Served piping hot with a hunk of crusty bread, this creamy, nourishing butternut squash soup recipe is fall comfort food at its best.
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
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!
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.
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!
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:
- Simple Lemon Green Beans
- Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Zest
- Simple Roasted Beets
- Rainbow Kale Salad with Carrot-Ginger Dressing
- Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Roasted Beet Salad
Alternatively, serve it as an appetizer with a hearty vegetarian main dish like Roasted Cauliflower Steaks, Vegan Meatball Sandwiches, Homemade Mac and Cheese, Sun Dried Tomato Pasta, or a grilled cheese sandwich!
If you love this butternut squash soup…
Try my ginger miso soup, curried lentil soup, or many-veggie soup next, or check out this post for more of my favorite soup recipes!
Butternut Squash Soup
Equipment
- 5.5-Quart Dutch Oven (I personally use the Staub Cocotte)
- Blender (I've used my trusty Vitamix for years)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 (3-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- ½ tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 3 to 4 cups vegetable broth
- Freshly ground black pepper
For serving
- Chopped parsley
- Toasted pepitas
- Crusty bread
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.
I just made it this morning, exactly to the recipe, and I think it’s rather nice. I would roast the squash the next time though, to develop a deeper flavor in the squash, and add a couple of TBS of butter to mellow out the flavors a little more. I’ll add a hash topper of shallots, potato, bacon, chicken and spring onions the next time I eat a bowl of this. Obviously not vegan but how I like it anyway. While very creamy right out of the Vitamix, it’s also very light bodied compared with a cream based soup., and that aspect I really like. I’d make it again but with roasted squash and a little butter as noted above. All in all though I rather like it. Just a few minor tweaks to suit my personal preferences is all.
OMG! My first time making butternut squash soup, and it turned out amazing! Definitely a 5 star recipe. Thank you so much!
I’m so glad you loved it!
This is magic! The idea of butternut squash soup always sounds good, but it’s often too heavy with butter, cream, and/or chicken stock.
This soup is lively, complex, and not heavy at all. This recipe is a keeper. Thank you so much!
This was DELICIOUS. I roasted the squash instead of boiling in chicken stock, added shredded carrots and sauteed with the onions, and garnished with bacon. Will definitely make it again. Thank you so much 😁
Absolutely delicious!
So glad you enjoyed it!
So tasty with the fresh Sage and parsley. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Can I sauté the onions and then throw everything in the crockpot? Do you know what the time and temp would be for crockpot?
Hi Andrea, we haven’t tried this in a slow cooker, so we can’t say for sure. Sorry about that!
I am so excited to make this! I’m tempted to add some basil and roast pine nuts for the topping but maybe I will wait until I make it a second time! Question for the creator, would it be possible to use chicken stock instead of veggie? For protein and other nutrients? Or would it ruin the flavor? Thanks!
Hi Cassie, chicken stock will be just fine in this. I hope you enjoy!
I am shocked by the sheer deliciousness of this low fat recipe! The flavour is amazing, the creaminess astounding. I’ve made it twice already in a week and plan to freeze some. Thanks for such wonderful recipes!
Hi Terrie, I’m so glad you loved it!
I made this version of butternut squash soup twice but made a few changes last time. Added 1/4 cup coconut milk and a bit of curry and added a bit more ginger. It was delicious.
I have a wonderful recipe for winter squash and roast chicken thighs. It calls for delicata squash, lemons and cardamom. My favorite chicken dish ever.!
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Some stores have peeled and cubed butternut squash in 12-14oz packages, which seems easier. If using pre-cut, how much would equal the 3lbs of whole squash for this recipe, since the weight of the squash is less after peeling and cleaning? Thanks!
Hi Wendy, it’s about 4 1/2 cups of cubed squash.
I loved this recipe. The only hard part was peeling/chopping the squash. I blended it in small batches.The rest was simple. It was really tasty. I made a big batch for lunch and dinner with a side of salad, and some bread.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I have had squash soup in the past and was not too fond of it. Very bland. I might give your recipe a try
Loved this soup!
I’m so happy to hear!
LOVE this recipe! I soaked raw cashews and added them to the blender to get the protein but Im sure it would have been perfect without. It was so creamy and delicious! OH! added a bit of cinnamon! Thank you for the recipe-Im a fan!
Yum, I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Made this soup tonight. Just delicious. The perfect soup for a chilly night. Added a little grated turmeric. Thanks
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
If you don’t want to cook, don’t. Good soup takes time, just go to the deli and by some soup. Also you could buy frozen squash which is cooked and prepped vegetables. I had leftover roasted squash, chopped the veg and herbs in 10 minutes, the soup came together in about 25 minutes and it was delicious.
Making this tonight. Sounds delicious. Love making various soups – and don’t mind spending time cutting up veggies.lol
the prep involved in this soup seems typical for me. How else are vegetables going to get cut? I did roast the squash in advance so I didn’t have to wait around.
I wanted a BNSquash soup recipe that didn’t involve the oven. This was delicious and easy! Once cooked you can season to your own taste, I added extra ginger, probably 1/2 cup maple syrup and used homemade chicken stock. I did it all in the instant pot, once the squash was soft from the sauté I put the lid on and cooked on high for 8 minutes, quick release and immersion blended it.
Hi Donnie, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!