If you couldn’t tell, I’m on a bit of a curry kick right now. I mean, what’s not to love?! Tender veggies simmered away in a creamy coconut milk broth filled with warming spices — curry is just one of those perfect meals for fall and winter.
To be quite honest I’ve had a version of this recipe in my archives for a while now, so I’m really excited to be sharing it with you all now! Meet my vegan butternut squash curry with cauliflower and chickpeas!
She’s a gorgeous golden bowl of goodness (say that 5 times fast) that will warm your home in no time. Seriously, this incredible curry takes just about 30 minutes to make right in one pot, is great for meal prep, and is even freezer-friendly! Serve it up with your fav sides and get ready for a nourishing week.
Ingredients in this butternut squash curry
Get ready to fall in LOVE with all of the flavors and veggies in this vegan butternut squash curry recipe. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Vegetables: we’re loading this yellow curry up with an onion, carrot, fresh butternut squash, cauliflower, and spinach.
- Herbs & spices: get all of those wonderful flavors from garlic, ginger, curry powder, turmeric, and cayenne pepper.
- Coconut milk: the curry is simmered in a can of full-fat coconut milk for all that creamy goodness.
- Broth: you’ll also need vegetable broth (or chicken broth, if not vegan/vegetarian) to simmer all of the ingredients.
- Peanut butter: I love to add a little natural creamy peanut butter for a deep umami flavor.
- Soy sauce: for added savoriness, we’re adding a couple tablespoons of gluten free soy sauce. You can also use coconut aminos.
- Chickpeas: each serving packs 13g of plant-based protein from chickpeas!
- To garnish: I like to top my bowl with fresh cilantro and chopped peanuts.
Learn how to peel and cut a butternut squash
We’re adding fresh cubed butternut squash to this curry recipe, so be sure to head to this post to learn the easiest, safest way to peel and cut your squash!
No squash? No problem.
The butternut squash can easily be swapped for fresh cubed pumpkin or sweet potato.
Choose your protein
Feel free to add or swap the chickpeas for cubed tofu, diced or shredded chicken, or even shrimp!
Easy butternut squash curry made in one pot
- Cook the veggies. Start by cooking down the onion, carrot, cauliflower, and butternut squash in a little coconut oil until they begin to soften. Stir in the garlic, ginger, curry powder, turmeric, and cayenne pepper.
- Simmer the curry. Stir in the coconut milk, broth, peanut butter, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Bring everything to a simmer for a few minutes, then stir in the chickpeas and simmer for 10 more minutes.
- Add spinach, serve & devour. Right before you’re ready to serve, stir in the spinach and cook until it wilts, taste and adjust any seasonings, then serve it up. Top your bowl with cilantro and chopped peanuts if you’d like!
Our favorite ways to serve this butternut squash curry
This gorgeous curry is delicious as is, but I love serving it with one of these sides:
- My famous Coconut Rice, jasmine rice, or basmati rice
- Fluffy quinoa
- Cauliflower rice for a grain free, low carb option
- A toasty slice of naan bread
How to store & freeze butternut squash curry
- In the fridge: store this yellow butternut squash curry in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
- In the freezer: Be sure to not overcook the vegetables. Let the curry cool completely before transferring it to a freezer-safe reusable bag or airtight glass container. Freeze for up to 2 months. To reheat it, simply thaw the curry in the refrigerator. While the curry is thawing, feel free to make rice, cauliflower rice, or quinoa to serve with it. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave for 2 minutes until heated through.
More vegan meals you’ll love
- Mom’s Authentic Puerto Rican Rice and Beans
- Healing Curry Butternut Squash Lentil Soup (with a slow cooker option!)
- Vegan Butternut Squash Black Bean Enchiladas with Jalapeño Cashew Crema
- Curry Roasted Cauliflower Sweet Potato Salad (vegan & gluten free)
- Crispy Broccoli Sweet and Spicy Sesame Tahini Noodles
Get all of my vegan dinners here!
I hope you love this one pot butternut squash curry recipe! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
One Pot Butternut Squash Yellow Curry
Ingredients
- For the curry:
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, thinly sliced
- 2 cups cubed fresh butternut squash
- 3 cups cauliflower florets (from 1 small head cauliflower)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more if you like it a little spicy
- 1 (15 ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 cup vegetarian broth
- 2 tablespoons natural creamy peanut butter
- 1 to 2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce or coconut aminos, to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1-2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
- To garnish:
- Cilantro
- Chopped peanuts
Instructions
- Add coconut oil to a large deep skillet, pot or dutch oven and place over medium heat. Once coconut oil is melted, add in the onion, carrot, cauliflower florets, and butternut squash and saute, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower and butternut squash begin to soften, this should take 5 to 10 minutes. Next, stir in the garlic and ginger, curry powder turmeric and cayenne and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute to release flavors.
- Stir in the coconut milk, broth, peanut butter, soy sauce (or coconut aminos) salt and pepper; stir well to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer and continue to cook 5 minutes more, then stir in chickpeas and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 more minutes.
- Before serving, stir in spinach and cook for 2 minutes or until spinach wilts, then taste, and adjust seasonings, adding more salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Ladle into bowls or divide into meal prep containers with rice. Serve with rice and garnish with cilantro and chopped peanuts.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
44 comments
Cant wait to make this soon for me i never had one pot butternut squash curry before perfect for my after office meals love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
Yay! Hope you love it!
I like recipes like that, they are vegan and very healthy.
Yum! So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
This was easy to make and very delicious. Used ground ginger instead of fresh grated but no other changes. Will definitely be making again!
Excellent! So glad you loved this recipe and it turned out great for you!
Delicious!! Will be making this again. Swapped shrimp for chickpeas by simply simmering veggies until they were nearly done (~12 mins), then added the shrimp in and simmered for about 3 mins. Next time I would like to try tofu. Another great AK recipe! (ps definitely recommend serving with the coconut rice too)
Perfect! I am so glad you gave this recipe a try and are loving it, Sarah!
Such a wonderful dish, I have memorized the recipe so I can make delicious cakes for my son’s upcoming birthday party.
Delicious, nutritious and filling. Subbed Sweet potatoes for carrots and prawns for garbanzos on another reader’s suggestion. Upped the spices for my taste. Great tasting Fall Fare. Love AK.
Happy you loved it, Gayle! Sounds delicious!
Absolutely delicious! Our whole family loved this dish.
Glad this recipe is a hit for the whole family! 🙂❤️
Hi, can’t wait to make this dish! Any changes if we only have frozen butternut squash instead of fresh? Thanks!
That should be fine. Just thaw prior to adding and make sure all added liquid out drained. Enjoy!
Thank you so much! 🥰
I’ve made almost every AK recipe at this point and this is one of my favorites. Easy to make, so flavorful, super cozy. A household staple!
AMAZING! Glad you’re loving this recipe and it is a hit for you ❤️❤️
This is so yummy, I made it today, as we’re trying to eat more plant based meals. I just added a cut up sweet potato and it was delicious!
Ahh this is amazing! SO glad you are loving this dish and it turned out fabulous for you 🙂
Made this with tofu instead of chickpeas and use kale instead of spinach since that’s what I had and it was so delicious! Loved the combo of the cauliflower and butternut squash. Going to be a go-to dinner going forward!
YUM! Sounds delicious, Caroline. Glad this recipe turned out great for you!
OMG. I make Indian curries all the time so was a little concerned only adding curry powder, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. Plus the thought of peanut butter and soy in a coconut curry also was odd. But wow. The umami is on point here!!! I didn’t have any fresh cilantro or peanuts to top and I’m still loving every bite. Can’t wait to make this again with all of the ingredients.
My first AK recipe – I just found the website ona whim – I’ll be back for more! Thank you so much!
Amazing! So glad you found (and loved) this one! Hope you keep finding new recipes to try 🙂
Very tasty and healthy!
Glad you enjoyed!
Super delicious. Everyone had seconds. Switched out garbanzo beans for tofu.
Perfect! So glad it was a hit 🙂
Made this last night and was TERRIFIC!!
So glad you loved it!
If you’re looking for a butternut squash curry recipe, this is the one! Made it exactly as the recipe states with a little extra cayenne pepper for kick. It was so good and everybody loved it.
So happy to hear that!
Excited to try this recipe! Would it be OK to add chana dal or red lentils to this recipe?
I think that should work! You may just have to add more broth so that the lentils cook up properly.
This looks so yummy! Could red curry paste be an acceptable swap for yellow curry powder? Can’t wait to try!
Hmmm I’m not 100% sure how the flavors will change so I’d suggest sticking with the curry powder!
One of my favorite recipes for the famiy!
Same! Glad everyone loves it!
This was excellent. I love that it’s vegan friendly as some of my closest friends are vegans and I frequently have to change up recipes. This was so savory and delicious and filling and everything went together easily and is so tasty. Quinoa was my side and match up perfectly. I would love to post a pic for you but alas no longer on any social media.
I will continue to follow and look forward to many more wonderful recipes.
Namaste and blessing. Shine everyday
Riley aka Shiny Sparky
PS Awee bit less shiny because local Market was out of my nan bread. I did have some multi grain thins so, things saved the day
Peace and blessings and all shiny days
Amazing! So glad you found this one 🙂
Can I just throw everything into the crockpot?
Yes that should work!
I loved this!!!!! Added chicken for my meat eating boys. Took longer than 30 min to make but worth it. (I roasted my veggies first)
Perfect! Glad it was a hit!