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 was delicious! Followed to a T and it was the smoothest, most comforting and flavorful soup. Saved it for future times!
Hi Andrea, I’m so glad you loved the soup!
I didn’t care for the savory profile of the sage, ginger, and rosemary. I think I’ll look for another recipe.
Hi Carrie, if you prefer a sweeter butternut squash soup, you could omit the herbs and add a pinch of nutmeg and a drizzle of maple syrup. I’d start with 1 teaspoon maple and add more to taste.
Thank you. To be fair, I gave half to my neighbor and half to my pet sitter and they both loved it! I guess I’m not a fan of savory.
What about using dried herbs for the fresh sage & rosemary?
Hi Betsy, you could definitely use dried herbs here! I would start with 1 teaspoon each and add more to taste.
Absolutely delicious
So glad you loved it, Lynda!
This was sooo good! I’ve scrolled up and down this page at least 20 times and don’t see the nutrition info. Is it here?
Hi Katie, we don’t calculate nutrition facts for our recipes unfortunately. The best way to get an estimate is to use an online nutrition calculator like MyFitnessPal. I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup!
Perfect!!!
So glad you enjoyed it, Linda!
I absolutely love this soup. It was my first time making butternut squash soup and everything about this recipe is perfect. There won’t be any leftovers this time around but for future batches I am wondering, how does it do in the freezer?
Hi Carrie, I’m so glad you love the soup! It freezes perfectly.
It’s fine.
Made the recipe as written and both I and my hubby (who generally dislikes squash of all kinds) loved it! Love and Lemons is our go-to for recipes. We have so many favorites and haven’t tried one we didn’t like yet!
Hi Janet, aww thank you so much for your sweet comment! I’m so glad you both loved the soup.
This soup was outstanding! Everyone loved it!
Hi Sari, I’m so glad it was a hit!
Delicious! I made mine with calabaza squash (only squash this store had). I will definitely be making it again. Thanks so much for the recipe!!
So glad you loved it, Michelle!
Made this last night. So delicious! Needed a bit more salt so I added a level tablespoon of vegetable Better than Bullion. Topped it with a sprinkle chopped crispy bacon. Great recipe that lets the butternut squash flavor shine. The herbs are perfect. A keeper recipe.
I’m so glad you loved it, Cathleen!
very tasty
So glad you loved it!
I loved this recipe! It was my first soup so I was very proud but it was also pretty easy. I did follow some of the recommendations in the comments and added a pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon, as well as a cup of half and half to thicken it. I also used bone broth because it was all I had. It was soooo good!!!
Hi Michelle, congrats on making your first soup! I’m so glad you loved this one.
I added a couple of farm fresh apples and made my own chicken broth. I added a can of guar-free coconut milk to make it creamier. To die for!!
I love the idea of adding apples, Susan. So glad you enjoyed the soup!
Love this soup, if you enjoy creamy soup add milk or cream to it
So glad you love it, Amy.
It was fantastic and so simple to prepare.
Hi LoriAnn, I’m so glad you loved it!
The soup was delicious. I followed the recipe. We have no control of the flavor of the squash. It grows the way it grows. My soup was a bit bitter. I added 1 1/2 teaspoons of honey and grated about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of fresh nutmeg. It took away the bitterness. Delicious
So glad you loved the soup, Robyn!
This soup is delicious!! I sauteed the onion with butter along with olive oil. Perfect fall meal. I added a sprinkle of cinnamon and smoked paprika for flavor. I also stirred in 1 cup of half and half for creamier texture. Delicious !! Made it today cause my neighbor brought me squash.
I’m so glad you loved it!
I did everything almost the same, except I added about 1 cup of heavy whipping cream to the soup at the end of the recipe. It was the best butternut squash cream soup I ever made / tasted.
I’m so glad you loved it!