Butternut Squash Soup

Served piping hot with a hunk of crusty bread, this creamy, nourishing butternut squash soup recipe is fall comfort food at its best.

Butternut squash soup

My favorite fall tradition is making butternut squash soup on Sunday afternoons. On a brisk day, there’s nothing more soothing than chopping and simmering vegetables over a warm stove. As you cook, the kitchen fills with the cozy scent of sage, rosemary, and butternut squash, and when you’re finished, steaming bowls of butternut squash soup (that will last all week!) reward you for your work.

In the past, my go-to butternut squash soup recipe has included coconut milk and curry spices, but this fall, I found myself craving one that was a bit more traditional. When I say traditional, I don’t mean that I use chicken stock, heavy cream, or butter in this recipe. It’s a delicious, all-veggie healthy butternut squash soup with ginger, sage, and rosemary. This is basically fall in a bowl.

We’ve been loving this soup lately – it’s creamy and nourishing, perfect for satisfying cozy fall cravings. With only 10 ingredients, it’s easy to make, so cook a big batch today, and enjoy the soup all week long! Happy fall. 🙂

Butternut squash soup recipe ingredients

Butternut Squash Soup Recipe Ingredients

To make this easy butternut squash soup recipe, you need 10 simple ingredients:

  • Butternut squash – This soup packs in 3 pounds of squash, so look for a medium-large one at the store or farmers market. If you don’t have a scale at home, I recommend weighing the squash when you buy it!
  • Yellow onion and garlic – These veggies add delicious depth of flavor.
  • Fresh sage and rosemary – I don’t reach for rosemary as often as some other fresh herbs, but I absolutely love it here. Along with the sage, it makes this soup cozy and complex.
  • Ginger – Its warm flavor highlights the autumnal taste of the herbs and squash.
  • Extra-virgin olive oil – 2 tablespoons add the perfect amount of richness.
  • Vegetable broth – Because the blended squash becomes creamy on its own, there’s no need for dairy, coconut milk, or nuts here! With veggie broth as its base, this is a vegan butternut squash soup recipe.
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper – Add them with the onion at the start of the cooking process, but make sure to taste and adjust at the end as well. That way, you’ll make a soup you really love!

Let’s cook!

Butternut squash

First, chop the veggies! Sauté the onion until it becomes translucent, add the squash, and cook until it begins to soften. Then, stir in the herbs, garlic, and ginger. Pour in the broth and simmer until the squash becomes tender, about 20 minutes.

Butternut squash soup recipe Vegan butternut squash soup

When the squash is soft, transfer the soup to a blender. Blend until the soup is vibrant orange and creamy. Finally, pour it into bowls, garnish with chopped parsley and pepitas, and enjoy!

Butternut squash soup

What to Serve with Butternut Squash Soup

Enjoy this soup as a starter, side, or main dish. When I’m making it the center of a meal, I serve it with good crusty bread, homemade focaccia, avocado toast, or corn muffins and a simple veggie side or fall salad. Here are a few of my favorites:

Alternatively, serve it as an appetizer with a hearty vegetarian main dish like Roasted Cauliflower SteaksVegan Meatball Sandwiches, Homemade Mac and CheeseSun Dried Tomato Pasta, or a grilled cheese sandwich!

Butternut squash soup

If you love this butternut squash soup…

Try my miso soup, lentil soup, or vegetable soup next. Then, check out these 35 Best Soup Recipes for more soup inspiration!

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Butternut Squash Soup

rate this recipe:
4.96 from 1999 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Serves 6
This vegan butternut squash soup is the ultimate fall comfort food! Store it in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze it for up to a few months.

Equipment

Ingredients

For serving

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, salt, and several grinds of fresh pepper and sauté until soft, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the squash and cook until it begins to soften, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Add the garlic, sage, rosemary, and ginger. Stir and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant, then add 3 cups of the broth. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the squash is tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
  • Let cool slightly and pour the soup into a blender, working in batches if necessary, and blend until smooth. If your soup is too thick, add up to 1 cup more broth and blend. Season to taste and serve with parsley, pepitas, and crusty bread.

 

1491 comments

4.96 from 1999 votes (1,327 ratings without comment)

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Nicole
    12.01.2025

    1 star
    Very meh. I think it would’ve been better to roast the squash first. 1 star because I would not make this recipe again.

  2. Anne
    12.01.2025

    I would like to make ahead for Christmas Eve. Can I freeze it?

  3. Rosalind gott
    12.01.2025

    5 stars
    Fabulous soup

  4. Lois Scott
    11.29.2025

    1 star
    The sage was overwhelming,. The squash flavor was non existent. Would not make it again. Unfortunately the soup went down the drain.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      11.30.2025

      I’m sorry this one wasn’t for you.

  5. Wendy
    11.29.2025

    5 stars
    I was surprised at how good this was….delicious. I like that it’s not made with cream or milk. I did sprinkle a little nutmeg in at the end.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      11.30.2025

      Hi Wendy, I’m glad you enjoyed it!

  6. Sherry Crognale
    11.29.2025

    What is the calorie count per serving ?

  7. Jennifer
    11.27.2025

    5 stars
    Im sick with a cold on thanksgiving so made this soup for lunch. I had to use what I had in hand so I used chicken stock, thyme instead of sage and added half a green apple. So yummy!!

  8. Katie
    11.26.2025

    5 stars
    Easy to make and tasted great

  9. Liz
    11.25.2025

    5 stars
    This was the flavor I have been searching for! I baked the butternut squash first then sautéed leeks instead of yellow onion and used homemade chicken broth, but otherwise followed the recipe. It blended great with an immersion blender when just warm because handling hot soup feels precarious. I garnished it with parley and crumbled feta cheese. It was filling and rich without being heavy.
    Thanks L&L, this recipe is a keeper!

  10. Cassidy
    11.24.2025

    5 stars
    Incredible! You would not think somethinf with minimal ingredients would be so hearty! The recipe is spot on!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      11.25.2025

      I’m glad you loved it!

  11. Sarah
    11.23.2025

    5 stars
    This soup is delicious! My daughters love it. I prepare it on Sundays in advance for those busy weeknights!

  12. Christina
    11.22.2025

    Can I substitute frozen butternut squash for fresh? I have a broken arm and can’t cut butternut squash one armed.

  13. Ali
    11.21.2025

    This recipe looks awesome, but I’m not spending $418 on a pot to make it. Can I just use a normal one?

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      11.22.2025

      Hi Ali, you can make this soup in any large pot!

  14. Jessica
    11.21.2025

    5 stars
    Wonderful and velvety! Tastes like Christmas ☺️

  15. Sara
    11.21.2025

    5 stars
    This is THE BEST butternut squash soup recipe! I make it on repeat and my family literally can’t get enough! Thank you!!

  16. Joseph
    11.20.2025

    Yikes I used dry sage instead fresh and didn’t modify the amount.

  17. Josh
    11.19.2025

    5 stars
    We loved this soup! I made it as is and tasted it. Awesome!

    Then I tweaked it, not much, but if your wife is Persian, add a tsp of Turmeric, and the usual Saffron water at the end.

  18. Bri
    11.19.2025

    5 stars
    This soup is amazing! I’ve wanted to make butternut squash soup for a year or so and was intimidated to cut up a squash. Find a YouTube video on how to dice a butternut squash – It is actually quite simple with a decent chef knife! (I use a Victorinox 8” Straight Chef’s Knife.)

    I had a lovely experience making this soup! I feel it was a low-maintenance process and I was able to prep and cook this over a lunch break, let it cool off, and came back to it to blend it up! The ginger compliments the butternut squash so beautifully.

    I used what I had in my spice cabinet and found the substituting “Tablespoon” for “Teaspoon” worked perfectly for fresh to dry conversion. (1 teaspoon Sage, 1/2 teaspoon Rosemary)

    A perfect Fall soup recipe! Thank you for sharing this recipe with us!

  19. Adele
    11.17.2025

    5 stars
    Great soup! I substituted almond milk for the broth and it added a delicious nutty flavor

    • Jenna
      11.24.2025

      Did you have to adjust salt substituting w/ almond milk?

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.