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.
this soup was amazing! i used chicken broth as that was what i had on hand. the texture was fantastic and the combo of herbs tastes great with the squash. very easy to make as well!
hi, Can you freeze this soup?
Amazing! This soup made me enjoy squash soup again! Enjoyed by the whole family, from my 3 year old grandson, on up. My daughter’s boyfriend “Hates squash”… He loved the soup! Rich and creamy and full of flavour.
Fabulous fall soup! I didnt have sage on hand so left it our, but even without it the soup was excellent. I microwaved the squash for a couple of minutes before peeling and it made it easier to peel.
Best soup I’ve ever made
This was simple to make and delicious. Family requesting it again. Added to my favorite soup recipes.
We had a 500 gram bag of frozen butternut squash in the freezer. I have never made butternut squash. I finally took it out and glad I found this recipe! I did not have the fresh spices either but had all in my dry spice racks so I used that and luckily found chicken broth in the freezer as well almost 1/2 of a gallon sized bag did not measure. Came out perfectly even with all my substitutions. I will try with the fresh spices as I am sure will make again but do not need to change a thing. It is a nice great tasting soup! Thank you for sharing!
Can I put some coconut milk in it?
I’m excited to make this!! I wondered if anyone has tried using an immersion blender and if that would work ok for this recipe? Thanks 🙂
I have, it works great ??
An immersion blender will work great.
I used an immersion blender and it worked perfectly. You just have to be careful the soup doesn’t splash up and burn you.
I just used it and it worked great!
I did, worked out perfectly and saved me time and mess. Excellent recipe, thank you ?
Soup was great. I used an immersion blender and prefer it to transferring hot liquid to a blender. It worked great!
This is my go to recipe for butternut squash soup. I just add cumin and red pepper. The soup always turn out amazing
I’m so glad you’ve loved it!
It’s so easy to make and tastes delicious. Thank you for the recipe
I’m so glad you loved it!
Simple yet delicious ! I added some red lentils and frozen peas for extra protein and fibre, was missing the ginger and sage but it turned out great!
Yum, that sounds delicious!
First time making butternut squash soup & this was very good. I would definitely make it again
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This soup was delicious as is! Easy to make and the whole family enjoyed it. I decided to add a bit of maple syrup and some red pepper flakes to my bowl and I would definitely recommend that variation as well!
Looks delish !! How far in advance do you think I can make the soup? I would like to make it a day or two before my event.
You can surely make it a day or two ahead. In fact, it will likely improve as the flavors meld.
Hi! If made early, what is the best reheat method?
Wondering the same too! Best way to reheat…
This came delicious! Thank you!
This was amazing!! I had to make a few changes because of what I had in the pantry. I used chicken broth instead of vegetable broth and used dried sage and rosemary (didn’t have fresh) and used 1/4 tsp of allspice in place of ginger (since I didn’t have that either). I used 6 cups of chicken broth since it was a bit too thick or maybe my butternut squash was big.
Irregardless this soup was delicious!! Thanks for a great recipe.
This is the most flavorful squash soup that I’ve ever made. Followed the recipe precisely. No changes. No need to.
I’m so glad you loved it!
I cut back on the sage and it was delicious! And I just roast a whole squash for about an hour, let it cool enough to handle, then scoop out the flesh. It’s a lot easier than peeling and cutting.
can i make this soup with bone broth for a higher protein content? or would it not turn out as great? can’t wait to try!! thanks!!
I did!
Hi Sofia, I haven’t tried but I think it would probably be fine.