This squash and carrot curry soup is delicately spiced and yet loaded with savory and warming flavors. Made with a blend of roasted carrots, delicata squash, and curry spice, it’s the kind of soup you’ll want to make all year long.
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Jump to RecipeThe Best Squash and Carrot Curry Soup
Every time I make soup, I wonder why I don’t just dedicate myself to becoming a soup blog. After all, it’s so easy to make, and there’s no pressure for it to look perfect. For this recipe, I combine roasted carrots and squash with my favorite curry spice blend.
I love the combination of carrots with curry spice – and when I say curry – I really mean the yellow powder that we Americans know as “curry.” I know the term “curry” really just refers to a whole host of Indian dishes, but there’s something special about this blend in particular. It’s aromatic, with a bright turmeric color. I just can’t get enough.
Anyway, for this recipe, I’ll use a specific type of curry powder I found from Rumi Spices, a woman-owned ethically-sourced Afghan spice company. This curry powder is heavy on cumin and has the perfect balance of cinnamon, turmeric, and even saffron for a subtle spice that works wonderfully in this recipe. I’ve included a discount code at the bottom of this recipe.
I’ll also be using local squash sourced from Prairie Oak Farms, a favorite farm of mine, and a loyal reader of the blog!
This squash and carrot curry soup recipe is vegan as is, making for a healthy dinner or side dish. There are, of course, plenty of options for adding or tweaking this recipe to make it your own. I’ll mention some of my favorite suggestions below.
And, if you’re still hungry after this soup, definitely check out my favorite new chocolate mousse recipe.
Ingredients
The ingredient list for this recipe is simple, and you likely have everything you’ll need after a quick trip to the nearest market.
Here’s everything you’ll need for this soup recipe:
- Carrots– Peeled, sliced, and roasted. An essential part of this recipe that adds an irreplaceable sweetness.
- Delicata squash– My favorite squash because it’s the most low maintenance! No peeling is necessary. This can also be swapped for butternut squash or acorn squash.
- Oil– For roasting and sautéeing the garlic
- Salt and pepper– Can be adjusted to suit your preferences.
- Curry powder– Use mine, or any traditional turmeric-colored curry powder will work.
- Garlic– Can be adjusted to suit your preferences. In fact, you can even throw it in the oven to roast with the veggies.
- Vegetable broth– Can be swapped for chicken broth or water and 1 tablespoon of bouillon (about 2 cubes)
- Sour cream– Optional for garnish. Omit if vegan.
- Fresh parsley– Also optional for garnish.
Make it Yours
This recipe is perfect as is, but if you’re interested, there are plenty of adjustments to be made so you can enjoy this recipe a little differently each time. Here are some of my recommendations:
- Serve with steamed white rice, quinoa, or lentils.
- Add protein such as prawns, roasted chicken breast, or fresh tofu cubes.
- Additional topping ideas include sliced avocado, bacon, micro greens, or pickled red onions.
- Add sour cream to the soup as it is blending to increase the creaminess factor. Or better yet, try goat cheese or coconut milk!
- Roast and blend additional veggies, such as beets or onion.
How to Make Squash and Carrot Curry Soup
The steps to make this squash and carrot curry soup are pretty darn simple. In fact, I will often roast my veggies the night before, eat them as a side, then save my leftovers to turn into this soup.
Moving on, here’s how to make this savory squash and carrot curry soup:
Step One: Roast Carrots and Squash
Begin by preheating the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Prepare the squash by removing the seeds and cutting them into cubes. Peel and thinly slice the carrots. Then, toss your veggies with oil, salt, pepper, and curry powder. Once well combined, transfer the veggies to a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until they are fork-tender.
Step Two: Build the Soup
Once the veggies are done, set a large soup pot to medium heat and add your oil, followed by the garlic. Allow the garlic to cook for several minutes, then add your roasted vegetables, followed by the salt, pepper, and curry powder. Stir to combine everything and allow this to cook for several minutes.
Once your kitchen smells… incredible… add your vegetable broth to the pot and bring the soup mixture to a gentle boil. Then, carefully transfer your soup mix to a high-speed blender. If necessary, work in batches.
Step Three: Blend
Go low and slow at first, blending on the lowest speed for a minute or two, making sure to leave an air gap, so the hot air has somewhere to go as it’s blending. Then, carefully increase the speed until your soup turns from translucent to vibrant yellow in color and thickens up.
Continue blending on a medium setting of your blender until you have a fully smooth and thickened soup. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary, then either transfer your soup back to the soup pot or serve it directly out of your blender.
Step Four: Garnish and Serve
Garnish each bowl of soup with fresh parsley and a little sour cream, then serve and enjoy!
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
This squash and carrot curry soup will keep for about 4-5 days in an airtight container. Alternatively, you can freeze the soup for up to 3 months. To reheat, I recommend either on the stovetop or in the microwave.
If reheating on the stovetop, set the heat to medium and gently stir the soup periodically until it’s reheated. If using the microwave, I recommend placing a flat plate on top of the soup (to catch any minor explosions) and heat in 30-second intervals until it’s fully warmed.
Also, if reheating from frozen, I recommend allowing the soup to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before attempting to reheat.
Discount Code
If you’re interested in my curry blend, or any of Rumi’s other spice blends, you can follow this link and use code Share10 for 10% off of your first order.
FAQs
Short answer, yes. While I love that rich caramelized flavor you get from slow roasting, you can add your carrots and squash to your pot along with the garlic and oil. Allow the veggies to cook for 5-10 minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients.
Once the broth is added, continue to cook until the carrot and squash are fork-tender. If possible, I recommend a larger stock pot for this, as the greater surface area will allow the veggies to cook more quickly.
Carrot and Squash Curry Soup (Vegetarian and Vegan)
Equipment
- 1 Prepared baking sheet
- 1 Large soup pot I'm using an 8-quart stock pot
- Knife and cutting board
- 1 High-speed blender Food processor or immersion blender will also work.
Ingredients
To roast squash and carrots
- 2 Large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 Small delicata squash, cut into cubes and with seeds removed Could also be swapped for 1 large butternut squash, peeled with seeds removed.
- 2 tbsp Oil I'm using avocado oil
- 1/2 tbsp Curry powder
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Black pepper
For soup
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 2-3 Cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Salt Or more to taste
- 1/2 tsp Black pepper
- 1 1/2 tbsp Curry powder
- 2 cups Roasted carrots
- 2 cups Roasted squash
- 6 cups Vegetable broth
- Fresh parsley Optional, for garnish
- Sour cream Optional, for garnish. Omit if vegan.
Instructions
To roast veggies (Can be done the day before)
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prepare the carrots and squash, then toss them in a large bowl with the oil, curry powder, salt, and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the veggies are fork-tender, stopping to flip the veggies midway through. Set aside.
To make the soup
- In a large soup pot add the oil and garlic. Sauté on medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Add roasted veggies, salt, pepper, and curry powder, stirring to combine. Allow this to cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the vegetable broth and let this simmer for 10 minutes.
- Carefully transfer the soup mixture to a high-speed blender and blend on low for around 1 minute. Carefully dial up the speed until you are at a medium setting on the blender, then blend until smooth.
- Taste and adjust any seasoning as necessary. Serve with garnishments of fresh parsley and sour cream.
