This spiced Winter Squash Soup is creamy, bright, and comforting, with warm spices, sweet veggies, creamy coconut milk and a fresh finish from lime and cilantro.
This soup is a perfect balance of rich, warming flavors while still being simple to make. The natural sweetness of winter squash and parsnips is deepened by aromatic fresh ginger, turmeric, and garlic and balanced with a hit of curry powder. Coconut milk gives it a velvety texture, and a splash of lime juice brightens everything up. While it can be blended into a smooth, creamy soup, it’s just as delicious left as is for a more rustic feel.
This squash soup is part of my “girl soup” series, a collection of nourishing soups made with busy parents in mind. Each one is designed to be filling, easy to batch-cook, and full of veggies, fiber, and protein. Read more about girl soup from the series tutorial, or check out some of my other soups in the series:
Ingredients Needed and Substitutions
Here is a brief overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The full recipe with quantities is listed below this text in the recipe card.
- green onions (feel free to substitute in a regular onion)
- fresh garlic + ginger + turmeric (a wonderful trifecta of flavor you don't want to miss)
- winter squash (such as butternut or honeynut, or any other squash your family enjoys)
- parsnips
- chicken stock or veggie stock
- curry powder (use more or less to taste for heat)
- canned chickpeas
- canned coconut milk (adding creaminess and flavor to the soup)
- fresh lime juice + cilantro (more flavor-packed ingredients that are going to make this soup stand out)
- chickpeas (this adds body and protein to the soup)
- coarse kosher salt (This recipe was tested using Diamond Crystal coarse kosher salt. If you use Morton's kosher salt or fine salt, decrease by about half for volume)
How to Make It
A good soup is all about layering flavor in a way that brings out the best in each ingredient without overcomplicating things. This one starts with gently sautéing green onions, turmeric, ginger, and garlic to build a flavorful base (it's important not to let it brown!) The winter squash and parsnips add natural sweetness, while curry powder brings warmth and depth. Everything simmers together in chicken stock (or veggie stock) until tender, then coconut milk is added to make it creamy and rich. A squeeze of lime juice and a handful of cilantro at the end keep it bright and fresh. It’s cozy, nourishing, and full of balanced flavor, which is really the most perfect kind of soup.
Step 1: Cook the whites of the green onion, turmeric, ginger, garlic, salt, and pepper until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Make sure not to brown any of the aromatics.
Step 2: Stir in the curry powder and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
Step 3: Add the squash and parsnips and cook until beginning to soften, 5-8 minutes.
Step 4: Add the chicken stock and chickpeas, bring to a boil, then simmer until the squash is tender, about 15 minutes
Step 5: Add in the coconut milk, the greens from the green onions, lime juice, and cilantro leaves.
Step 6: Blend until smooth (see note below about alternative options). Adjust seasoning and texture as needed.
To Blend or Not to Blend
This soup is fantastic both ways. Blending it makes it silky smooth and luxurious, while leaving it as-is gives it a more rustic, hearty feel. If you’re blending, an immersion blender works best right in the pot, but a traditional blender will give the smoothest result. If using a blender, work in batches and let the soup cool slightly before blending to avoid splattering. Never blend a hot soup in a fully sealed blender.
Storage
Squash soup will keep well for 3-4 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer. If freezing, be sure to leave room between the soup and the container cover. Soup often expands a lot when freezing, and if you are using a glass jar, you want to prevent any cracking.
To reheat the soup from frozen, transfer it to the refrigerator for 12–24 hours to slowly defrost, if possible. Then heat it until very hot, either in the microwave or in a pot on the stove.
More Soup Recipes:
Making this Winter Squash Soup recipe? Be sure to leave a comment with a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on your experience! Have a question? Leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can!
Full Recipe
Winter Squash Soup with Coconut Milk
- Prep Time: 00:20
- Cook Time: 00:30
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
Description
This winter squash soup with coconut milk and curry is creamy, bright, and comforting, with warm spices and a fresh finish from lime and cilantro.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small bunch of green onions, cleaned, trimmed, and chopped, whites and greens separated
- 1 (3-inch) piece of fresh turmeric, peeled and sliced (see note)
- 1 (2-inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
- 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt, more to taste (see note)
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, more to taste
- 1 medium winter squash (such as butternut or honeynut), peeled and diced
- 2 medium parsnips, peeled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 6 cups chicken stock or bone broth, more as needed
- 1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 small bunch cilantro, washed, dried, and leaves picked
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Cook the whites of the green onion, turmeric, ginger, garlic, salt, and pepper until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Make sure not to brown any of the aromatics.
- Add the squash and parsnips and cook until beginning to soften, 5-8 minutes.
- Stir in the curry powder and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
- Pour in the chicken stock and the chickpeas and turn the heat up to medium-high.
- Bring the soup up to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the squash is mostly tender, about 15 minutes, adding more broth if the liquid begins to evaporate.
- Add in the coconut milk, the greens from the green onions, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and ½ cup picked cilantro leaves.
- Shut off the heat. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth, adding additional chicken stock as needed for desired consistency.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding in additional salt, pepper, chicken broth or lime juice as needed. Chop ½ cup lightly packed cilantro leaves and stir into the soup.
- Serve the soup immediately.
Notes
This winter squash soup is rich, creamy, and full of warm spices. While puréeing creates a velvety texture, it’s just as delicious left chunky for a more rustic feel.
Seasoning your soup properly is the most important part of making this soup. Ultimately, learning how much seasoning you prefer is a personal process and is not something I can instruct in a recipe card. It takes trial and error with your own soup pot at home. The more you practice tasting and adjusting, the better you’ll get at knowing exactly what your soup needs to shine. If your soup tastes bland, it likely needs more salt or more acid (lime juice)—or both—to brighten the flavors. That said, seasoning should happen in layers throughout cooking, not just at the end. Season your veggies when sauteing, then taste and adjust again once the soup is puréed. This layered approach builds depth and ensures that every ingredient is well-seasoned.
This recipe was tested using Diamond Crystal coarse kosher salt. If using Morton’s kosher salt or fine salt, you’ll need less by volume, so start with half and adjust to taste.
If fresh turmeric is unavailable, use 1 teaspoon ground turmeric.
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