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Butternut Squash Soup

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The best butternut squash soup recipe I know! It’s super-easy to make, naturally gluten-free and vegan, and so incredibly cozy and delicious. Stovetop, Crock-Pot and Instant Pot instructions included.

Best Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

Is there a more quintessentially autumn meal than a cozy bowl of butternut squash soup?

Well on a particularly chilly day this past weekend, we made our millionth batch of my mom’s butternut soup recipe to share with some good friends who came over for dinner. And as always, this vibrant, healthy, velvety soup came through with all of the fall comfort food vibes and completely hit the spot. It’s just perfect this time of year!

The great thing about this butternut squash soup recipe too is that it happens to be naturally gluten-free and vegan, which makes it a wonderful option for hosting large groups (especially around the holidays). It’s easy to make in either the Instant Pot, Crock-Pot or on the stovetop (all options included below). It’s loaded up with lots of savory veggies and seasonings, plus a hint of sweetness thanks to the addition of one apple. And most importantly, it’s just incredibly comforting, flavorful and delicious.

I first shared this butternut soup recipe on the blog nearly a decade ago, but thought it was worth bumping back to the top of the site today for anyone who’s craving some lighter fall comfort food. Our family hopes that you enjoy it as much as we do!

Best Butternut Squash Soup Recipe | 1-Minute Video

Crock Pot Butternut Squash Soup Ingredients

Butternut Squash Soup Ingredients:

To make this easy butternut squash soup recipe, you will need:

  • Butternut squash: You can either use 1 medium-sized fresh butternut squash (here is my tutorial for how to select, peel and cut fresh butternut squash) or you will need between 4 to 5 cups of pre-cut raw butternut squash.
  • Carrot and onion: These will serve as the additional veggies for the soup.
  • Apple: Any variety of apple will work in this recipe (peeled or unpeeled), but I’m partial to Granny Smith apples that add extra hint of tartness in addition to their sweet flavor.
  • Vegetable broth: I typically make this soup with veggie broth to keep it vegetarian and vegan, but chicken broth would also work well in this recipe too.
  • Coconut milk: I love the subtle sweetness that unsweetened coconut milk adds to this soup. But feel free to sub half and half (or heavy cream) instead of coconut milk if you prefer.
  • Seasonings: My mom’s recipe uses a simple blend of garlic, fresh sage, cayenne, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, sea salt, and black pepper. Feel free to adjust the amount of cayenne to taste. And I also highly recommend briefly frying up a few extra sage leaves to sprinkle on top of the soup as a crispy garnish.
  • Your choice of garnishes: I like to drizzle on some extra coconut milk (or cream), a sprinkle of toasted pepitas, and a sprinkle of extra black pepper and/or smoked paprika. Or see more ideas below!

You will also need a:

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup in Crock Pot

How To Make Butternut Squash Soup:

Detailed instructions are included in the recipe below for how to make butternut squash soup in the Instant Pot, Crock-Pot or on the stovetop. But here is a brief overview:

  1. Cook. For extra depth of flavor, I recommend sautéing the onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil first if you are making the Instant Pot or stovetop versions, but this step is optional if you’re making the Crock-Pot version (or if you’re in a hurry). Add in the squash and veggies and cook until they are completely tender, then add in the coconut milk.
  2. Blend. I typically use an immersion blender to purée the soup until smooth, but you can alternately purée the soup in two batches using a traditional blender. (Just be extremely careful as always when blending hot liquids in a traditional blender. Safety instructions are included in the notes below fhte recipe.)
  3. Season. Once the soup has been puréed, give it a taste and season generously with salt and pepper as needed. If you would like to amp up the heat, you’re welcome to add in extra cayenne as well.
  4. Serve. Then dish it up, garnished with your favorite toppings, and enjoy!

Best Butternut Squash Soup recipe in dutch oven

Possible Variations:

Want to customize your butternut squash soup recipe? Feel free to:

  • Roast your veggies: To make roasted butternut squash soup, simply roast the butternut squash, carrots and onions before adding them to the soup to make roasted butternut squash soup. It doesn’t add too much extra time (especially if you prep the rest of your soup while the veggies roast) and the roasted veggies add a delicious depth of flavor.
  • Give it a Thai twist: To make Thai-inspired curried butternut squash soup, add a tablespoon or two of red curry paste and 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, then serve the soup with lime wedges and chopped fresh cilantro.
  • Give it a Mexican twist: To make Mexican-inspired butternut squash soup, omit the sage and nutmeg and stir in 1.5 teaspoons ground cumin and a big pinch of chipotle chili powder instead, then serve the soup with lime wedges and chopped fresh cilantro.
  • Give it a Chai twist: See my recipe here for the yummiest chai-spiced butternut squash soup.
  • Add rice or grains: To make your soup extra hearty, feel free to add in some rice, quinoa, farro or other favorite grains. Just be sure to also add in extra broth accordingly to help cook the rice or grains.
  • Use cream instead of coconut milk: If you are not a big fan of coconut milk, feel free to use heavy cream or half and half in place of the coconut milk to make this soup nice and creamy.
  • Have fun with toppings: So many toppings can pair well with butternut squash soup! Some faves include:
    • cheese: Parmesan, grated sharp cheddar, feta
    • nuts: toasted almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, pepitas, or candied pecans
    • herbs: fresh cilantro, thyme, sage, chives, etc.
    • bacon: crispy bacon or prosciutto
    • greens: fresh baby arugula or microgreens
    • homemade croutons

Vegan Butternut Squash Soup in Bowl with Pepitas

More Favorite Soup Recipes:

Looking for more cozy, comforting soup recipes for the season? Here are a few more of my faves…

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BEST Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

Butternut Squash Soup

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 496 reviews
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 6 -8 servings 1x

Description

My all-time favorite Butternut Squash Soup recipe!  It’s super-easy to make, naturally gluten-free and vegan, and so incredibly cozy and delicious.  Stovetop, Crock-Pot and Instant Pot instructions included below.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 white onion, peeled and diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and roughly chopped
  • 1 medium (about 34 lb) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
  • 1 sprig fresh sage
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
  • pinch of ground cinnamon and nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
  • fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste
  • optional garnishes: smoked paprika, extra drizzle of unsweetened coconut milk, or see more ideas above

Instructions

Stovetop Butternut Squash Soup:

  1. Sauté the onion and garlic. Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 more minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant.
  2. Simmer: Add the vegetable broth, carrot, apple, butternut squash, sage, cayenne, cinnamon and nutmeg and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the soup reaches a simmer. Then cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the vegetables are all tender and mash easily with a fork. Remove and discard the sage. Stir in the coconut milk.
  3. Purée: Use an immersion blender to purée the soup until smooth. (Or alternately, see instructions in the notes below for how to purée the soup safely using a traditional blender.)
  4. Season and serve: Taste and season the soup generously with salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm, topped with your desired garnishes, and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup:

  1. Slow cook: Add the oil (optional), onion, garlic, vegetable broth, carrot, apple, butternut squash, sage, cayenne, cinnamon and nutmeg to a small (4-quart) slow cooker or large (6-quart) slow cooker. Toss briefly to combine. Cook for 4-6 hours on low, or 2-3 hours on high, or until the squash is completely tender and mashes easily with a fork. Remove and discard the sage. Stir in the coconut milk.
  2. Purée: Use an immersion blender to purée the soup until smooth. (Or alternately, see instructions in the notes below for how to purée the soup safely using a traditional blender.)
  3. Season and serve: Taste and season the soup generously with salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm, topped with your desired garnishes, and enjoy!

Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup:

  1. Sauté the onion and garlic: Press the “Sauté” button on an Instant Pot. Heat the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 more minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant.
  2. Pressure cook: Add the vegetable broth, carrot, apple, butternut squash, sage, cayenne, cinnamon, nutmeg, and toss briefly to combine. Close lid securely and set vent to “Sealing”. Pressure cook on high for 8 minutes, followed by a quick release. Remove and discard the sage. Stir in the coconut milk.
  3. Purée: Use an immersion blender to purée the soup until smooth. (Or alternately, see instructions in the notes below for how to purée the soup safely using a traditional blender.)
  4. Season and serve: Taste and season the soup generously with salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm, topped with your desired garnishes, and enjoy!

Notes

Puréeing using a traditional blender: As always, please be extra-careful when blending hot liquids in a traditional blender. I recommend puréeing the soup in two or three batches, so that the blender is not too full. Then also be sure to slightly tent the cap of the blender lid open so that the extra steam can escape.

Butternut Squash Soup Recipe from Gimme Some Oven

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1,367 comments on “Butternut Squash Soup”

  1. I loved how smooth it came out and the nutmeg and cinnamon added a sweet taste which I loved!

  2. This is a great recipe. I omitted the coconut milk and could taste the butternut squash more. I recommend sauteing the onion and garlic first.






  3. I did not see the nutritional data?

  4. Delicious!!






  5. If you don’t have veg stock, what can u use

  6. Loved it! A very good recipe!






  7. Love this soup so much. It’s a family favorite!






  8. I’m not typically one to leave comments, but feel the need to here….This soup is the BEST! I’ve made it so many times and my husband asks for it for every special occasion; I’m making it tonight for our anniversary! We love it so much!! Thank you so much for sharing it :)






  9. This is yummy! It has a nice flavor and lovely silky texture.






  10. We all loved this one!






  11. Made this soup and had it for dinner last night! It was delicious!!!!
    Thank you for the recipe!






  12. I love this recipe! Thank you so much. I made a big mistake of putting the coconut milk in the crockpot with everything instead of waiting. Is this going to effect the outcome?






  13. Made this soup last night. Absolutely delicious! Used my butternut squash from my garden. Doubled the ingredients as we are having a large crowd this weekend. Froze it right after. Added some diced ginger which I sautéed with the onions and garlic. Added one sweet potato and two carrots which I roasted with the apples (used two Golden Delicious). Also added lots of fresh cilantro. Dont skip roasting the squash or the apples. That step definitely elevates the soup.






  14. Full of flavor! The house smells like fall and in Fountain Hills, AZ with temperatures at 💯 it’s hard to find fall:-) Here it is thanks to “gimmesomeoven”.
    I added safflower (do not know why) plus two yams, roasted the garlic from the toaster oven and heat used a red chili pepper. Garnish is chopped red peppers.

    I can not wait for dinner!
    We are pairing this yummy soup with Ostrich and Shishito Peppers and homemade bread made by our son.






  15. Absolutely love this recipe!






  16. This recipe is perfect! ⭐️






  17. Fabulous is the only word that describes this soup. So tasty, beautiful, healthy & easy. Will be making this again & again.

    Thank you so much.






  18. First time making this recipe. It was really good. I will be making this more often.






  19. Damn easy to make and delicious!






  20. I used all of your ingredients but instead of slow cooking, I used the Instant Pot. I started by sautéing the onion and added carrots and celery, then threw in the garlic at the end for just 30 seconds. (I also threw in some leftover cooked bacon that was in the fridge and used chicken stock.) I then turned off the IP, added the rest of the ingredients with the exception of the coconut milk. Since I am at 3000 ft. elevation, I pressured cooked it for 15 minutes instead of 12 minutes that one normally would at sea level. Gave it a natural release time and then immersion blended some coconut milk into it. (I normally follow recipes to the T but I don’t know what happened to me today.) As for the taste………..out of this world!! Thanks for the great recipe!

  21. This is my favorite soup. I used to make it in the crock pot, but making it in the instant pot is a miracle! The only thing I tweak is using less coconut milk and opting for a dollop of sour cream when servicing, to balance out the cayenne. Best recipe ever!

  22. This soup is awesome. We love this soup, and occasionally it’s the star of a dinner party, on a dark and rainy fall evening. It makes enough, that I freeze some the cooked and creamed veges, before adding the coconut milk. Best surprise ever to find it in your freezer in January!

    I felt it needed a little punch and added sweet curry powder. It’s absolutely delicious! Everyone loves it! We serve BBQ chicken, salad, and rustic bread.






  23. Best butternut soup! Our whole family loves this recipe!






  24. Very good indeed. I made a variation of this with a bit more than half a teaspoon fenugreek and drizzled a few drops of fresh lemon over it on serving. That was stunningly good too.

  25. Always comes out delicious – one of my standby fall recipes!






  26. I know I have made this before and it was really good! My husband even loved it and he is hard to please. I purposely shared this on my FB page so it would show up again. As I’m reading some variations I noticed the part about roasting the veggies first but for how long? Please tell us or add to the recipe if you can! Thanks!

    • I cut the butternut squash the long way in half and scooped out the seeds, brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and put it at 425 for 50 minutes. Then scooped the soft squash into the pot once it was cooled enough to handle. Next time I’ll probably toss the carrot pieces and apple in some oil and add them to roast about halfway through.






  27. Just delicious, so easy…so wonderful! Adding your recipe to my favorites!






  28. Hands down the best soup I’ve ever made.
    Went by the directions for pressure cooker. Plan on serving this at my Hallowe’en party. Great recipe!






  29. Delicious!!! I followed the stovetop instructions and additionally roasted everything beforehand (onions, carrot, garlic, sage & rosemary coated in oil) in one pan and the butternut squash in another with salt, pepper, and olive oil.

    Then I just let it simmer for less time in the pot and perfection!

    The apple was a great addition, loved it. I also added a few extra cloves of garlic and thought it was great it you are a garlic lover.






  30. Great! First time making this. Little too much pepper, but I”ll adjust next time. Surprisingly good taste and very filling on its own






  31. Looks wonderful. Does it freeze well?

  32. Delicious. I followed recipe but used a dab of cream instead of coconut milk due to many reviewers saying it took away from squash taste. Yet something was missing . So to each bowl I mixed in a dollop of cream cheese, inspiration from a friend recipe that I thought lacking spices. Winner winner. So I did not follow recipe exactly. Definitely put in more garlic, it is a great recipe and will make again and again . Thanks for inspiration






  33. Have made this several times, but tonight I roasted the veggies for the first time it was out of the park. Roasting the squash, carrots, and onion for 30 min at 425 gave it so much more depth and flavor and is a must from now on. Other changes: used two apples (peeled), used a bag of carrots (about 6 medium sized), used three cups of stock instead of 2, and sautéed the minced garlic before adding the roasted veggies and everything else to the pot (cooked on stove top).






  34. I have never had a butternut squash in my house until 3 days (58 years old). Made some roasted veggies with the squash which was delicious. Today, found your recipe and made it. WOW. This is my new fav soup, and I am the Queen of Soups. So excellent. I added a tiny bit of grated ginger and all spice instead of nutmeg. Thanks!!!






  35. I made this last fall and I LOVED IT but could not eat it all. So I froze it in portion sizes. That was a year ago. I pulled out the last one a year later and it was still just as good… heavenly!! I love this soup, the only alteration I made from the original recipe was I added more cayenne…I like spicy. Thanks for the recipe. Definitely a fall fav of mine!






  36. I didn’t have sage but I added some ground Ginger. After Purreeing the batch, I forgot to add the Coconut Milk before serving it and it was really good. Then I remembered the Coconut milk, added it and preferred it without the Coconut Milk! I may have put too much Coconut Milk in the batch and overpowered it. But Writing you to say it is awesome without the C.Milk, too!

  37. I made this and it was the delicious! I love spicy soups so would definitely recommend adding much less cayenne pepper or none if you do not like spice because it definitely had a kick! I did not add coconut milk due to reading reviews that it took away from the butternut squash flavour and I found it delicious without it! I did not have sage so I added a pinch of ground ginger instead. Overall, delicious!






  38. How many pounds/ounces of pre cut butternut squash is the equivalent of a medium squash?

  39. Delicious!!!






  40. I have always shyed away from this soup and it came out AMAZING!!!! Love that you can add variety – I added some ginger…..really so good!

  41. This soup is amazing. . . a staple in my winter arsenal. But just a note: in your instructions, you never specify when to add the coconut milk. I add it before blending ;)






  42. Just made the Mexican version with squash I had already cooked in my instant pot. Loved it with cilantro and sour cream! Would be a perfect compliment with a bean burrito.

  43. Delicious! Easy and did I mention DELICIOUS!






  44. I am sorry. I commented on the wrong recipe. I will definitely try this version as well. Butternut squash is so versitile.

  45. I followed this recipe exact, other than adding an additional 3/4 of an apple. I roasted my veggies (and 1 full apple, opps!) and threw the garlic on top of the roasting veggies the last 8 minutes in the oven. Once done roasting (425 for 40 mins) I threw it all in the slow cooker. This was absolutely fantastic – my 10 and 12 year olds loved it as well. I garnished with an additional dollop of the coconut milk in each bowl at serving. Thank you for sharing this!






  46. Really excellent






  47. Love this recipe so much. We always top ours with the crispy sage and it’s delicious.






  48. Perfect blend of savory and sweet with a little heat! I didn’t like pureed squash soups but now I plan to enjoy butternut squash all winter. Getting the seasonings and consistency right (not too thick) made a huge difference. Plus if you don’t have the coconut milk, a dollop of sour cream is wonderful.






  49. This was awesome soup

    • Ohh this is an amazing recipe! My Nana, mom & boyfriend enjoyed as well. Thank you for sharing this, we will be making it again! Did exactly what was stated, just doubled the recipe. Thank you again, so good!