in a curry on a cold fall night!!
Made this tonight. It was great!! Made no changes except to add crushed red pepper to my serving.
I’ve tried a number of red thai curry recipes this is the best!
The only change I made was to add some mushrooms & we ate it with oven roasted salmon, it was delicious. Thank you
My house smells amazing!!! This is a keeper recipe with so many ways to twist it. Thank you, stay safe.
I tried this curry tonight and my god it is amazing! Was so tasty and light my family loved it and my daughter loved it also!
I adore this recipe and have passed it on! Making it again tonight 😉
We love this recipe! I’ve made it several times and noticed some key factors. If I use a high quality coconut milk with lots of solids the broth is just the right texture. Tonight I used my grocery generic brand, which is thinner, and ended up adding some cauliflower to keep it from being too soupy. And like others say, the amount of red curry spice depends on which one you use. But really, adjust according to your ingredients and it’s fantastic! Thanks!
This was so easy and delicious! Made it exactly as described, other than swapping half an onion for the shallots since I didn’t have any on hand. The whole family enjoyed it!
Delicious! I made a slight variation on it by adding in vegetable bouillon instead of broth and just letting it cook into the coconut milk. I also added some extra cream, a bit of paprika, plenty of chile powder, soy sauce, coconut aminos, and I subbed bamboo shoots and spring onions instead of the spinach. I also put in a large tablespoon of peanut butter and cooked in canola and peanut oil! I know it seems like I changed a lot, but in reality I just personalized it a bit. It is a testament to this recipe that it is so versatile that you can change it up a bit and it will be wonderful!
Wow, what a miss. I usually don’t post when things don’t turn out well, but I felt obliged. This had absolutely no flavor. I ended up adding pepper flakes, garlic, salt, extra red chili paste … I just kept trying. I don’t know what happened here but this was so tasteless (and I’m not new to the kitchen or to curries).
That’s weird. Did you use red Thai curry paste (not just chilli paste?) This is SUPER flavourful, spicy, sweet, salty and sour – the fish sauce and sugar are essential for that authentic Thai flavour. Every time I make it its do intensely flavourful. Perhaps it was the curry paste you used? Some supermarket brands are bland. I get Mae Ploy or Thai Taste usually 🙂
Hi Mariza, I made this for dinner tonight. It was super easy, quick and delicious. Thank you. I used a red onion and flakes almonds as I didn’t have shallots or cashews but it was still super tasty. Thanks for the inspiration- lockdown cooking is painful! Caroline in Wiltshire, UK.
hey, love this! how many calories per serving?
This was a great flavorful meatless meal! I probably could have added an additional cup of butternut squash to make it chunkier, but other than that, this was a really tasty dish!
Easy and quick recipe, I added a hand full of cooked potatoes and spinich from a mix bag of salad leaves as needed using,all other ingredients from my store cupboard.
Enjoyable to cook and eat, definitely one for my menu.
I could eat this every day!!
Made this tonight and wow!!! Amazing just the right amount of everything!
I made the Thai butternut squash last week with red curry and it was delicious. Husband loved it, kids were not that into it. Flavors were way more intense the next day. Husband was in love with it the 2nd day. Used part of a red onion because I did not have shallots on hand. Also added garlic. Since I used a whole squash, I was able to save half to make again this week. Very lovely dish, thank you!
It was okay. The only change that I made to the recipe was to add some bamboo shoots. The final product was filling, but bland. If I made it again I would add a jalapeno or some other type of pepper to give it some kick. This is maybe a good recipe to use to introduce kids to curry, or for other folks that don’t like spicy foods.
It was unclear whether to peal the squash or not. I pealed mine just in case and it turned out beautifully.
Yumm and Yumm hands down the best
This is one of my favourite squash recipes. Since I found it few years ago, I’ve made it many times as alternative to pumpkin/squash soup. Now that I have my own vegetable garden it’s the reason to grow squash
Excellent recipe and very easy to adapt re different veggies: i used mangetout, red pepper and mushrooms.
Very pleasing and will make again.
Amazing! I like to cut the butternut squash into larger chunks and roast in the oven for added sweetness, then pop it into the sauce for about 10-15 mins. Have trued this with pumpkin too and it’s so delicious it’s become a staple mid week rotation.
So good! We’ll be making this one again.
Don’t usually leave comments but this recipe was amazing! Sent to all my friends and will definitely be making again.
I never leave comments under recipe but this one is actually REALLY REALLY DELICIOUS!!!! Definitely make this recipe! I just made it for the second time and this time I added some chicken in which was tasty!