Butternut Squash Soup

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup — Made with roasted butternut squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, sage, thyme, and more to create a gorgeous, creamy, fall-inspired soup that everyone LOVES! Great as a healthy main dish or a perfect side dish for Thanksgiving or the holidays! Serve it in acorn squash bowls for an even more festive look! 

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

Fall is officially here and there’s no better way to celebrate the season than with an acorn squash bowl filled with this creamy and comforting butternut squash soup recipe with a hint of natural sweetness that’s brought out by roasting sweet potatoes and carrots with butternut squash.

Curling up with a bowl of this vibrantly colored soup made from a blend of roasted butternut and acorn squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, and fall-inspired seasonings like sage and thyme is the best way to really settle into all of those cozy fall feelings.

What brings roasted butternut squash soup all together is the cup of full fat coconut milk that gets stirred in right at the end. The already silky smooth soup thanks to a quick pureeing turns it into pure creamy decadence. 

I love that it’s so rich and creamy but remains both accidentally vegan and gluten free. Trust me, you’d never realize this butternut and acorn squash soup is vegan unless you were told! The rich depth of flavor, the creamy consistency, you’re not going to miss a thing. 

This is a great benefit for those family or holiday gatherings when you are trying to cook for an accommodate different dietary preferences – everyone will be happy with this soup! 

Have I mentioned that this soup is so easy to make? Essentially, all you need to do is roast the veggies, mix them with sautéed onions and garlic, add the remaining ingredients, and puree it all together. You can have this soup ready from start to finish in just over 1 hour.

Don’t let the acorn bowls scare you off, either. Making those is the easiest part of all – just halve them, scoop out the seeds, and roast them. Plus, when you use acorn bowls instead of normal ones, that’s one less dish to wash which is a nice win.

While you don’t have to serve  in the acorn bowl, I recommend doing so because it adds a rustic and gorgeous touch when served.

And for those of you who love soups along these lines, make sure to also check out my Easy 30-Minute Pumpkin Soup.

Ingredients in Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Whether you head to your local farmers market, supermarket, or even your very own garden (lucky you!), you’ll love the amount of healthy veggies in this warm and cozy butternut squash and sweet potato soup.

All the ingredients are easy to find, inexpensive, and healthy including the following:

Squash Bowls for Serving (optional but recommended)

• Acorn squash
• Olive oil
• Granulated sugar
• Salt
• Pepper

Soup

• Butternut squash
• Carrots
• Sweet potato
• Olive oil
• Yellow onion
• Garlic
• Vegetable broth
• Sage
• Bay leaves
• Thyme
• Cinnamon
• Salt
• Pepper
• Full-fat coconut milk

Toppings for Serving, optional and as desired

• Kale chips
• Pomegranate arils
• Pumpkin seeds
• Toasted sage leaves

Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.

How to Make Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Roast, sauté, blend, and enjoy. That’s really all there is to making this rustic roasted butternut squash soup in few simple and straightforward steps. Grab your ingredients and let’s get started!

Step 1: Prepare your kitchen. Before you begin chopping your ingredients, make sure you set your oven to 400°F and line a cookie sheet with nonstick foil and spray it with cooking spray for easier cleanup.

Step 2: Make the acorn squash bowls. Start by slicing the acorn squash in half and removing the seeds to create two evenly-sized bowls. Brush the acorn squash with olive oil and sprinkle with sugar, salt, and pepper.

Place the prepared acorn squash halves on the baking sheet cut side up and bake for 2o minutes, flip both halves upside down, and continue baking for another 25 minutes until the squash is roasted.

Tip: If you’re not planning on serving your soup in squash bowls, skip step 2.

Step 3: Roast the veggies. After you’ve got the squash bowls roasting, peel and chop the butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots, toss them onto a separate baking sheet, and bake the veggies with the acorn squash for 20 minutes. Meaning just pop these in after you’ve flipped the acorn squash.

Step 4: Sauté the onions and garlic. Preheat some olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven, add the onions and saute for a few minutes, and finish by adding the garlic in the final minute.

Step 5: Add more ingredients and bring to a simmer. After the vegetables have roasted, add them the pot along with the herbs, seasonings, salt, and pepper.

Step 6: Top with vegetable broth.

Step 7: Simmer and cook for 20 minutes.

Step 8: Stir in the coconut milk.

Step 9: Blend until smooth. Remove the pot from the burner. Add half of the soup to the canister of a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Remove the pureed soup portion, add the remainder, and purée it.

Step 10: Serve and enjoy! This is the best part of course! Fill the acorn squash bowls with your freshly made roasted butternut squash soup and garnish or serve with kale chips, pomegranate arils, pumpkin seeds, or whatever you love.

Toppings for Butternut Squash Soup

Not sure how to garnish your soup? I recommend one or more of the following butternut squash soup toppings: 

• Kale chips
• Pomegranate arils
• Pumpkin seeds
• Toasted sage leaves

Do I Have to Roast the Vegetables for Soup?

You need to roast the butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots for a couple reasons:

1. Flavor – Roasting the vegetables lends so much more flavor than any other method of cooking them such as boiling them.
2. Cook time – It would be almost impossible to cook through these very hard root vegetables in just the soup broth with first roasting them since you’d have to simmer for a much longer amount of time. Better to roast away instead!

Can I Use a Different Type of Squash for the Soup?

You can’t have butternut squash soup without using butternut squash! However, there are tons of squash varieties in season right now and if you have another favorite such as delicata or kabocha squash and want to mix-and-match the squash, go for it.

You’ll want 1 pound total. 

You can also add additional sweet potatoes or carrots if you have an extra one on hand – just bump up the amount of broth you add so the consistency is soup-like.

Is Butternut Squash Soup Vegan and Gluten Free?

This holiday and fall soup recipe is accidentally vegan and gluten free.

I made this butternut squash soup with coconut milk, so this is a vegan friendly recipe made with no animal products and no gluten.

However, if you’re not vegan, you can choose to use chicken broth and/or heavy cream if preferred.

I will say this, though, I’m not vegan, and I still prefer this soup exactly how it is. The flavor and consistency is perfect. You’re really not sacrificing any rich flavor or creaminess by solely using vegan ingredients.

Does Roasted Butternut Squash Soup Taste Like Coconut?

In my opinion, no the butternut squash soup doesn’t taste strongly of coconut milk.

However, I love coconut milk and am a bit immune to the flavor and it blends into the background for me.

If you are very concerned about this, my suggestion is to use heavy cream, half-and-half, or a thicker nondairy milk such as cashew milk if you’re concerned. 

That being said, I urge you to make the recipe as-is with canned coconut milk as written.

Do I Have to Use Fresh Herbs?

I am a mix-and-match person when it comes to fresh versus dried herbs in recipes.

I prefer using fresh sage and thyme in this simple soup recipe because they lend the best aromatic qualities and really help to create the best herbaceous flavor.

With that being said, feel free to swap the fresh herbs for dried if that’s more convenient for you. Dried herbs tend to be more potent, so if you do swap the fresh herbs for dried, cut the measurement in half or the herb flavor could be too bold and overpowering. 

Can I Eat The Acorn Squash Bowls?

Yes, every element of this soup is edible, including the bowl it’s served in. It reminds me of serving Beer Cheese Soup in a bread bowl and being able to nibble away at the bowl or scrape your spoon against the interior of the bowl.

Important note though – just the acorn squash flesh is edible, but not the outer tough green skin.

If you have a picky eater at your table who doesn’t love veggies, this is a great way of sneaking some into their bellies. 

Can the Recipe Be Doubled? 

If you plan to serve the butternut squash and sweet potato soup for a dinner party or holiday gathering and you need more acorn squash bowls, feel free to roast additional acorn squash and then double the soup portion of the recipe, or as necessary to suit your needs.

What to Serve with Butternut Squash Soup

If you’re planning on serving the soup as for lunch or as a main course for dinner, it’s nice to serve it with a bit of bread such as Skillet Cornbread, Sourdough Bread, Quick and Easy Beer Bread, or my favorite fall flavored Honey Butter Pumpkin Dinner Rolls.

If you want to round out your already veggie-dense meal with even more autumnal veggies, serve your soup with a side of Roasted Brussels Sprouts Quinoa Chickpea Salad.

Of course, if your butternut squash soup is going to be served as a holiday side dish, break out the others sides too like Classic Mashed Potatoes, Tri-Colored Herb Roasted Carrots (a reader favorite) and don’t forget a Foolproof Roasted Turkey! 

After enjoying an acorn squash filled bowl of nutritious soup, you deserve a little treat… And that treat should be in the form of Soft Vegan Pumpkin Cake with Pumpkin Spice Buttercream Frosting! It’s another favorite vegan recipe because you get everything you love about pumpkin cake with none of the dairy or eggs, and you don’t even miss them.

How to Store Leftovers

Once your homemade fall soup cools to room temperature, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Feel free to reheat it in the microwave. I like to zap mine in 30 second increments, stirring every time it stops until it’s totally warmed through.

Butternut Squash Soup also freezes very well, making it a wonderful make-ahead meal. Wait for it to totally cool down to room temperature, then pour it into a freezer safe food storage container. Don’t forget to label and date it! In the freezer, your soup will stay fresh for up to 4 months. 

Use individually portioned containers for quicker and easier thawing.

Let your frozen soup slowly thaw in the fridge before reheating it either in the microwave or right back in the pot over medium heat. If you do reheat the soup in your pot over medium heat, be sure to stir frequently until it’s warmed through.

Tips for the Best Butternut Squash Soup

Don’t Overcook: For the best results, don’t overcook the acorn squash. It should be fork tender so you can easy carve into it with your spoon as you’re eating the soup. Don’t overcook it because it will collapse and turn to mush. 45 minutes, flipping halfway through, is about right for most average sized squash, but watch yours since it can vary.

Butternut Squash: Use pre-chopped butternut squash that you can find in the produce section of most grocery stores or in bags in Trader Joe’s or your favorite market. Butternut squash is an incredibly hard squash and this is a time where I strongly recommend going with a convenience produce like previously cleaned and cubed squash rather than putting in the elbow grease yourself.

Herbs: While fresh herbs are preferred, you can certainly use dried herbs if that’s what you have on hand. Just be sure to halve the ingredients as needed.

Sugar: Why are we adding sugar to soup you. may be wondering? It’s actually sprinkled on the acorn squash bowls. It helps them caramelize and also cuts a bit of the bitterness and for that reason I suggest it. However, you can omit it and see what happens.

Vegetables: After peeling the carrots, butternut squash, and sweet potatoes, cut them into evenly-sized 1-inch pieces so they all roast evenly in the oven. If some pieces are much bigger than others, they may not cook all the way through, while pieces that are too small may burn.

Coconut Milk: When selecting coconut milk, it can be a little confusing. You want shelf-stable canned coconut milk, not in a carton, not anything that’s a refrigerated coconut milk, make sure it’s unsweetened, and don’t confuse cream of coconut or coconut cream (it’s super sweet, and best in a pina colada and not in soup) for the canned coconut milk you want for your roasted squash and carrot soup.

I suggest full fat coconut milk for the best deliciously creamy results. As I mentioned already, you can swap it with heavy cream or half-and-half or cashew milk to keep the soup vegan.

At the end, if your soup is thicker than you’d like, feel free to add additional coconut milk.

Blending and Pureeing: While it’s not required, I like this soup served blended or pureed. If you want to retain a bit more texture, blend half of it, while keeping the other half unblended. I like to use my high speed Vitamix blender. Use caution anytime you are blending hot liquids. Carefully pop the top of the Vitamix or your blender to allow a bit of steam to escape but not so much that soup goes flying! I use an old kitchen towel that I drape over the top hole of my Vitamix.

You can also use a handheld immersion blender noting that they are not as powerful so your soup will not get as smooth and liquids tend to spray.

Make sure to remove the bay leaves before blending!

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4.56 from 9 votes

Butternut Squash Soup

By Averie Sunshine

Made with roasted butternut and acorn squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, sage, thyme, and more to create a gorgeous, creamy, fall-inspired soup that everyone LOVES! Great as a healthy main dish or a perfect side dish for Thanksgiving or the holidays! Serve it in acorn squash bowls for an even more festive look! 

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 cups

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Ingredients  

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Squash Bowls for Serving (optional but recommended)

• ▢ 2 medium acorn squash, halved and seeded
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• ▢ Salt, to taste
• ▢ Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Soup

• ▢ 1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cubed into 1-inch pieces*
• ▢ 4 medium to large carrots, peeled and cubed into 1-inch pieces
• ▢ 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed into 1-inch pieces
• ▢ 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• ▢ 1 small to medium yellow onion, finely diced
• ▢ 3 to 5 cloves garlic, finely minced
• ▢ 4 cups reduced sodium vegetable broth
• ▢ 4 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried sage, or to taste)
• ▢ 2 bay leaves
• ▢ 1 sprig fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, or to taste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• ▢ 1 cup full fat coconut milk, or as desired for consistency**

Toppings and Serving, optional and as desired

• ▢ Kale chips
• ▢ Pomegranate arils
• ▢ Pumpkin seeds
• ▢ Toasted or fried sage leaves

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

Acorn Squash Bowls (Optional)

• Preheat oven to 400F, line a baking sheet with nonstick foil if desired for easier cleanup, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
• Halve the squash, scoop out the seeds, brush the flesh side with olive oil, evenly sprinkle with sugar (to help caramelize it and cut the bitterness), salt, pepper, and place on the prepared baking sheet flesh side facing upwards.
• Roast for 20 minutes. Tip - While roasting, start chopping the butternut squash, carrots, and sweet potato, and have them ready and waiting. See step 5.
• Remove from the oven, and using hot mitts, flip over the acorn squash, and roast for about 25 minutes more, or until done. It should be fork-tender so that a spoon can easily scoop out the flesh. Make sure not to overcook or the squash will be mushy, collapse, and won't hold the soup.

Soup

• At the same time that you are roasting the acorn squash halves the second time around after they've been flipped, to a separate large baking sheet lined with nonstick foil and sprayed with cooking spray for easier clean, add the cubed butternut squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Roast for about 25 minutes, or until everything is fork-tender; toss once midway through to ensure even cooking. While you're waiting for both the acorn squash and sheet pan of vegetables to roast, move on to the next steps.
• To a large Dutch oven or large pot, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, onions, and saute over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, or until onions are beginning to soften; stir frequently.
• Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute, or until fragrant; stir nearly constantly. Set pot aside and wait for the roasted vegetables to finish.
• Add the roasted butternut squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, broth, sage, bay leaves, thyme, cinnamon, salt, and pepper to the sautéed onions, bring to a boil, and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Add the coconut milk and stir to combine.
• Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprig if you used fresh in place of dried thyme.
• Pour half the soup into the canister of a high-speed electric blender, and using caution making sure to leave a place for steam to escape (I cover the hole of my Vitamix with an old kitchen towel that I hold in place), puree the soup until as smooth as combined. Start on a low speed to make sure it doesn't go flying, just in case.
• Pour the blended portion into a separate large pot, and repeat the process with the second half soup and blend it. If you want a chunkier soup or soup with more texture, it's okay to only puree and not all of it; or puree none if you want a really chunky soup. You can also use a handheld immersion blender for the pureeing task, noting they aren't as powerful and your soup won't likely get as smooth.
• Make sure to taste the soup and if it needs additional salt or pepper, add it. Additional cinnamon, sage, thyme, or ground nutmeg are also welcome.

Toppings and Serving

• Pour the soup into the roasted acorn squash bowls or bowls of your choice and serve with your favorite toppings including kale chips, pomegranate arils, pumpkin seeds, or additional coconut milk,

Notes

*Use pre-chopped butternut squash that you can find in the produce section of most grocery stores or in bags in Trader Joe's or your favorite market. Butternut squash is an incredibly hard squash and this is a time where I strongly recommend going with a convenience produce like previously cleaned and cubed squash rather than putting in the elbow grease yourself.

**When selecting coconut milk, it can be a little confusing. You want shelf-stable canned coconut milk, not in a carton, not anything that’s a refrigerated coconut milk, make sure it’s unsweetened, and don’t confuse cream of coconut or coconut cream (it’s super sweet, and best in a pina colada and not in soup) for the canned coconut milk you want for your roasted squash and carrot soup.

I suggest full fat coconut milk for the best deliciously creamy results. As I mentioned already, you can swap it with heavy cream or half-and-half or cashew milk to keep the soup vegan.

Storage: Soup will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months. Store or freeze in individually portioned containers for faster reheating or thawing.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 393kcal, Carbohydrates: 48g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g, Sodium: 646mg, Fiber: 11g, Sugar: 14g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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