Slow Cooker Thai-Inspired Butternut Squash and Peanut Soup is so delicious and this vegan soup is so easy to make in the slow cooker. 

PIN Slow Cooker Thai-Inspired Butternut Squash and Peanut Soup to make it later!

There’s a reason why there are so many butternut squash soup recipes, and it’s about the way the slightly nutty flavor of butternut squash gets along well with so many other flavors. In this Slow Cooker Thai-Inspired Butternut Squash and Peanut Soup, the cubed squash cooks in the slow cooker in a little vegetable stock until it’s soft and then it’s pureed and cooked a little longer with onion, garlic, ginger, Coconut milk, Thai Red Curry Paste, and peanut butter, with a tiny touch of fish sauce (affiliate link) (or vegan “fish sauce“) and brown sugar (or sweetener) to complete the Thai flavor notes. 

Then the soup is finished with fresh lime juice and chopped cilantro, which I think is just the right addition, but omit the cilantro or use thinly sliced green onion if you’re not a fan. Even though I adore butternut squash, I haven’t used it in soup that much, but this soup is one I’ll be making over and over again. You can use My Top Ten Recipes for Butternut Squash to see more of my butternut squash faves!

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I love it when I can find a recipe that really knocks my socks off that can easily be vegan, and this is one of those recipes.  (To make this vegan, use vegan “fish sauce” link in recipe or sub soy sauce.)  And my nephew and cooking assistant Jake is not a winter squash fan, but he gobbled up the soup. We adapted this recipe from one we spotted in Cooking Light, but we changed many things about the recipe, including using a slow cooker, starting with fresh squash, and adding peanut butter.

How to Make Slow Cooker Thai-Inspired Butternut Squash and Peanut Soup:

(Scroll down for complete printable recipe and nutritional information.)

1. I’m not normally a fan of the pre-cut butternut squash (and I even wrote a post about How to Peel and Cut Up a Butternut Squash.) But for soup like this, the pre-cut squash is fine and it will help get this into the slow cooker much more quickly.
2. Put 2 lbs. of butternut squash cubes into the slow cooker with 1 cup vegetable stock, season with salt and pepper, and cook on high for 2 hours, or until the squash is soft.
3. Use a food processor, blender, or Immersion Blender (affiliate link) to puree the squash. (An immersion blender is by far the easiest; be careful with the hot squash if you use a food processor or blender.)
4. Heat the oil and saute the onion in a frying pan until it’s well browned. Add the minced garlic, ginger, and diced red bell pepper and cook about a minute more.  (Bad blogger; forgot to take a photo of that!)
5. Then add the coconut milk, Thai Red Curry Paste, and peanut butter, and heat, stirring, just until the peanut butter and curry paste are dissolved into the coconut milk. Add the sweetener and fish sauce (affiliate link).
6. Stir the coconut milk mixture into the squash, turn the slow cooker to low, and cook about one hour.
7. Then stir in the chopped cilantro and lime juice and cook about 15 minutes more.  Serve hot, garnished with chopped peanuts and more chopped cilantro if desired.

More Meatless Soups You Might Like:

Indian-Spiced Slow Cooker Red Lentil Soup with Spinach ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
Yellow Split Pea Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Kale ~ Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
Autumn Harvest Soup with Butternut Squash, Kale, and Farro ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
Vegetarian Navy Bean and Kale Soup ~ Chick in the Kitchen

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. peeled and cubed butternut squash
• 1 cup vegetable stock (see notes)
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. minced ginger root
• 1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped
• 1 14 oz. can coconut milk
• 2 T Thai Red Curry Paste
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter (without added sugar)
• 1 T sweetener of your choice
• 2 tsp. Fish Sauce (see notes)
• 2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro (see notes)
• extra chopped cilantro and chopped peanuts for serving (optional)
• Sriracha Rooster Sauce for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Peel the butternut squash and cut into cubes if you’re starting with a whole squash.  (Here’s How to Peel and Cut Up a Butternut Squash if you haven’t done it.)
2. Put the squash cubes and vegetable stock into the slow cooker, season squash generously with salt and fresh-ground black pepper, and cook on high for 2 hours, or until the squash is soft enough to mash easily.
3. When it’s soft, use a food processor, blender, or Immersion Blender (affiliate link) to puree the squash, being careful with the hot food.
4. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan, add onion and saute until well-browned, about 8 minutes. Add the minced garlic, minced ginger, and diced red bell pepper and saute about a minute more.
5. Then add the coconut milk, Thai Red Curry Paste, and peanut butter and heat just until the curry paste and peanut butter is melted into the coconut milk.  Add the sweetener and fish sauce (affiliate link).
6. Stir the coconut milk mixture into the pureed squash, turn slow cooker to low and cook for 1 hour more.
7. Stir in the chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice and cook about 15 minutes more.
8. Serve hot, garnished with more chopped cilantro and chopped peanuts if desired.  If you’d like more heat, shake in a little Sriracha Sauce.
9. I am assuming this freezes well.  (I have some in the freezer but haven’t thawed it yet.)

Notes

You need about a 5-Quart Slow Cooker (affiliate link) for this recipe, although it can be slightly smaller.

Vegetable broth from a can is fine for this recipe. For the most carb-conscious version, use a peanut butter without added sugar. I buy Adams 100% Natural Peanut Butter (affiliate link).

Try This Next Keto Short Rib Chili

Use thinly-sliced green onion if you’re not a cilantro fan. If making a Vegan version use vegan “fish sauce”, or replace with soy sauce if you’re not a fan of fish sauce.

Recipe created by Kalyn and Jake.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 282Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 11gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 523mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 6gSugar: 6gProtein: 7g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Butternut squash is limited to Phase 2 or 3 of the South Beach Diet, and if you’re making this Slow Cooker Thai-Inspired Butternut Squash and Peanut Soup for South Beach they recommend light coconut milk, natural peanut butter, and using an approved sweetener. This recipe is good for low-glycemic diets, but probably not low enough in carbs for traditional low-carb eating plans.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Soup Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You can also Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there. Click here for more Slow Cooker / Pressure Cooker Recipes on my other site!

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Keto Short Rib Chili

Bean-free keto chili made with braised beef short ribs. So easy to make and the perfect low carb comfort food. This keto chili recipe is paleo, dairy-free, and Whole 30 approved! And it can be made ahead and frozen so it’s ideal for keto meal planning.

There’s a definite chill in the air. Can you feel it? Well, maybe not in some parts of the country, but here in the Pacific Northwest, autumn is on its way, if not already here.

The best part of fall is the comfort food and there is no food more comforting than this short rib chili. Well, maybe my Shrimp and Bacon Chowder. Or perhaps my keto Cream of Mushroom Soup. And my Buffalo Chicken Soup is also pretty darn spectacular.

But this keto chili recipe definitely makes the short list.

Chili is and always has been one of my favorite foods, because even not very good chili is pretty darn comforting when you’re cold and hungry. How can you go wrong with meat cooked slowly in rich spices and a thick tomato broth? You can’t, that’s all. You can’t go wrong.

And the crazy part is that while I make chili all. the. time, I don’t actually have a good keto chili recipe here on All Day I Dream About Food. Until now, that is.

What makes the best keto chili?

Well, what really makes good chili is a matter of opinion and taste. And probably a few feuds as well. Everyone has their own take on the best way to make chili.

In my experience, a slow simmered chili recipe is best, as it allows the flavors to develop and intensify over time. So don’t be fooled by promises of “fast and easy”. Good chili is usually easy to make but it takes time to cook.

Keto chili should be devoid of any higher carb items like beans, though. That goes almost without saying, because beans are high in carbs and many consider them inflammatory. Onion needs to be kept to a minimum as well, since it’s surprisingly high carb.

Tomato sauce, paste, and puree can also send the carb count up if used too liberally. I like to keep my chili to less than 5g total carbs per serving, so I use a single can of diced tomatoes. Fire roasted tomatoes help bring out the best flavor.

But the focus of a good keto chili recipe should always be the meat and the spices. Use beef with a high percentage of fat for a satisfying meal, and be generous with the chili, cumin, and garlic.

Can you make keto chili ahead of time?

I find myself wanting to answer this question with a smart ass comment like “Is the pope Catholic?”. Because chili is perhaps the best make ahead meal on the planet.

It’s one of those dishes that seems to actually get better when it’s eaten the next day or even a few days later. And one of the benefits of keto chili is that there are no beans to get mushy as they sit and soften. So it’s just as good or better than the day you made it.

So go ahead and make a huge pot of this short rib chili. This particular recipe serves 10 people. Let it cool to room temperature and then split it up however you see fit. You can do individual servings, or portion it out for your family size.

The chili can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. We froze our leftovers back in May and I just fed my family the second portion about a month ago!

Because it contains acidic ingredients like tomatoes, I recommend storing in glass containers if you have them. If not, good BPA-Free tupperware works too.

Tips for making Short Rib Chili

Short ribs are ideal for comfort food dishes like this, because they are fatty and rich, and become incredibly tender with slow braising.

Always brown the ribs first: This step adds 10 minutes or so, but it’s worth it. Browning the meat in lard or oil helps bring out the best flavor, before the liquids are added. Otherwise, you are essentially just eating stewed meat. Transfer the ribs to a plate while making the rest of the chili.

Sweat the onions and other veggies: While I do keep the onion to a minimum, it definitely helps add flavor. So add the onion and green pepper to the pot and sauté in the oils and fats with a little bit of salt. This will help them release their juices and flavor.

Add the spices into the hot oil: Before adding any liquids into the pot, you want to briefly sauté the garlic, jalapeño, and spices in the hot oil. This enhances and intensifies the flavor.

Adjust the heat to your liking: My husband and I like our chili pretty spicy but our kids have more tender palates. So we keep the heat at a medium level. I always add the seeds from the jalapeño but you can leave them out if you want less spice. You can also leave out the cayenne. Or you can add more jalapeño and cayenne too.

Now add the liquids and the meat: Once the spices and garlic are fragrant, stir in the diced tomatoes and broth and bring to a simmer before adding the meat.

Slow braise in the oven: You’re looking at a good two to three hours of cooking, but this time is completely inactive. You can be doing lots of other things during this time. Slow braising makes the meat from the short ribs fall off the bone and shred more easily.

Doesn’t this keto short rib chili sound like the perfect comfort food? 

Check out my Keto Soups & Stews cookbook for more delicious comfort food recipes.

Keto Short Rib Chili

Bean-free keto chili made with braised beef short ribs. So easy to make and the perfect low carb comfort food. This keto chili recipe is paleo, dairy-free, and Whole 30 approved! And it can be made ahead and frozen so it’s ideal for keto meal planning.

Popular Recipe Cream of Asparagus Soup – Dairy Free Keto Recipe

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: keto chili, keto chili recipe, short rib chili

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours 25 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours 40 minutes

Servings: 10 servings

Calories: 428kcal

Ingredients

• 3 lb bone in short ribs
• Salt and pepper
• ¼ cup bacon fat, lard, or other high-heat oil
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 1 large green pepper chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 medium jalapeno pepper minced (leave the seeds in for more heat)
• 2 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon cayenne
• 15 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
• ⅓ cup beef bone broth

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 300F and season the short ribs all over with salt and pepper.

• In a large dutch oven over medium heat, melt the bacon fat or lard. Once hot, add half the short ribs and brown on all sides. Remove to a plate and brown the remaining short ribs. Transfer to the plate.

• Add the onion and pepper to the pot, sprinkle with salt, and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, jalapeno, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne, and cook another minute, until fragrant.

• Stir in the roasted tomatoes and bone broth and bring to a simmer. Add the short ribs back into the pot, cover and transfer to the oven.

• Cook 2 to 3 hours, until the meat is very tender. Remove the ribs, shred the meat and return the meat to the pot. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve with your favorite chili toppings.

Nutrition Facts

Keto Short Rib Chili

Amount Per Serving (1 serving = about 1 cup)

Calories 428
Calories from Fat 319

% Daily Value*

Fat 35.4g54%

Carbohydrates 4g1%

Fiber 1.2g5%

Protein 22.6g45%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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