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!
Mmm I made this tonight and it was delicious! I will making it all winter long and packing it for lunches.
We’re so glad to hear that, Casey!
Looking forward to trying this recipe. I would lie to make it ahead of time. Does it freeze well?
We hope you enjoy it, Susan! And yes, this freezes well.
OMG, this is really tasty, I made this yesterday and I love it so much. I didn’t realized that using a slow cooker will make this delicious soup. I usually use quick cooking style and thought it was the best way, but now I learned that it’s better this way and I really thank you for giving me this idea.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Scott — thanks for giving the recipe a try! :)
What if I don’t have a slow cooker? Is there another version for not using slow cooker? Thanks!
Hi Rita! No worries, you can definitely do this on the stovetop! We would start by sautéing your onion in a little olive oil, then after 5-10 minutes, add the carrot, apple, squash, garlic, and seasonings. Sauté for about 15 minutes or so, then add the vegetable stock and coconut milk, and bring to a simmer. Simmer until all of the veggies are tender. Puree the mixture in a blender or with an immersion blender. We hope you enjoy! :)
Could I make this with regular milk instead of coconut milk? Thanks can’t wait to try it!
Hi Dave! We wouldn’t recommend that just because adding dairy too early to the slow cooker can cause the mixture to break (that’s why we used coconut milk). You could definitely add it towards the very end though — that would be fine. We hope this helps!
could you substitute plain greek yogurt for the coconut milk? trying to use up what i already have in the fridge. thanks!
Hi Annie! We wouldn’t recommend that just because adding dairy too early to the slow cooker can cause the mixture to break (that’s why we used coconut milk). You could definitely add it towards the very end though — that would be yummy. We hope this helps!
As someone who is notorious for modifying recipes.. I have to say this one doesn’t need changing! I rarely follow recipes exactly, but this one is perfect as is. It’s by far my favorite butternut squash recipe, and I make it every chance I get. Thank you for sharing such an amazing recipe!
Also, if I wanted to double the recipe, how should I modify slow cooker cooking time? Thank you!
Thanks for your sweet feedback, Jori — we’re happy to hear you enjoyed this as is! :) If you wanted to double the recipe, you would need to use a larger slow cooker, or else everything won’t fit or will be too crowded and won’t cook evenly. We used a 6-qt for this, but an 8-qt may work. Or you could make one batch in the slow cooker and one on the stove. We hope this helps!
What main dish would you recommend serving with this soup?
Tiffanie
We actually eat this as a main dish and usually have a nice salad and a hunk of bread with it. :) If you wanted it as a first course though, it would really go well with anything that has some nice fall flavors. We hope you enjoy!
I am seriously impressed with how effortless and tasty this is. Thank you for sharing this with the world.
We’re glad you enjoyed it, Andrew!
I spent nearly an hour chopping everything to make a double batch of this soup thinking it would be good. I am terribly upset I wasted all that money, time and effort on something I just literally threw away. This “soup” was absolutely disgusting and my house stinks from the sage and the onions. I’ve had butternut squash soup in the past that was delicious, smoother and not so thick. I even bought one of those expensive immersion blenders for this specific recipe. I shall be returning that for a refund. Just wish I could get a refund for this recipe’s ingredients and time invested in making it. What a disappointment. Now to air out my house from this vile odor.
We’re sorry to hear you didn’t care for this, Serene.