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!
Thanks for this amazing, versatile recipe. I’ve made this soup a couple of times, the first following it as written. Today I played with it by adding turmeric and ginger. For serving, I’ll include green onion and cilantro. There is so much that can be done, depending on creativity and more practically, what you have on hand – as many reviewers have attested to. Just personal preference, but I also blended only slightly to have a finished product with hearty chunks. FANTASTIC!
This is one of my favourite crockpot recipes!! I made it 3 times last month. So good and so easy!
This is a fabulous recipe. I have made it twice in a month — much prefer it with half and half to coconut milk. Spices are terrific. You can add a little curry powder, too, if you like curry.
This was the best butternut squash soup I’ve ever had! I made a second variation by adding ~ 2 tsp yellow curry powder. My husband doesn’t like coconut milk, so I used heavy cream instead. I hate chopping raw butternut squash, so I just cut the squash in half, sprayed it with OO, and baked it cut-side down at 400F for just over an hour, then added the still-warm butternut to the soup. Absolutely amazing recipe! (I didn’t have sage, and it still came out great!)
This was the best butternut squash soup I’ve ever had! I made a second variation by adding ~ 2 tsp yellow curry powder. My husband doesn’t like coconut milk, so I used heavy cream instead. I hate chopping raw butternut squash, so I just cut the squash in half, sprayed it with OO, and baked it cut-side down at 400F for just over an hour, then added the still-warm butternut to the soup. Absolutely amazing recipe! (I didn’t have sage, and it still came out great!)
Hi Lizzy, after roasting the squash did you cook it the whole 30 minutes in the soup before purée ing? Did you cook the rest of the soup ingredients 20-30 minutes and then just add the squash and then purée? I’m so confused
Absolutely amazing!!!!!!! Loved every drop of it!!!!! I didn’t ave cayenne so I used paprika:…. loved it!!!! I’ve never made is soup before! Will definitely try your other recipes!!!!! The apple was brilliant! It made it sweet and a little tart. The coconut milk took it to another level.
Excellent!!! My modifications: 1. I used chicken broth (a “waste” product of the homemade cat food that I make). 2. I used a mushy apple that was NOT and granny smith. 3. I used coconut water, because that’s what I had on hand.
It came out very good!
I thought this had too much raw onion flavor. Next time I would just sauté the ingredients ahead of putting them in the slow cooker (or pot).
Very eayt to make and wonderfully delicious to eat. I roasted all the vegetables with some spices and olive oil before putting in cast iron. Made a double batch and used 2 Granny Smith and 2 Gala apples. Did not add sage because I didn’t have any. I have made this four times in the past three weeks, once as a birthday gift for my sister because she loves it. Thanks for the recipe. It’s a keeper.
I tried this out with 2 chai tea bags and in a slow cooker on high for 3.5 hours. Very good but careful with the cayenne pepper, it’s quite spicy. Very delicious soup! I put a dollop of ricotta on mine
What at a fabulous chai tea idea