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This Chai Butternut Squash Soup recipe is easy to make, naturally gluten-free and vegan, and seasoned simply and deliciously with a simple chai tea bag.
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Ingredients
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 apple, cored and diced
- 1 medium (uncooked) butternut squash*, peeled, seeded and diced
- 1 small white onion, peeled and diced
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne, or more to taste
- 1–2 chai tea bags
- Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup canned (unsweetened) coconut milk
- optional garnishes: swirled extra coconut milk and/or a sprinkle of ground cinnamon
Instructions
Slow Cooker Method:
- Add vegetable stock, garlic, carrot, apple, butternut squash, onion, cayenne to a small (4-quart) slow cooker or large (6-quart) slow cooker. Toss to combine. Then nestle a chai tea bag (or use two, if you’d like extra chai flavor) into the mixture so that it’s completely submerged in the broth.
- Cook for 6-8 hours on low, or 3-4 hours on high, or until the squash is completely tender and mashes easily with a fork. Remove and discard the chai tea bag.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. (Or you can transfer the soup in two batches into a traditional blender, and puree until smooth, being very careful when working with the hot liquid.) Stir in the coconut milk until combined. Then taste, and season with a few generous pinches of salt and pepper as needed. (Feel free to add in more cayenne too, if you’d like.)
- Serve warm, topped with your desired garnishes. Or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Method:
- Add vegetable stock, garlic, carrot, apple, butternut squash, onion, cayenne to the bowl of an Instant Pot. Toss to combine. Then nestle a chai tea bag (or use two, if you’d like extra chai flavor) into the mixture so that it’s completely submerged in the broth. Close lid securely and set vent to “Sealing”.
- Press “Manual”, then press “Pressure” until the light on “High Pressure” lights up, then adjust the +/- buttons until time reads 30 minutes. Cook. Then let the pressure release naturally, about 15 minutes. Carefully turn the vent to “Venting”, just to release any extra pressure that might still be in there, then remove the lid.
- Remove and discard the chai tea bag.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. (Or you can transfer the soup in two batches into a traditional blender, and puree until smooth, being very careful when working with the hot liquid.) Stir in the coconut milk until combined. Then taste, and season with a few generous pinches of salt and pepper as needed. (Feel free to add in more cayenne too, if you’d like.)
- Serve warm, topped with your desired garnishes. Or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
*A medium-sized butternut squash should weigh around 3 lbs.
**Cooking time listed is for the slow cooker method.
Yum!! What a delicious looking soup – so perfect for autumn! We’ve never thought of cooking soup in a slow cooker before… such a good idea! :)
Sochal – The Healthy Social Network
Sounds incredible!
This looks absolutely BRILLIANT!! Cannot wait to try it! I have some pumpkin spice chai tea bags that should be amazing!
★★★★
Hi Ali,
Ah! This is so clever I love it! Can’t wait to try this recipe. You must have been so stoked to put two and two together and figure out that chai tea would work in the place of your squash soup spices. Love the simplicity. Going to try it very soon. Thanks for sharing!~
It’s too funny that this recipe refresh popped up yesterday just after I put the OG recipe into my crockpot. Next time I’ll have to try a chai tea bag! This soup is always a favorite.
Brilliant! I love the tea bag hack, Ali!
Delish! Quintessential fall recipe. I love the subtle hint of chai with the creamy butternut. Finishing with ample salt and pepper at the end transforms the soup!
★★★★
So glad to hear it! :)
This looks absolutely to die for!!! I love chai and squash soups! What a fantastic warming soup! Your coconut milk drizzle and anise pod garnishes are gorgeous!!!
I made this today. Next time, I might put two tea bags in the slow cooker for more chai flavour, but this is very good as is. Thank you!
What a fabulous beyond fabulous idea! Looks stunning as well. Thanks for the inspiration!
– MAK
The soup tastes delicious. A light sweetness through the apple and a pleasant sharpness through the cayenne. To recommend. Greetings from Hamburg, Germany
★★★★
Ali,
Made this soup for a cold, rainy Canadian supper in Vancouver BC. It was DELICIOUS! I may add two tea bags next time depending on how big I make the pot!! Thanks for the great recipe!
★★★★
I accidentally added everything in the slow cooker, including the coconut milk. Do you think it will turn out ok?!
Where is the nutritional information? You know like the calories or “smart points” and the sodium content per serving.
Oh my! This is one of those recipe that I never had the chance to see how well it does in the freezer because we gobbled it all up! Just wow. I’ve craved it every since but alas! This is the first day it’s been cold which for soup. So tonight’s menu will include Chai butternut squash soup and homemade Runzas ( a Nebraska thing). THANK YOU for your cooking genius!
★★★★★
Aw, yay!!! So happy to hear it!
I made this recipe exactly and really like it. Definitely a keeper!
★★★★★
Looks yummy! What kind of apples do you use?
this is amazing!!!!
★★★★★
Wonderful soup. We made it for Christmas Eve and it’s delicous! Thanks for the great recipe, I’m going to stop at your Web site *first* for recipes going forward.
★★★★★
Wow! A soup so good my four year old son is devouring it! I could have eaten the whole pot tonight. A new family favorite!
★★★★★
Dang! What if you forget to take the chai tea bag out? 🤦♀️ I just spent so long chopping butternut squash and and I was so excited to eat this deliciousness. Then I forgot to take the chai tea bag out before using the immersion blender. 😫
Just made this tonight, doubling the recipe. It is WONDERFUL! The chai tea bags make a difference. I added a teaspoon of cinnamon and about a teaspoon of Stevia to sweeten it a bit. Really, really awesome!
★★★★★
Perfection! I’ve made this a few times now, and its my favorite fall recipe. Every warm, sweet, slightly savory spoonful is soooo delicious! The only thing I change is that I add a lil extra cinnamon and I make a chai tea in the 2 cups of water, then add 2 tsp of Better Than Bouillon base. (The tea bag broke open in my instant pot once). Or in case you forget it. And IF I have enough time, I roast the veggies in the oven first. But either way, this is hands down the best soup I’ve ever had. Thank you!
★★★★★
We can get large bags of frozen butternut chunks here. Do you think I can easily substitute that for the fresh? I just find it so hard on my wrists to cut a fresh one. Thanks! Looks yummy. :D
Ah-maz-ing! I precooked the squash in the oven to make cubing easier, doubled the recipe and followed exactly as written. Squash isn’t often in my cooking repertoire because it’s unfamiliar to me (it wasn’t prepared or served in my childhood home). This recipe will remedy that. Simple and straightforward recipe with delicious results. I’m so glad I doubled it…I’ll be lapping this flavorful soup all week.
★★★★★