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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”

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  1. This was fantastic. I followed the recipe exactly. I made it for a trial run to see if I wanted to serve it for thanksgiving. I can absolutely say not only will it be served at this years thanksgiving dinner, but every year from now on. I even ordered a soup tureen to serve it in! It was super easy to make, especially since everything is rough chopped and the apple isn’t even peeled. You’ll never know it when it’s finished. I used an immersion blender and it ended up creamy and smooth.






  2. I was looking for some new way to make my favorite butternut squash soup and I’m gald that google helped me to come accross this one. It is absolutely the best version of this soup I’ve ever had.






  3. This soup is amazing! I used a pinch of dried sage vs fresh and added some fresh ginger ~ and hubby loved it. Will be confidently serving this to my mother in law when she comes to visit from England next week (who is a vegetarian) to “show off” my culinary skills :)






  4. All the most ingredients! lovely soup – velvety and delicious:)

  5. I threw the coconut milk in before reading the entire recipe (that’s so me). Will it still come out ok?

  6. Question? I love fall squash soups! Your ingredients are very similar to what I use. I have family members with specific dietary restrictions. Do you by chance have the nutritional info for your recipe. Due to mislabeling at the garden nursery I have 3x the amount of butternut squash & no delicata or hubbards?. Would love to stock the freezer with this if possible. Many thanks!

  7. This is the first time I’m writing a review for a recipe ever… ‘cause, this soup turned out just AMAZING!!!! Cooked in a slow cooker for 3 and a half hours, garnished with crumbled Queso Fresco, and another time… I added lightly salted toasted COCONUT CHIPS, no words how delicious it was!!! Thank you so much for this simple yet wonderful recipe?






  8. I made this soup today using my oven and stove top. To avoid peeling the medium butternut squash, I roasted it for an hour in the oven at 425* along with a small bulb. I simmered 2 sliced carrots and one apple on the stove with a little vegetable broth. After letting it all cool a bit, I puréed it all in my high powered blender. To kick the flavor up a bit, I doubled the spices using dried sage and freshly ground nutmeg and added a 1:1 mixture of vegetable broth and almond milk. Yum, yum, yum, delicious! Next when I have more time, I’ll try it in the crock pot.






  9. APPLE in butternut squash soup!!! It’s so genuis. I LOVE this soup. 100% my family’s favorite fall soup. I’ve made it with all kinds of apples and sometimes without the sage (just because I didn’t have it) and this is always, always a winner. This is hands-down the best use for a butternut squash. Make it today!






  10. Can I make this with a different kind of apple?

  11. No need to peel the apple?

  12. I just finished making this soup; it sounds wonderful and can’t wait to eat it!
    I made one mistake-I added the coconut milk in with all the ingredients; sure hope that wouldn’t spoil
    the outcome. Has anyone else ever done this and if you did, did the soup still taste as good?

  13. I made this recipe using 4 times ingredients it was divine!!!! My family of 7 and a few friends finished the entire pot






  14. I simply used squash, carrot, celery, onion, the stock, salt and pepper and it came out perfectly flavorful for my liking! I do like the twist with sage and coconut milk for a little whimsy, and a great alternative to heavy cream- but you can also stick with the basics and the squash does all the work. I personally do not like the garlic in this soup.

  15. This was so wonderful!! Honestly really yummy hot or cold. Thank you so much for sharing!!






  16. This was awesome! Cooked on stove top and the Only change I made was adding 1/2 of a sweet potato that was in the frig. Kept it oil free by not sautéing anything before. It is GREAT! Will definitely be making again and again






  17. My wife and I love to cook, but my wife has made a great Squash soup for over 40 years. With the addition of an Instant Pot in our kitchen she decided to try your recipe – HANDS DOWN THIS IS OUR FAVORITE VERSION THANKS!

  18. ps – Using vegetable stock makes this a perfect soup for our vegan friends and family for Holiday meals and gatherings






  19. This recipe worked out just like the recipe said. Served it with salad to a group of friends. They all loved it. Surprisingly the 1/8th teaspoon cayenne pepper made it too spicy for my one year old. I would make this again since it was so easy!






  20. Super easy and absolutely yummy…. perfect “curled up on the couch watching football “food!! Will definitely make it again!






  21. This recipe was a lot of fun for my son and I to put together. Thank you for sharing it!

    Regards from Hawai’i!






  22. I inadvertently added the coconut at the beginning of the process for the slow cooker…will my soup be ruined?

    • It should still be ok! The coconut milk may separate a bit if the soup comes to a boil, but it’ll be ok once you puree the soup altogether in the end. :) Enjoy!

  23. 1/8 tsp cayenne makes this very tangy. Next time I’ll do a punch. Very good though. I garnished with toasted seasoned pumpkin seeds. ?






  24. I added 1 medium red pepper instead of the apple and it came out amazing. This recipe is perfect for customizing.






  25. Soooooo good! We ate every last bite!






  26. This soup was amazing. It was so buttery and velvety and hardy. Delicious






  27. OMG yum! I was heavy handed on the cayenne and pepper, so mine is intentionally pretty spicy. It is AMAZING!! Cooked mine on the stove top. Super fast. I’m on my third bowl! Can’t stop eating it!! lol






  28. I ended up having more squash than I needed and spiced it up ended up adding a can of coconut milk and it ended up wonderful very smooth with a spiced creamy finish tasted like r estaurant quality
    Very good recipe

  29. I can’t wait to try this recipe later today. But you don’t indicate how much coconut milk to use with this amount of squash — help!

  30. WOW! This soup is amazing! Thank you. I love the choice of ingredients. I used BN squash, shallots, garlic, carrot, 1/2 apple, my homemade fermented hot sauce, salt and pepper, cinnamon, sage and nutmeg. I used a medium yellow potato for creaminess.






  31. I added shredded carrots, yellow squash, and sweet potatoes. It turned out amazing! I definitely want to try this with some pumpkin and acorn squash next time. Quick and blended with immersion blender was perfect texture.






  32. So good that I would like to make again and have portions for lunches. Can it be frozen?






  33. Does this recipe freeze and if so how long?

  34. I loved it! Didn’t have any carrots :-o but it came out yummy anyway! I’ve tried several versions before and his is a winner. I will make it again very soon.






  35. can this be made with canned pumpkin puree? It looks amazing – thank you for another great recipe :)

  36. Amazing recipe! Delicious soup!






  37. A little too spicy so might tone down the cayenne and would peel apples as there were chunks of apple peel that the immersion blender didn’t purée. Also ended up adding coconut milk to the pot which seemed to have no affect. Would definitely consider for thanksgiving but wondering if anyone doubled the recipe?

    • I doubled it. I sauteed the onion and garlic as suggested and also peeled the apple before adding. I used my blender to puree in batches. I strained the liquid first and only added the vegtables + whatever liquid I needed to blend it smooth . Then I added all the liquid and puree back together in a big stock pot. I would serve the coconut milk only as a garnish drizzled on top of the soup. It reheats and store well.

  38. Decided to make this from the great reviews. I must say I was rather disappointed. If I were to make it again, I would cut way back on the garlic. I would even omit it. I found it to be very heavily garlic flavored. I would definitely add more salt and a lot more cinnamon.






  39. Delicious! I made as directed except I didn’t have any garlic. It was warm, cozy and comforting on a cold, gray Nebraska day. Thank you for another wonderful recipe.






  40. This is my third time making butternut squash soup in the crock pot, 1st time was curried and too hot for my coworkers potluck. 2nd time I went with your recipe but it seems the apple was too sweet for them. Third time’s the charm… like Goldilocks and the porridge LOL. I swapped out the apple for a red bell pepper, paprika in place of cayenne, a dash of ginger (just because) and NO garlic… thumbs up! Seasoned croutons for garnish. It freezes very nicely, thanks for a great recipe!






  41. Can you freeze left overs?






  42. Made this on the stovetop, and it couldn’t have been easier! My Vitamix blended the soup perfectly (I did separate into 2 batches). I made mine with roasted brussels sprouts and beer bread and it was quite a filling dinner. Except for the butter and honey, which are easily substituted, an entirely vegan meal!






  43. This is absolutely delicious! I didn’t have sage or coconut milk, so i left them out. I did use a little whipping cream in place of the coconut milk. By far my favorite way to eat this is adding baby arugula to the bowls and pouring the hot soup on top to wilt. Fabulous!






  44. Many Thanks for posting this recipe, I will must try to home. I hope you will upload more this type of recipes.






  45. I’ve always struggled to get my butternut squash soup to taste just right, a little sweet, a little savory and a little spicy. This recipe hit just the right note – perfection! The apples did the trick for me. This will be a favorite of mine for the winter.






  46. This soup is mind blowing. Made the first batch overnight in my slow cooker and the second batch is currently melting into this delicious goodness. Do not hesitate to make this – I am thrilled with the taste, texture and color. It will be a great addition to my grandson’s first birthday party tomorrow – a grilled cheese and soup bar! This is perfection and he deserves nothing less. No changes to this recipe.






  47. Made it in an instapot. It was way too thick. Doubled the broth, used chicken instead. Then once I used the submersible blender, it was still too thick. So, I added about 1/3 cup of heavy cream. Voila’ perfection.

  48. Just made this soup, it was delicious!
    I omitted the coconut milk (just didn’t have any) and cayenne.
    Cooked stove top and used an immersion blender, leaving it a little chunky.
    Great for a cold fall evening, definitely making again!






  49. This soup is awesome!! I roasted the squash, carrot, and onion first. Then simmered all on the stove as instructed. I doubled all of the spices except the cayenne. As it cooked, I added approximately another cup of vegetable stock (mine looked like it was cooking too dry for my preference). I cooled it down for a bit, then “pulsed” it in my NINJA in 2 batches using the exact amount of coconut milk suggested. OMG! The flavors are incredible! First time adding apple and I will definitely use this recipe as my “go to”.






  50. Tonight is my second time making this soup. This recipe is so easy (I follow the crock pot directions) and delicious. My husband said it tastes like Christmas ;) Thank you!