Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
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This Roasted Butternut Squash Soup is easy to make and so delicious! Made with simple healthy ingredients in under an hour!
Regular butternut squash soup is delicious, but what sets Roasted Butternut Squash Soup apart from the rest is the roasting process!
Yes, it’s an extra pan, and yes, it’s extra time but – it doesn’t just soften the veggies, it brings out their natural sweetness which intensifies the rich, sweet undertones that elevate the entire dish!
While other recipes rely on heavy cream for a thick texture, we used a more nutritious alternative- coconut milk!
Our Roasted Butternut Squash Soup is proof that you can enjoy a comforting, creamy bowl without compromising on flavor or nutritional value.
We love a thick creamy soup during the chilly fall and winter months like our Carrot Ginger Soup, Cauliflower Soup, Tomato Basil Soup, and Pumpkin Soup, but if you need another butternut squash recipe, we love these Butternut Squash Chips.
Why You’ll Love this Butternut Squash Soup
There is a lot to love about this soup recipe. It’s one of our favorite healthy dinners because it’s:
- Oh so creamy – Most butternut squash soup recipes have a lot of heavy cream in them, but this soup gets all the creaminess from the broth, veggies, and a touch of your milk of choice.
- Super healthy – This soup is extremely nutritious and loaded with vitamins and minerals. In just one cup you will get 6 grams of fiber (almost ¼ of your daily needs!)
- Perfect For An Easy Dinner – There are only 10 minutes of prep for this delicious soup!
- Gluten Free – As written, this recipe is gluten-free! If following a GF diet for medical reasons, be sure to verify that any packaged ingredients (like broth and bacon) are certified GF.
Ingredients
To make butternut squash soup you’ll need:
- olive oil – you could also use avocado oil
- butternut squash
- celery, carrots, apple – these all add so much flavor to the soup
- shallot, garlic – you could use an onion in place of a shallot but I like the milder flavor the shallot provides!
- thyme, sage, fresh ginger, salt and pepper
- vegetable broth – you could also use chicken broth or beef broth
- milk of choice – coconut, almond or whole milk all work!
Substitutions
Olive Oil: You can use any type of neutral-flavored cooking oil to roast the vegetables in this recipe. Select something that performs well at moderately high heat like avocado oil or ghee.
Butternut squash: I haven’t tried making this recipe with other squash, but I think it would work with acorn squash as well.
Green apple: The addition of the green apple is very balancing in this recipe, more because of its tartness rather than sweetness. If you need to substitute the green apple, select an apple that is tangy or tart.
Shallot: Shallots are my favorite in slightly sweet and savory recipes because they are almost garlicky and add richness without being intense. If you need to swap this ingredient out, use one small, sweet yellow onion.
Fresh herbs: In place of fresh herbs use ½ to 1 tsp. of dried thyme and/or dried rubbed sage.
Fresh ginger: A level tablespoon of ginger paste can be used in place of freshly grated ginger.
Broth: Any broth or stock (broth and stock are the same) can be used in any soup recipe. Beef Broth, Chicken Broth, or vegetable broth all work interchangeably. I always use low or no salt broth.
Vegetarian: If you are a vegetarian make sure to use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. Top your soup with crushed pecans, cashews, pumpkin seeds, or pepitas. If you are vegan, you can make this a vegan butternut squash soup, by using vegetable broth and non dairy milk.
Milk: Heavy cream or coconut cream will work best in this recipe, but you can use whole milk or non dairy milk (almond milk or coconut milk should work).
How to make Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Layer the butternut squash, carrots, celery, shallot, garlic, and apple on a lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 3 tbsp of olive oil and toss lightly. Top with thyme sprigs. Roast at 425° for about 30 minutes. Flip the vegetables using a spatula at least once.
- When the vegetables are done roasting remove the baking sheet from the oven. Transfer the vegetables to a large stock pot and place it on the stovetop.
- Add the broth, grated ginger, minced sage, salt and pepper to the stock pot and stir. Bring the broth to a boil, then reduce heat and allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Remove the soup from the heat. Carefully use an immersion blender to blend the soup until the vegetables are fully pureed and no chunks remain.
- Once pureed, stir in your milk of choice until the soup is a uniform creamy orange color.
- Serve alone or topped with bacon and chives.
Recipe Variations
This soup is so versatile. Here are some ways you can customize it to your tastes:
Texture: If you prefer a thinner or thicker soup, add more or less broth.
Spice: If you like spice, add a little bit of cayenne pepper or chili paste to the recipe.
Sweetness: For a sweeter soup, stir in a small amount of maple syrup.
How to serve this soup
This soup makes a nice meal on its own or can be served as a side dish complimenting all sorts of entrees. It would pair well with apple pork tenderloin, ham, roasted whole chicken, prime rib, or even cast iron steak. You could also serve it alongside veggies (like roasted garlic brussels sprouts or roasted asparagus) or an apple walnut salad.
Other great toppings for this soup include shaved parmesan, crushed pecans, cashews, pumpkin seeds, cooked pork sausage, crème fraiche, fresh cracked pepper, or burrata (added when the soup is served very hot).
Tips for blending hot soup
You can blend this soup with an immersion blender, regular blender, or even a food processor.
Make sure to be very careful when blending soup in a regular blender. If you are blending hot soup, it can lead the blender to steam up or build pressure which can result in the top popping off.
Here are our tips for blending hot soup in a regular blender to avoid that:
- Allow the soup to cool for a few minutes if you can. It’s best not to take this right off the stove and put it in the blender. Give it a few minutes uncovered/off heat to release some steam.
- Blend the soup in batches. It’s probably best to divide this in half and blend 1/2 the batch at a time. By doing this you’re leaving room in the blender for the soup to move around.
- Remove the center cover from the blender and cover with a towel instead. Most blender tops have a removable plastic piece in the center. Take this centerpiece out and put a clean dish towel over the opening while blending. (You don’t want soup on the ceiling!). Doing this allows the steam to vent out and prevents pressure from building up in the blender. Make sure to hold your hand over the dish towel to avoid it from moving/splattering.
How to store leftover soup
Storing: This will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container. Simply give it a stir before reheating as some separation is normal.
Freezing: You can freeze this recipe for up to 3 months. Allow the soup to cool mostly before transferring it into its storage container. We like these containers for freezing.
Reheating: You can reheat this recipe in the microwave or on the stove.
FAQs
In this recipe, we do recommend peeling the skin, but the skin is edible and can be eaten if roasted.
The best way to thicken up Butternut Squash Soup recipe is by adding less broth to the recipe. You can also add a bit of flour or cornstarch to thicken it as well.
When it’s cut into cubes, it takes about 30 minutes to become fork tender.
We love it with veggies or a salad. It is delicious topped with shaved parmesan, crushed pecans, cashews, pepitas, cooked pork sausage, crème fraiche, fresh cracked pepper, or burrata (added when the soup is served very hot).
Other healthy soup recipes:
Looking for other easy meals? Check out these 40+ Healthy Dinner Ideas. Click here to grab our free healthy 30 minute dinners cookbook.
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2.5 lbs butternut squash 1 medium squash or 7 cups cubed
- 1 cup chopped celery about 4 celery ribs
- 1 cup carrots peeled and cut into about ¼ inch rounds, about 2 carrots
- 1 large green apple cored and diced
- ¾ cup diced shallots 2 shallots
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 8 sprigs fresh thyme
- 5 leaves sage minced
- 2 inch piece of ginger peeled and grated
- 3 cups vegetable broth low or no salt
- ¾ cup milk of choice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Optional For Serving:
- bacon, chives, cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- While the oven is preheating, prepare the ingredients that will be roasted.
- Peel the butternut squash and scoop out the seeds. Dice it into about 1-inch cubes. Chop shallots, garlic cloves, celery, carrots and apple. Keep in mind that after roasting we will be using an immersion blender to puree these ingredients so don’t spend too much time making sure everything is the correct size and shape.
- Layer the butternut squash, carrots, celery, shallot, garlic cloves, and apple on the lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 3 tbsp. of olive oil and toss lightly. Top with thyme sprigs and place in the oven. Roast for about 30 minutes or until the squash and carrots are fork tender. Flip the vegetables using a spatula at least once throughout the roasting process.
- While the vegetables are roasting, mince the sage leaves and peel and grate the ginger. This would also be a good time to cook the bacon and chop the chives for serving.
- When the vegetables are done roasting remove the baking sheet from the oven. The leaves should have fallen off from the thyme sprigs and you can discard the woody stems. Transfer the vegetables to a large stock pot or Dutch oven and place it on the stovetop.
- Add the broth, grated ginger, minced sage, salt, and pepper to the stock pot and stir. Bring the broth to a boil, then reduce heat and allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Remove the soup from the heat. Carefully use an immersion blender to blend the soup until the vegetables are fully pureed and no chunks remain. This can also be done by using a high powdered hot/cold blender. You will need to blend in batches if using this method. It is helpful to let the soup cool partially before transferring it to the blender pitcher.
- Once pureed, stir in your milk of choice until the soup is a uniform creamy orange color.
- Serve the soup hot topped with chopped, cooked bacon, chopped chives, and a swirl of cream.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Whole family approved!!
The kids kept coming down and sniffing the kitchen, asking how much longer they had to wait to taste it. Huge win!
This is the BEST butternut squash soup recipe! I’ve tried so many others, but this one will be my go-to from now on. I followed the recipe exactly and it was so fragrant and delicious!
This makes me so happy to hear, thank you!
Can frozen butternut squash be used in a pinch
I haven’t tried it but I think it would work!
Delicious, I left out the apple.
Added some cayenne pepper and the herbs.
Will make again
This recipe was so good! Great instructions!
We loved this soup! Easy to make, very creamy and delicious.
I made this for a get together with friends and it was a hit. Topped it with pepitas and sour cream. Roasting the vegetables together made a big difference.
Delicious! The only substitutions I made were dried thyme (forgot fresh thyme at the grocery store) and oat milk. My family absolutely loved this alongside a topping bar: multigrain toast croutons, pepitas, shredded cheddar, bacon crumbles, and chives.