This post may contain affiliate links for which I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. For more info please check out my Disclosure Policy. Appreciate your support!
Are you ready for a delicious Butternut Squash Curry? This vegetarian curry is made in one pot with the perfect blend of spices, is very easy to make and family friendly! It’s such a great recipe that I make it all the time.
Recipe Difficulty – Very Easy
Table of Contents
Why this recipe works
I absolutely love homemade curries, they are so warming, perfect for those cold evenings and can be totally the star of the show when having friends/family over!
This creamy butternut squash curry is no exception and will become a new favourite dinner during the colder months when butternut squash season is in full flow!
This easy butternut squash curry is really simple to make with pantry staples and uses just one pot meaning less washing up! It also bakes in the oven meaning less work and the flavour this hearty curry packs will really surprise you!
If you want another butternut squash curry recipe but using chick peas do check out my Butternut Squash and Chickpea Curry!
Ingredients to make Butternut Squash Curry
- Olive Oil – is used to fry up some of the ingredients.
- Garlic Cloves – add a fantastic flavour to just about any dish.
- Fresh Ginger – gives a bit of a kick to this dish.
- Tomato Puree – adds a great flavour and consistency.
- Turmeric – gives a slight sweetness and pairs well with the ginger.
- Cayenne Pepper – brings a little more heat to this curry.
- Paprika – is another great spice to bring some sweetness to this curry.
- Red Pepper Flakes – finish out the combination of spices in this dish.
- Tomatoes – A can of tomatoes brings more colour and flavour to this squash red curry.
- Full Fat Coconut Milk – is what brings the perfect touch of flavour.
- Butternut Squash – forms a fabulous base for this vegan butternut squash curry.
- Cashew Nuts – give this coconut curry a great crunch but totally optional.
- Apricots – can be dried apricots or fresh. These add a delicious sweetness to balance out the spices. But also optional!
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
- Olive Oil – other oils will work just fine, my preference would be coconut oil.
- Garlic Cloves – If you don’t have fresh garlic, you can use minced garlic or garlic powder.
- Ginger – If you don’t have fresh ginger, ground ginger will work.
- Spices – You can definitely play around with the spices you have to hand. I love garam masala as an addition or you could even experiment with thai red curry paste.
- Butternut Squash – If you fancy subbing sweet butternut for a sweet potato curry, swap the sweet potatoes for the butternut squash. You could also try my Potato Curry which uses white potatoes.
- Full-fat coconut milk – You could swap this for light coconut milk if you prefer, it just wont be quite as creamy.
- Cashews – If you aren’t a fan of cashews or don’t have any on hand just leave them out for a nut free curry. For extra protein you can easily add in 1/2 a cup of red lentils too.
- Apricots – Are optional so just leave them out if you prefer.
Serving Suggestions
- White rice – Always a firm favourite to side any Indian curry.
- Brown rice – One of my favourite sides with any ultimate comfort food.
- Jasmine rice – With it’s fluffier texture, it pairs brilliant with any curry.
- Basmati rice – Adds a slightly nutty taste which pairs well with this creamy curry sauce.
- Quinoa – For a slightly healthier side, heres how I make Quinoa perfect everytime.
- Naan Bread – A must have side with all my easy curry recipes.
How to make Butternut Squash Curry
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 200C. Crush the garlic, halve the apricots (if using), dice the ginger, and peel and cube the butternut squash.
Step 2: Fry the olive oil, garlic, apricots, cashews, tomato puree, spices, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a large pot over medium heat for a couple of minutes.
Step 3: Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Place the pot into the oven for 40 minutes (or simmer on the hob until it has thickened, similar time)
Hint: leave a useful hint here
Leftovers
This butternut squash curry will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days. I personally find it tastes better the next day and is great for meal prep so make sure to save some leftovers. You can also freeze it for up to three months to have next time you’re not in the mood for cooking. Just defrost overnight and reheat in a pot or microwave until piping hot.
Recipe FAQs
I cube my squash and then after bringing the curry to a boil, cook it in a 200C oven for 40 minutes.
I love using a collection of different spices in my curries. For my Butternut Squash Cashew Curry, I use ginger, turmeric, cayenne pepper, paprika, and chilli flakes.
They are usually harvested during late summer or autumn.
More Butternut Squash Recipes
- Stuffed Butternut Squash
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Coconut Dhal
- Pumpkin and Butternut Soup
- Vegetable Tagine
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE…
Tried this Butternut Squash Curry recipe? Please leave a star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below and let me know how you get on. Hearing positive feedback is one of the best parts of creating recipes so please review it below and leave a comment!
P.S Never miss a new recipe! Get more healthy recipes sent straight to your inbox weekly – Subscribe and receive a free recipe eBook!
Butternut Squash Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
- 150 g cashews, (optional)
- 100 g apricots, chopped in halves (optional)
- 1/2 thumb size piece of fresh ginger finely chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tbsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 400 g tinned tomatoes
- 400 ml can of full-fat coconut milk
- 500 g butternut squash, chopped into small cubes
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 200C (390F). Firstly, crush the garlic, chop the apricots in halves, dice the ginger, peel and chop the butternut squash into 1.5cm cubes.
- Now to a large pot over a medium heat add the olive oil, garlic, apricots, cashews, tomato puree, all the spices and a pinch of salt and pepper and fry together for a couple minutes.
- Now add the tinned tomatoes, coconut milk and butternut squash. Bring to a boil and then place straight into the oven for 40 minutes (or simmer on the hob with the lid on for 40 minutes until the sauce thickens).
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Finally cooked this tonight and the flavours are delicious.. looking forward to the leftovers already
Thank you for the review Wardie, pleased you enjoyed it!
Was looking for an idea for dinner tonight and the timing of this facebook post was perfect. I cooked it stove top method and it was delicious!!
Hey Mary,
That’s great news! So pleased you enjoyed the recipe and thank you for leaving a rating 🙂
James
Made this last night and it was so delicious! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes 🙂
Yay, so pleased you enjoyed it Alex and thank you for sharing your feedback here!
James
This is definitely one of my faves, love the sweetness from the apricots and the crunch from the cashews. Delicious!
Aww thank you Natalie! So pleased you enjoyed it 🙂
Hey again!
I made this last night for my friend and I, we loved it! It was even better today so I had it for lunch and dinner . It does have a similar taste to the sweet potato and chickpea curry but the apricots and cashews made a really nice change!!
Kimberley
Hey Kimberley,
Yay, I am so pleased you both enjoyed it! You’re right the apricots and cashews add such a nice change!
Thank you for the great feedback! What is next on the list to try?
James
Hi James, the curry was delicious, everyone loved it! I changed a bit the quantity of the apricots – 200g instead of 100g, since they weren’t super sweet and juicy so I was afraid their taste would get lost. The curry tasted great, but it was very similar to your sweet potato and chickpea curry and the sweet potato dominated over the apricots. I think I would like to redo this recipe using maybe califlower and carrots in place of the sweet potato so to taste more the apricots. What do you think? Any suggestions?
Have a nice day, x
Hey Nika,
Brilliant, I hope you enjoy and please let me know what you thought of it in the comments 🙂
Thank you for saying you are downloading the eBook, I think you will enjoy the recipes in there!
James
Thanks for replying so fast! I’m making it tonight for dinner. I’m sure it will be delicious, but I will let you know 😉 Have a great day! Going to download your e-book now … wohoo”! x
Hey Nika,
Thank you for the comment! I actually used dried but fresh apricots will work perfectly! I have also had it with sweet potato instead of butternut squash and its just as good so don’t worry 🙂
Enjoy it and please let me know what you think!
James
Hi James, did you use fresh or dried apricots from this curry? Apricots are in season now so I thought of doing this curry with fresh ones and sweet potato in place of the squash.
Thanks, have a lovely evening x