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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
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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).
Notes
Nutrition
Delicious. This is tasty and so easy to cook
Thanks Johanna 🙂
Made this for tea tonight. Beautiful curry recipe, very easy and delicious. My husband says it’s his new favourite curry, thing is he says this every time I make one of your currys. Thanks for the recipes James love everything we’ve made.
Thanks so much Alison 🙂
Simple and quick to make and ultra YUMMY!!
Thanks so much Annie 🙂 glad you enjoyed it!
Hello,
What can I substitute for apricots?
Thanks.
Figs would be nice 🙂
Hi James, just smashed this in my face now! Super yummy! Thank you for the great recipes
Yay glad you enjoyed it Caroline 🙂
Simply delicious!! I love a curry with fruit in as it’s always a winner with the kiddos. Thank you
Really good heart warming dish. Perfectly balanced flavours.
Thank you Pat, so pleased you enjoyed it 🙂