Creamy Summer Squash Soup
Enjoy the warm flavor of curry, creaminess of coconut milk and freshness of basil in this Summer Squash Soup! This velvety smooth vegan soup has a luxurious texture, takes just a few ingredients and is ready in 30 minutes!
**This recipe was originally published in August 2015. I’ve updated the photos, text and recipe to include step by step instructions.
If you’ve ever wondered what to do with an abundance of summer squash, I have your answer. Make this Creamy Summer Squash Soup!
Summer squash has always been a favorite of mine, but besides steaming it, using it in a sauté, or adding it to my Coconut Curry Chicken, I could never think of different ways to prepare it.
This soup is truly is an exciting new way to enjoy it, and I look forward to making it multiple times each summer.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- It’s velvety smooth with warm curry flavor, the freshness of lime juice and basil, and works with any variety of summer squash.
- It’s made with only a few ingredients and is ready in 30 minutes.
- It’s a great make ahead meal and is freezer friendly!
- It’s great for special diets including gluten-free, vegan, dairy free and paleo.
Recipe ingredients
Ingredient notes
- Summer squash. Use your favorite variety — anything goes!
- Vegetable broth. Use my Homemade Vegetable Stock or your favorite brand. Low sodium is recommended to keep the saltiness in check.
- Curry powder. The curry flavor is very subtle, so you may add more if desired. It may also be substituted with red curry paste if that’s what you have on hand.
- Basil. Fresh basil is a must in this recipe because of the bright, fresh flavor.
How to make this recipe
This summer squash soup recipe is such an easy recipe to make, and is ready in about 30 minutes! You can make it go faster by prepping your ingredients in advance for busy weeknights.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 3-5 minutes or until softened.
- Stir in the garlic and curry powder and cook for 30 seconds.
3. Stir in the squash and cook 2 minutes longer.
4. Add the coconut milk and vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
5. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium low and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the squash is tender. Remove from heat.
6. Puree the soup in a food processor, blender or with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in the lime juice and adjust the seasoning to taste. Add more coconut milk if desired!
FAQs
Do I need to peel the squash?
No peeling is necessary as the skin of summer squash is completely edible. The peel actually adds a velvety texture and color to the soup.
What varieties of summer squash are best for this soup?
Any of your favorite varieties work perfectly in this soup, including yellow crookneck squash, pattypan or sunburst squash, and zephyr squash.
Zucchini would work as well, but the green color would take over. Consider peeling it if you’re worried about the color, or use yellow or light green zucchini instead.
Is summer squash high in carbs?
Zucchini, yellow and green squash are lower in carbs than winter squash, so are generally safe for a low carb diet. See this article from Healthline on the 21 Best Low-Carb Vegetables if you’d like more details.
Is this recipe freezer friendly?
This summer squash soup will keep in an air tight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Recipe notes
- Any variety of summer squash works in this recipe! Yellow crooked neck, patty pan, sunburst and zephyr squash are all great choices. The color of the soup will vary based on the color(s) of your squash.
- The curry powder may be substituted with the desired amount of red curry paste.
- Use less coconut milk if you’d like to make this soup lower in fat, or add more to make it even creamier.
- Store leftover soup in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
More soup recipes you’ll love:
If you made this recipe I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment and rating below, or snap a photo and tag me @flavorthemoments on the Instagram!
Creamy Summer Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon curry powder*
- 1 1/2 lbs. summer squash ends trimmed and cut into 1" pieces*
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable stock
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk
- 1/2 lime
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Chopped fresh basil for serving
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and saute 5 minutes or until translucent.
- Add the garlic and curry powder, and cook 30 seconds.
- Stir in the squash and cook 2 minutes longer.
- Add the stock and coconut milk and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low and simmer 10-15 minutes or until the squash is tender. Remove from heat.
- Puree the soup with an emersion blender or in a blender or food processor until smooth. Pour the soup back into the pot and stir in the lime juice and adjust the seasoning as necessary. If you'd like a creamier soup, add more coconut milk as desired.
- Serve the soup drizzled with a bit of coconut milk, chopped fresh basil, and extra lime wedges if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Any variety of summer squash works in this recipe! Yellow crooked neck, patty pan, sunburst and zephyr squash are all great choices. The color of the soup will vary based on the color(s) of your squash.
- The curry powder may be substituted with the desired amount of red curry paste.
- Use less coconut milk if you'd like to make this soup lower in fat, or add more to make it even creamier.
- Store leftover soup in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
74 Comments on “Creamy Summer Squash Soup”
Hi Marcie, your soup looks so elegant and delicious. I’m a big squash fan as well, any type of squash.
Sounds like you would love this soup being a squash fan, Cheri! I hope you get to try it soon! 🙂
Marcie, right now, I am reaching for a ladel and smooshing it into the screen hoping some of this soup falls into it. It looks simply amazing and something I would love! Gorgeous photos too, love – you are making me very, very hungry! This is going straight to my Pinterest boards!
I wish I could give you a big bowl full, Kristi! I’d gladly share it with you. haha Thank you for the pins as always, and hope you’re having a great week! 🙂
Wow! Curry+coconut+summer squash? What an awesome looking comforting soup, Linda! I wish I could have that gorgeous bowl right away!
Thank you, Anu! I’d love to share with you! 🙂
Squash always reminds me of summer, so I’m loving this soup! It has such a pretty color and creamy texture. What a great idea to add in coconut curry. Sounds so flavorful!
It’s not summer without summer squash, is it? haha Thanks, Gayle! 🙂
I love coconut milk in just about anything – this soup looks amazing!
Thank you, Jess! 🙂
This soup looks beyond good girl. I want a bowl right now. It is sensational!
Coming right up, Jocelyn! haha Thank you for the sweet comment. 🙂
This is so fresh and summery! Love that gorgeous color!
Thank you, Ashley! 🙂
We’ve had a few cloudy days here and it’s making me crave fall so I can have all of the soup!! This looks so good and warm and comforting. Love the coconut!
I love all the summer squash you added to this soup, Marcie. Thai flavors are one of my favorites and I wish I had a big bowl right now! It looks so creamy and delicious!
A local restaurant by us has the BEST coconut curry soup with butternut squash that I’ve been meaning to recreate! But this summer version is genius! So smart and such a fun way to use up some summer produce! I’ll take a big bowl for dinner tonight please and thank you! 🙂
I’ve been meaning to do a coconut curry butternut squash for years, and looks like summer squash beat it out! haha Thanks Ashley, and consider a bowl coming your way! You’re welcome any time. 🙂
Dear Marcie, this soup sounds delightful. I love curry…I add it to a variety of dishes and it is so healthy for you too. I know I would love this soup. xo, Catherine
Thank you, Catherine! 🙂
This soup looks so perfectly smooth and creamy, Marcie! I love summer squash and this is definitely a great way to use it. Pinned 🙂
Thank you, Danielle! 🙂
This soup is so beautiful and I love the rich and creamy coconut base 🙂
Thank you, Medha! The coconut milk made this soup so velvety smooth. 🙂
Thank you for the sweet comment, Kennedy! 🙂
What a pretty soup!! I bet it’s every last bit as delicious too!
Thanks so much! It was such a refreshing change from my usual flavors!
This soup looks delicious! I’m going to try making this soon!
Looks creamy and delicious!
This soup looks amazing, Marcie! The perfect blend of flavors.
Thank you, Cathy! 🙂
THis soup though! And your photos. I will be chin deep in squash if it means this silky soup. Yummy.
Thanks so much, Rachael! This was a fun way to utilize all the summer squash!
Hi, prob a silly question but do I peel the squash?
Not a silly question at all, Nici, and no, you don’t have to peel it! ?
Does it keep well? Good for a couple of days?
Yes, it does — I had it every day for 5 days and it was great!
I made this soup tonight and it was FABULOUS!!!! Our family LOVED it! Delicious! There is no doubt that I will be making this soup for the rest of my life! I plan on making it for so many people, especially those who have told me that they do not like squash.
It is a MUST TRY recipe!
Your comment made my night, Melissa! I’m so happy that you loved the soup and I really appreciate your taking the time to let me know. Thank you so much! ?
I just wanted you to know that I have been buying up squash everywhere I see it on sale and have been making it for dinner, events, friends, family, and every single person has LOVED it! I cannot thank you enough for the this oh so delicious recipe!!
One quick question…do you think that this soup can be frozen and stored? If so, for how long do you estimate? People have been asking me, so I thought I would check with you.
You’ve got people who would never think of eating squash, NOW eating squash because of your fabulous recipe! Yay!
Hi, Melissa! Your comment has made me so happy — I’m so glad so many people love the soup and that they’re discovering squash! While I haven’t tried freezing it yet, most soups do freeze well and I think it’s worth a try. I will get around to it at some point, but if you want to try freezing just a small portion to see that’s an idea, and I’d love to hear how it goes if you beat me to it. I really appreciate your taking the time to give me this amazing feedback — thank you! 🙂
Made this tonight with fresh onion, garlic, lemon, and pattypans from the garden. I used chicken stock, a heaping tsp. of curry powder (I like curry!) and 1/2 C of super thick coconut milk from Trader Joes for extra richness. Also, no limes in the garden so I used 1/2 a fresh lemon. To my taste, could use even more curry, but won’t add until flavors have a chance to blend overnight (if it lasts that long!) Thanks so much for the recipe, its delicious and a great way to use up the seemingly endless supply of pattypans!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup, Judi! I appreciate your feedback and I’m envious of all the patty pans you have — mine haven’t been doing so well yet. Hope you have a wonderful weekend! ?
How many squash is that about? 4 medium?
Hi Lizzie — it depends on the variety your using but I would say 6 small-medium
Really tasty. I improvised a little by roasting the squash, garlic cloves & onions for 50 min at 350. And I had a leftover zucchini so I added that & pumped up the curry flavor too. Thanks.
Thank you so much for the feedback! I love the sound of roasting the squash ahead of time too!
YAAAAY….. except i am still confused about how much squash…. lol, i have a large long summer squash that is dying to be souped…. but i was hoping i wouldnt have to use it all, and could make some chips with an inch or two leftover…. do you have any idea how many CUPS 1 1/2 pounds of cubed squash might be??
(Cant wait to try it out!!)
…..roughly 3 cups of 1/2 inch cubed…. lol, so 1 cup= approx 1/2lb…. for anyone else interested 😛
btw- i think mine came out a lil bland… i think next time i will add the heaping teaspoon of Smoked Paprika…. (i honestly think i was going for a lil more peanutty coconut squash curry…. SOOOO you better believe i thickened the sauce, added more cayenne and fridged it. THEN PEANUT GLAZED STIRFRY veggies!! and brown rice to make the week’s dinners amazing!)
lol…. gotta share the good stuff when you run into it….
Thanks Minimalist Baker!
How to use lemon grass instead of lime? Turns out to be easy to grow from what is sold in the Asian market and lemon and lime has gotten expensive around here.
Hi Leslie! I’ve not used lemon grass before but I found a great article on how to use it, and I’ve included a link to it below. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/glossary/lemon-grass
I just made this after my aunt had given me a lot of squash. I’ve had butternut squash soup before but never this kind. This was incredibly fantastic! The flavors were perfect, and the curry wasn’t overpowering either. I even got to use the basil that I grew from seeds for the first time. Very lovely recipe 😋
I appreciate your feedback Lillian and I’m so happy that you enjoyed the recipe! Your fresh basil must have been the perfect touch for this soup too!
I would just like to know if this soup would be good to freeze? It looks so yummy and sounds amazing you got me at curry and coconut.
While I’ve never frozen it, I’m sure that it would be fine to freeze it. I hope you enjoy it!
Thank you!
The addition of curry powder is delightful – what beautiful flavours!
Thank you Alex! The flavors are warm, fresh and perfect for summer.
Marcie, what a light and lovely soup! It must be wonderful with the lime and coconut!
Thanks Kelly! The lime brightens the flavor right up, and coconut milk makes everything so creamy. 🙂
I love summer squash and this kind of soup is right up my alley. Yum, just look at that gorgeous colour! Thanks so much for sharing, Marcie!
Thanks Katerina and I’d love to share a bowl with you!
Just made this with all patty pan squash, and used chicken stock (didn’t have veg). It is GREAT! I sent the recipe to the friend who gave me the squash. Will make again!
I’m so glad this worked out for you Karen and thanks for your feedback!
Oooh, this sounds so good. All of a sudden this week the temperatures are down a bit here (such a nice change of pace!) and I’ve found myself craving soup. Might need to make this very soon! 🙂
Thank you Nicole! I’ve been loving the cooler weather here lately and am craving soup too!
I just made a double batch of this yummy soup this morning with patty pan squash. It is delicious! I look forward to sharing it with my family and neighbors. I added a bit more curry and one Serrano pepper for a little added heat. SOOOOOO good! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback and the Serrano pepper sounds like a great addition!
My very first time making a creamy soup. This recipe was easy and the results fantastic!
I’m glad you enjoyed it and that it was easy for you to make! Thanks so much for your feedback. 💛
What to do with a recipe that calls for curry powder, as if it were a thing and not a blend that varies a lot? The wrong one could ruin the dish.
You simply use the one that reads “curry powder” on the label. I haven’t used one yet that has ruined this soup. And I’m surprised that you’ve given the recipe a low rating when it doesn’t even sound like you tried it — it has received great ratings for years.
What kind of coconut milk should I use? A carton from the refrigerated section, a can that is full fat or not full fat? A box?
Canned coconut milk is best. Full fat provides the most richness, but you can use light if you’re watching your fat/calories.