Butternut Squash Soup
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This creamy butternut squash soup is full of flavor and surprisingly easy — ready in under an hour and pure fall comfort in a bowl.
If you’re looking for a butternut squash soup that’s as easy as it gets, this is it! It starts with my favorite time-saving trick: pre-cut squash cubes from the supermarket. From there, everything goes into one pot to simmer before getting puréed into silky perfection. One important note—please follow the recipe as written. Every ingredient, including the full measures of sugar, salt, and cream, is key to the rich flavor and texture that make this soup so special.
For the finishing touch, you get to choose your own adventure: keep it classic with fresh thyme or give it a different twist with curry powder. Either way, you’ll end up with a bowl that’s warm, comforting, and worth making again and again.
I love this butternut squash soup with crusty bread or buttermilk biscuits, or for a lighter fall meal, alongside my shaved Brussels sprouts salad.
“So good and so easy!”
What You’ll Need To Make Butternut Squash Soup
- Butternut squash & red bell pepper: The squash brings a naturally sweet, nutty flavor and blends into a silky texture, while the pepper adds a gentle sweetness and bright color. Skip frozen squash—it tends to make the soup watery.
- Onion & garlic: The aromatic base that gives the soup its depth right from the start.
- Water & heavy cream: Water keeps the flavors clean and balanced, while a splash of cream at the end makes the soup luxuriously smooth.
- Salt, sugar & thyme or curry powder: Salt pulls everything together, sugar enhances the veggies’ natural sweetness, and your choice of thyme or curry powder sets the flavor tone—to herbal and earthy with thyme, or warm and lightly spicy with curry.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1. Prep the vegetables. Add all of the vegetables, salt, and sugar to a large soup pot, then pour in enough water to cover them.
Step 2. Cook until tender. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 35 minutes.
Step 3. Purée the soup. Use a hand-held immersion blender (or a standard blender) to blend until silky smooth.
Pro Tip: If using a countertop blender, remove the center cap from the lid and cover the opening with a folded kitchen towel—this lets steam escape and prevents a soup volcano.
Step 4. Add the cream. Pour in the heavy cream and stir until combined.
Step 5. Finish and serve. Bring the soup to a simmer and stir in the fresh thyme (or curry powder). Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Serve hot, or make ahead—the soup keeps nicely for 3 days in the fridge or can be frozen for longer storage.
Pro Tip: If you want to dress up the soup with a garnish, try pomegranate seeds for a sweet-tart burst, toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) for a warm crunch, or homemade croutons for buttery crispness that soaks up the soup in the best way.
More Fall Soups That Warm You from the Inside Out
Butternut Squash Soup
Creamy, flavorful butternut squash soup that’s easy to make and perfect for a cozy fall meal.
Ingredients
- 2½ pounds pre-cut butternut squash (7 to 8 cups, cubed; see note)
- 1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
- 7 cups water
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¾ cup heavy cream, plus more for serving
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon curry powder, for a different flavor profile)
Instructions
- Combine the squash, pepper, onion, garlic, water, salt, and sugar in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 35 minutes
- Using a hand-held immersion blender, purée the soup until silky smooth. (Alternatively, cool the soup slightly, then purée in a blender in batches, making sure to leave the hole in the lid open to allow the steam to escape.) Stir in the heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Mix in the thyme (or curry powder), then taste and adjust seasoning (depending on the sweetness of the vegetables, you may need a touch more sugar). Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle with more cream if desired, and serve.
- Note: For the best flavor and texture, use fresh butternut squash in this recipe. Frozen squash can release extra water when cooked, which may dilute the soup and make it thinner or less flavorful.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The soup can be prepared up to 3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It can also be frozen, without the cream, for up to 3 months. Defrost the soup in the refrigerator for 12 hours and then reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat until hot. Once heated through, add the cream and bring to a simmer before serving.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 217
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated fat: 7 g
- Carbohydrates: 31 g
- Sugar: 11 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 1192 mg
- Cholesterol: 34 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Can’t wait to make this for a lunch with 4 friends this week.
Totally get why you want us to follow this recipe to the tee BUT
would there be any substitution for the cream that would not affect
the integrity or quality of the finished soup?
With thanks
😀 Sally W
Hi Sally, if you’re looking for something non-dairy, full-fat coconut milk will work nicely.
Outstanding! This is the fourth soup of tested for Thanksgiving and the winner. I made it exactly as directed using curry. Thank you for the perfect soup to start my Thanksgiving meal.
Variation on a theme: Roast Butternut squash and a sweet potato cut into 1 inch cubes at 400 deg F @ 40-60 minutes. When done, saute shallots and garlic in large pot, add roasted veggies to pot and use (homemade) chicken stock instead of water (or just water is OK). Season with Aleppo pepper flakes and tumeric or curry powder, salt, and the juice of one orange (for that hint of acid). Blend with immersion blender or in a blender in batches. Add water to desired consistency. No need for cream or sugar. Soup can also be thickened with roasted potato if sweet potato is too sweet for your taste. This soup is super thick and tastes like sunshine!
Pam, get your own blog. Seriously.
Great suggestions, Pam. Thank you.
Great recipe just as it is. Of course I didn’t have heavy cream, substituted half and half then added a tablespoon of unsalted butter. I used my old fashioned stove top pressure cooker and cooked on high for 8 minutes to speed things up a bit.
So good and so easy! Really enjoyed. Thank you again for another wonderful soup to add to my repertoire. Can’t wait to have company.
I made your butternut squash soup last weekend and I followed your recipes to the letter and the soup was the hit of the day. PERFECT. The only thing I did was to bake the butternut squash for 1 hour in the oven at 400 degrees and tested for doneness and put the squash back in for 30 minutes more, and then I cut it up and used your recipe to the letter. Your recipes have always been perfect. Thank you for all your lovely recipes. Tomorrow I am making your turkey chili and lemon bars. I need to go shopping now.
Hi! What kind of salt did you use? Thanks!
Hi Debbie, When a recipe of mine says salt in the ingredient list, I am referring to regular/table salt. If it calls for something else like kosher salt, I will specify that in the recipe. Hope you enjoy the soup if you make it!
Would coconut milk work if I must make this dairy free?
Hi Angela, that will work. Keep in mind that it may slightly change the flavor of the soup. Enjoy!
Definitely coconut, I will make without sugar, but Manuka honey. Wash gourd but don’t peel please. Catmandan
Jennifer, my family and I thank you for your amazing recipes! I have both cookbooks and hoping for a third one soon. We’re planning Canadian thanksgiving lunch for the family and this soup will be on the table along with other dishes you’ve shared with us. Can I make the soup the day before and refrigerate? If yes, should the cream be added the next day?
Hi Lia, You can make the whole thing a day (or two) ahead and just gently reheat. Happy Thanksgiving!
The soup was good. Can you add sausage?
Also, are there any other Jen recipes for butternut squash? Casserole, stew, chili, tacos??? I just don’t know anything about squash.
Sure, Laurie, it’s fine to add some sausage. The one other recipe I have that uses butternut squash is this polenta. Hope you enjoy if you make it!