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 SteaksVegan Meatball Sandwiches, Homemade Mac and CheeseSun 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 1886 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.

 

1273 comments

4.98 from 1886 votes (1,326 ratings without comment)

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  1. Paulina
    10.28.2019

    5 stars
    Followed this exactly and it was amazing! Forget store bought butternut squash soup, this is too easy and so delicious. I even got my ingredient from the local markets.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.30.2019

      Hi Paulina, I’m so glad you loved it!

  2. Hannah
    10.23.2019

    5 stars
    This soup is so good. I will definitely be making this many more times this fall and winter.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.30.2019

      Hi Hannah, I’m so glad you loved it!

  3. Brittany
    10.17.2019

    Would it be okay to use ground spices? If so what would be the ratio for the ginger, rosemary, and sage?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.18.2019

      Hi Brittany, I haven’t made it with dry spices, I’d probably start with: 1/2 teaspoon of each and add more to taste. Although I really recommend fresh herbs for this one since there are so few ingredients in the soup!

  4. Heather Demick
    10.16.2019

    5 stars
    This is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. Savory. Sweet. Perfect for fall. I can’t wait to make this for Thanksgiving—thank you!!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.18.2019

      Hi Heather, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!

  5. christine h
    10.12.2019

    My husband, who generally dislikes squash, LOVED this. I didn’t have quite enough butternut so I used a yellow (summer) squash that needed to be used…was perfect in this soup. Didn’t have the rosemary so used my fresh oregano (just a little), parsley, dried sage, and ground ginger. My son (who tends to shy away from soups) also really liked it. Is a keeper!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.18.2019

      Hi Christine, yay! Happy to hear that he enjoyed the squash 🙂

  6. Lindsay
    10.07.2019

    About how many cups of butternut squash? I have frozen butternut squash cubes, and was hoping to make that enough.
    This recipe looks amazing, and I cannot wait to try it!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.07.2019

      Hi Lindsay, about 4 1/2 cups cubed squash!

  7. Mich
    10.06.2019

    Hi! Do you have to use a blender or can you use an immersion hand blender?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.07.2019

      You can use an immersion blender, it won’t be as creamy, but it’ll work.

    • Heather Demick
      10.16.2019

      I used an immersion blender and it was creamy!

    • Daniel
      09.25.2020

      I use immersion one. For my taste the soup doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth ?

  8. Gail Gester
    10.06.2019

    Could you please tell me how many pounds of squash is the right amount after it is cut up? I want to try this recipe but I am forbidden( by the hubby) from cutting up tough squashes after a kitchen mishap with butternut squash. Thank you.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.06.2019

      Hi Gail, I didn’t weight it cubed, but you’ll need about 4 1/2 cups of cubed squash. Hope that helps!

    • JoAnnee
      01.16.2021

      Hi

      Rachel ray has excellent options to soften squash
      Microwave (Piercing the squash so it doesn’t explode,) oven, crock pot or grill. Just google it. After sons girlfriend badly cut her hand we did this and now enjoy this vegetable more often. Though more expensive you can find it in organic frozen section already cubed. Making this recipe today.

    • JoAnn
      01.31.2021

      Loved butternut squash soup.

  9. Bill
    10.06.2019

    5 stars
    Rather than black pepper, which is hard for some folks, including me, to digest. I am allergic to black pepper. I break out in a rash, so I use cayenne pepper to give my butternut squash soup a kick. For our 50th high school reunion those of us on the planning committee who were placing our order with the caterer asked her to prepare a huge pot of butternut squash soup as the appetizer for 100 people and it was a huge hit. Many had never, ever tasted this recipe.

  10. Arielle
    10.06.2019

    What happened to your other butternut squash recipe that had coconut milk in it?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.06.2019

      Hi Arielle, here is that recipe (it’s also very similar to this one: https://www.loveandlemons.com/red-curry-kuri-squash-soup/)

      2 tablespoons coconut oil
      1 large onion, chopped
      3 garlic cloves, chopped
      2 4-inch pieces of lemongrass
      2 tablespoons red curry paste
      One (2-pound) butternut squash, cubed
      1 (14-ounce) can full fat coconut milk
      4 cups vegetable broth
      Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

      Heat a large pot to medium and add the coconut oil. Add the onion and generous pinches of salt and pepper. Smash the lemongrass (using the back of your knife) then add it whole to the pot along with the garlic, and curry paste. Cook until the onions are transluscent, then add the butternut squash cubes, another pinch of salt, and stir.

      Reduce heat to a simmer. Add the coconut milk and vegetable broth. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the squash is very soft. (40-60 minutes depending on your squash).

      Remove large lemongrass pieces and pour everything into a high speed blender (you may have to work in batches), and puree until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings.

      • Denisa
        10.28.2019

        Thank you so much for this recipe of your old soup!!! I just came to find it and was sad you replaced it but then I found this. Thank you! It’s a soup I make very often because everyone in our family love it but yet I’ve not memorized it. I’m gonna write it down now!

        • Jeanine Donofrio
          10.30.2019

          I’ll put it on it’s own link soon – I hope you enjoy both soups!

  11. Omg the texture of the soup is so nice. Thanks for the recipe :). Squash is a bit expensive in where i live now tho 🙁

  12. jeanine
    12.09.2014

    I didn’t see, thanks 🙂

  13. 5 stars
    Yum!! This looks exceptionally delicious. Your photos are so vibrant. Thank you for sharing!

    • Amber from ambersnow.com
      02.14.2021

      5 stars
      Recently picked up cooking. After I tasted this I said “this is the best thing I’ve ever made.” SOOO GOOD! Thank you!

      • Jeanine Donofrio
        02.15.2021

        I’m glad you loved the soup!

  14. jeanine
    11.26.2014

    Ha – I know the feeling :). Hope you like this version – I tried to make it easier by taking out oven-roasting step (it all happens on the stove now).

  15. Cherie from cherieedle.blogspot.com
    11.26.2014

    This looks so delicious!! Going to try it x
    cherieedle.blogspot.com

    • jeanine
      11.26.2014

      ha, me too – I could go for soup + bread any day of the week 🙂

    • Patti Quick
      12.06.2020

      This soup is incredibly easy and tastes AMAZING! Highly recommend making it!

  16. johanne from digitalviews.me
    11.26.2014

    This such a perfect match for a roasted Turkey. Happy Thanksgiving in advance.

      • Amber
        12.13.2020

        5 stars
        I’ve just made this soup and it is delicious! I had some chicken stock in the fridge, so I used that instead of vegetable stock. I was a little hesitant about the ginger, but it really made the soup taste so good!

    • Roger
      11.21.2020

      5 stars
      Just made this soup! Super easy and holy cow, it tastes amazing. I’ll definately be making again for company. Thanks for the recipe!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
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.