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.
Liked everything about this recipe except the addition of salt as I found the soup to be overly salty. I used just a smidge over 3 cups and the consistency was perfect.
Can dry rosemary and sage be used or would the flavor be compromised?
Hi Jenny, you could, I would just use less – start with about 1/2 teaspoon of each and add more to taste.
Served more like two, but I loved this recipe! Came out so perfect. Instead of sage I put a bay leaf and I used chicken-flavored vegetable broth. Really yummy, flavorful, and comforting 🙂
Very easy to make and very delicious! I added carrots and a dash of cinnamon. and blended it with my hand blender. It was a bit thick, but adding another cup of broth after blending was pure perfection.
I will make this again !
Thank you
YUM! Made this for a friend and myself, Aside frim wrestling with getting the squash peeled and prepped, it was super-easy. Didn’t have sage, so swapped in some dried thyme. Probably increased the garlic, ginger and rosemary. (Because cooking is an art, not a science. LOL) We both loved it! Will definitely make it again. Love how you don’t specify amounts of salt or pepper, so leave that up to the cook. My friend can’t handle spice, and I love it. So pepper mill on the table for moi. This would be great with red pepper flakes, cayenne, Ras El Hanout, Berbere, or Cajun spice, for some extra kick. Garam Masala would be lovely, too, as would chili powder and cumin. BTW, served it with your shaved Brussels sprouts salad. Perfect combo! My guest happily went home with containers of both. 🙂
Great recipe! I added one green apple plus a dash of cinnamon and dash of nutmeg.
I used 4 tablespoons of butter (instead of olive oil) and sautéed the sage first. Butter to add creamy texture to soup.
My daughter was sad when she finished her portion. She wanted more soup! I’ll be making again soon!
I’m so glad it was a hit!
Could I sub the vegetable stock for water or chicken broth? I don’t have those and need to make the soup right away. Also the squash I bout it’s only 2 lbs. would that still work for this recipe? Thanks so much.
I make a variation of the soup called Roasted autumn vegetable soup where are you roast the squash, some carrots and onion. Use chicken broth for sure! Drizzle with heavy cream to serve. .Yum!!
Hi Yeli, you could use chicken broth – I’d add a little less than what’s written if your squash is smaller so the soup turns out thick enough.
This fantastic recipe tasted almost identical to a soup I had on a trip to Chicago! I added a bit of pumpkin spice to mimic the famous restaurant we ate at, and it’s now exact! Well done and cheers!
My husband and I LOVE this soup—our second time making it and it’s better each time! Question, can this soup be frozen, and if so, how do you recommend I freeze it? We have so much for leftovers so I’d love to freeze it to enjoy for weeks to come!
Hi Hannah, I’m so glad you love the soup! It freezes really well. Let it cool to room temperature, then divide it into jars or freezer-safe containers. Make sure to leave about an inch at the top because the soup will expand when it freezes. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Transfer to the fridge to thaw before reheating.
Hi Chris, I’m not sure why that happened. Did you change anything about the recipe?
I made this exactly as written and it is absolutely delicious!! A keeper for sure, thank you!!!
Hi, I’m so glad you loved it!
I roasted the squash for about 45 minutes at 400 degrees then added it to the pot of onions and went right to adding the spices. Otherwise stuck to the recipe and it was amazing!!
Hi Greg, I’m so glad you loved the soup!
Can you make this in a crockpot? If so how would you adjust the recipe? Thank you!!!
Hi Emily, we haven’t tested this recipe in a crockpot, so I’m not sure how you’d need to adjust it.
Absolutely delicious recipe. I made it exactly as written, and it was perfection. Luckily for me, I saved half (before serving to family!) and tomorrow will add a dollop of red curry paste for a second day’s variety. Love the versatility, nutrition, ease, and taste. Yum.
Love this recipe! I just add a dash of cinnamon and it really compliments the squash
I’m so glad you loved it!
I may have grated a little too much ginger because the soup has a bite to it, but even so it is delicious!!!! THANK YOU
I’m glad you’re enjoying it!
It was wonderful and of course better the next day. I only added a bit more ginger and salt. I used an immersion blender and the texture came out fine. Next time I’ll try roasting the squash and garlic first with a few carrots.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I use a few different squash varieties (yellow, zuke, acorn, and butternut) and one carrot for a hint of sweetness. I don’t wrestle with cubing them, favoring roasting them (including tge carrot) as halves first. Better, deeper flavor and the added bonus of just scooping the goop out without the risk of severing a limb. I also add a can of unsweetened, nonfat condensed milk for a real cream texture. As much or little curry powder and it’s a winner. Do yourself a favor and buy an immersion blender. This stuff is vegetable magma. Better to not have to transfer to a blender.
I made this but a non vegetarian version. Use pork lard instead of olive oil and used beef bone broth instead of veggie broth. Oh my goodness the BEST butternut squash I’ve ever had/made. I topped with bacon pieces and Regiano/Parmesan mix cheese. This will be made weekly in my house!!!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Very tasty! My husband and 3 year old loved this soup! Next time I’ll double the recipe.
I’m so glad everyone loved it!