Many of you probably noticed that this post accidently went live on Saturday without being completely finished. We forgot to reschedule it in our content calendar, so surprise! You all ended up getting a recipe for this without any description or photos in your inboxes.
But it’s here now for all of you in all of its glory! And I apologize for the error on our part.
Truth be told, I made this recipe so long ago that I completely forgot about it until I put my old camera card into my computer and found it. Then I thought to myself: “OH MY GOD I LOVE THIS SOUP. IT MUST GO ON THE BLOG ASAP!”
So here it is: a creamy, nutritious, curry-flavored soup with butternut squash, lentils, turmeric, coconut milk, ginger and garlic. To give it an extra umami flavor, I added in peanut butter and stirred in spinach for a little nutritional boost (kale would also work well).
It’s addicting and I love crushing up crackers to absorb more of the creamy butternut broth. Also who doesn’t love crackers in their soup. CRACK A LACK SOUP.
This soup is SUPER easy to make and I even have a slow cooker option for you available in the note section. It’s great if you’re trying to incorporate more plant-based meals into your diet too. Best of all, this soup is lovely for helping you heal after you’ve been sick — you’ll find plenty of superfoods, anti-inflammatory ingredients and herbs in this recipe.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did. I love topping it with cilantro, chopped peanuts and a dash of hot sauce. xo!
More healthy soup recipes you’ll love:
Homemade Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
Butternut Squash Green Chile Chicken Soup
Paleo Coconut Chicken Sweet Potato Noodle Soup
Vegan White Bean & Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
The Best Chicken Soup You’ll Ever Eat
Healing Thai Butternut Squash Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, thinly sliced or diced
- 1 medium (2 pound) butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 5-6 cups diced)
- 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated turmeric (or 1 teaspoon ground turmeric)
- 1 (15 ounce) can light coconut milk
- 3 cups organic low sodium vegetarian broth
- 1 cup green or brown lentils, rinsed and sorted
- 2 tablespoons all natural creamy peanut butter or cashew butter
- ¾ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups organic spinach
Instructions
-
Add coconut oil oil to a large pot or dutch oven and place over medium high heat. Next add in garlic, ginger and onion and saute for 3-5 minutes until onion begin to soften.
-
Add in carrot and butternut squash cubes; saute for a few more minutes then add in the yellow curry powder and turmeric. Allow spices to cook together for 30 seconds then immediately stir in coconut milk, vegetarian broth, lentils and peanut butter. Season with salt and pepper.
-
Bring soup to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low and allow soup to simmer for 20 minutes until lentils soften.
-
After 20 minutes, transfer approximately half of the soup (about 3 cups) to a blender. It’s very important to protect your hands from steam and a potential heat explosion, so please place a clean dish towel over the lid and puree the soup until smooth. I like to start slow, then gradually increase the speed of the blender.
-
Pour the puree back into the pot with the rest of the soup and stir to combine. Finally stir the fresh spinach until just wilted.
-
Taste and adjust the seasoning of the soup as necessary. If you like more of a umami flavor try adding another tablespoon of peanut butter, or even a squeeze of fresh lime juice. This is a soup that can do no wrong! I like to serve mine with cilantro and a handful of peanuts -- it’s also great with a little hot sauce if you prefer a little spice!
Recipe Notes
To make yours in the slow cooker: add all of the ingredients to the bowl of a slow cooker, except I recommend reducing the broth to 2 ½ cups. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Continue with blending part of the soup after it is cooked.
89 comments
Yummy!
to do it in the slow cooker do you need to fry the onion and garlic first, or is it really just throw it all in? Could it be that easy? 🙂
I like to fry the onion and garlic first to release the flavors a bit more, but you can definitely throw it all in if you want!
I have red lentils from Trader Joe’s. Can I use those instead? Thank you!
Red lentils tend to break down a bit easier, so I’d recommend sticking with brown or green!
Talk about an easy meal!! I like the addition of the lentils!
YES so easy and so delicious!!
Could you use maybe chickpeas in place of lentils? Looks yummy! The thai flavours are so awesome!
It’s so flavorful! Chickpeas should work 🙂
Unfinished posts going live = basically sums up the story of my blog. RIP. XD
Anyways, I absolutely adore Thai food, butternut squash, and lentils. Can’t think of a better recipe that combines the three! You seriously nailed it with this one!
Ah it happens! This combo is seriously delish – hope you get a chance to try it!
This soup? Or the thai tuna patties from earlier this week? Or both this weekend?!
Omg BOTH! Tuna patties with a side of soup 😉
The soup looks amazing! Is it on the sweet side due to the butternut squash?
It’s a good mix of sweet and savory with the spices, but definitely has that butternut squash flavor!
This was super good! Definitely tasted the peanut butter and the curry and coconut milk go so well together! Another AK winner – thank you! I did cook it a bit longer as I thought the lentils were quite done after 20 min.
Not quite done
So glad you liked this one! That flavor combo is one of my favorites 🙂
made this weekend both my husband i loved!
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
So good!! Creamy and slightly sweet with a mild curry spice. I love how nutrient dense this recipe is too!
Absolutely! Some of my favorite flavor combos in here. Perfect weekday dinner!
I made this tonight, and we loved it! I used sweet potatoes instead of butternut squash since I had them in the house already. The texture with part of the soup pureed is just perfect!! Thanks for another great soup recipe!
So happy to hear that! I love using sweet potatoes in soups like this too 🙂
This looks fantastic! I am a vegan college athlete, so I’m always looking for easy and healthy meals! Quick question, is there anything I can sub the coconut milk with? I’m not a huge fan of it for some reason 🙁 Thank you!
I have tons of great vegan options on the blog here! With plenty of protein 🙂 You could try cashew milk in this one!
This is so good! I loved it! I can’t say enough about it! I have an immersion blender and went a little crazy (so fun to use), but whatever! I added the lime juice what a yummy addition! Thank you for another great recipe!
So happy to hear that Denise! I love using immersion blenders too 🙂 Enjoy!
My toddler, 9 month old and husband could not get enough of this soup! They were scrapping the bottom of the pot trying to get thirds as they flew threw seconds! Absolutely divine, so delicious! Thanks for sharing and I must mention we all love your oat/almond flour chocolate chip muffins too, 9 muffins is never enough 🙂
I’m so happy to hear that! Kiddo and husband approved is always a win 🙂 Glad you guys love those muffins, too!
Hey Monique,
Made this yesterday for Dinner with butter rolls n the side. The soup was too good. Kids and Hubby loved it ! Will be a keeper for long time .
Hi! Delicious 🙂 So happy to hear that!
Can I make this without nut butter? I am not allergic, but I just don’t like nuts or nut butters in my savory dishes. Thx! x
Yep! If you want a more mild flavor you could use tahini or cashew butter, too.
I just got to this recipe via your Butternut Squash, Chickpea and Lentil Moroccan Stew recipe (don’t know how I missed it in the first place! 🙂) and it sounds perfect for a gray, rainy September day. I have one request, if possible? Your nutritional breakdown does not include sodium level. I can still work it out ingredient by ingredient but I’m trying to keep sodium levels low for family health reasons, and often a quick glance at a recipe level will let me know that there are too many omission/substitutions required for easy prep. Would that addition in each recipe’s nutrition list be something doable for you?
Love this one! I don’t typically calculate sodium content as the brands + types of ingredients that people use really vary in terms of sodium. Feel free to calculate with the brands that you use in these recipes!
Absolutely DELICIOUS! Perfectly balanced ans sooo comforting.
YES absolutely! Perfect for fall/winter 🙂
Just made this for dinner & it is perfection!! Everything I want a soup to be. Thank you for the delicious recipe!
So happy to hear that, Caitlin!
Made this yesterday for a luncheon and everyone ADORED it – gone, gone, gone. Thanks Monique
So happy to hear that, Ellen!
Hi Monica, do you have a favourite no sodium broth? I have been making my own but sometimes I need the convenience of an already made one. Heading to the store to pick up the ingredients, can’t wait to try this! Thank you
Hi Alex! I typically just use an organic, low sodium chicken broth from Whole Foods (I think the brand is Pacific Foods).
This sounds delish!! Do you use a cup of dry or canned lentils?
It is! Dry lentils 🙂
Delicious, nutritious & easy!! I used red lentils as that is what I had on-hand, and so it was more like a dal. Also added jasmine rice. I’m trying it tonight as written. Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes. Thank you!!
So glad you loved it! Hope you find some more favorites here too 🙂
I’ve been living off of your slow cooker recipes and this might be my favorite. Absolutely delicious hearty and so satisfying !!!!
Amazing! So happy to hear that.
I invited my parents for dinner, and we all loved it! Plus plenty of leftovers 🙂 Thanks!
Amazing! I’m so glad 🙂
I made this and absolutely ADORE this recipe. Super versatile for what’s in your cupboards and super warm, delicious and a good belly feel. I will make this again. It really comes together quickly too which is always nice.
Absolutely! So cozy. Glad you love it, Carolyn!
This is THE BEST soup!! I started to become skeptical adding in the peanut butter and curry but go for it,you will be amazed! Plus all of the benefits are great. I added in some turkey meatballs for extra protein too.
So glad you love it! The peanut butter is next level (and turkey meatballs sound delicious).
Is there a way to make this without a blender???
You could simply not blend it and enjoy as is.
Just made this in an instant pot (pressure cooker). Added all the ingredients at once and set the pot on high pressure for 3 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of cool down time. Absolutely fantastic result. I can not suggest changing anything. Suggest serving with crusty bread or jasmine rice.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Dennis!
I’m a big fan of your recipes and have made over a dozen or so of your muffin and entree recipes. Most recently I made your pumpkin bread with the glaze (as muffins) and they are so moist and delicious! I’m super interested in trying out this recipe, with butternut squash being in season! What brand of curry powder do you recommend? I haven’t had any luck finding a good brand of curry powder to be honest..
Thanks!
So glad you’re finding recipes here that you love! I usually get Simply Organic or McCormick curry powder and they work well 🙂
Absolutely fabulous recepy. I did a little trick and blended the entire soup so my 4 year old could not see the squash,we all loved it.
So glad you all loved it! And great idea to blend it all for him 🙂
My daughter referred me to this site because she made the GF chickpea blondies. And they were amazing. Went thru some of the recipes tonight and they look so good. Looking forward to trying a few recipe. Thank you!
So happy to hear that! I hope you found some new favorite recipes here 🙂 enjoy!
Is there anything else that I can add besides spinach? My husband is not a fan, but this recipe looks delicious! Thank you!
Any dark leafy green (like kale) would be delicious, too, or even peas!
I just made this recipe and it turned out amazing! The only thing I did differently was to double the lentils used. Thanks for posting a vegan-friendly meal.
So happy to hear that! One of my favorite soups for winter 🙂
This is absolutely delicious, as is every recipe of yours I’ve tried. I made some lazy curry the night before with only a can of coconut milk, 2T green curry paste and chickpeas. I added that to this recipe, along with 1/4c fresh squeezed OJ when it was too spicy for me due to my own green curry addition. Since I didn’t have a lime I also added 1T seasoned rice vinegar to go for unami flavor you mentioned. You’re right, this soup can handle a lot and still turn out fantastic! I served with white rice and felt very nourished after my meal. Thank you!!!
Perfect! Glad those swaps worked out well 🙂 this ones great for customizing and so nourishing!
I have made this for the 3rd time, the best new soup recipe for me. I have eaten it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. So filling, and flavorful. Looking forward to finding other recipes to try.
So happy you love this one! I hope you fine more recipes here that you like, too 🙂
OMG. This was SOOOOOOOO good!!!!! You do not fail when it comes to soups! I used sweet potato instead of butternut and skipped the peanut butter. I’m obsessed. I didn’t purée either as I love it thick and chunky. It took a lot more than 20 mins to cook but I knew it would because of the sweet potatoes – prob 40 mins. I served over brown rice and topped with cilantro green onion and sriracha sauce. Flavor explosion!!!
Delicious! Great idea with the sweet potato. So glad you loved it!
wonderfully satisfying. Hmmm!
Glad you liked this one!
OMG! I just made this soup andy is SO delicious! Seriously! I followed the recipe exactly! We had some naan bread with it. PERFECT! This is a keeper for sure.
So good! Glad you loved it!
I found the recipe Healing Thai Butternut Squash Lentil Soup because I was looking for something to do with the Coconut Milk my supermarket online sent me in error. It is super delicious. But, I found the squash needed to cook longer than the lentils. I just checked the softness of the lentils before blending, as recommended. I use a hand blender. It’s so much simpler than trying to
transfer the soup into a stationary blender. I didn’t blend it all, as recommended. And, when I
went to eat the soup, I found the unblended cubes of squash were still hard. Therefore, I recommend checking the softness of the squash as well as the lentils before blending.
Sorry to hear that, Miriam! Next time I’d recommend cubing the squash a bit smaller to ensure that they cook through 🙂
Sauteed a diced jalapeno along with the onion, ginger and garlic. Only used turmeric, omitted the curry powder (not a fan) and peanut butter (to keep fat under control) but added in red curry paste with milk and broth. Used 1/2 of a kabocha instead of butternut. AMAZING!!!
I’m glad that worked out well! So good 🙂
This soup is so delicious! I used sweet potatoes instead of squash, and it turned out really well. I also added about 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes for a bit of spice. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Perfect! So delicious 🙂
Oh my gosh, this is seriously amazing! So much flavour. Cooked in pressure cooker for 15mins and used immersion blender.
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
I love this soup so much.. just curious about freezing it. Should I freeze without coconut milk and spinach? Thanks!