This butternut squash soup is light, creamy, and dairy-free. Made with 5 simple ingredients– roasted butternut squash, chicken broth, and warm spices like turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger- this soup is spicy, fiber-rich, and perfect for fall.
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What is Butternut Squash Soup?
Butternut squash is an orange-fleshed winter squash. It has a sweet flavor, much like that of a sweet potato.
I feared the squash. The kind of fear that you have of the unknown. This was uncharted culinary territory for me. You see, growing up in Pakistan, the closest I came to eating, let alone cooking, this fruit was the Lauki, or gourd. They all come from the same cucurbit family. Members include the pumpkin, squash, zucchini, and watermelon. Even a good old cucumber is related!
As I became more conscious of what I put inside my body, the list of fruits and vegetables I consumed grew. There was no way I could ignore the squash any longer. It is such a big part of life here in the United States, especially during the fall season. And so, along with this soup recipe, I set about creating a bunch of winter squash recipes. e.g my chocolate-crusted pumpkin pie and mini pumpkin pancakes recipe.
A Quick Look at the Recipe
⏲️Ready In: 1 hour
👪Serves: 6
🍽 Calories and Protein: 116kcal, 5g
📋 Main Ingredients: butternut squash, olive oil, onion,
chicken broth, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, peppercorn, and turmeric
📖 Dietary Notes: Paleo, Whole30, AIP-approved
⭐ Why You’ll Love It:
- It’s healthy. Butternut squash is a low-calorie, high-fiber food and is rich in antioxidants and vitamins.
- It’s meal prep- and freezer-friendly. This soup is perfect to prep ahead and freezes well too. It keeps for up to 5 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer.
- It’s lighter than traditional cream-heavy squash soup. The squash’s creamy, buttery texture more than makes up for the cream that traditional butternut squash soup recipes call for.
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"So delicious and perfect for a cold day!" - Francesca
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Butternut Squash Soup Ingredient Notes
- Butternut squash: You can also use pumpkin or any other winter squash available in your area.
- Broth: I use my homemade yakhni. You can also use store-bought vegetable stock. Adjust the salt, as pre-packaged stock tends to be high in sodium.
- Aromatics: Onions, garlic, and ginger.
- Spices: Warm spices like cinnamon, clove and turmeric.
Variations
- Use pumpkin spice in place of the whole spices. 1 tablespoon should suffice.
- Make it spicier by adding 1 teaspoon cayenne to the soup when adding the other spices.
How to Make Butternut Squash Soup
Step 1: Roast the squash. Cut the squash, drizzle oil and salt, and roast it face down in a sheet pan in a preheated 425ºF/218ºC oven.
Step 2: While the squash is roasting, dice and sauté an onion.
Step 3: Add the whole spices and aromatics and sauté until the onion is translucent.
Step 4: Once the squash is roasted, let it cool till easy to handle. Scoop out the flesh and add it to a blender. Add the yakhni/broth. Remove the cinnamon stick from the onion mixture, add the onion mixture to the blender, and blend until smooth and creamy.
Step 5: Serve and enjoy! Pour the soup into your bowl, top with a drizzle of olive oil, crushed red pepper, and black pepper, and enjoy immediately.
Pro Tips
- If you have an immersion blender, you can use that instead of the blender. Just add the stock and roasted squash to the pan of sautéed onions and blend till smooth and creamy.
Butternut Squash Soup FAQs
Absolutely. Allow the soup to cool completely, then store it in airtight bags, containers, or 1-cup portioned silicone freezer trays.
Butternut squash is higher in complex carbohydrates and rich in fiber, making it keto-friendly and low-carb. There are approximately 90 calories in one cup of homemade soup.
You can make it a soup-and-sandwich meal! This soup pairs well with these Pakistani-inspired club sandwiches or makes an excellent base for a tuna sandwich or salad using my spicy tuna spread recipe.
Alternatively, you can also serve this soup as an appetizer, pairing it with this sumac chicken and roasted sheet pan dinner or coconut shrimp and chickpea curry.
If you tried this butternut squash soup recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments. I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Pinterest or subscribe to our newsletter to get more deliciousness straight to your inbox!
Butternut Squash Soup
Equipment
- high speed blender
- Immersion blender optional
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash about 1 – 1 1/2 pound
- 1 tablespoon olive oil for brushing butternut squash
- 1 large white onion roughly chopped
- 4 cups homemade chicken broth or vegetable stock. I use Pacific Organic.
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger or 1 inch knob whole
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 peppercorns
- 1 clove
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF (218ºC) degrees.Cut the squash down the middle and remove the seeds with a spoon. Coat the cut sides with oil and lay flat side down on a cookie sheet. Roast the squash for 40 minutes till the skin is browned and the flesh is fork tender.
- Meanwhile chop the onion and set aside. Heat a medium sized saute pan on medium heat. Once it is hot, add the oil and add the chopped onion and saute till translucent. This should take about 5 -7 minutes.
- Add the garlic and saute some more, about 30 seconds. Next add the rest of the spices and saute to allow the spices to bloom, about 30 seconds.
- Once the squash is ready, let it cool for a few minutes and then scoop out the buttery flesh and throw away the skin.
- In a high speed blender, add the squash, the onion mixture, (minus the whole spices), the ginger and the stock. Blend till smooth and creamy.
- The soup is now ready. Adjust consistency and salt to your liking. If you like a thinner soup, add more water/stock. You can serve as is or pour the soup back into the pan and heat it up some more.
- Garnish with pumpkin seeds, some red pepper flakes and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- If you have an immersion blender, you can use that instead of the blender. Just add the stock and roasted squash to the pan of sautéed onions and blend till smooth and creamy.
- Use homemade broth or low-sodium store-bought stock. Make sure to adjust the salt, as store-bought stock can sometimes have more salt.
Francesca Quintos says
So delicious and perfect for a cold day!
Shah Zeeshan says
So good to hear Francesca! Thanks for leaving a review:)
Sabina says
Looks delicious.
Zeeshan says
Thank you Sabina! I hope you try it:)