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A serving of winter squash soup in a pink bowl.

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Winter Squash Soup with Coconut Milk

Recipe by Kelli Avila

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.

  • Total Time50 minutes
  • Yield4-6 servings 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 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)
  • 1/2 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

  1. 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.
  2. Add the squash and parsnips and cook until beginning to soften, 5-8 minutes.
  3. Stir in the curry powder and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
  4. Pour in the chicken stock and the chickpeas and turn the heat up to medium-high.
  5. 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.
  6. Add in the coconut milk, the greens from the green onions, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and 1/2 cup picked cilantro leaves.
  7. Shut off the heat. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth, adding additional chicken stock as needed for desired consistency.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.

  • Prep Time: 00:20
  • Cook Time: 00:30
  • Category: Soup

Find it online: https://everydayfamilyeats.com/winter-squash-soup-with-coconut-milk/