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 – 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!
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.
I want to try your recipe but I am not familiar with the measurements….1.33, 0.67
Hi Mo, Can you clarify which measurements you’re referring to? If you look at the recipe card at the bottom of the post, you’ll see regular cup/pound/tablespoon measurements.
About how many cups of cubed squash.
We actually don’t have a scale in the house.
We DO have several large butternut squash just harvested from our garden and I am looking forward to this soup.
Thanks!
Hi Barbara, Great question! Unfortunately we don’t have a cup measurement for the squash here. I recommend using 1 medium-large squash, or slightly less than 1 squash if yours are very large. If the soup ends up very thick, you can add more broth to thin it in the blending step. Hope this helps!
So so yummy -I roasted my squash first just because I love the flavor (and smell) of roasting squash but otherwise followed exactly. My favorite squash soup recipe now! May have to add this to my holiday table! Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Chrissy, I’m so glad you loved the soup!
The soup was very good. I had some butternut squash leftover and decided to make soup for my boyfriend an I. It was a very simple recipe to follow and my boyfriend ate his and then ate the rest of mine. I did use all dry spices which I looked up the correct conversions for, that being said there were a few chunks left in the soup after blending from the dried rosemary. Overall I would make again with fresh rosemary and maybe a baguette to dip in the soup:)
Hi Logan, I’m glad you both enjoyed it.
Yay! I just made this recipe and it’s the best butternut squash soup I’ve ever had! Thanks for the great post.
Hi Taylor, I’m so glad you loved it!
Wow, this soup is incredible. So silky, smooth, and creamy! The flavors are delicious, I particularly loved the ginger. My one comment is that there was kind of a bitter after taste, but perhaps I used too much sage? I would absolutely make this soup again! Can’t wait to enjoy the left overs tomorrow!
Hi Jordyn, hmm, I’m not sure… you could use less sage or try a different brand of broth.
This soup is the best soup I’ve ever eaten! The flavors pop! The fresh ginger is a must, don’t skip it. Delectable!
Hi Laura, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Turned out amazing!
Delicious! The sage, rosemary, ginger, garlic and onion give the dish a lovely warmth which is perfect for autumn. I made the recipe mostly as written, though decided to add a splash of apple cider vinegar toward the end of the blending stage. I’d imagine sweet potato or apple could be added to the mix if you have a squash which is shy of three pounds. Will be saving this one!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
So yummy! I did make bacon first so we could crumble it over the top and cooked the veggies in it. I used frozen squash because i couldn’t find any at the store and it worked perfectly! I added celery too and used my immersion blender. I think it would have been creamier if I’d used the traditional blender. My children wouldn’t touch it but my husband and i born enjoyed first and second bowls! Thanks for such a great and easy recipe!
I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
this was so good … I added some roasted cumin and it just added a little extra to it but it was absolutely delicious
I’m so glad you loved it!
This is my new favorite BSS Recipe. I used dried ground sage, dried ginger (cut to 1/3 for dried as it’s more intense) and fresh rosemary. I also used the pre-cut squash from Trader Joes and the flavor was still right on. Served it at a soup party and everyone loved it. THANK YOU for another great recipe!
Hi Maggie, I’m so glad everyone loved it!
Can I use dried herbs?
if you’re using dried herbs cut it down by 1/3!
I used 1/3 the amount of dried herbs and that was perfect. I loved the savory taste and creaminess of this soup. Grilled cheese went well with it. Will be making it again for sure!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This was phenomenal. Omg! Thank you for sharing 🙂 I loved how creamy and satisfying this soup was without having to use any cream or butter whatsoever! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!
Loved this! Tastes like autumn. Do you have a nutritional analysis?
Hi Kylie, we don’t calculate nutrition facts for our recipes. I recommend using an online nutrition calculator like MyFitnessPal to get an estimate.
Can you use frozen squash?
yep, you can!
Hi there! I made the butternut squash soup today and only regret not having made a double batch! I did not have rosemary nor ginger and made it using the rest of the ingredients as specified. I also added some red chili pepper flakes and it was superb! Sooo comforting! It’s so special! I will make it again!! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Beautiful write-up! Thank you so much!
I am trying to use up squash I already roasted. Ok simply to mix together after carmelizing the onion and leave it for a half day while the flavors meld? Maybe it needs another day of sitting to let everything blend together if the squash is already cooked when you start?
Hi Lori, I don’t think it’ll need the extra day after you add it to the onions – I’d just proceed with the recipe and allow the flavors to meld as they simmer together.
Can I freeze this soup?
It freezes well since there is no cream or pasta.
Has anybody tried canning this? I have an abundance of squash and zucchini and would love to can this for future meals and to give to friends.
I put extra soup in single serving sized ball jars in the freezer.
glass jars in the freezer – would there not be a risk of the jars exploding?
Hi Viv, it hasn’t happened to me – just be sure to leave a little room for the food to expand.
thank you for taking the time to comment ♥
You need to use wide mouth jars so there isn’t a “neck” and leave a good 2″ for expansion.
This is my 3rd time making this soup and it is simply delicious! I add a sweet potato and punpkin for extra nutrients. Thank you for sharing this fabulous recipe! Cheers! ?