Thai-Inspired Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup Recipe
This ultra-silky Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup recipe is infused with Thai flavors like green curry paste, coconut milk, and a splash of fish sauce. Best part? It is super easy! Made with fresh carrots and frozen butternut squash it comes together in about 30 minutes.
I am, without a doubt, a bonafide soup lover. Homemade soup is the only thing I want on a chilly day but to be honest, it is soup season all year round as far as I’m concerned. From the simplest tomato soup to a labor of love like homemade egg noodle soup, I never tire of coming up with new brothy combinations. They are just so comforting and craveable.
This butternut squash and carrot soup recipe comes together using convenient staples like frozen butternut squash and jarred green curry paste. With lots of fresh carrots for natural sweetness. The addition of minced ginger and fish sauce helps create a soup with delicate Thai flavors, while a splash of creamy coconut milk lends an irresistible (but dairy-free) creaminess. It’s perfectly silky and smooth, with a gorgeous orange hue. I couldn’t love this butternut squash carrot ginger soup more!
What I love most though is how incredibly easy it is. Using the frozen butternut squash means no messing with the often difficult job of cutting up a whole squash, and if you own an immersion blender, you can make it all in one big pot. This soup has the feel of a throw-together soup but the flavor of a rich, complex masterpiece. It is your solution for even the laziest of weeknights.
✨ If you’re a soup freak like me, you’ve got to browse these 25 chili recipes! ✨
Why You’ll Love This Thai Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup
- Requires very little prep—just a bit of chopping
- Is ultra creamy with zero dairy
- Bright and vibrant and a touch spicy (the same can be said for my Thai steak salad recipe)
- Reminiscent of your favorite Thai green curry
- A gorgeous orange color
- Quick! Just like my Chinese Imperial Chicken, it’s ready in 30 minutes
- No roasted veggies, a simple quick simmer and done
Ingredients
See recipe card for full ingredients list & measurements.
- Green curry paste. Made with green chiles, spices, garlic cloves, and lime peel.
- Olive oil. Not traditionally used in Thai food, but it is what I stock in my pantry. You could also use peanut oil or avocado oil.
- Yellow onion. 1 medium onion is perfect. White onion would also work.
- Carrots. You will need 4-5 large carrots.
- Frozen butternut squash. Makes this recipe a snap and just as delicious as fresh.
- Fresh ginger. Use the rest of your piece of ginger to make ginger hoisin tofu stir fry!
- Vegetable broth or chicken broth or even better, homemade chicken stock.
- Coconut milk. This recipe uses canned full-fat coconut milk. Not coconut cream.
- Fish sauce. Adds depth of flavor. Use vegan Thai fish sauce if you want this soup to be vegan.
- Lime juice. This adds a punch of brightness at the end.
- Roasted salted pumpkin seeds for a nice crunchy garnish to contrast the creamy soup.
- Fresh cilantro. For a lovely, colorful garnish and fresh kick of flavor.
- Kosher salt. I always use Morton kosher salt unless otherwise specified.
- Freshly ground black pepper. Invest in a good pepper mill and only use freshly ground pepper.
- Chili oil. Look for a spicy Thai chili oil for a drizzle of extra spice if you’d like.
How To Make This Soup
step one
Prep all your ingredients. Peel and chop the carrots, the onion, and ginger. They don’t have to be super small, you are going to blend everything later so 1/2 inch cubes are fine.
step two
Saute vegetables. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven or other large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts to caramelize a bit. Add the ginger and cook 2-3 minutes more.
step three
Simmer. Add the veggie broth, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot then add the frozen butternut squash and green curry paste. Bring soup to a boil then reduce to medium heat (or lower) so it is just simmering. Cook until carrots are fork-tender.
step four
Blend. Turn off heat and stir in the coconut milk, fish sauce, and lime juice. This will lower the heat and make it safer to blend. If you have an stick blender use that, if not, ladle the soup into a regular blender in batches, only filling about half way and blend on low until smooth.
*CHEF’S TIP: Blending hot liquids can be dangerous. Only fill up the blender half way with soup, start the blender on low, then increase the speed as it blends.
step five
Serve. Return soup to the pot and return to a simmer. Taste and add more salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowl and garnish with chopped cilantro and the toasted pumpkin seeds for crunch. Drizzle with a little chili oil for extra heat if you’d like.
What To Serve With Butternut Squash Carrot Soup
Crusty bread is what I usually turn to for dipping into this delicious soup. To make it more of a meal, serve with a spinach salad or make a Thai-inspired feast and serve with satay chicken skewers. Another side dish I like to serve with this soup is my favorite crock pot brown rice for scooping into each bowl.
Storage/Freezing Instructions
Transfer the cooled butternut squash soup recipe into an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months in the freezer.
Is This Recipe Vegan?
While this is one of our favorite healthy recipes and is gluten-free, it is not vegan. The fish sauce means it is not vegetarian either. You can use vegan fish sauce, then it would be a vegan recipe. Also, make sure the green curry paste is vegan. Some have shrimp paste added. I like the Thai Kitchen brand, it is gluten-free and vegan.
✨Wondering what to do with the rest of the bag of frozen butternut squash? Check out these 11 recipes! ✨
Top 5 Most Popular Soup Recipes
- Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup with Ham and Potatoes
- Authentic German Goulash Soup
- Easy Beef and Barley Vegetable Soup
- Mushroom Leek Barley Soup
- The Best Pasta Fagioli
Excited To Try This Comforting Soup Recipe?
Its velvety texture is truly irresistible! When you try it, let me know how it went! Share a photo and tag me on Instagram using @katesbestrecipes so that I can see. Or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating)! Also, sign up for my weekly recipe newsletter so you never miss any new recipes.
Thai-Inspired Carrot and Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
- 2 tablespoons chopped ginger
- 1 tablespoon green curry paste
- 1 quart vegetable stock or broth
- 2 1/2 cups frozen butternut squash
- 14-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from 1 lime
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
- 1/2 cup roasted salted pumpkin seeds, for garnish
- chili oil, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven or other big pot. Add 1 chopped onion and 1 1/2 pounds chopped carrots and season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until onions are beginning to brown.
- Add the 2 tablespoons of chopped ginger and 1 tablespoon green curry paste and stir until ginger begins to brown. Add the 1 quart of vegetable stock and stir, scraping any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, then add the butternut squash.
- Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat to a slow simmer. Cover and cook, until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat then add the can of coconut milk, 2 tablespoons fish sauce and 1 tablespoon lime juice. Stir to combine.
- Ladle soup into blender about halfway full. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or rag you don't mind getting dirty and while holding the towel down with one hand, turn blender on low. Slowly increase blender speed until mixture is smooth. Repeat until all soup is pureed. You can also use an immersion blender, if you have one, to puree the soup right in the pot.
- Return to pot and bring to a simmer. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with chopped cilantro, a few pumpkin seeds and a drizzle of chili oil, if you'd like.
Notes
- Freezing: This carrot and squash soup is also very freezer-friendly! To freeze, transfer cooled soup to an airtight freezer container. (are my absolute favorite!) Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight & reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through.
- Storage & Reheating: This soup gets even better as it sits! Transfer the cooled soup to an airtight container & store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat the soup on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through.
- Prep ahead: The only real prep here is dicing the onion, carrots, and ginger. Take care of this in advance & store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It takes 10 minutes, tops, & with the prep work done, you can jump straight into cooking at dinnertime!
- Fish sauce: This is a pungent sauce that is very common in Thai cooking. It smells very strong but its flavor mellows out with cooking. If you’d like to make this a vegan recipe you can use vegan fish sauce instead.
In support of this small business, Kate’s Best Recipes earns revenue in a few different ways. Several sponsored posts are published each month. I also earn an affiliate commission on the sales of products I link to— there are a few of those links in this post. I only feature items I genuinely love and personally use on a regular basis. This commission is an arrangement between the retailer and Kate’s Best Recipes (readers never pay more for products). This income allows me to run the site. Thank you for reading!
