This butternut squash soup is a perfect fall dish. It is a warm bowl of velvety goodness with the rich, earthy, and slightly sweet flavor of the roasted butternut, carrot, onion, and herbs.
This colorful recipe is easy to make. Roast all the ingredients in the oven for maximum flavor, then blend them into a creamy soup.
Butternut squash soup is a cozy yet elegant dish that can be enjoyed as a gorgeous appetizer, nourishing main course, or part of a special holiday meal.
What is butternut squash soup?
Butternut squash soup is a low-effort recipe that is easy to prepare with simple ingredients.
While butternut squash is excellent with pasta, ravioli, risotto, stuffed, or in a salad, this soup is one of the best ways to appreciate its sweet, earthy flavor.
Oven-roasted and slightly caramelized onions, garlic, carrot, and butternut meld with aromatic herbs, fresh ginger, and vegetable broth to create the perfect fall and winter dish.
To make it, you can follow three easy steps:
- Roast the butternut squash in the oven with garlic, onion, carrot, and aromatics like sage and thyme.
- Blend everything with vegetable broth.
- Simmer for a few minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
We keep ours light and simple to fully appreciate the squash’s flavor, but you can optionally enrich it with coconut milk, heavy cream, sour cream, or butter.
How to make butternut squash soup
Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page. Substitutions are in the chapter below.
1. Prepare your ingredients
Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C and prepare your ingredients. You’ll need a medium-sized butternut squash, onion, garlic, carrots, and sturdy herbs like thyme and sage.
You’ll also need fresh ginger, vegetable broth, salt, and black pepper. For the topping, we recommend toasted pistachios, walnuts, or pecans and a drizzle of heavy cream or coconut cream.
2. Roast the vegetables
Peel the butternut squash with a vegetable peeler and cut it in half lengthwise.
Scoop out the seeds, chop the squash into chunks, and add it to a baking tray. You can line the tray with parchment paper if you like.
Add an onion cut into quarters, carrots chopped into small bite-size pieces, crushed garlic with the peel on, sage leaves, thyme leaves picked off the stem, salt, black pepper, and extra virgin olive oil.
Toss well and arrange on a single layer without overlapping.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until the squash and the carrot are fork-tender.
Squeeze the garlic out of its peel (it should be tender like butter) and discard the peel.
3. Blend and simmer
Add the roasted vegetables and herbs, grated ginger, and vegetable broth to a large pot and blend with an immersion blender until smooth.
Alternatively, you can blend the ingredients in a standing blender, possibly in batches, then transfer the soup to a large pot.
Simmer the soup for about 5 minutes or until you reach your desired consistency, adding more broth if necessary.
Taste and adjust for salt and spices before serving.
Tip: Roasted butternut squash soup is naturally creamy; however, to enrich it, you can stir in coconut milk, heavy cream, sour cream, or butter.
Serving suggestions
We like to garnish butternut squash soup with a drizzle of coconut or heavy cream, freshly cracked pepper, and toasted pistachios (pecans, almonds, and walnuts are also excellent).
Serve it with warm rosemary focaccia bread, schiacciata, cornbread, or tender pita bread.
Other excellent toppings include fresh lime juice, pumpkin seeds, thyme leaves, homemade croutons, air-fried croutons, or roasted chickpeas.
Substitutions for butternut squash soup
BUTTERNUT SQUASH: To save time, you can use pre-chopped butternut squash. Also, you can substitute delica squash, sweet potato, pumpkin, and most other winter squashes for butternut.
OLIVE OIL: We use extra virgin olive oil. You can substitute avocado oil or another vegetable oil for olive oil.
Sage is so delicious with squash that it’s hard to replace it. You could use a dried Italian herb mix instead.
THYME: Substitute rosemary for thyme. A spring fresh and 1/2 teaspoons dried.
GINGER: We like to use fresh grated ginger to add freshness and zest. You can substitute ground ginger for fresh.
SALT & PEPPER: We recommend sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
OPTIONAL SPICES: For extra flavor, add a pinch of grated nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin, or 1/2 teaspoon of curry powder. Pick one.
Questions
We recommend peeling butternut squash to make soup because peeled butternut squash produces a creamier, more velvety soup texture.
Having said that, butternut squash skin is perfectly edible when cooked, so you don’t have to peel it if you don’t want to.
You can peel butternut squash with a vegetable peeler. Put the squash on a cutting board so it’s stable, and always peel away from your hand and body.
Alternatively, you can cut the squash in half lengthwise, put it cut side down on a cutting board, and cut off the skin with a sharp chef’s knife.
Storage
Make ahead: Roasted butternut squash soup is an excellent meal prep recipe that keeps well for a few days.
Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat: Warm it in the microwave or a pot with a dash of water.
Freezer: Let the soup cool down completely, then transfer it into a freezer-friendly container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator for several hours or in the microwave.
Similar recipes
BUTTERNUT SQUASH: Stuffed butternut squash, baked butternut squash, butternut squash salad, butternut squash pasta, roasted butternut squash, butternut squash ravioli, butternut squash risotto.
SOUP: Kabocha squash soup, sweet potato soup, potato leek soup, kale soup, lentil vegetable soup, minestrone, cauliflower soup, split pea soup, lentil soup, carrot ginger soup.
For more delicious soup ideas, check out our compilation with 30+ easy soup recipes.
Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 2½ pounds butternut squash about 1 medium-sized. Peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
- ½ pound carrots cut into small bite-size pieces.
- 1 large onion quartered.
- 2 cloves garlic crushed with the peel on.
- 5 sprigs thyme only the leaves.
- 5 leaves sage
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt or more to taste.
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups vegetable broth or more if the soup is too thick.
- 1 teaspoon ginger peeled and grated.
Serves well with
- 1 squeeze lime juice + a swirl of heavy cream or coconut cream, a pinch of toasted nuts like pistachios or walnuts, and rosemary focaccia.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F or 200°C.Peel, seed, and chop 2½ pounds butternut squash into chunks and add it to a baking sheet.Add ½ pound carrots (chopped), 1 large onion (chopped), 2 cloves garlic (crushed with the peel on), 5 sprigs thyme, 5 leaves sage. Season with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil,1 teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper.
- Toss, arrange on a single layer, and bake for 30 minutes or until squash and carrots are fork tender.
- Discard the garlic peel, then blend all veggies with 2 cups vegetable broth and 1 teaspoon ginger (grated).You can blend with an immersion blender, directly in the pot, or with a standing blender.
- Transfer the soup to a large pot and simmer for 5 minutes or until you reach your desired consistency, adding more broth if necessary.Taste and adjust for salt and spices before serving in a bowl with 1 squeeze lime juice, toasted nuts, cracked pepper, and a swirl of heavy cream or coconut milk.
Video
Notes
- Make ahead: Suitable for meal prep, keeps well for days.
- Refrigerate: Up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Reheat: Microwave or stovetop with added water.
- Freeze: Up to 3 months; cool completely before freezing.
- Thaw: In refrigerator or microwave.
Love this recipe I added rosemary instead of thyme and a touch of cinnamon and its wonderful on a chilly fall day. Thanks for the recipe
That sounds like a cosy and comforting addition, Lamika. Thank you for your suggestion and for taking the time to leave a message.
Kindest, Louise
I already made some of your recipes and even my very critical Italian family members love them!
Yesterday I made your Roasted Butternut Squash Soup and it became the most delicious soup I have ever made (and tasted). A big compliment for your recipes, the videos, the explanations and everything you do!
Ciao Lou, thank you very much for your commenting- I am delighted that the soup could satisfy (even) your Italian family! I appreciate your kind words and support a lot ❤️ cheers, Nico