Butternut Squash Soup
I love a good pumpkin soup in the fall, but in my opinion, this creamy butternut squash soup is the ultimate winner. The added creaminess from the blended potatoes plus the savory herbs make this a welcome addition to any fall dinner, or even your Thanksgiving menu. The best part? It’s surprisingly easy to make; it’s the perfect recipe for a beginner cook to wow a crowd. This soup is a forever staple in my household—it’s the gourd standard of comfort.
How To Make Butternut Squash Soup
INGREDIENTS
- Butternut Squash: The star of this recipe, butternut squash plays the most important role here. A large butternut squash should be around 3 to 4 lbs, but you can also get two small squash instead if larger ones are not available.
- Potatoes: Potatoes add the perfect level of extra creaminess to this recipe. I recommend using Yukon Gold or russet because I find that those varieties complement the butternut squash the best.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: I use olive oil to roast the butternut squash and potatoes and sauté the rest of the vegetables. Olive oil has more flavor than a neutral oil, such as canola, which is why I prefer it for this recipe.
- Butter: The fat from the butter adds a rich, nutty flavor to give a more complex, savory taste than just from the oil alone.
- Onion: Onion brings a gentle umami flavor that rounds out the sweet, earthy flavor of the squash. Without the onion, the soup might be overly sweet.
- Celery & Carrot: Together, celery and carrot provide a classic aromatic base for this soup, generally known as a mirepoix. The combined subtly herbal notes from the celery along with the sweetness from the carrots create a layered savory base for this soup.
- Fresh Thyme: If you’re going to use any herb with butternut squash, let it be thyme. The combination is a bowl of cozy fall goodness.
- Chicken Broth: Chicken broth adds more flavor than just using water as a base in this recipe. If you’re a vegetarian, you can substitute vegetable broth here.
- Cream: Cream is optional for serving this recipe, but I think it adds a level of richness and flavor to this soup that is unbeatable.
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
The first step of this recipe is to roast the butternut squash and potatoes. Roasting the squash is key to adding that caramelized, deeply sweet squash flavor. To do so, preheat the oven to 400º. Toss the squash and potatoes with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a fair amount of salt and pepper. Roast until a fork can easily pierce through both the squash and the potato, about 35 minutes.
While the squash is roasting, melt the butter and remaining olive oil in a large pot. Add onion, celery, and carrot, and cook until translucent and extremely fragrant. This will take about 7 to 10 minutes, so be patient here. A low-and-slow cooking method gets the most flavor out of all the vegetables here. Season with more salt, pepper, and the fresh thyme.
Add the roasted squash, potatoes, and chicken broth to the pot with the vegetables. Bring to a simmer and then cook for 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat.
Then, using an immersion blender, carefully blend the soup until it’s creamy and there are no chunks left. Make sure to keep the immersion blender as deep in the pot as it can go so that you don’t splash yourself with hot soup!
Serve this soup with more fresh thyme, cracked pepper, and cream. You can also use sour cream if you prefer!
The full list of ingredients and directions can be found in the recipe below.
Recipe Tips
- Prepping the butternut squash. The only downside of cooking with butternut squash is that it does take a bit of time to prep. That being said, once you try a bite of this sweet, creamy soup, we promise all that effort will be worth it. First, you’re going to want to peel and cut your butternut squash. Never tried your hand at it before? Refer to our full guide on how to cook butternut squash for a step-by-step walk-through of the process. If you’d rather bypass this step, you can always save time by buying pre-cut and peeled squash from the grocery store.
- How to blend your soup. The conundrum of how to blend up a creamy soup is very real. An immersion blender makes it easiest, allowing you to just blend up the soup right in the pot. If you don’t have one, no worries—you can also use a regular blender; just be careful when blending up the hot liquid (don’t burn yourself!). We like to transfer it in batches so it’s not so much liquid that the top of your blender flies off (scary, but true).
Butternut Squash Soup Variations
- Curried Butternut Squash Soup: If you want to make the classic soup a little more interesting, then turn to this curried variation with coconut milk, curry powder, and a chopped peanut topping.
- Crock-Pot Butternut Squash Soup: The Crock-Pot makes every soup easier, including butternut squash—make this when you’re looking for a hands-free version.
- Slow-Cooker Vegan Butternut Squash Soup: If you’re vegan, then turn to this slow-cooker recipe that is just as cozy as the OG.
Storage
Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Ingredients
Method
- Arrange a rack in center of oven; preheat to 400º. On a large baking sheet, toss squash and potatoes with 2 Tbsp. oil; generously season with salt and pepper.
- Roast squash and potatoes, stirring halfway through, until tender, 30 to 35 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot over medium heat, heat butter and remaining 1 Tbsp. oil until butter melts. Cook onion, celery, and carrot, stirring, until softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in thyme; generously season with salt and pepper.
- Add roasted squash and potatoes, then pour in broth. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced and flavors have melded, about 10 minutes.
- Using an immersion blender, blend soup, adding more broth if needed, until creamy. Divide among bowls. (Alternatively, carefully transfer batches of the hot soup to a standard blender and divide among bowls.)
- Top with more thyme. Drizzle with cream (if using).
