Silky smooth, spiced, and perfectly sweet vegan butternut squash soup! This creamy flavor-packed soup is healthy, easy to make, and oh so comforting. You’d never guess it was dairy-free!
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.
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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!
Frequently Asked Questions
It will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for about 3 days or in the freezer for about 3 months.
It is!
More Vegan Butternut Squash Recipes
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Ultra Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash Soup
Silky smooth, spiced, and perfectly sweet vegan butternut squash soup! This creamy flavor-packed soup is healthy, easy to make, and oh so comforting. You’d never guess it was dairy-free!
Ingredients
-
3
pounds
butternut squash*,
(cut into 1-inch cubes – about 8 cups) -
3
tablespoons
olive oil,
divided -
1
medium onion,
diced -
3
garlic cloves,
minced -
2
teaspoons
freshly grated ginger -
1
teaspoon
ground cumin -
½
teaspoon
ground cinnamon -
¼
teaspoon
ground nutmeg -
¼
teaspoon
ground cloves -
Pinch
cayenne pepper -
1
(14 ounce or 400 ml) can
light coconut milk -
3
cups
vegetable broth,
or as needed (divided) -
1
Granny Smith apple,
peeled and diced -
Salt & pepper,
to taste
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.
-
Place the butternut squash into a large bowl and drizzle it with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir or toss the squash with your hands to evenly coat it with the oil.
-
Arrange the squash on the baking sheets. Place them into the oven and bake the squash for about 30 minutes, until tender.
-
While the squash bakes, begin the soup. Coat the bottom of a large pot with the remaining tablespoon of oil and place it over medium heat.
-
When the oil is hot, add the onion. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until it becomes soft and translucent.
-
Stir in the garlic, ginger, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and cayenne pepper. Cook everything for about a minute, until the garlic becomes very fragrant.
-
Stir in the coconut milk and the apple. Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a simmer.
-
Lower the heat and allow everything to cook at a low simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
-
When the squash has finished baking, stir it into the soup, along with 1 cup of broth. Raise the heat to bring the liquid to a boil.
-
Lower the heat and allow the soup to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
-
Remove the pot from the heat. Blend the soup either using an immersion blender, or by transferring it in batches to a food processor or blender. Always be super careful when blending hot liquids.
-
Return the soup to the pot (if you removed it) and thin it with additional broth. Use as much broth as needed to reach your desired consistency — I use 2 cups. Heat it back up if needed.
-
Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust any other seasonings to your liking.
-
Ladle into bowls and serve.
Recipe Notes
*Weigh your squash before prepping it. You’ll end up with about 2 ½ pounds after peeling, dicing and removing the seeds.
Nutrition Facts
Ultra Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash Soup
Amount Per Serving (1.5 cups (⅙ of total recipe))
Calories 215
Calories from Fat 79
% Daily Value*
Fat 8.8g14%
Saturated Fat 2g10%
Sodium 399mg17%
Potassium 913mg26%
Carbohydrates 35.6g12%
Fiber 5.9g24%
Sugar 10.4g12%
Protein 3.5g7%
Calcium 9mg1%
Iron 11mg61%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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