Butternut Squash Soup
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Silky smooth and full of sweet, earthy flavor, this butternut squash soup recipe is surprisingly simple to make.
I’ve made butternut squash soup all sorts of ways over the years, and this simple butternut squash soup recipe is my favorite. It skips the usual steps of roasting the squash and sautéing the aromatics—and there’s no wrestling with a whole squash. Using pre-cut butternut squash, everything comes together in one pot in under an hour, yet the soup is remarkably flavorful. Just simmer the vegetables until tender, purée until silky smooth, and stir in the cream. This method lets the sweet, earthy flavor of the squash really shine.
Serve the soup with crusty bread for an easy fall meal. It’s also a lovely starter for Thanksgiving or a holiday dinner, especially since it can be made ahead and reheated.
“This was a wonderful recipe…perfect for a cold and snowy Colorado evening. Thank you!”
What You’ll Need To Make Butternut Squash Soup
- Butternut squash: Pre-cut squash makes this soup exceptionally easy. Look for firm, bright orange cubes without any soft or slimy spots. Fresh is best here; frozen squash can make the soup watery and less flavorful.
- Red bell pepper: Adds subtle sweetness, depth, and a beautiful golden-orange color without making the soup taste noticeably of peppers.
- Onion and garlic: Give the soup a savory backbone and balance the natural sweetness of the squash.
- Water: There’s no need for chicken or vegetable broth. Water allows the sweet flavor of the squash and vegetables to shine.
- Salt and sugar: Don’t be alarmed by the amounts! Because the soup is made with water rather than seasoned broth, the salt is essential for bringing out the flavor of the vegetables. A little sugar enhances the squash’s natural sweetness.
- Heavy cream: Gives the soup its silky texture and rounds out the flavors. A little extra drizzled over each bowl makes a pretty finishing touch.
- Fresh thyme or curry powder: This is your choose-your-own-adventure moment. Thyme gives the soup a classic, savory fall flavor, while curry powder takes it in a warmer, more aromatic direction.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Butternut Squash Soup
Combine the vegetables, water, salt, and sugar in a large pot and simmer until very tender. Purée until silky smooth, then stir in the cream and thyme (or curry powder) and bring back to a gentle simmer. The soup should be smooth and creamy but not overly thick. Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
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.
Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle with a little extra cream, if you like. The soup is delicious as is, but you can dress it up with pomegranate seeds for a sweet-tart pop, toasted pepitas for crunch, or homemade croutons for a buttery, crisp finish.
What To Serve with Butternut Squash Soup
Butternut squash soup makes a lovely starter or light meal, and it pairs especially well with sandwiches, hearty fall salads, and simple roasted meats. Here are a few of my favorite ways to serve it:
Grilled Cheese: A classic pairing that turns a bowl of butternut squash soup into an easy, satisfying lunch or dinner.
Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad: A fresh, crunchy fall salad that balances the soup’s rich, velvety texture.
Roast Chicken: Serve the soup as a first course before roast chicken for a cozy fall dinner.
Glazed Pork Tenderloin: Another natural autumn pairing, especially for a dinner party or Sunday supper.
Thanksgiving Turkey: Serve smaller portions of the soup as a starter before dinner and all the trimmings.
More Fall Soup Recipes You’ll Love
Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 2½ pounds pre-cut butternut squash, cubed (about 8 cups; 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.
Notes
- For the best flavor and texture, use fresh butternut squash in this recipe. Frozen squash can release extra water as it cooks, making the soup thinner and less flavorful. And if possible, measure the squash by weight rather than volume, since the amount that fits in a measuring cup can vary depending on the size of the cubes.
- This is one recipe where I recommend sticking to the ingredient amounts, particularly the salt, sugar, and cream. They’re carefully balanced to give the soup its rich flavor and silky texture.
- 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.
Nutrition Information
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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This is the best butternut squash soup 😋😋😋 It’s so easy to make. It does freeze very well.
Made this for my Mother, it was my first soup outside of traditional chicken noodle. The transition of this soup, from blend: to adding cream, was… amazing! They way you taste the vegetables before cream and how much adding the cream turns it into thay well-known flavor of butternut squash soup, it was amazing. Be sure to try a spoonful before and after the cream, it’s remarkable! Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
I almost always LOVE your recipes. For me, this was a disappointment. It is too thin/watery and lacks butternut squash flavor. I ended up roasting an additional small butternut squash, running it through my food processor with some of the soup, and adding it to the pot. It was better after that.
So lovely and even better next day. Sad when it was gone. Will be making this a lot.
This soup was delicious. I wouldn’t change a thing! I used the curry seasoning instead of the thyme. I would only add a little bit more squash to the 7 cups of water or decrease the water by some. otherwise restaurant quality
This soup is absolutely delicious! I added thyme rather than curry, but will be trying the other variation as well ~ I followed the recipe to a T, next time I think 6 cups of water rather than 7 will make it slightly thicker, for our tastes.
I LOVE all your soup recipes! Could you do a beef and barley inspired soup, but maybe instead of barley use kasha (which is probably healthier, and happens to be GF) – I don’t look anywhere else for soup recipes now 🙂
So glad you like my soup recipes! I actually have a beef and barley soup in my first cookbook. If you own the cookbook, it’s on page 71. If you don’t have to cookbook, email me at jennifer@ onceuponachef.com; I’d be happy to send you the recipe.
This is delicious. Didn’t change a thing. Served it with grilled cheese. Perfect!
I made this last Thanksgiving – serving a small cup before we sat down for the main meal, and it was a HUGE hit with everyone. Definitely will be serving it again this year. Thank you!!!
If you want a really, really creamy and luxurious texture without having to add heavy cream: add a block of silken tofu (not the firm kind, it has to be the silken type!) before blending the soup. I guarantee you, once you have tried it this way you will never make butternut soup (or any other creamy soup for that matter) without it. It’s a miracle. By the way, silken tofu is also great for making chocolate mousse that is rich and firm without being heavy. Trust me!