Creamy Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

If you’re looking for the BEST Butternut Squash Soup recipe, this is it! I've included the directions for stovetop, Instant Pot, slow cooker, and roasted Butternut Squash Soup. No matter what method you choose, you will fall in love with this easy soup recipe.

I don’t know about you, but when the weather starts to get cold and grey, all I want is a steamy hot mug of soup, a fluffy blanket, and the crackle of a fire. Soup is one of the easiest ways to put a healthy meal on the table that's comforting and filling.

The other thing that's awesome about making a big pot of soup is that you always have leftovers. This creamy butternut squash soup is easy to make, and it freezes really well, so you can make a batch and then have soup in the freezer for later in the month.

Who doesn’t love a good one-pot dinner recipe? Soup is the perfect meal in so many ways.

What You’ll Love About This Recipe

• Easy: Butternut squash soup is super easy to make, with only a few veggies and one pot. Whether you use an Instant Pot, a crockpot, or a Dutch oven, it doesn’t get any easier.
• Healthy: This soup is filling, low fat, and packed with tons of veggies, and of course, it's gluten free. You’ll feel good about eating this healthy bowl of deliciousness.
• One-Pot Recipe: Because you can toss everything into one pot and just let it cook, you’ll only have one pot to clean up later. BONUS!

Recipe Notes

This recipe is as easy as cutting up a few veggies and adding them to a pot. You will need an immersion blender or a regular blender to puree this soup after it is done cooking. This step gives it its creamy texture without adding extra fat.  

Ingredients

You'll only need a few simple ingredients for the easy plant-based soup recipe. Check out the variations later in this post and add your own spin on this classic butternut squash soup recipe.

• Butternut Squash: See my post on how to pick the perfect butternut squash. This post takes you step-by-step through how to cut butternut squash. Grab a sharp knife and your cutting board! It's simple.
• Carrot, onion, and apple: Butternut squash soup with apple is delicious. The apple adds a little extra sweetness. I like to use a Granny Smith or Honeycrisp variety of apple.
• Garlic, sage, and cayenne or crushed red pepper: Three to four cloves of garlic, fresh sage, and cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper for a little bit of heat.  
• Vegetable stock and coconut milk: I like to use vegetable broth or homemade chicken stock in this recipe. Use canned coconut milk. You can usually find this in the Asian section of your grocery store.

Step-by-Step Instructions

This soup is nearly impossible to mess up. I've included the instructions for making this soup on the stovetop, in your Instant Pot, and in a slow cooker. If you're feeling really ambitious, Roasted Butternut Squash soup is also super delicious, and you'll just need one extra step. Trust me, though, it's worth it.

Stovetop Instructions

To make this easy Butternut Squash Soup recipe on the stovetop…

1. Combine all of the ingredients (except the coconut milk). Peel and dice all of the veggies and the apple and add them to large stockpot or Dutch oven. To get the most flavor, you can sauté the onion, garlic, and the butternut squash in a little olive oil or butter before adding the rest of the ingredients. Add the stock and cover.
2. Cook until everything is tender: Bring the soup to a boil. Then reduce the heat and cover. Cook and simmer for about 30 minutes or until everything is tender enough to mashed easily with a fork.
3. Blend: Remove and discard the sage. Add the coconut milk. Use an immersion blender or a high-speed blender to puree the soup. Be extremely careful with hot liquids. Make sure the immersion blender is fully immersed or that the blender isn’t too full.
4. Taste and season: Adjust the seasoning by adding salt, pepper, and cayenne, if needed.
5. Garnish: I like to add pumpkin seeds and a little extra coconut milk to the top of this soup. You can also add burned sage (fry sage in a little olive oil until it is crispy).

Instant Pot Instructions

Making Instant Pot butternut squash soup is super quick and easy!

1. Combine all of the ingredients (except the coconut milk). Peel and dice all of the veggies and the apple, add them to the Instant Pot. To get the most flavor, you can sauté the onion, garlic, and the butternut squash in a little olive oil or butter before adding the rest of the ingredients. Add the stock and cover.
2. Cook until everything is tender: Cook on high pressure for dinner in a jiffy! Set the Instant Pot to Manual, High-Pressure and set the timer for 8 to 10 minutes. Press start.
3. Remove the lid: When the pressure cycle is done, very carefully vent the steam on quick release. (I usually use the edge of a folded towel.) Wait until all of the steam has been expressed, and then remove the lid.
4. Blend: Use an immersion blender or a high-speed blender to puree the soup. Be extremely careful with hot liquids. Make sure the immersion blender is fully immersed or that the blender isn’t too full.
5. Taste and season: Adjust the seasoning by adding salt, pepper, and cayenne, if needed.
6. Garnish: I like to add pumpkin seeds and a little extra coconut milk to the top of this soup. You can also add burned sage (fry sage in a little olive oil until it is crispy).

Slow Cooker Instructions

To make slow cooker butternut squash soup, you can use a large 6-quart slow cooker or a smaller 4-quart model.

1. Combine all of the ingredients (except the coconut milk). Peel and dice all of the veggies and the apple and add them to your crock pot. To get the most flavor, you can sauté the onion, garlic, and the butternut squash in a little olive oil or butter before adding the rest of the ingredients. Add the stock and cover.
2. Cook until everything is tender: Slow cooker times are approximately 6 to 8 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on high. Remove and discard the sage.
3. Blend: Add in the coconut milk. Use an immersion blender or a high-speed blender to puree the soup. Be extremely careful with hot liquids. Make sure the immersion blender is fully immersed or that the blender isn’t filled too full.
4. Taste and season: Adjust the seasoning by adding salt, pepper, and cayenne, if needed.
5. Garnish: I like to add pumpkin seeds and a little extra coconut milk to the top of this soup. You can also add burned sage (fry sage in a little olive oil until it is crispy).

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Roasted butternut squash soup has a sweeter flavor because the roasted veggies are caramelized in the oven.

1. Roast the squash, onions, garlic, and carrot. Preheat the oven to 450℉. Peel and dice all the veggies and the apple. Place them on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Toss in a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes.
2. Combine all of the ingredients: Add all of the ingredients (except the coconut milk) to a large pot and warm the broth and allow the sage to infuse for about 20 minutes .  
3. Blend: Remove and discard the sage. Add in the coconut milk. Use an immersion blender or a high-speed blender to puree the soup. Be extremely careful with hot liquids. Make sure the immersion blender is fully immersed or that the blender isn’t filled too full.
4. Taste and season: adjust the seasoning by adding salt, pepper, and cayenne, if needed.
5. Garnish: I like to add pumpkin seeds and a little extra coconut milk to the top of this soup. You can also add burned sage (fry sage in a little olive oil until it is crispy), or a drizzle of maple syrup.

FAQs and Expert Tips

Possible Variations

• Use cream instead of coconut milk: If you don’t have coconut milk on hand, feel free to substitute cream, half and half, or even milk.
• Go vegan: Just swap out the chicken stock for veggie stock to make a totally vegan butternut squash soup.
• Make a roasted butternut squash soup: Roasting the veggies give this soup an extra depth of flavor.
• Add rice or quinoa: You can add rice, quinoa, or even farro to this simple creamy soup to give it a more hearty, stick-to-your ribs feel.
• Top with crème fraiche: Crème fraiche adds an acidic note to this soup.

What goes well with Butternut Squash Soup

• A big salad: Make a big green salad and top it with my carrot and apple matchstick salad or some champagne vinaigrette.
• Roasted vegetables: Roast your veggies while the soup cooks. One of my favorites is pan-roasted Brussels sprouts with pancetta and figs.
• Easy protein: Grilled or oven-baked chicken is a perfect accompaniment to this healthy butternut squash soup recipe.

More Favorite Soup Recipes

Looking for more warm and comforting soup recipes? Here are just a few of my favorites.

• Cream of Mushroom Soup (dairy-free)
• Potato Soup
• Curry Pumpkin Soup
• Easy Turkey Soup (also perfect with chicken)
• 5-Alarm Firehouse Chili
• Chile Verde
• Lentil Soup With Farro
• Vegetable Soup
• Chorizo Soup
• Black Bean Soup

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