This Butternut Squash & Chickpea Cashew Curry came to be from a fridge clean out! It was towards the end of my week and I had lots of leftover vegetables from previous recipes that needed using up. I made this curry very quickly for dinner one night but loved it so much that I needed to make it again and share it with you all.
It's not a traditional curry, but it does have curry powder in it so that's the flavor focus. Instead of coconut milk, I used cashew cream. Again, this was because I had some left and needed to use them up. But I ended up enjoying the cashew cream way more than a coconut base. Cashews are thicker so it makes for an extra creamy curry almost stew like where a coconut base would've left it a lot thinner.
What You Will Need For This Butternut Squash & Chickpea Cashew Curry
Kitchen Essentials:
Nothing special here. Besides boiling the cashews, this is a one pot meal! For the cashew cream, you'll need a blender but boiling them makes them soft so doesn't have to be a high speed blender. Other than that, you'll need a large pot and that's it.
Main Ingredients:
- Onion
- Butternut Squash
- Carrots
- Chickpeas
- Cashews
- Curry Powder
Substitutions:
- Butternut Squash: Can be substituted with sweet potato.
- Cashews: Instead of making the cashew cream, use canned coconut milk.
- Curry Powder: Curry powder is simply a blend of other spices so it's easy to make yourself. Here's a good recipe.
- Chickpeas: Substitute with another protein like baked or crispy tofu.
How To Make The Best Cashew Curry
This curry has a sweet and savory flavor palate. The butternut squash and cashews bring a lot of subtle sweetness where the spices, onion, and garlic make it more savory. I personally loved that but feel free to add more earthly vegetables to bring out even more savory flavors like regular potatoes, green beans, peas. This recipe is just a base for you to experiment and use up what you have so nothing goes to waste.
Blend the cashews until smooth and creamy. Touch the cream and rub between two fingers. If it has texture, keep blending.
Keep the aquafaba from the can of chickpeas to make cocktails (see Whiskey Sour for an example), my chocolate chip tart, or vegan meringue.
More Recipes You Might Like:
If You Make This Recipe:
Tag me on Instagram! I’d love to see your delicious re-creations and feature them! As always, I would greatly appreciate if you share your review in the comments below. Don’t forget to add if you made any fun substitutions. Thank you!
Butternut Squash & Chickpea Cashew Curry
Ingredients
Cashew Cream:
- ¾ cup Cashews boiled
- ¾ cup Water
- Pinch of Salt
Butternut Squash Chickpea Curry
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 cup Yellow Onion diced
- 2 cups Butternut Squash cubed
- 2-3 Carrots thinly sliced
- 2-3 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon Curry Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Dried Parsley
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Coriander
- 1 15 oz can of Chickpeas
- 1 cup Diced Canned Tomatoes
- 1 ½ cup Water
- White or Brown Rice for serving
- Fresh Parsley or Green Onion for garnish
Instructions
- Boil the cashews for 15 minutes to soften.
- Add to a blender along with water and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
- If serving with rice, start that now.
- Prepare the onion, butternut squash, and carrots.
- Heat a large pot on medium-high and add the oil. Cook the onions, butternut squash, and carrots for about 7 minutes or until soft and starting to brown.
- Mince the garlic and add to the pot along with all of the seasonings. Cook for another 2 minutes.
- Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas and toss them in the pot along with the diced tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, add the cashew cream and simmer for another 10-15 minutes or until the butternut squash is cooked through and soft. Taste and adjust salt if desired. I added a pinch more!
- Serve the curry with a side of rice and top it off with fresh parsley and green onion. Enjoy!
Ella says
I make curry every week (big fan) and this is the first time I tried it using cashew sauce instead of coconut milk and absolutely loved it. I followed the recipe without changing a thing and both my kids and husband asked for seconds. Another delicious recipe to add to our rotation. Thanks Liv!
Liv says
So glad this recipe was a hit with your family! 🙂