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 never make recipes from the interwebs. But this looked more real than most. I made some modest substitutions: I used jalapeno powder rather than cayenne, I used a Gala apple, I left some chunks in the puree process, and I used a purple carrot. It was delicious, of course, but the purple carrot (hey, it was the only one I had) turned the soup an unlovely color. Don’t use purple carrots for this soup, people!
Thanks for sharing, we’re glad you enjoyed this, and your alterations sound yummy!
Just finished this up and oh my god was it delicious!! I followed the recipe as directed except I only used half of an onion because I had some to use up. Came out amazing!! I can’t wait to have this to have in my lunch all week
Thanks for sharing Jenna, we’re happy you enjoyed it! :)
I just purchased some adorable ceramic pumpkin soup bowls for this Thanksgiving table decor and will fill them with your slow cooker butternut squash soup. Thanks!
A few years ago I had the most amazing butternut squash soup and I have been trying to replicate it ever since, but haven’t quite got it. I am excited to try it with the coconut milk, it might be just what I needed. And a crock-pot recipe too, you have to love that! Thanks for the post!
Aww you’re so welcome Jena, we hope this recipe hits the spot! Let us know how it turns out for you! :)
Made this today and it was delicious! I always double soup recipes to have some for freezing and maybe I don’t always follow recipes to a T, so it ended up a little thinner than I would have liked, so I whisked in a little sour cream at the end to fatten it up a bit : ) I also roasted the seeds in some olive oil and salt, then sprinkled them on top with a nice big dollop of Chèvre cheese! Perfect for a rainy night~ I love the other suggestions of adding nuts and pomegranate seeds, that might be the next thing we try.
Thanks for sharing Leslie, we’re happy you enjoyed this! The sour cream, roasted seeds and goat cheese all sound lovely – good call! :)
I always make butternut squash soup for Thanksgiving but I have never made it in a slow cooker, so I will give it a try this year. I have a 6 lb squash I plan to use – do you think it would be sufficient to double the recipe due to the size of the squash?
Yes, we think you should probably double it if you’re using a 6 lb squash – that’s a big one! :) We hope you enjoy this! :)
Honestly, your Thankmas and family sounds fun. I feel like we get together and just stare at eat other. My in-laws don’t say anything to me. We don’t play games. We don’t watch football. We just stare at each other. It’s like, ok, I want to go home and watch Supergirl. Yay, I have no shame. This soup looks fab. Can’t wait to try!
This had us laughing Tom! We hope it’s less awkward this year, and that you enjoy the soup! ;)
Made this and turned out great! Followed the recipe exact, garnished with pumpkin seeds and a few pomegranate seeds. Super easy to make. The granny smith apple adds a really nice flavor to it. Thanks for sharing!
Do you have the nutrition facts for this recipe? I’m needing the calories per serving. I have this in the crockpot now. Thank you for sharing!!!
Hi Kristi! We’re sorry but we are unsure of the nutrition facts/amount of calories in this recipe. We currently are not publishing nutrition facts on the site, as the nutrition calculators available are not 100% accurate, and we never want to publish anything that might be misleading. However, a lot of our readers love the My Fitness Pal nutrition calculator, so feel free to try that for an estimate. We hope that helps!
Oops! I just tossed this in the crock pot but was on such a roll that I put the coconut milk in with everything else at the beginning.
I’m crossing my fingers that it turns out as I’ve been excited for it since I found your recipe last night.
Oh no! Well since the coconut milk isn’t a dairy product, it shouldn’t cause the soup to curdle or anything. Please let us know how it turned out (we’ve got our fingers crossed for you)!