Butternut Squash Soup

Served piping hot with a hunk of crusty bread, this creamy, nourishing butternut squash soup recipe is fall comfort food at its best.

Butternut squash soup

My favorite fall tradition is making butternut squash soup on Sunday afternoons. On a brisk day, there’s nothing more soothing than chopping and simmering vegetables over a warm stove. As you cook, the kitchen fills with the cozy scent of sage, rosemary, and butternut squash, and when you’re finished, steaming bowls of butternut squash soup (that will last all week!) reward you for your work.

In the past, my go-to butternut squash soup recipe has included coconut milk and curry spices, but this fall, I found myself craving one that was a bit more traditional. When I say traditional, I don’t mean that I use chicken stock, heavy cream, or butter in this recipe. It’s a delicious, all-veggie healthy butternut squash soup with ginger, sage, and rosemary. This is basically fall in a bowl.

We’ve been loving this soup lately – it’s creamy and nourishing, perfect for satisfying cozy fall cravings. With only 10 ingredients, it’s easy to make, so cook a big batch today, and enjoy the soup all week long! Happy fall. 🙂

Butternut squash soup recipe ingredients

Butternut Squash Soup Recipe Ingredients

To make this easy butternut squash soup recipe, you need 10 simple ingredients:

  • Butternut squash – This soup packs in 3 pounds of squash, so look for a medium-large one at the store or farmers market. If you don’t have a scale at home, I recommend weighing the squash when you buy it!
  • Yellow onion and garlic – These veggies add delicious depth of flavor.
  • Fresh sage and rosemary – I don’t reach for rosemary as often as some other fresh herbs, but I absolutely love it here. Along with the sage, it makes this soup cozy and complex.
  • Ginger – Its warm flavor highlights the autumnal taste of the herbs and squash.
  • Extra-virgin olive oil – 2 tablespoons add the perfect amount of richness.
  • Vegetable broth – Because the blended squash becomes creamy on its own, there’s no need for dairy, coconut milk, or nuts here! With veggie broth as its base, this is a vegan butternut squash soup recipe.
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper – Add them with the onion at the start of the cooking process, but make sure to taste and adjust at the end as well. That way, you’ll make a soup you really love!

Let’s cook!

Butternut squash

First, chop the veggies! Sauté the onion until it becomes translucent, add the squash, and cook until it begins to soften. Then, stir in the herbs, garlic, and ginger. Pour in the broth and simmer until the squash becomes tender, about 20 minutes.

Butternut squash soup recipe Vegan butternut squash soup

When the squash is soft, transfer the soup to a blender. Blend until the soup is vibrant orange and creamy. Finally, pour it into bowls, garnish with chopped parsley and pepitas, and enjoy!

Butternut squash soup

What to Serve with Butternut Squash Soup

Enjoy this soup as a starter, side, or main dish. When I’m making it the center of a meal, I serve it with good crusty bread, homemade focaccia, avocado toast, or corn muffins and a simple veggie side or fall salad. Here are a few of my favorites:

Alternatively, serve it as an appetizer with a hearty vegetarian main dish like Roasted Cauliflower Steaks, Vegan Meatball Sandwiches, Homemade Mac and Cheese, Sun Dried Tomato Pasta, or a grilled cheese sandwich!

Butternut squash soup

If you love this butternut squash soup…

Try my ginger miso soup, curried lentil soup, or many-veggie soup next, or check out this post for more of my favorite soup recipes!

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Butternut Squash Soup

rate this recipe:
4.98 from 1895 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Serves 6
This vegan butternut squash soup is the ultimate fall comfort food! Store it in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze it for up to a few months.

Equipment

Ingredients

For serving

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, salt, and several grinds of fresh pepper and sauté until soft, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the squash and cook until it begins to soften, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Add the garlic, sage, rosemary, and ginger. Stir and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant, then add 3 cups of the broth. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the squash is tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
  • Let cool slightly and pour the soup into a blender, working in batches if necessary, and blend until smooth. If your soup is too thick, add up to 1 cup more broth and blend. Season to taste and serve with parsley, pepitas, and crusty bread.

 

1282 comments

4.98 from 1895 votes (1,327 ratings without comment)

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Cherry
    01.21.2025

    5 stars
    Easy and delicious. I added an apple and 2 carrots to the mixture and after blended I added a little coconut cream because it was too thick. I also added cooked mushrooms to the bottom of the bowl before serving along with dried cranberries and toasted walnuts. The flavors were amazing.

  2. Sarah
    01.21.2025

    5 stars
    The best butternut squash soup I have tried. Even the family loves it!! Some butternut squash soups can be heavy, but this one is just perfection!

  3. Patti
    01.20.2025

    5 stars
    Made this tonight and it was perfect. I didn’t have the fresh herbs in the recipe but have some thyme withstanding the cold so used it. The ginger added just enough spice to feel like my insides were getting warmed up. Used my immersion blender.

  4. Mariam
    01.20.2025

    5 stars
    This recipe looks delicious! Does the soup freeze well?

  5. Beth B
    01.20.2025

    5 stars
    Love the fresh herbs and ginger in this soup. I always have trouble knowing what combination of flavors will work. Will definitely save this recipe.

  6. Christine Pozorski
    01.19.2025

    5 stars
    Second time making! First time I followed the recipe and added cream at the end. Sooo good! This time I roasted the squash and didn’t add the cream. Oh my goodness this is so delicious!

  7. Lacoya
    01.17.2025

    5 stars
    Currently on the Daniel Fast (Day 13/21) and this has been my favorite recipe thus far. LUSCIOUS. I over-sauteed my squash a bit so the soup was darker than the photo but oh my goodness. YUMMY.

  8. Kathy
    01.16.2025

    I want to try this either butternut squash left over from last night. Any suggestions when altering the recipe with pre roasted squash?

    • Jennifer P
      01.16.2025

      4 stars
      I always roast my veggies before making soup and it isn’t a problem at all. I just cut it up chunky and throw it in and it tastes amazing!
      Just skip the sauté the squash part of this recipe and you will be fine!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.17.2025

      Hi Kathy, if you’re using roasted squash, you can skip sautéing the squash for 8 to 10 minutes. Add it to the pot with the broth and simmer to develop the flavors before blending. I hope this helps!

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Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.