This soup tastes like a cross between butternut squash soup and Panang curry. It’s a Thai-inspired soup that’s rich and velvety and perfectly creamy. BUT wait. There’s NO cream in the recipe!
Nada. Zip. Zero. Not even coconut cream. The creaminess comes from a (not-so) secret ingredient: cashew butter.
(If you watched the video, did you catch my pun at the end? Whyyyy am I so awkward when I tell a joke?)
In case you didn’t already know… I’m in LOVE with cashew butter. I use it in sweet and savory dishes all the time. Last month, I made my cashew butter blondies at least twenty times, but now that we’re in the new year, I’m trying to use it in more savory applications like this soup:
I get my cashew butter from ALDI – it’s $5.99 for a 12-ounce jar, which is the best price I’ve found anywhere. Before I go to any other grocery store, I usually head to ALDI to see what I can buy there first. They have a surprisingly large selection of healthy ingredients: all kinds of nuts, organic produce, and other gluten-free and organic items (you can find my full Real Food at ALDI shopping guide here).
During my trip to visit the ALDI headquarters late last year, I also learned that they removed all certified synthetic colors, partially hydrogenated oils, and added MSG from their exclusive brand food products. I use a lot of products from their SimplyNature line (which are free from over 125 artificial ingredients):
This soup is perfection on its own, but you can always add protein to it if you want. I’ve tried adding shredded chicken and ground beef – both are delish when added to this soup. I also like to top my soup with crushed cashews and cilantro or Thai basil but that’s obviously optional.
The best thing about this flavorful and spicy Thai Butternut Squash soup is that it’s so rich and filling, and yet, it’s also a light and healthy meal that’ll have you feeling good after you eat it.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Butternut Squash peeled
- 4 cups Organic Chicken or Vegetable Broth
- ⅓ cup Cashew Butter
- 2 tablespoons Organic Coconut Oil
- 1 Onion roughly chopped
- 5 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1- inch Ginger minced
- 3 tablespoons Thai Curry Paste
- 2 tablespoons Fish Sauce
- 4 tablespoons Coconut Aminos
- ½ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Salt adjust to taste
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Lime juiced
Instructions
- Melt the coconut oil in a dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot over medium heat.
- Add the onions and saute for 7-10 minutes, or until they begin to brown.
- Once that happens, add the garlic, ginger and Thai curry paste and give it a quick stir.
- Then add the butternut squash, chicken stock, cashew butter, fish sauce, coconut aminos, spices and lime juice.
- Stir until the cashew butter melts into the soup, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the butternut squash is tender.
- Use an immersion blender (or a regular blender) to carefully puree the soup.
- Garnish with crushed cashews, cilantro or Thai basil if desired.
Available while quantities last. Items may not be available in all stores. Prices and labels may vary by location. Follow ALDI on: Facebook, Twitter & Instagram to keep up with new recipes and products 🙂
PAID ENDORSEMENT DISCLOSURE: Thanks ALDI for sponsoring this post! I love that you now carry so many gluten-free options for me & my readers!
Neena says
Came out delicious. As I didn’t have cashew butter I added a couple of tablespoons of coconut milk instead. Added good flavor to Thai paste.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Glad you liked it, Neena!
Meher Makda says
Is it ok to use regular soy sauce?
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Yes 🙂
Sara says
Is there anything we can sub the fish sauce with for vegetarians?
My Heart Beets says
Sara, you can leave it out, it’ll still be good 🙂
Elysia Baines says
This is my favorite paleo butternut squash soup. I love how all the flavors mix together. I didn’t have red curry paste so I subbed in some chili garlic sauce and curry powder and it worked great. I always come back to so many of your recipes. Thanks!
My Heart Beets says
Elysia, I’m so happy to hear that 🙂 Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you!
Allison Donahue says
So so good!! I omitted cashew butter because I didn’t have any, but will try again next time. This was so super delicious!! Thanks for sharing 😀
My Heart Beets says
Allison, I’m so happy to hear that you liked it! 🙂
Brian says
Thanks, Ashley!
I was already planning to try the Butter Chicken and Saag this weekend.
Another question: How many people do your recipes serve?
I’d like to suggest that you include that, going forward.
Keep up the good work.
brian
My Heart Beets says
Awesome – I can’t wait to hear what you think of those two recipes, Brian! I usually don’t write serving sizes because everyone’s portions are so different and it also depends on what else is being served but I’d guess that this soup recipe would serve 4-5 people. I hope that helps!
Brian says
Could this be adapted for the Instant Pot?
My Heart Beets says
Brian, yes definitely! Once you get the hang of using an Instant Pot you can pretty much adapt any recipe! For this recipe, I’d use the saute function and then the manual function for 10 minutes or so – then puree at the end. I suggest watching my butter chicken video to get an idea of how to use the functions if you’re not already familiar: myheartbeets.com/instant-pot-butter-chicken/
Konika says
Ashley,
This is the first recipe I’ve tried on your website, and it turned out great! I’m so excited to try out your others – today I’m going to make the savory coconut biscuits. I’ll let you know how they turn out. Thanks for putting up this site!
My Heart Beets says
Konika, I’m so happy you liked the soup!! Can’t wait to hear what you think of the biscuits 🙂
Ananth (Roby's friend) says
I think I found a recipe to make this weekend. What exactly are coconut aminos? Where do you recommend I buy these?
My Heart Beets says
Hey, Ananth! Coconut aminos are a soy-free substitute for soy-sauce. You can find them at Whole Foods or on Amazon 🙂
Grace says
This is the first one of your recipes I’ve made…and I just went back for seconds! It was delicious.
My Heart Beets says
Awesome!! Happy to hear that, Grace 🙂
Paul Bhutani says
Yummy!! My wife brought the ingredients from ALDI just before the snow. It was the first time she went to ALDI and I am eating the soup right now. Good job Ashley.
My Heart Beets says
That’s great to hear 🙂 I’m glad you like the soup!!
Millie Singh says
Thanks for sharing this video!! Perfect recipe for snowy weekend!!
My Heart Beets says
I’m so glad you liked the video 🙂 Hope you love the soup!!