This Healthy Butternut Squash Soup is made with simple ingredients and ready in 30 minutes! Naturally gluten free and vegan, everyone will love this rich and creamy soup!
Table of contents
This healthy butternut squash soup is made with mostly pantry staples. It still blows my mind how real food can be so easy to make!
For instance, take reader favorite Instant Pot butternut squash soup. I just had to post a stovetop version of it!
My butternut soup is so creamy, cozy, flavorful and delicious! It has a sweetness of honey butternut squash but the ease and convenience of slow cooker butternut squash soup.
Whatever version of my squash soup recipes you make, it is sure to be a win-win with your family!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Wholesome: Healthy with no cream or loads of cheese. Suitable for vegan, gluten free, dairy free, and paleo diets.
- Flavorful: Warm spices like curry and ginger are balanced by savory thyme, it’s my favorite butternut squash combination.
- Rich and creamy: From veggies, broth, and coconut milk, no heavy cream in sight!
- Meal prep friendly: Make a big batch and store in the refrigerator for healthy lunches all week!
Butternut Squash Soup Ingredients
To make this easy curried butternut squash soup, you just need these few ingredients.
- Butternut squash: You will need a 3 pound butternut squash, this is about 9 cups cubed.
- Onion: White or sweet onion adds savory taste to the sweeter squash.
- Spices: Curry powder, dried ginger, thyme, salt and black pepper.
- Coconut Milk: I use full fat canned coconut milk, best for superb creaminess.
- Broth: I recommend low sodium vegetable broth or vegetable bouillon cubes with water.
- Oil: Just a small amount for sauteing your onion, I love avocado oil which is great for high heat.
How to Make Healthy Butternut Squash Soup
There is something so inviting about this creamy soup, it’s basically fall in a bowl! Making easy butternut squash soup is simple, just follow these few steps.
Saute onion and spices: Heat large heavy bottom pot or dutch oven over medium heat. You want it to be hot-hot-hot when you add your oil. Cook onion for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add curry powder, thyme, ginger and cook for 30 seconds, stirring frequently. This step allows the spices to release maximum flavor.
Add remaining ingredients: Now add butternut squash, coconut milk, stock, salt and pepper. Cook for 15 minutes until squash has softened. It cooks very fast.
Blend soup: I prefer to blend with an immersion blender. Make sure to keep the blender at the bottom of the pot.
What is the Best Way to Blend the Soup?
I love to use an immersion blender for easy and convenience right in the pot where the soup has just cooked.
You can also use a regular blender, but be aware that it can “explode” from the hot soup. Either wait until the soup has cooled down, keep the centre lid half open covered with a towel so the heat can escape or work in small batches.
A food processor may work as well, but again proceed with caution as hot soup can splatter.
Substitutions and Variations
There are many ways to customize butternut squash soups recipes!
- Broth: Chicken broth could be used vs. vegetable broth.
- Herbs: Feel free to add sage or rosemary for some additional savory taste.
- Apple: Add a peeled apple for butternut squash apple soup. It will add a sweeter taste.
- Milk: If you are not a fan of coconut milk, use regular milk (2% or higher), cream or any plant based milk like almond milk. You will need to add this after cooking your squash before pureeing.
Serving Recommendations
Some fun ways to top your soup include the pictured toasted pumpkin seeds and plain yogurt swirl. Cooked chopped bacon would add savory taste as would savory fresh herbs like fresh thyme.
Add delicious crunch by topping soup with homemade sourdough croutons.
For a fall inspired meal, serve hot with toasted whole wheat bread or quinoa bread and a side of kale and quinoa salad.
How to Store
Store: Butternut squash soup can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. To reheat simply simmer on low while covered (it splatters a lot).
Freeze: Butternut squash soup freezes amazingly. Fully cook, cool completely and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
FAQs
Yes! The skin of a butternut squash is thick and not edible. Use a vegetable peeler or small paring knife to easily remove the skin.
After peeling trim the ends, cut in half horizontally, scoop out the seeds from the 2 chubby halves and dice. That’s it!
Yes you can use roasted butternut squash. Coat your cubed squash in olive oil and roast at 400 F for 30 minutes. You could also follow my oven baked butternut squash recipe, it has a touch of maple syrup which would add another lovely fall flavor.
Be sure to use a low sodium broth and you could also omit the salt to reduce sodium further.
More Healthy Soup Recipes
- Healthy broccoli cheese soup
- Slow cooker lentil soup
- Healthy chicken wild rice soup
- Healthy pumpkin soup
- Best ever vegetable soup
Healthy Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 3 lbs butternut squash peeled and cut into 2″ cubes (9 cups)
- 1 large onion coarsely chopped
- 15 oz can coconut milk full fat
- 2 cups vegetable broth low sodium
- 1 tbsp oil for frying
- 1/2 tsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp thyme dried
- 1/4 tsp ginger dried
- 1 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat large heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven on medium heat and add oil. Add onion and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add curry powder, thyme, ginger and cook for 30 seconds, stirring frequently.
- Add butternut squash, coconut milk, stock, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low-medium, cover and cook for 15 minutes until squash has softened.
- Using an immersion blender, puree soup until smooth and silky.
- Serve hot with whole grain toast, a bit of plain yogurt and maybe pumpkin seeds.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Fully cook, cool completely and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw on a stovetop covered on low.
- Blending soup: Use an immersion blender or work in small batches to puree in blender.
- Coconut milk: You can substitute coconut milk with regular or almond milk but do not add it to cook. Instead add 1 cup before pureeing.
- Broth: For broth, I often use organic vegetable bouillon cubes and water.
I’ve been looking for a butternut squash soup recipe for ages and I finally found it! This recipe is a keeper! My husband and I both loved it very much! It’s rich, delicious and nutritious! Plenty for seconds or to freeze for another day. Thank you! I will be making this on a regular basis.
Perfect for the fall, too! Thanks for leaving a review!
This was actually the first recipe of yours that I have not absolutely LOVED. It wasn’t bad; it was just bland and not at all memorable. I tried to find some other butternut squash soup recipes to see if I could add more flavor to rescue it, and I ended up adding garlic, apple, nutmeg, and sage, then put it in the crock pot on low to see if the flavor will concentrate overnight. I’m thinking that next time I’d skip the instant pot version and roast the butternut squash in my oven to get more concentrated sweetness. It was good for a 10-minute soup, but not something that I want to take to a friend’s house as part of a meal. My butternut squash came from the grocery store, so maybe it just wasn’t that flavorful. I don’t know. . . I’ll keep trying your recipes though, because usually, they are sheer perfection!
My husband and my 10 yo daughter love this recipe. I’m obsessed too! It is so easy and so healthy and so yummy. Only thing I did differently was to add fresh ginger since I didn’t have dried ginger. And I also used Osso Good Bones chicken bone broth (I use that bone broth with all my instant pot cooking). So good!! Thank you, Olena, you are an instant pot genius. My family also adores your instant pot split pea soup, rice and beans, lentil vegetable, lazy cabbage rolls….. so so so good!!!
Oh Anna! You made my day! I have never been referred to as an Instant Pot Genius (blushing). I am so happy your family is enjoying my recipes!
Restaurant quality ! So good !
Awe, thanks so much Susan 🙂