The Best Butternut Squash Soup
What I Love About This Butternut Squash Soup
Butternut squash soup is a classic for a reason: a few simple vegetables, blended smooth, turn into something that tastes far richer than the ingredient list suggests.
- I use butter instead of oil to sauté the vegetables, since it gives the soup a richer, buttery finish that oil just doesn’t.
- Red pepper flakes add a touch of spice that balances out the natural sweetness of the squash and carrots.
- It’s easy to make dairy-free, so it works for pretty much anyone at the table.
- If you’d rather use a pressure cooker, my Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup is ready in about 30 minutes.
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients and Notes
- Butternut squash – its dense, nutty-sweet flesh purees into a smooth, creamy soup unlike stringier squashes like spaghetti squash or watery ones like acorn squash.
- Chicken broth – Homemade Chicken Stock is my go-to for extra flavor and a little added protein. If you’d rather keep the soup vegetarian, my Homemade Vegetable Stock works well too.
- Heavy whipping cream – this is what gives the soup its rich, velvety finish once it’s blended in at the end. Swap in canned coconut cream (the unsweetened kind) for a dairy-free version.
Full ingredients list and measurements are in the recipe card.
How to Make Butternut Squash Soup
- Prep the vegetables – Dice the butternut squash, carrots, celery, and onion into small, even cubes so they cook at the same rate.
- Sauté the vegetables – Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat and sauté the vegetables until they start to soften.
- Add broth and simmer -Stir in the herbs and seasoning, then pour in the chicken broth, just enough to cover the vegetables. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the vegetables are completely soft.
- Blend the soup – Transfer the soup to a standing blender rather than using an immersion blender. An immersion blender tends to whip the vegetables instead of pureeing them smoothly, which changes the final texture. Pour out some of the broth first if you’d rather keep the soup on the thicker side, since it’s easy to add liquid back in but harder to take it out. Vent the lid or hold a towel over it while blending, since hot liquid can build up pressure and pop the lid off if it’s sealed tight.
- Finish the soup – Return the blended soup to the pot and stir in the heavy cream or coconut cream. Cook for another minute or two. Watch it closely here, since the soup can splatter if it comes to a boil.
Dairy-Free Butternut Squash Soup
This soup is easy to make dairy-free or lactose-free. Only two ingredients here contain dairy: the butter and the heavy whipping cream.
- Butter substitute: a non-dairy butter or plant based butter works well in place of regular butter.
- Heavy cream substitute: canned coconut cream is the best swap. Use the plain, unsweetened Thai-style coconut cream, not the sweetened kind meant for drinks and desserts.
Ways to Serve Butternut Squash Soup
- Pesto Grilled Cheese, cut into sticks or small squares for dipping, is a classic pairing.
- Cauliflower Grilled Cheese works well if you want to skip the bread.
- Kale salad or Caesar salad make great salad options.
- Italian sub or a chicken Caesar wrap both go nicely with the soup’s slight sweetness.
- For toppings, try pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, Cauliflower Parmesan Crisps, or crumbled crispy bacon.
Storing Freezing and Reheating the Butternut Squash Soup
- Store: in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: cool completely to room temperature, then portion into freezer bags or a freezer-safe container, without the heavy cream. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw slowly in the refrigerator, up to 24 hours. Stir the cream in fresh once the soup is reheated.
- Reheating: warm gently on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave in short bursts, stirring in between. If the soup has thickened after chilling or freezing, stir in a splash of broth or water to loosen it back up.
Butternut Squash Soup Recipe FAQs
Yes, though the fat content isn’t the same, so the soup will turn out a little less rich and creamy than with heavy cream. It still works fine if that’s what you have on hand.
This usually comes down to too much stock diluting the vegetables, or not enough salt to balance out the squash’s natural sweetness. Taste the soup after blending and add salt gradually, along with the red pepper flakes, until the sweetness feels balanced rather than dessert-like.
Yes. The skin is technically edible, but it’s tough and fibrous, and it doesn’t break down the way the flesh does. Peeling it first gives you a smoother, more pleasant texture in the finished soup.
Yes, and it actually tastes even better the next day, once the flavors have had time to settle. Make it a day or two ahead, store it in the refrigerator, and reheat gently before serving.
More Soup Recipes From Me
- Cauliflower Cheese Soup
- Tomato Bisque
- Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
- Sweet Potato Soup
- Potato Leek Soup
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE leave a 🌟 star rating! Let me know how you liked it by leaving the 📝 comment below or share and tag me on social media @willcookforsmiles. DON’T FORGET to subscribe to my newsletter!
Butternut Squash Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2.5 lbs butternut squash
- 2 medium carrots
- 2 ribs of celery
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 – 2.5 cups chicken broth enough to cover the vegetables
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes more if desired
- 1 tsp dried sage
- salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Dice vegetables into small cubes before starting to cook.
- Melt butter in a cooking pot, over medium heat, and saute vegetables until they start to soften.
- Once veggies start to soften, add herbs and seasoning. Pour in chicken broth, enough to cover the vegetables.
- Lower the temperature to medium-low and simmer the vegetables until completely softened.
- Transfer the content of the pot into the blender. (Pour out some of the broth to make sure the soup is not too thin. If the soup too thick after it’s blended, it’s easy to add the broth back in.) Blend until smooth.
- Add it back the pot and add heavy whipping cream (or coconut cream). Stir it in well and cook for just a couple more minutes. Be careful, if the soup starts to boil, it will splatter.
Notes
- For dairy dree option: use 5.4 oz can of coconut cream to make it creamy and plant based butter.
- Blending safety: vent the blender lid or hold a towel over it, since hot liquid builds up pressure and can pop a sealed lid off.
- Freezing: freeze without the cream, and stir it in fresh when reheating.
- Half and half swap: works in place of heavy cream, though the soup will be less rich.
Nutrition
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Categories:
30 Minute Meals, Fall Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Most Popular Recipes, Soup Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes,All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
Loved this recipe!
I am so glad you liked it! Thanks for stopping by and letting me know! 🙂
Can you freeze this soup
Hi Denna,
Yes, you can freeze this soup but make sure to not add heavy whipping cream until reheating. You can get more details on how to freeze this soup at my Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup recipe which I will link here so you can read it. I hope you enjoy the soup!
https://www.willcookforsmiles.com/instant-pot-butternut-squash-soup/
can half and half be substituted for heavy cream?
Hi Caroline,
Sure, you can substite with half and half but the fat content isn’t the same so it will be less creamy and rich but you can still use it.
Yummy! I can’t wait to try it!