Coconut curry kabocha squash soup tastes like the best of fall. With apple and a drizzle of maple syrup for sweetness, it balances the warming spices beautifully.
This dairy-free soup can be enjoyed as a starter. Or serve it with crusty bread to eat as a main course.
In the warm weather months, we get most of our produce from a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).
With a CSA, you pay a farmer directly at the beginning of the growing season, which helps fund their start-up costs for the year. Then when fruits and vegetables come into season, you get a share of whatever is ripe and ready to eat.
Food just doesn’t get more flavorsome or fresh. Plus, you know you’re helping local growers directly. A win/win.
This year, once the fall came, we got so much winter squash – pumpkin, butternut, acorn, and kabocha squash in both orange and green.
One of my favorite things to do with our bounty was to make this delicious and full-flavored soup with coconut milk, apple, curry powder, and cumin.
As the weeks went on, I tried it with all of the above varieties of squash and sometimes a mixture. Every time it was excellent. However, there was something extra special about this creamy, full-bodied soup when made with orange kabocha squash.
Also known as Japanese pumpkin, kabocha squash tastes like a cross between pumpkin and sweet potato. Plus, with a texture that’s closer to potato, it makes for a wonderfully velvety soup.
This colorful fall soup is lovely on its own as a starter to a meal. (I made it for our Friendsgiving, and it went over like a dream.) Or you can make it a heartier affair by adding chickpeas and kale.
By the way, some folks struggle to cut uncooked squash into smaller chunks. However, this squash soup simplifies that. You only have to cut once before cooking. Cut the squash in half, gut it, and then cook it until soft in the air fryer or oven.
Once it has softened, it’s easy to cut off the stem, any hard parts on the peel, and finally into smaller chunks. (Or if you’d prefer not to eat the peel, you can remove the peel before chopping.)
In this post:
Why readers love this recipe
“I couldn't find kabocha squash at the at the store, so I used butternut squash. It turned out just as wonderful as the original. I added a little extra water (but not too much, per Cadry's warning) to accommodate the extra squash.” – Ashley
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe.
Kabocha squash: Use a medium-sized kabocha squash. For the sweetest flavor, choose a kabocha squash with orange skin instead of green. (Sorry, Elphaba.)
Orange kabocha squash is also known as sunshine squash. The skin is very tender and easy to eat. If you’re using a green kabocha squash, plan on discarding the skin after air frying or roasting.
Oil: Avocado oil is my go-to, but any neutral-flavored cooking oil works here.
Bouillon: I like to use vegetarian Better Than Bouillon, no chicken base. If you’d prefer, you can replace it with the vegetarian bouillon of your choice, or use vegetable broth instead of water + bouillon.
Other produce: Apple, garlic, and onion.
Reduced fat coconut milk: You’ll use the whole can of coconut milk. Don’t buy the kind sold in cartons that are used for drinking or pouring on cereal.
Seasonings: Salt, cumin, and curry powder. For this recipe, I like to use Penzey’s hot curry powder. If you’re averse to heat, you can use slightly less, or replace it with mild curry powder.
Maple syrup: A little maple syrup adds sweetness and balances the heat of the curry powder. Opt for 100% pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup.
Step by step instructions
This section shows how to make this recipe at a glance with process photos of the steps. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.
1. Start by carefully cutting the squash in half and removing the seeds with a spoon.
Having trouble cutting the squash in half? Poke a few holes in the flesh with a knife and microwave it for about 4 minutes. It will soften the skin and make it easier to halve.
2. Lightly coat the squash with oil. Air fry cut side up at 390 degrees for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned and very tender.
Alternative oven directions: Put the two halves cut-side down on a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Roast at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until tender.
3. While the squash is cooking, turn your attention to the soup. In a pot, saute onions and garlic with oil and a pinch of salt. Once they are softened and fragrant, add curry powder, cumin, and diced apples.
Deglaze with water and bouillon. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 10 minutes.
5. Once the squash is fully cooked, cut off the stem and any hard or ugly bits from the skin. Then chop the squash into medium-sized pieces.
(If you’re using green kabocha squash or a squash with a thick peel, scoop out the flesh from inside the peel and discard.)
6. Add the squash to the soup pot.
7. Add coconut milk and salt. Cook on medium for about 10 minutes.
8. Use a handheld immersion blender to blend the soup in the pot.
(If you don’t have an immersion blender, carefully transfer the soup to a stand blender with a ladle. Blend until smooth, and then return it to the soup pot.)
Then stir in maple syrup. Cook on low for 10 minutes or longer to allow the flavors to meld.
Want a heartier soup? When you add the maple syrup, stir in 1 ½ cups of chickpeas and a couple big handfuls of kale.
Make it your own
Make this squash soup recipe your own by varying the ingredients or cooking method.
Vary the squash. Replace the medium-sized orange kabocha squash with a green kabocha or a large acorn squash.
Remove the peel. If you’re making this recipe using a squash with a less tender peel, scoop out the meat from inside the cooked squash, and discard the skin.
Plus, when you leave out the skin of a green squash, the soup’s orange color stays intact.
Vary the cooking method. Instead of air frying the squash, cook it in the oven.
Vary the ingredients. Replace water + bouillon with vegetable broth.
Vary the spiciness. I like to use hot curry powder for a kick of heat. But if you prefer a milder soup, use mild curry powder. Or reduce the amount and use 2 teaspoons of curry powder instead of 3. (3 teaspoons = 1 Tablespoon.)
Vary the chunkiness. You can blend the soup until smooth with an immersion or stand style blender. Or you can leave it a little chunkier.
Skip the blender. Scoop the cooked squash out of the peel, and simply use a big spoon to smash it in the soup pot. It’s a little more rustic this way, but still very tasty.
Make it a more substantive meal. After the soup is blended and creamy, add a can of drained chickpeas and a couple big handfuls of chopped kale. Cook for a few minutes to warm the chickpeas and wilt the kale.
Get fancy with a coconut milk finish. Before pouring the coconut milk into the soup, reserve some of the creamiest layer near the top of the can (just below the thick coconut cream).
Ladle the soup into bowls, and then add in swirls of creamy coconut milk to the top. Use a skewer to draw through the coconut milk and make designs.
Add garnishes. Add any of the following garnishes for color, flavor, and/or texture:
- Chopped cilantro
- Chopped chives
- A drizzle of walnut oil or pumpkin seed oil
- Roasted or air fried chickpeas
- Croutons
- Store-bought pepitas
- Homemade roasted squash seeds
(Craving more warming soups? Check out my vegan fall soups round-up.)
Serving suggestions
This warming soup goes beautifully with crusty bread for dunking. A simple baguette is shown in the picture above, but focaccia is especially nice here!
Serve coconut curry squash soup as a starter or side dish along with any of these tasty dishes:
Storage & reheating instructions
This soup is wonderful for making ahead of time for holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas, or for meal planning. The flavors only improve after a day or two in the fridge.
Store the cooled soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for 4 or 5 days.
This dairy-free soup also freezes well and can be frozen for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to use it, move it to the refrigerator to thaw, or use the defrost function on the microwave.
Reheat in a pot on the stove or in the microwave.
If you try this recipe and love it, let me know! Leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It truly makes my day and is such a help!
📖 Recipe
Coconut curry kabocha squash soup with apple
Ingredients
- 1 medium kabocha squash orange (roughly 2 pounds)
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil plus more for oiling squash
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt plus a pinch more for seasoning onions
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon hot curry powder or mild if you prefer*
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 medium apple cored, peeled, and chopped (Pink Lady is my favorite)
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon no chicken base
- 1 (13.5-ounce) can reduced fat coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
Instructions
- If you're planning to roast the squash in the oven, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. If you're going to use the air fryer (my preferred method), skip this step.
- Carefully cut the squash in half. Use a spoon to remove the seeds from the inner cavities. Lightly coat the squash with oil.
- Air fryer directions: Put the squash halves into the air fryer basket. Air fry cut side up at 390 degrees for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned and very tender. (Air fryers & squash sizes vary, which will affect cooking time.)Oven directions: If you don't have an air fryer, put the two halves cut-side down on a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Roast in the oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until tender.
- While the squash is cooking, add oil to a soup pot, and bring to a medium heat. Add chopped onions and a pinch of salt. Saute a few minutes, until translucent and fragrant.
- After a few minutes, add minced garlic, and saute a minute more. (Lower heat, if necessary, so that you don't burn the garlic.)
- Add curry powder, cumin, and chopped apples. Fully combine with a spoon, and then deglaze the pot with water and bouillon. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 10 minutes.(You'll notice it's not a lot of water. That's okay. Most of the liquid for the soup is coconut milk. For the soup to be creamy & not watery, you don't want to overdo it on excess liquid.)
- Once the squash has fully cooked, remove it from the air fryer or oven. Cut off the stem and any hard or ugly bits from the skin. Then chop the squash into medium-sized pieces.(If you're using a green kabocha squash or a squash with a thick peel, scoop out the flesh from inside the peel and discard.)
- Add the chopped squash to the soup pot.
- Add reduced fat coconut milk and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir to combine, and cook on medium for about 10 minutes.
- Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth in the pot. (If you don't have an immersion blender, carefully transfer the soup to a stand blender with a ladle, and blend until smooth. Then transfer it back to the soup pot.)
- Add maple syrup to the soup and stir. Cook on low for 10 minutes or longer to allow the flavors to meld. Then serve.
Ashley
I couldn’t find kabocha squash at the at the store, so I used butternut squash. It turned out just as wonderful as the original. I added a little extra water (but not too much, per Cadry’s warning) to accommodate the extra squash.
Cadry Nelson
So glad you enjoyed the soup, Ashley! Thanks for sharing your tweaks and adjustments.