Butternut squash soup is one of my absolute favorite fall dishes. Sort of. See, when butternut squash soup is good, it’s SO GOOD. Thick, creamy, naturally sweet and full of flavor. But more often than not, I find it disappointing. Watery, bland, and lacking in spices. Well folks, this butternut squash soup is really, really good. I’ve been tweaking and perfecting this one for years and I think at this point I’ve pretty much got the best vegan squash soup recipe ever.
Why This Recipe Works
This recipe uses lots of squash, and not that much liquid. When you’re making pretty much any kind of creamy vegetable soup, keep the ratio of veggies to broth super high. Higher than you think you should! Tip: Always add broth conservatively to blended soups — adding just a smidge too much broth can result in watery soup. It’s much easier to fix soup that’s too thick (by adding more liquid) than it is to fix soup that’s too runny.This is a roasted butternut squash soup. Roasting removes some of the water before you add it to the soup, helping you to get an even thicker and richer soup, and it caramelizes the squash, bringing out its natural sweetness.This soup is made with apple. Apple adds a touch of extra sweetness, plus some tartness to balance out the flavors.It’s also made with coconut milk. Coconut milk is the best way to add creaminess to non-dairy bisque-style soups like this one. Lots of spices! You can go as crazy as you like here, but don’t skimp on the spices. I used a blend of cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, with a touch of cayenne pepper for heat.
What You’ll Need
Butternut squash. Choose a squash with an even, deep tan color that feels heavy for it’s size. You’ll need one good sized squash or two smallish ones.Olive oil. Any type of high-heat oil can be substituted.Onion.Garlic.Ginger.Spices. We’re using ground cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. You can also add a pinch of cayenne pepper for heat if you’d like.Light coconut milk. Use canned coconut milk. I don’t recommend using the type in cartons (usually labelled something like “coconut milk beverage”).Vegetable broth. I’m a big fan of Better Than Bouillon in seasoned vegetable flavor. For a variation, try swapping out a cup or so of your broth with beer!Granny Smith apple. You can substitute another type of apple (or even a pear) if that’s what you’ve got. I really like the tartness that Granny Smith adds to the soup though!Salt & pepper.
How to Make Vegan Butternut Squash Soup
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!
Roast the squash. Peel and dice the squash, toss it with some olive oil, and arrange it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pop it into a 400°F preheated oven and let it bake until the pieces are tender and just starting to brown around the edges.
While the squash roasts, start the soup. Sweat an onion in a bit of olive oil until it begins to soften, then add the minced garlic, grated ginger, and spices. Cook everything briefly, being careful not to burn anything (which can cause the soup to become bitter).Add the coconut milk and your chopped and peeled Granny Smith apple. Bring the liquid up to a simmer and let it cook for a few minutes.Stir in your roasted butter squash and broth. Don’t worry if the squash isn’t ready yet! Just keep the pot at a low simmer until it is. Simmer the squash and apples for a few minutes.
Blend the soup. You can either transfer it to a blending vessel such as a food processor or blender like I used, or blend it in the pot with an immersion blender. A blender or food processor is best if you like your soup super smooth, whereas an immersion blender is perfect if you like a little texture, or even some chunks. The soup will be really thick at this point — more like a vegetable puree. We’ll take care of that in a minute!
Return the soup to the pot if you took it out. From here you can thin the soup with extra broth or tweak the seasonings. You’ll almost certainly want to season it with some salt!
Ladle your soup into bowls and sprinkle on some toppings if you’d like. Dig in!
More Vegan Butternut Squash Recipes
Vegan Butternut Squash Stuffed ShellsButternut Squash ChiliButternut Squash Pasta with Kale & WalnutsSpicy Vegan Butternut Squash Mac & CheeseThai Butternut Squash Curry
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