This delicious vegetarian Butternut Squash Curry is a deliciously warming recipe. It’s also so easy to make, is packed with veggies and lentils, and also happens to be vegan and gluten free too.
It’s perfect as a quick midweek family favourite or as part of a curry banquet.
What’s not to love about a dinner that needs 5 minutes preparation and gives you 4 of your 5 a day in one bowl?
I’m always looking for recipes that make eating vegetarian or vegan food feel really simple and accessible. This creamy, fragrant Butternut Squash Curry definitely hits the mark.
It’s like a hug in a bowl and it gets even better the longer you cook it for.
Why you’ll love this easy Butternut Squash Curry recipe
⭐️ Mix it up in just 5 minutes
⭐️ Gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, vegan AND packed with flavour
⭐️ Perfect for batch cooking and freezing
About this Easy Butternut Squash Curry with Lentils
There is SO much goodness in this comforting curry dish – butternut squash, cauliflower, lentils, chopped tomatoes, coconut milk… ingredients that just make you feel good as you eat, with a meal that you can just feel nourishing you from the inside.
When it comes to a simple one-pot curry recipe, this is the dish to try. It’s ready in 30 minutes and is a perfect addition to a curry night or if you’re vegetarian (try my other vegetarian curries like Halloumi Curry, Slow Cooker Red Lentil Dahl, Palak Panner or Chickpea Chana Saag too).
And if you go along with my mantra that if you can buy it frozen, DO IT, you’ll be making this even easier than it already is. I buy the life-saving crations that are pre-chopped frozen vegetables and I’m away.
Butternut Squash Curry Ingredients
- Onion – Fresh or pre-chopped frozen is fine
- Garlic – Same as above. Cheat or fresh
- Ginger – Perfectly fine to go for pre-prepared or fresh
- Butternut squash – I get mine cubed from the freezer. See tips below about chopping if you’re using fresh
- Cauliflower – Fresh or frozen for this too!
- Red lentils – The dried kind
- Tinned chopped tomatoes
- Coconut milk
- Curry paste – I used Balti paste for this Butternut Squash Curry but use your favourite
- Salt
- Garam masala
- Mango chutney
- Mint or coriander – Optional garnishing
How to make Butternut Squash Curry
- Add all of the main ingredients into a large saucepan.
- Cook over a medium heat for 25 minutes (you can cook for longer if you’d like a softer texture).
- Add the garam masala and mango chutney before serving.
- Serve with your favourite sides.
Substitutions
- Curry paste – You can control the heat of your curry with the type of paste you use. I used balti paste for this recipe, but using madras would give a spicier curry, for example.
- Halloumi – You could also add cubes of fried or grilled halloumi just before serving which would be LUSH.
Leftovers
In the fridge You can keep this recipe in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat fully by before serving.
Can you freeze Butternut Squash Curry? This Butternut Squash Curry is perfect for batch cooking, just make double the recipe and freeze in freezer-safe containers (like these containers on Amazon which I LOVE for this purpose).
Top tips for making Butternut Squash Curry
How to chop a butternut squash (if you’re not using frozen)
Slice around two centimeters off each butternut squash end, then peel using a vegetable peeler. Stand the squash on its end and chop it right down the middle.
Next, use a metal spoon to scrape the seeds and the pulp from the cavity of your butternut squash. Now lay each half of the squash down and cut lengthways. Then, to make cubes, cut the other way across the slices you have made.
What to serve with Butternut Squash Curry
You can serve this curry with the usual curry side dishes – rice, naan bread, yoghurt dip and poppadoms. Or with my Easy Flatbreads, as the children absolutely love them.
FAQ
You could definitely brown all of the vegetables first if you have the time or inclination. BUT I really think if you can make your life a little easier by not doing it, the end result is still really delicious.
I sure do! Check out my curry recipes here. There are all kinds in there – vegetarian, slow cooker, chicken, turkey, beef, lamb… My most popular star-rated hits are my Slow Cooker Chicken Curry (over 500 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!)and my Easy Slow Cooker Beef Curry. Check them out!
I recently tasked myself with trying out a variety of one-pan pans in a quest to find out which ones were up to the important job of making an all-in-one meal. Read my pan review here. I hope it helps!
Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.
Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).
Easy Butternut Squash Curry {Ready in 30 Minutes}
Ingredients
Main ingredients:
- 1 Onion Finely chopped. (See notes)
- 3 Cloves of garlic Crushed. (See notes)
- 1 inch of ginger Finely chopped. (See notes)
- 700 g Butternut squash Cubed. (See notes)
- 400 g Cauliflower Cut into small chunks. (See notes)
- 100 g Red lentils Dried.
- 400 g Chopped tomatoes
- 400 ml Coconut milk
- 150 g Curry paste
- 1 tsp Salt
Before serving:
- 2 tsp Garam masala
- 2 tbsp Mango chutney
Optional garnish to serve:
- Fresh mint or coriander
Instructions
- Put all of the main ingredients into a large saucepan. Cook over a medium heat for 25 minutes (or more if you would like it to be more soft in texture).
- Add the garam masala and mango chutney before serving.
- Serve with rice and naan bread.
Natalie says
Looks delicious what curry paste do you use?
Thanks
Laura says
Love it, thank you! So, so easy. I didn’t have red lentils so put in some tinned ones instead, blended a couple of ladle-fuls at the end to give it creamier texture. Had balti paste in fridge. Delicious!
Jo Best says
Absolutely delicious. Very happy that we have leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
Verity says
Made this today using all frozen veg I already had in, super easy and so tasty…made the house smell lovely too! Thanks for another brilliant recipe
Nathalie says
Absolutely delicious. I did mine in the slow cooker too which was even less hassle.
Jo says
How long did you slow cook it for?
Caroline says
Well I put mine in the slow cooker and it’s a bit mushy ☹️. Mine looks very pale too not that lovely rich dark colour ☹️. Probably just my cooking skills
Kim says
Oh my goodness this is another fabulous, quick and easy and healthy recipe. Thank you so much!
Pamela Whinfield says
Made this curry in slow cooker for my daughter who is vegetarian. Added chicken for my husband and I…we all enjoyed it! Full of flavour!
Rita says
Would this work in a slow cooker?
Sarah Barnes says
Yes! x
Joanne Grimley says
Wow this is so tasty and easy to make .. this will definitely be a regular in our house. Thank you 😊
Fiona says
I used potato instead of cauliflower with massaman curry paste. I only had green lentils & added some additional water. I didn’t use the garam masala or mango chutney as it was so flavourful without it, but instead used the juice of half of a lime & it turned out delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe 🙏
Naomi says
Good idea! I’ll use lime as I have no mango chutney.
Sarah Rixson says
Love this recipe , quick and easy , taste delicious
Diana Huntingford says
Hello I didn’t have cauliflower so used carrots snd forgot the coconut milk it was delicious thanks
Graeme says
As with all the recipes this one is packed with flavour, healthy and easy to cook.
Sarah Barnes says
So glad you like it Graeme!
Ali says
Made this at the weekend. Followed receipe apart from the garam masala.
It was amazing, my kids loved it and so did we. Served with rice and nann.
Would definitely do this again 🙂
Kay says
Friends this recipe is just the best. We didn’t miss the meat at all and the flavours are so authentic.
Thanks so much for these lovely recipes. All the once I ha e tried are always a winner in our house!
Claire says
Fantastic flavour & so easy to follow
Poppy says
Made this last night at my mums house. We had it with cous cous as there wasn’t any rice.
It was absolutely delicious and my mum loved it. I will definitely be making it again.
Fantastic flavour.
Claire says
Really easy & delicious, but cheap and nutritious too. Satisfies vegetarians/vegans and meat eaters do not miss the meat. A total winner! Well done & thank you!
Sandra says
Just made 5his tonight. Absolutely delicious! Thank you
Kim Williams says
Made this yesterday and we had it for dinner tonight. Absolutely gorgeous and so easy. Deffo be making again for friends
Zoe stacey says
Just made this tonight and it was delicious and really pleased to have a new vegetarian option as find it hard to find good veggie meals as meat eaters trying to reduce meat consumption.
Left out the curry powder and replaced with cumin and coriander. Had it with rich, poppadoms and naan bread.
Served two adults and two kids with enough leftover to freeze for a quick meal in a few weeks. Thanks a lot. First time I’ve used your recipes; used your week planner and enjoyed them all this week.
madara says
this was amazing, one of my favourites!
Sue says
This is a gorgeous curry, even without the exact ingredients it was super easy, super tasty and super popular in our house! Another win from you Sarah. Thank you for all your wonderful ideas that mean I don’t have to think too hard about feeding my bunch…the difficulty is choosing what to go for 🤔
Michelle seddon says
Loved this!! Made in honour of my newly veggie 6 year old twins so that we could all share a veggie meal, my 20 year old son said he’d want meat in it in future but no one else missed the meat and there’s loads left over, I could literally half all your recipes and it would be enough so thanks for another winner……I’ll be dishing the leftovers out to family to show off 🤣
Ko says
This looks great – How long would you do this in a slow cooker? I’m new to slow cooking 😂
Rachel says
Absolutely delicious and my meat loving husband devoured it too. Thank you, all your recipes are amazing!
Sarah Barnes says
Thanks so much Rachel, so glad he enjoyed!
Jules says
Absolutely gorgeous curry and so easy to make with the frozen veg!! So glad there is plenty left over to freeze and I’ve been told I must make it again!! Thanks for your recipe – it’s highly recommended!!
Zee says
Authentic flavours , made for dinner and it was a big yes from everyone. .thank you for a brilliant recipe.
Valeria says
Just made this! Thank you so much, absolutely delicious 🙂 I didn’t have any curry paste , so just added cumin, turmeric and a little bit of paprika. I did add a bit of water and left it for longer, but the consistency was amazing in the end. I served it with naan , poppadoms and fresh cucumber.
Sophie says
How long can you freeze for?