Butternut Squash Soup

You’ll love this easy butternut squash soup recipe because you can make it with minimal effort; it has a satisfyingly bold and balanced flavor and combines a hearty yet elegant texture.

To make it, you can follow three easy steps:

1. Roast the butternut squash in the oven with garlic, onion, carrot, and aromatics like sage and thyme.
2. Blend everything with vegetable broth.
3. Simmer for a few minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

We keep ours light and simple to fully appreciate the flavor of the squash, but optionally, you can enrich it with coconut milk, heavy cream, sour cream, or butter.

Or you can use their respective dairy-free substitutes to turn it into a vegan butternut squash soup.

Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

Butternut squash

You can use pre-chopped butternut squash to save time or whole butternut squash that you peel, seed, and chop at home.

Substitute sweet potato, pumpkin, or another winter squash for butternut squash.

Carrot, garlic, and onion

Carrot, garlic, and onion add complex flavor nuances that make this roasted butternut squash soup more refined, complex, and delicious.

The roasted garlic, for instance, adds a mellow earthy flavor. The onion and the carrot caramelize in the oven and add sweet and smokey notes.

Olive oil

Extra virgin olive oil helps us roast and brown the veggies.

We recommend extra virgin because of its superior taste and nutrition. Its high antioxidant content makes it more resistant and stable at high temperatures than most other oils.

Substitute avocado oil for olive oil.

Fresh herbs

We recommend fresh sage and thyme leaves. Their earthy, autumny notes meld perfectly with the roasted butternut squash.

Substitute rosemary for thyme.

Ginger

Ginger adds a zesty, sharp edge to the soup, contrasting its sweetness and making it more interesting.

We use fresh ginger, peeled, and add it to the blender raw.

Vegetable broth

We prefer vegetable broth to chicken stock for our soups so everyone, including vegetarians and vegans, can enjoy our recipes.

Salt and pepper

We use sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Optional spices

This butternut squash soup is already delicious without adding anything else.

However, if you’d like to add some extra spices, 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.

Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C.

Peel, seed, and chop the butternut squash into large chunks and add it to a baking sheet.

Add chopped onion, chopped carrot, crushed garlic with the peel on, sage leaves, thyme leaves picked off the steam, salt, black pepper, and extra virgin olive oil.

Tip: we don’t use parchment paper, but you can do so if you prefer. We peel the squash with a vegetable peeler and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.

Toss, arrange on a single layer without overlapping, and bake for 30 minutes or until fork tender.

Discard the garlic peel, then blend all veggies with vegetable broth and ginger.

Note: you can use a standing blender, working in batches. Or you can add everything into a Dutch oven and blend with an immersion blender.

Transfer the soup to a large pot or Dutch oven 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.

Note: Roasted butternut squash soup is naturally creamy; however, if you want to enrich it, stir in coconut milk, heavy cream, sour cream, butter, or dairy-free alternatives.

Garnish roasted butternut squash soup with a drizzle of coconut or heavy cream and a pinch of fresh thyme leaves or pumpkin seeds.

Alternatively, top with homemade croutons or air-fried croutons and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.

Top it with roasted chickpeas or air fryer chickpeas for a more substantial meal.

Serve this easy butternut squash soup as a light and elegant dinner, and pair it with a choice of warm bread like:

• Bruschetta (cherry tomatoes, basil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, e.v. olive oil, etc.)
• Focaccia (flour, instant dry yeast, rosemary, good quality olive oil, etc.)
• Crostini (bread, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, etc.)
• (chickpeas, olive oil, spices, salt, etc.)
• Pita bread (flour, instant dry yeast, sugar, water, etc.)

Make ahead: Roasted butternut squash soup is an excellent recipe to make ahead as it 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 if the soup is too thick.

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.

Are you looking for more creamy and delicious soup recipes? Check out our:

• Roasted sweet potato soup
• Easy tofu soup with seasonal variations
• Delicious zucchini soup
• Roasted eggplant soup
• Earthy Tuscan soup with white beans
• Creamy cauliflower soup
• Nourishing and tasty lentil soup
• Easy lentil curry

For more curries, stews, and soups, check out our soups category page.

• Butternut squash ravioli
• Butternut squash salad
• Butternut squash pasta
• Roasted butternut squash
• Butternut squash risotto