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    Home > Recipes

    Butternut Squash Curry Soup with Red Lentils (vegan)

    Published: Oct 1, 2020 · by Veronika Sykorova · This post may contain affiliate links · 10 Comments

    68 shares
    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe·5 from 1 review
    Butternut Squash Curry Soup ingredients laid out

    Keeping the soup theme going this week with this Butternut Squash Curry Soup with Red Lentils. This soup is creamy, hearty, filling, and just the right amount of spicy. It's made with coconut milk so it's completely vegan too! The perfect cozy soup to kick off fall with! Check out last week's Potato Leek and Lentil Soup with Caraway Seeds.

    Overhead shot of Butternut Squash Curry Soup with Red Lentils

    I've actually wanted to post this recipe for years. Yep, YEARS. I fount it in my drafts the other day and realized I completely forgot about it! I made it back in 2017 but didn't like the photos so I never actually shared it. Three years later, I'm finally happy with the photos so it's time to share the recipe with you! I'm such a perfectionist but I figured this soup is just too good not to share it.

    Butternut Squash Curry Soup ingredients laid out
    Close up shot of Butternut Squash Curry Soup with Red Lentils

    The consistency of this butternut squash curry soup is on the thinner side. That is because I boil the butternut squash and then blend it with the water instead of roasting it and blending it with milk and broth. Check out my Vegan Creamy Roasted Butternut Squash Soup for a thicker, super creamy soup. Because the soup is thinner, I added red lentils. They add texture and A LOT of protein. A single serving of this soup has whopping 24 grams of protein! I love adding legumes to my meals because they always add extra protein and fill you up, not to mention the micronutrients like iron and zinc some contain.

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    You can either cook the lentils separately, like I did, or cook them with the squash and then blend them with it. This can easily be a one pot soup but I really wanted to keep the red lentils intact so I cooked them in a separate pot. If you want this to be a one pot butternut squash soup, boil the squash for about 8-10 minutes and then add the soaked lentils (drained and rinsed) and cook for another 5-10 minutes.

    Butternut Squash Curry Soup with Red Lentils in a bowl on a white background

    Optional butternut squash curry soup garnish:

    I topped this soup with stove toasted pumpkin seeds and some more cilantro and a few chili flakes. You can also roast the pumpkin seeds in the oven if you'd like. I make them in a pan because it only takes a few minutes and you don't have to preheat the oven.

    Other fun garnish ideas would be croutons, other herbs, more coconut milk, or coconut kefir (personal favorite, so good!).

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    A square overhead shot of Butternut Squash Curry Soup with Red Lentils

    Butternut Squash Curry Soup with Red Lentils

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
    • Author: Veronika | thehealthfulideas
    • Prep Time: 15 mins
    • Cook Time: 20 mins
    • Total Time: 35 minutes
    • Yield: 4 1x
    • Category: Soup
    • Method: Cooking
    • Cuisine: Indian
    • Diet: Vegan
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    Description

    This vegan Butternut Squash Curry Soup with Red Lentils is creamy, spicy, savory, full of fresh herbs, and perfect for fall!


    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
    • 2 tsp avocado oil
    • sea salt and pepper to taste
    • ½ tsp garlic powder
    • ½ tsp onion powder
    • 1 ½ cup dry red lentils
    • 1 medium butternut squash (about 1.5-2kg, 4-5 cups chopped)
    • 1 tbsp avocado oil (or your favorite cooking oil)
    • 2 small yellow onions, finely chopped
    • 2-3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
    • 1 ½ tsp curry powder
    • 1 tsp ground cumin
    • 1 bay leaf (optional)
    • 1 piece of kombu (optional)
    • ½ cup full-fat canned coconut milk
    • ½ cup packed chopped cilantro (plus more for garnish)
    • ¼ cup packed chopped parsley

    Instructions

    Toasted Pumpkin Seeds:

    1. Heat a pan over medium-high heat, add the pumpkin seeds, drizzle with the avocado oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder and toss.
    2. Toast for a few minutes until fragrant and the pumpkin seeds start to pop. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to serve.

    Red Lentils:

    1. Start by placing the red lentils into a bowl and cover with water to soak while you cook everything else. When ready to cook, drain and rinse the soaked red lentils, add them to a pot and cover with water (about 2” above the lentils), and add the bay leaf and kombu (if using). Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the water is absorbed and the lentils soft. Drain excess water after it’s done if necessary. Take out the bay leaf and kombu and set aside.

    Butternut squash soup:

    1. Cut off both ends of the butternut squash and slice it in half lengthwise. Be careful! Make sure you have a sharp knife for this. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and carefully peel. Chop the squash in small pieces and set aside.
    2. Add the avocado oil to a big pot and heat over high heat. Add the chopped onions and lower the heat to medium. Cook for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic, curry powder, and ground cumin. Cook for another 1-2 minutes stirring constantly. 
    3. Add the chopped butternut squash to the pot and cover with boiling water (just enough to cover the butternut squash). Simmer partly covered for 15 minutes or until soft.
    4. Add the coconut milk, the chopped cilantro and parsley, and about ½ of the cooked lentils. Blend everything using an immersion blender or ladle the soup into a blender and blend on high. Be careful, I don’t recommend a Nutribullet for this. The soup is very hot and the steam needs to be able to escape while blending.
    5. Pour the soup back into the pot, add the rest of the cooked red lentils, and stir.
    6. Serve with more chopped herbs if desired and toasted pumpkin seeds.

    Notes

    Toasted pumpkin seeds: You can also toast them in the oven at 400F for 5-10 minutes instead of on a pan.

    Red lentils: I cook the lentils separately because I don't want to blend all of them with everything else. If you don't mind smooth soup, you can add the lentils 5 mins after the squash starts boiling to keep this a one-pot soup.

    Soup: This soup isn't as thick because it's blended with the cooking water. If you want a thicker soup, check out my Roasted Butternut Squash Soup recipe.

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    Did you make this recipe?

    Comment and rate the recipe below and tag @thehealthfulideas on Instagram with the hashtag #thehealthfulideas, I'd love to see what you made!

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    Comments

    1. Mosaics Lab says

      October 01, 2020 at 3:15 pm

      This looks so so good! I love butternut squash soup but never had it with curry...Can't wait to try it.

      Reply
    2. Emily Terrell says

      October 01, 2020 at 9:04 pm

      I've never tried butternut squash. I do love curry though. I'm curious to give it a try :)

      Reply
    3. Michael says

      October 02, 2020 at 7:43 am

      The pictures are bursting! so beautiful. It makes me want to try some even though I really don't eat squash.. that is a compliment! =)

      Reply
    4. Jennifer Locke says

      October 05, 2020 at 6:19 pm

      Butternut squash is so good! We usually roast it in the oven. I've never tried butternut squash soup. This recipe is going on our list to try!

      Reply
    5. Nina says

      October 06, 2020 at 5:38 pm

      I love this recipe with fall weather approaching it makes it perfect for a crisp evening. Something so comforting about a warm bowl of soup!

      Reply
    6. Christie says

      October 07, 2020 at 7:20 am

      Your recipes never disappoint! I can't wait to try this one out!

      Reply
    7. Reese Woods says

      October 07, 2020 at 9:58 am

      This looks absolutely delicious! Butternut squash is one of my favorite soups!

      Reply
    8. Dris says

      October 07, 2020 at 12:24 pm

      This is so perfect for fall! Thanks for sharing the recipe it looks so simple to make!

      Reply
    9. Krizzia Scollon says

      October 12, 2020 at 8:58 pm

      I love squash and i love soup! I am so willing to try this recipe because it looks delicious and healthy too!

      Reply

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    Welcome!

    I'm Veronika and The Healthful Ideas where I share original plant-based recipes for every day cooking and popular classics with a healthy twist.

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