This butternut squash and carrot soup recipe with ginger and coconut milk is so smooth and creamy, you can sip it from a mug. Fresh lemongrass paste and Thai red curry give this soup citrusy, spicy flavors while the coconut milk brightens it up. Make this easy soup in your instant pot for a healthy, vegan and totally yum experience!
I have a special name for this butternut squash and carrot soup. I call it 'the sunshine soup.' No points for guessing why! The bright orange color of the veggies, the warmth of ground ginger and Thai red curry along with the fresh, zingy taste of lemongrass is going to make your day and give you an instant lift. Try it when you're feeling down and under and see what I mean:)
What makes it even better is that there are literally NO unhealthy ingredients in this vegan soup. If you don't want a strictly vegan soup, however, you can swap the coconut milk with yogurt, and it will taste equally nice. Who said you need butter and cream to make soups tasty? In this regard, this soup's a lot like minestrone soup, another vegan soup bursting with nutrition and taste. Minestrone's chunky and wholesome, and I'm guessing you will love it!
Ingredients
Note: exact amounts of these ingredients are given in the recipe card further down in the post. This list has the ingredients in a glance.
- butternut squash and carrots - I like the convenience of using pre-frozen bags of squash cubes and carrots because then I can cut down on the chopping.
- olive oil or avocado oil
- yellow onions - chop up the onions any which way. It doesn't matter if you don't do it too fine because they will get blended with the rest of the ingredients after pressure cooking.
- lemongrass, ground ginger, and Thai red curry pastes - these are easily available in the international aisle of any supermarket. If you cannot find lemongrass paste (sometimes it disappears off the shelves), make your own with fresh lemongrass stalks. The latter can be found in the produce section. Chop up two lemongrass stalks finely, heat a tablespoon or two of cooking oil in a small frypan and add the chopped stalks and a little water. Let the stalks cook gently on simmer for five minutes. When they cool down, blend to a smooth paste in the blender. Lemongrass is quite stringy and doesn't blend easily when raw. Here's a helpful post from The Spruce Eats on how to prepare lemongrass if you want to know more about it.
- vegetable broth and plain water
- coconut milk - substitute with yogurt if you don't care for a strictly vegan version.
- black pepper, lime juice (optional) and sea salt to taste
How to make butternut squash and carrot soup in your instant pot
- Heat the cooking oil in the steel insert of your instant pot (sauté) and add the onions, garlic, butternut squash, and carrots. Cook for four to five minutes, stirring to keep the vegetables from sticking to the bottom.
- Add the lemongrass paste, ginger paste and Thai red curry paste. Cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the vegetable broth and water and stir. Pressure cook on high for five minutes and release pressure ten minutes after the timer beeps.
- Open the pot and using an immersion blender (affiliate link), puree the soup to a thick but still pourable consistency. With an immersion blender, you can blend soups very conveniently right in the pot even when they are hot. If you don't have one, allow the soup to cool down and process in your regular blender until smooth. Add extra water if the soup is too thick.
- Stir in the coconut milk, squeeze half a lime (optional), and add a couple of dashes of black pepper. The soup is ready to be served!
More instant pot soup recipes
- Mushroom soup - an Indian twist makes this mushroom soup worth looking into!
- Instant Pot cauliflower soup - thick, rich, and savory, this one's chockfull of healthy ingredients.
- Tomato soup - served with swirls of coconut cream and crusty garlic bread on the side.
- Broccoli cheddar soup - incredibly creamy and satisfying with lots of cheese!
- Potato soup - Have potatoes? Make soup! Uses common pantry and freezer ingredients.
Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup
Equipment
- 6-quart Instant Pot Duo
- Immersion blender OR stand blender
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 cup yellow onions chopped
- 15 oz butternut squash cubes frozen
- 2 cups carrots diced
- 2 teaspoon lemongrass paste
- ½ teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon Thai red curry paste
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
- 3 cups water
- 1 tsp sea salt to taste
- ¼ cups coconut milk full fat
- 1 tablespoon lime juice optional
- ½ teaspoon black pepper crushed
Instructions
- Switch on your instant pot to sauté and heat the the cooking oil. Add the onions, squash and carrots. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring to keep the vegetables from sticking to the bottom.
- Add the pastes - lemongrass, ginger and Thai red curry. Cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the vegetable broth, water and salt. Deglaze the the pot and cancel sauté. Secure the lid and make sure the steam release vent is on 'sealing.' Press the pressure cooking button (high) and set the timer to 5 minutes.
- When the timer beeps, wait 10 minutes before releasing the rest of the steam. Open the pot and using an immersion or stick blender if you have one, blend the soup to a thick but pourable consistency. Add a little more water if the soup is too thick. You can process the soup using a regular blender too, but you'll have to wait for it to cool down a bit if using a stand blender.
- Add the coconut milk, lime juice and crushed black pepper. Serve hot.
Notes
- Substitute the coconut milk with two tablespoons of yogurt if you don't care for a vegan soup.
- You can serve the soup with some bread on the side or croutons.
- Store the leftover soup in ziploc bags or freezer-safe containers for later.
Thanks for coming! Let me know what you think: