Served piping hot with a hunk of crusty bread, this creamy, nourishing butternut squash soup recipe is fall comfort food at its best.
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
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 –Â These veggies add delicious depth of flavor.
- Fresh sage and rosemary –Â 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 –Â 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 –Â 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!
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.
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!
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:
- Simple Lemon Green Beans
- Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Zest
- Simple Roasted Beets
- Rainbow Kale Salad with Carrot-Ginger Dressing
- Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Roasted Beet Salad
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!
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!
Butternut Squash Soup
Equipment
- 5.5-Quart Dutch Oven (I personally use the Staub Cocotte)
- Blender (I've used my trusty Vitamix for years)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 (3-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- ½ tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 3 to 4 cups vegetable broth
- Freshly ground black pepper
For serving
- Chopped parsley
- Toasted pepitas
- Crusty bread
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.
Could I use an immersion blender as I don’t have regular one?
Hi Kathleen, yes, it won’t be quite as creamy but it should work fine.
Really enjoyed the simplicity of this recipe when making it and enjoyed eating it even more! Thank you.
THIS IS TRULY SPECIAL!
I used crock pot for whole butternut squash. used the flesh and even tiny bit of the skin from squash. Didn’t have fresh herbs… ( Missouri in winter) used dried and a couple shallots from my summer garden…. did not even cook shallots first. Super!
used Vitamix on soup cycle…..
Voila! Super thick and creamy…. no cream needed.
Hi Abby, I’m so glad you loved the soup!
This soup was absolutely delicious! I didn’t have fresh sage so I used some poultry seasoning instead. I didn’t have the patience after tasting it to make cornbread to go with it but I’ll plan ahead next time. There will definitely be a next time!
Easy to make! Fills the house with wonderful aromas! I didn’t have rosemary on hand so I substituted thyme and it was delicious. My husband won’t try it so I don’t have to share!!!
Happy New Year! This is the best Butternut squash soup recipe. Made it several time now. Easy peasy! I always double it for sharing. Everyone loves it. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Hi Sherry, happy new year to you! I’m so glad you loved the soup.
How many cups is “1 large yellow onion chopped?”
Hi Liza, about 2 cups – it does not have to be exact for the soup.
I am making this today with precut squash/ already in cubes. How many cups should
i use?
Hi Dee, about 4 1/2 cups
Thank you- the soup was delicious!
Delicious, creamy and nourishing. Thank you!
Favorite butternut squash soup recipe!!
Wow, delicious. I’m going to double the recipe next time.
This freezes great! Used cubed butternut from Costco and adjusted the rest of the ingredient amounts to match the weight of the squash. I tried a bowl with a splash of lemon and a bowl with a dash of nutmeg. All delicious! Love how healthy this is.
If buying cubed butternut squash (already cut up) how many cups would you estimate?
Delicious, aromatic & creamy without dairy! Please provide nutritional list, ty.
Wow! Soup was amazing! I accidentally went overboard on fresh pepper so it came out a quite spicy. I read several grinds of pepper and I took it to 20 grinds, ?. I think I’ll cute back 5-10 grinds next time. It’s a great sauce for some vegan enchiladas too! Thank you!
Loved the soup! I made one small change, at the very end I added a half cup of heavy cream, and it was luscious. We also used an immersion blender, and that worked really well. It was so delicious! Thank you for the recipe.
Question:
Thoughts about using Turkey broth I just made instead??
I think it’ll be great!
Would frozen cubed butternut squash work?
Hi Liz, I haven’t tried, but I think it would be fine.
Can frozen butternut squash be used instead of fresh? What modifications to the recipe would be needed? Thanks!
Can I use an immersion blender?
Hi Sarah, you can! It might not be as smooth as the picture.
Absolutely!