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This cozy, creamy Butternut Squash Soup is my all-time favorite soup recipe! Filled with simple, wholesome ingredients like carrots, onions, apples, and loads of delicious butternut squash, it’s the very best fall comfort food – no heavy cream required. Stovetop and slow cooker instructions included.
My Favorite Butternut Squash Soup
When I think about cozy, fall goodness, I think about this butternut squash soup. No exaggeration, this is my all-time favorite soup. Just like my homemade chicken soup recipe, it’s one of those recipes that I can make over and over again and never get tired of eating.
Made with simple, healthy ingredients, it’s creamy, nourishing, and delicious – no heavy cream required. My curried butternut squash soup and butternut squash soup with coconut milk are also delicious (you should try them), but nothing quite compares to the fall tradition of chopping, stewing, and blending together this classic version on a chilly Sunday afternoon (with enough leftovers to last the week).
I’m not the only one who loves this soup. It’s become such a favorite with friends and family that it’s now a permanent part of my Thanksgiving menu alongside these easy vegetarian stuffed butternut squash.
And if you can’t find butternut squash at your local grocery store or farmer’s market, try making it with homemade pumpkin puree or kabocha squash instead. The result will be a pumpkin soup nearly identical in taste and texture to this easy and delicious butternut squash version.
Table of Contents
About The Ingredients
This is my go-to favorite butternut squash soup recipe. The sweet potato is added for creamy thickness; the apple is added for sweetness; and the garlic and ginger are added for flavor – each of these additions are optional, but highly recommended.
- Butternut Squash: This butternut squash soup gets its naturally sweet, rich, and creamy texture from two medium butternut squash, each weighing approximately 2.5 to 3 pounds. After peeling, seeding, and chopping, you should end up with about 7 to 8 cups of 1-inch cubes. Choose squash with a long neck and a small bulb; this shape is easier to peel and yields more usable flesh.
- Sweet Potatoes (optional): Sweet potatoes have a similar flavor as butternut squash and help make the soup extra thick and creamy. You’ll need two small orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, which are sometimes labeled as yams in the grocery store. Peeling is optional. You can also add leftover baked sweet potatoes.
- Apples (optional): You don’t have to peel the apples; just like homemade applesauce, the skins will soften and blend seamlessly when the soup is pureed.
- Onions, carrots, celery: This flavorful trio, known as the mirepoix, are cooked low and slow in olive oil before being boiled.
- Aromatics: You’d be surprise what a little fresh garlic and ginger can do to pot of vegetables (and apples). Honestly, it’s the ginger for me (and I’m not even a ginger person) but the magic of this butternut squash soup recipe is due, at least in part, to fresh ginger.
- Salt: You will need to salt this butternut squash soup. How much depends entirely on your tastebuds, BUT I suggest salting in layers. Add a little with the onion, carrot, and celery as they soften, add a little more with the aromatics and butternut squash, then add a little more after blending.
As written, this recipe is vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, and Whole30 / Paleo-Friendly. You can find the complete list of ingredients and full recipe in the recipe card below.
How to Make Butternut Squash Soup
First, chop the veggies. Chopping and peeling butternut squash is pretty easy once you get the hang of it. If you’re a butternut squash newbie, check out my post, how to pick, peel, and chop butternut squash to learn more.
Sauté the onions in a bit of olive oil to start. Cook until they are softened and translucent, then add the carrots, celery, and sweet potatoes. Cook until they begin to soften, about 15 minutes. Then, stir in the garlic, ginger, chopped apple, and butternut squash. Pour in the vegetable broth (or water) and simmer until the squash and veggies are soft and mushy, about 30 minutes.
- Tip: Since the soup will be blended, there’s no need to chop the vegetables into perfectly uniform pieces. Just keep in mind, larger chunks will take longer to soften, while smaller pieces will cook more quickly.
Once the squash is soft, transfer the soup to a blender (or blend using an immersion blender). Blend until the soup until it is smooth and creamy, working in batches if needed. Return the pureed soup back to the pot and season to taste.
Cooking Tips
I’ve made this exact butternut squash soup recipe countless times over the years. Here are my top tips:
- Roasted butternut squash is more flavorful, but not a game-changer: Some recipes insist that roasting your squash is the secret to the best butternut squash soup. While roasting does bring out more flavor (especially when served as a side dish) the difference is minimal once it’s blended into soup. If you have leftover roasted butternut squash, definitely use it! But even without roasting, this soup is still rich, bold, and full of deep butternut squash flavor.
- Use fresh aromatics: Powdered alternatives like garlic powder and ground ginger are not recommended. Although they are convenient, they lack the freshness, texture, and aroma that make make this butternut squash soup so nourishing and comforting.
- The ingredients are flexible, not fixed: Use this recipe as a guide. The listed quantities for each ingredient are a great starting point, but feel free to adjust based on preference or what you have available. Sometimes I’ll add extra sweet potato, other times I won’t add any at all. And those apples? Well, they’re optional. Add one, two, three, or zero.
- This soup doesn’t need cream to be creamy: This bright and aromatic butternut squash soup is super creamy as is. That said, if you’d like a little extra richness, a little heavy cream or a few pats of butter will certainly do the trick. For a dairy-free option, add canned coconut milk.
- Please, be careful when blending: Never fill any blender more than halfway full with hot ingredients or soup. Patience is paramount in preventing accidents. Speaking of blenders, any blender will happily blend this soup, but a “fancy” high-speed blender (like a Vitamix or Blendtec) will give the smoothest texture. I have only used my Vitamix blender, so I can’t speak for other brands, but it’s one of the most “worth it” cooking investments I have ever made.
Serving Ideas
Enjoy this butternut squash soup as a starter, side, or main dish. Whenever I serve it as the main dish, I serve it with fresh sourdough bread, flakey homemade buttermilk biscuits, or soft dinner rolls. It’s also delicious with avocado toast, a grilled cheese, or simple sides like:
- Air Fryer Brussels sprouts
- Zucchini fritters
- Cherry tomato salad
- Caesar salad
- Kartoffelpuffer (German potato pancakes)
You can also add toppings! When I originally shared this recipe, I garnished my bowl with crispy oven-baked bacon and sweet pomegranate arils. These days I like to add freshly shredded Parmesan cheese or mozzarella cheese, or homemade croutons.
Storage and Freezing Tips
To store: Keep leftovers stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days. You may need to add a cup or two of water or stock when reheating as the soup thickens upon cooling.
To freeze: Allow the soup to cool before transferring to freezer-safe ziplock bags or storage containers. Lay flat on a baking sheet and transfer to the freezer. Once frozen, stack the bags, one on top of the other, if necessary. Freeze for up to 4 months. To thaw, allow the soup to thaw in the refrigerator overnight or transfer to a bowl filled with warm water for faster thawing.
More Butternut Squash Recipes
Have you tried this butternut squash soup recipe? Tell me about it in the comments below! I always love to hear your thoughts. And tag #theforkedspoon on Instagram if you’ve made any of my recipes, I always love to see what you’re cooking in the kitchen.
Butternut Squash Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
- 4 stalks celery, chopped
- 5 carrots, chopped
- 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 5 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled, roughly chopped and smashed
- 2 apples, cored and diced
- 2 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped into 1-inch cubes
- 2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, or water or low-sodium chicken broth (plus more as needed)
- Optional Toppings, Homemade Croutons, cheese, fresh herbs, nuts, seeds, everything-but-the-bagel seasoning, bacon, etc.
Instructions
Stove Top Method
- Cook the vegetables: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring often, until soft and translucent. Stir in the carrots, celery, and sweet potatoes. Cover and cook for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Add the aromatics and squash: Once the root vegetables have softened slightly, add the garlic and ginger. Sauté for 1 minute until fragrant, then stir in the diced apples and cubed butternut squash. Mix well to combine.
- Simmer: Pour in the broth (or water) and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover, and let the soup simmer for about 30 minutes, or until all the vegetables are soft and tender.
- Blend the soup: Remove the pot from heat. Using an immersion blender (or working in batches with a regular high-speed blender), blend the soup until completely smooth. If using a countertop blender, fill it only halfway and vent the lid to avoid steam buildup. Transfer blended soup to a clean pot as you go.
- Season to taste: Turn the pot with your pureed soup on low heat. Stir in the 1/2 cup half-and-half and season with salt, pepper, and additional cream to taste. Stir often to prevent soup from burning.
- Season and serve: Return the pureed soup to low heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with your favorites—homemade croutons, toasted seeds, fresh herbs, cheese, bacon bits, or a sprinkle of pomegranate arils.
Slow Cooker Method
- Divide the ingredient amount listed in the recipe card in half.
- Prepare vegetables: Chop the vegetables and apples into large chunks. Peel and roughly chop the garlic and ginger.
- Transfer to a large slow cooker: Transfer the vegetables, ginger, garlic, salt and pepper, and broth to a large slow cooker (at least 6-quarts).
- Cook until tender Cook until all vegetables are soft and tender, approximately 6-8 hours on low, or 4 hours on high.
- Blend: Stir in the half-and-half or creamer and use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Or, transfer to a large blender and blend it there.
- Season to taste and serve: Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste. Serve garnished with all your favorite toppings!
Notes
- To make this butternut squash soup with canned squash: Substitute with 2-3 cans (15 ounces each) of unsweetened butternut squash purée or pumpkin puree (not pie filling).
- For soups like this one, you can’t really overcook your vegetables, so no need to set a timer for 30 minutes exactly. As long as all your vegetables are nice and mushy, you’re good to go.
- You may want to let your vegetables and broth cool slightly before blending. If you’re in a hurry, make sure to only fill your blender halfway and pulse before blending. If your mixture is too thick or you’re having trouble blending, don’t hesitate to add more vegetable broth or chicken stock until you reach your desired consistency.
- The soup will thicken after cooling. Add additional vegetable broth or water as needed to reach the desired thickness when reheating.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Nutritional information does not include suggested toppings.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I just made your soup today. It came out good. I used bought and cut butternut squash and most of the vegetables. Instead of an immersion blender, I used a regular blender. Instead of coconut milk, I added sour cream, a bit of smoked paprika, a bit of turmeric, and a bit of garlic salt. I topped it w/ chia seeds. It came out good.
I appreciate your good feedback and rating, Sarah 🙂
I skipped the apples, but this was still absolutely delicious! Thank you for the recipe, we all loved it! I just made it today for the first time and yummmmm! So good! Thanks!
Hi- does the squash need to be roasted first in the oven or is it just meant to be chopped and put into the pot directly!
It should be chopped and put in the pot directly per the recipe card at the bottom of the post 😀
This is an awesome recipe and so healthy…I used coconut milk instead of cream. LOVING it! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for the awesome feedback and rating Patti 😀
Hi, i have just made the soup on my stove top. I couldn’t find quantities so just “winged”it. I am not a great cook by the way. Anyway after it was all done and bubbling away, I scrolled further down the page and found the required measurements. Duh, me. I am quite proud of myself as i did ok with making half the quantity. I will now print it out for future reference. Hoping it tastes good. Thanks for sharing.
Jean
You never described how to prepare the butternut squash for the soup – how to cut, chop, or peel. What what the best sizes of squash would be best, etc.
I am talking specifically about the stove-top method.
Hi Cee, the recipe calls for “2 medium butternut squash – peeled, seeded and chopped into 1-inch cubes”. You can find the ingredient specifications in the the ingredient section of the recipe card 🙂 Thanks for asking! -Jessica
I just love this receipe can’t wait to try it.
I made this for just my husband and I, but my whole family ended up LOVING it!