This easy butternut squash soup recipe is perfectly creamy, velvety, and full of sweet and savory autumn flavors. Instant Pot, Crock-Pot and stovetop options included.
The Coziest Autumn Soup
Is there a more quintessentially autumn meal than a cozy bowl of butternut squash soup? ♡
On a particularly chilly day this past weekend, we made our millionth batch of my mom’s butternut squash soup recipe to share with friends who came over for dinner. As always, this vibrant, nourishing, velvety soup delivered all the fall comfort-food vibes and completely hit the spot. It’s just perfect this time of year!
One of the best things about this butternut squash soup is that it’s naturally gluten-free and vegan, which makes it a great option for hosting (especially around the holidays). It’s also easy to make in the Instant Pot, Crock-Pot, or on the stovetop, so you can take your pick. Most importantly, it’s perfectly balanced with sweet-and-savory autumn flavors and absolutely delicious. Thousands of readers have made this one over the years and agree!
Best Butternut Squash Soup Recipe | 1-Minute Video
Recipe Tips
Here are a few tips to help make the best butternut squash soup every time:
- Aim for silky-smooth. Blend longer than you think—an extra 30–60 seconds makes it ultra-velvety.
- Balance the sweetness. Granny Smith adds brightness; a squeeze of lemon at the end can perk flavors right up.
- Salt matters. Different brands of broths vary in saltiness, so season in layers and finish with a final pinch to make flavors pop.
Recipe Variations
Feel free to try these easy twists to customize the recipe and make it your own:
- Roast the veggies: Roast the squash, carrot, and onion at 425°F until caramelized, then blend for deeper, sweeter flavor.
- Make it smoky: Swap cayenne for chipotle chili powder and finish with a sprinkle of smoked paprika.
- Use cream: Sub heavy cream or half-and-half for the coconut milk for an ultra-silky, dairy-based finish.
- Go Thai-inspired: Stir in 1–2 tablespoons red curry paste and 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger; finish with lime and cilantro.
- Go Mexican-inspired: Omit sage/nutmeg and add 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin plus a pinch of chipotle; serve with lime and cilantro.
- Brighten it up: Add a squeeze of lemon juice or a splash of apple cider vinegar to balance sweetness.
- Have fun with toppings: Try toasted pepitas, roasted chickpeas, crispy sage, chili crisp, coconut milk swirl, croutons, or Parmesan.
FAQ
Yes, you will need about 4 to 5 cups diced raw butternut squash, which roughly equals about 2 pounds. Feel free to use fresh or frozen!
Definitely! Let it cool completely, portion into airtight containers, and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight and rewarm gently, adding extra broth if needed.
If you feel that the soup is too sweet, feel free to add a pinch more salt, a squeeze of lemon, or an extra dash of cayenne or black pepper to balance the sweetness.
Sure. Kabocha, honeynut, or sugar-pie pumpkin all work well. They’re often a bit sweeter/drier, so feel free to add a splash of broth or lemon juice if needed.
More Vegetarian Soup Recipes To Try
Looking for more cozy vegetarian soup recipes to make this season? Here are a few of our favorites:
- Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup
- Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Potato Leek Soup
- Quick Black Bean Soup
- Tomato Feta Soup
Butternut Squash Soup
- 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
- 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 3 pound*) 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.)
- 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:
- Slow cook: Add the oil (optional), onion, garlic, vegetable broth, carrot, apple, butternut squash, sage, cayenne, cinnamon and nutmeg to a small (3-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.
- 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.)
- 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.)
- 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
Store-bought diced squash: If you’d like to save time, feel free to use 2 pounds of pre-cut butternut squash (fresh or frozen) instead.
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.
Well Haley, I saved my too sweet batch with another w/o the milk and it’s perfect! ?
Now I have plenty to share.
Next time I make it, I think I will add a sweet potato and a few TBSP of brown sugar and 3TBSP of the milk. Then I’ll serve it with crumbled bacon on top… yum.
Ive always wanted to try this recipe and since my daughter is on a soft food diet after having oral surgery I knew this would be very filling ( the chicken soup just wasn’t enough, this child is craving pizza) lol. Unfortunately I got really busy multitasking and even though I read the recipe first, I mistakingly added the whole can of sweetened coconut milk and it’s too sweet :(
I am so disappointed after all the hard work. It’s very good but too sweet. The only thing I can think to do is make another batch w/o the coconut milk and blend the two batches together because there is No way I’m discarding it! What do you think, is there any other way to fix it?
Oh no, we’re sorry about that Wendy! We think making another batch without the coconut milk and mixing the two together is probably your best bet for a save. We hope that helps!
I’m dying to make this soup for a get together tomorrow. I used to make a similar soup and lost the recipe but this one looks fantastic. Can you please tell me how many people it serves?
Hi Priscilla, this makes about 6-8 servings. We hope you enjoy!
Hi! This recipe looks great and i plan on Making it tomorrow. Is there a way I can use cream cheese instead of coconut milk? It’s just what I have in the house.
Thank you!
Thanks Rebeka — we hope you enjoy this! We haven’t tried cream cheese in this, but we think that should be fine!
What a deliciously healthy and EASY recipe! This is going to become a winter staple in my household, especially since it requires absolutely no pre-cooking and just some basic peeling and chopping! Left it on the counter all day and the house smelled amazing when I returned home – perfect for a meatless Lenten Friday! I made a few swaps: I didn’t have coconut milk so I used 1%, and it still turned out creamy and delicious. I also added more like 4C of broth because I wanted to make a big batch – also added a bit more spice and seasoning to balance out the flavors (I also used dried sage). Will DEFINITELY make this one again!
Thanks for sharing Steph — we’re so glad you enjoyed this! :D
Wow….very good and super easy! I made this to serve at a baby shower and I know it’s going to be a hit. N
Now to make a batch for myself.
Thanks Britt, we’re glad to hear that! :D
Absolutely DELICIOUS. Loved it! Used my nutri-bullet at the end and it worked great! Thank you for the delicious recipe!
Thanks Alexis — we’re so glad you enjoyed it! :)
This may be a silly question…..is the apple peeled? Picture and directions do not show that.
Hi Jan! The apple is not peeled (you can see the skin in the second photo). We just core and dice it. We hope you enjoy!
Just put this soup in the crockpot and I used light coconut milk. I’m an avid My Fitness Pal user so I entered the ingredients into the recipe calculator and it calculated 90 calories based on 6 servings.
could this be ccoked on stove so it could be ready to eat sooner?
Yes, definitely! We would suggest cutting your butternut squash in half and roasting it. Place the halves on a large baking sheet flesh side up. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast 50 to 60 minutes, until squash is tender (check with a fork). While you are roasting your squash, you can sauté your other carrots, onion and apple (add your sage, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cayenne when you do this). Then add your garlic and sauté for another minute or so. Transfer to a blender, or use an immersion blender and puree. Carefully add your coconut milk as you puree, as well as your squash. Taste and add any more seasoning if you’d like. Enjoy!