This easy butternut squash soup recipe is perfectly creamy, velvety, and full of sweet and savory autumn flavors. Instant Pot, Crock-Pot and stovetop options included.
The Coziest Autumn Soup
Is there a more quintessentially autumn meal than a cozy bowl of butternut squash soup? ♡
On a particularly chilly day this past weekend, we made our millionth batch of my mom’s butternut squash soup recipe to share with friends who came over for dinner. As always, this vibrant, nourishing, velvety soup delivered all the fall comfort-food vibes and completely hit the spot. It’s just perfect this time of year!
One of the best things about this butternut squash soup is that it’s naturally gluten-free and vegan, which makes it a great option for hosting (especially around the holidays). It’s also easy to make in the Instant Pot, Crock-Pot, or on the stovetop, so you can take your pick. Most importantly, it’s perfectly balanced with sweet-and-savory autumn flavors and absolutely delicious. Thousands of readers have made this one over the years and agree!
Best Butternut Squash Soup Recipe | 1-Minute Video
Recipe Tips
Here are a few tips to help make the best butternut squash soup every time:
- Aim for silky-smooth. Blend longer than you think—an extra 30–60 seconds makes it ultra-velvety.
- Balance the sweetness. Granny Smith adds brightness; a squeeze of lemon at the end can perk flavors right up.
- Salt matters. Different brands of broths vary in saltiness, so season in layers and finish with a final pinch to make flavors pop.
Recipe Variations
Feel free to try these easy twists to customize the recipe and make it your own:
- Roast the veggies: Roast the squash, carrot, and onion at 425°F until caramelized, then blend for deeper, sweeter flavor.
- Make it smoky: Swap cayenne for chipotle chili powder and finish with a sprinkle of smoked paprika.
- Use cream: Sub heavy cream or half-and-half for the coconut milk for an ultra-silky, dairy-based finish.
- Go Thai-inspired: Stir in 1–2 tablespoons red curry paste and 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger; finish with lime and cilantro.
- Go Mexican-inspired: Omit sage/nutmeg and add 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin plus a pinch of chipotle; serve with lime and cilantro.
- Brighten it up: Add a squeeze of lemon juice or a splash of apple cider vinegar to balance sweetness.
- Have fun with toppings: Try toasted pepitas, roasted chickpeas, crispy sage, chili crisp, coconut milk swirl, croutons, or Parmesan.
FAQ
Yes, you will need about 4 to 5 cups diced raw butternut squash, which roughly equals about 2 pounds. Feel free to use fresh or frozen!
Definitely! Let it cool completely, portion into airtight containers, and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight and rewarm gently, adding extra broth if needed.
If you feel that the soup is too sweet, feel free to add a pinch more salt, a squeeze of lemon, or an extra dash of cayenne or black pepper to balance the sweetness.
Sure. Kabocha, honeynut, or sugar-pie pumpkin all work well. They’re often a bit sweeter/drier, so feel free to add a splash of broth or lemon juice if needed.
More Vegetarian Soup Recipes To Try
Looking for more cozy vegetarian soup recipes to make this season? Here are a few of our favorites:
- Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup
- Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Potato Leek Soup
- Quick Black Bean Soup
- Tomato Feta Soup
Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 white onion, peeled and diced
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and roughly chopped
- 1 medium (about 3 pound*) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
- 1 sprig fresh sage
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
- pinch of ground cinnamon and nutmeg
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste
- optional garnishes: smoked paprika, extra drizzle of unsweetened coconut milk, or see more ideas above
Instructions
Stovetop Butternut Squash Soup:
- Sauté the onion and garlic. Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 more minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant.
- Simmer: Add the vegetable broth, carrot, apple, butternut squash, sage, cayenne, cinnamon and nutmeg and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the soup reaches a simmer. Then cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the vegetables are all tender and mash easily with a fork. Remove and discard the sage. Stir in the coconut milk.
- Purée: Use an immersion blender to purée the soup until smooth. (Or alternately, see instructions in the notes below for how to purée the soup safely using a traditional blender.)
- Season and serve: Taste and season the soup generously with salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm, topped with your desired garnishes, and enjoy!
Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup:
- Slow cook: Add the oil (optional), onion, garlic, vegetable broth, carrot, apple, butternut squash, sage, cayenne, cinnamon and nutmeg to a small (3-quart) slow cooker or large (6-quart) slow cooker. Toss briefly to combine. Cook for 4-6 hours on low, or 2-3 hours on high, or until the squash is completely tender and mashes easily with a fork. Remove and discard the sage. Stir in the coconut milk.
- Purée: Use an immersion blender to purée the soup until smooth. (Or alternately, see instructions in the notes below for how to purée the soup safely using a traditional blender.)
- Season and serve: Taste and season the soup generously with salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm, topped with your desired garnishes, and enjoy!
Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup:
- Sauté the onion and garlic: Press the “Sauté” button on an Instant Pot. Heat the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 more minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant.
- Pressure cook: Add the vegetable broth, carrot, apple, butternut squash, sage, cayenne, cinnamon, nutmeg, and toss briefly to combine. Close lid securely and set vent to “Sealing”. Pressure cook on high for 8 minutes, followed by a quick release. Remove and discard the sage. Stir in the coconut milk.
- Purée: Use an immersion blender to purée the soup until smooth. (Or alternately, see instructions in the notes below for how to purée the soup safely using a traditional blender.)
- Season and serve: Taste and season the soup generously with salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm, topped with your desired garnishes, and enjoy!
Notes
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
I would like to try this, the only problem butternut is quite expensive in my country. They don’t grow here, so they are imported.
I’ve just made this today and my husband loves it! I find it a little too spicy so, I think I’ll mix some yogurt in to make it mild tomorrow. I took out the sprig of Sage before using the immersion blender. Should I have left it in? Thanks for sharing a great recipe.
We’re so glad you and your husband enjoyed this Naoko! We’re sorry it was a bit too spicy for you, but that was good idea adding the yogurt to mellow it out. You could have blended the sage, but leaving it out is find as well! :)
Do you have to put coconut milk?
You don’t have to use coconut milk, Mandy, you could use any other kind of dairy you like (or soy/almond milk). :) We hope you enjoy!
Can I use dried sage? I find it’s so expensive to buy it fresh and I have no other uses for it. Btw, love your site:)
Thanks Monica! And you can definitely use dried sage! We’d suggest trying 1/2 tsp maybe (at least to start)? We would add it towards the end of the cooking time though – probably during the last 10 or 15 minutes.
This looks so good! I love all of your recipes, Ali. I make the jambalaya recipe you shared probably once a month. I’d love for you to visit my blog if you have some time. :)
xx
Bake Face
Thanks Amanda, that’s very sweet of you, thanks for sharing! And your blog is super cute, keep it up girl! :)
Oh, I cannot wait to try this one! I love love love butternut squash!!
Thanks Kathy, we hope you enjoy it!
I made this soup for our dinner last night and there was way too much onion in my opinion. It overpowered the soup. Next time I will either use half an onion or more likely – sauté the onion before adding to the crock pot. If the onion didn’t overpower I feel like this soup would have been amazing. I plan to try it again with an onion adjustment.
We’re sorry you found this to heavy on the onion Elizabeth. We think slightly browning the onion should make it less strong, for sure. We hope you’ll give it another try!
I made this soup today and really liked it! I took a few liberties with the recipe – three handfuls of baby carrots rather than 1 carrot, 1/2 onion instead of a whole, half & half in place of coconut milk, – and I left out the granny smith apple, but it turned out really well. My favorite thing about this soup is the surprising spiciness from the cayenne pepper – such a great mix of sweet, savory, and spicy! This was relatively easy and painless and it is definitely a recipe I’ll make again. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing Mel, we’re glad you enjoyed it!
I am allergic to apples. What could I substitute instead? Or could I leave it out completely?
Hi Mel! You could definitely leave the apples out completely, no worries – we hope you enjoy the recipe!
I have this cooking in the crock pot right now and I can’t wait to try it! I pretty much followed the recipe but question the coconut milk. I went to look at my can but it doesn’t say it’s either sweetened or unsweetened. Is there a way that I could figure it out? I really want to use it but don’t want it to be too sweet /inedible! Thanks for the great recipe:)
Hi Stacy, we wouldn’t worry if it doesn’t specify, it should be fine! We hope you enjoyed this, let us know how it ended up turning out!