Mango Pickle Butternut Squash Soup

This one-pot butternut squash soup is tangy, sweet and spicy. The secret ingredient is mango pickle, a flavor-packed South Asian condiment.

With the weather being so chilly and the onset of seasonal affective disorder, sometimes an ultra-spicy soup is just the pick me up you need. People do say that spicy foods lifts mood.

This soup is one of my best. It hits almost all the flavor profiles to make a nice star. It’s spicy, sweet, salty, and sour all at once. The ingredient highlight of this recipe is mango pickle, a South Asian condiment made from unripe mangoes that are preserved with salt, oil, and a lot of hot spices.

Mango pickle complements sweet winter squashes like butternut squash or pumpkin very well, bringing out the sweetness and the autumn vibes. Some coconut milk tones the soup down a bit. Without something creamy to balance against, the soup is quite pungent and very spicy!  

Where to find mango pickle?

Mango pickle can be found in many South Asian grocery stores or in the South Asian aisle section of larger stores.

There are so many South Asian pickle options at my local grocery store! I picked up one that had less additives and looked spicier than the others: Mother’s Recipe Mango Pickle (Hot).

Note that pickled mangoes can be found in many forms. This recipe calls for the Indian variety, which is made from sour unripe mangoes pickled in salt and spices. A close substitution for mango pickle is lime pickle.

Although I have not tried myself, you can also make your own mango pickle.

Can’t find mango pickle? Try these other squash/pumpkin soups: Kabocha Apple Ginger Soup – Easy Recipe; 20-minute Spicy Kabocha Squash Soup.

How to use mango pickle?

Mango pickle is a very flavorful condiment, so a couple of pieces goes a long way. A simple way to enjoy mango pickle is with some hot rice and ghee or butter.

Here are some other ways to enjoy mango pickle:

• Smeared in sandwiches or on bread
• As a condiment to a rice-based meal
• With dal or other legumes
• Mixed or blended into sauces

In this recipe for butternut squash soup, mango pickle is boiled with winter squash until tender, then blended into a smooth and flavorful soup.

Recipe Card

Print Recipe

Mango Pickle Butternut Squash Soup

This one-pot butternut squash soup is tangy, sweet andspicy. The secret ingredient is mango pickle, a flavor-packed South Indian condiment.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American, Canadian, Fusion, Indian

Diet: Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: Autumn, Butternut Squash, Mango, Pumpkin, Soup, Spicy

Servings: 4

Equipment

• 1 immersion blender

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 medium butternut squash around 4 cups, chopped
• 1 cup frozen diced onion or 2 small onions, diced
• 1 tsp chili powder optional (see note 1)
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• 2 tbsp mango pickle hot (see note 2)
• 200 ml coconut milk half of a 14 fl oz can

Tempering

• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds

Instructions

• Prepare butternut squash by removing the seeds and chopping into 1-inch chunks.
• In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat and add the diced onion. Sauté until translucent, then add the mango pickle, chili powder, and garam masala powder. Fry for 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
• Add the chopped butternut squash, and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes, until the butternut squash is tender and can be smashed easily with the back of a spoon.
• Let cool slightly, then blend with an immersion blender until very smooth. Add the coconut milk and adjust for consistency by adding more water if needed. At this point, you can return the soup to low heat.
• To make the tempering oil, heat 2 tbsp oil in a small pan or pot. Once hot, add the cumin seeds. Lower the heat to medium and toast for 10-30 seconds until the cumin seeds smell very good and make a sizzling sound. The cumin seeds should be slightly toasted but not burnt. Take the oil off the heat and pour the oil and cumin seeds into the blended soup.
• Give the soup a stir and adjust for salt/spice. Note that the mango pickle is already quite salty, so potentially no additional salt is needed.

Notes

Note 1: This soup is quite spicy as written. For milder taste, I recommend omitting the additional chili powder. However, the spice level will depend heavily on the brand of mango pickle used and how spicy that is.
Note 2: I use Mother’s Recipe brand, “Mangle Pickle (Hot)”.

Did you make this recipe? I would love to hear your thoughts. Leave a rating and comment below. If you share on socials, tag me on Instagram @hellenshouseblog or Tiktok @hellenshouse. Stay warm!