Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
This simple homemade butternut squash soup is the best I've ever tasted! It's super creamy (yet cream-less) and full of delicious roasted butternut flavor.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on July 10, 2024
Let’s cozy up with a bowl of warm, creamy butternut squash soup. Butternut squash and cool weather go together like they were made for each other—which, really, they were. I was so happy to find butternut in stock again, and came home to make my favorite soup.
My butternut squash soup is ultra creamy and full of complex roasted butternut squash flavor. This recipe has become a smash hit with readers, receiving a 5-star rating from well over 500 reviews!
This traditional butternut squash soup will round out your fall and winter meals. Serve it with grilled cheese sandwiches and salads through the end of winter. Keep it in mind for the holidays, too. I designed this soup to complement typical Thanksgiving fare, like green beans and mashed potatoes.
This easy butternut squash soup recipe is also a great make-ahead option. In fact, it tastes even better the next day. Let’s get to it!
The Best Butternut Squash Soup
Here’s why readers love this recipe:
Simple Ingredients
I kept the ingredients list simple so the squash flavor can shine through, but the end result offers exceptionally rich flavor. You’ll only need eight basic ingredients to make this luscious soup: butternut squash, olive oil, butter, shallot, garlic, vegetable broth, maple syrup and nutmeg.
Butter is Better than Cream
A little bit of butter rounds out the flavor and makes it truly irresistible, without weighing down the soup like heavy cream tends to do. (You can substitute olive oil for vegan/dairy-free soup. It’s already vegetarian.) That’s a little trick that I used in my tomato soup in my cookbook, too. It’s by far the best butternut squash soup I’ve ever tasted, and infinitely better than any canned or boxed option.
Roasted Butternut Yields Major Flavor
Most of this soup’s flavor comes from the cooking method, which starts with roasting the butternut squash to bring out its caramelized best. Bonus! That means you don’t have to peel and chop the squash. Once the squash is out of the oven, you can start sautéing some shallot and garlic.
Serve It Now or Later
If you’re planning to make this soup for company, you can serve the soup straight from your blender. Or, make it the day before and reheat it in your blender or in a pot on the stove. Thanksgiving table real estate is always limited, so you might want to serve this soup in matching mugs or tea cups to leave room for the salad plates.
Garnishes Are Optional
This soup really doesn’t need a garnish, but feel free to add a sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper or some toasted pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) for extra visual appeal.
How to Blend Butternut Soup
This is when the soup deviates from other butternut squash soups. You usually have two options, and I don’t recommend either of them:
- You can add the remaining ingredients to the pot and then try to blend it with an immersion blender, which inevitably leaves the soup disappointingly gritty.
- You can very carefully transfer hot soup to a blender in batches, which is always a little harrowing but yields creamier results.
I found a better way with this soup. We’re going to use a stand blender, since it yields creamier soup (see recipe notes if you’re determined to use an immersion blender).
Here’s the gist: Instead of warming all of the ingredients in the pot, simply transfer scoops of roasted butternut squash and sautéed shallot and garlic to the blender. Then, pour in the vegetable broth and remaining ingredients. Blend it until it’s ultra creamy.
If you have a regular stand blender:
Any stand blender will do! Once you’ve blended the ingredients into creamy oblivion, pour the soup back into your soup pot. Warm it up on the stove over medium heat, stirring occasionally. That’s it.
If you have a fancy blender with a soup preset:
Use the soup preset, and you can serve your hot soup straight from the blender. I used my Vitamix (affiliate link/provided by Vitamix) and it worked great. The container is 64 ounces, which allowed me to fit all of the ingredients for this soup without surpassing the maximum fill line.
If you have a fancy blender without a soup preset:
(By fancy, I mean a high-end performance Vitamic, Blendtec, KitchenAid or similar.) Oftentimes, blending your soup for 4 to 6 minutes will heat it up sufficiently to serve directly from the blender. Consult your manufacturer’s directions for details.
Or, simply pour the mixture back into your soup pot and reheat on the stove. That will certainly work.
More Butternut Squash Recipes to Enjoy
Extra butternut squash? Here are some fun recipes to use it up:
- Balsamic Butternut, Kale and Cranberry Panzanella
- Butternut Squash Chipotle Chili with Avocado
- Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto
- Roasted Butternut Squash Tacos
- Roasted Butternut Squash, Pomegranate and Wild Rice Stuffing
Please let me know how this butternut soup turns out for you in the comments! Your feedback is so important to me, and I hope you love this soup as much as I do. It’s my absolute favorite.
Watch How to Make Butternut Squash Soup
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
This homemade butternut squash soup is the best I’ve ever tasted! This recipe is super creamy (yet cream-less) and full of delicious butternut flavor. Leftover soup tastes even better the next day. Recipe yields about 4 bowls or 6 cups of soup.
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash (about 3 pounds), halved vertically* and seeds removed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- ½ cup chopped shallot (about 1 large shallot bulb)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 to 4 cups (24 to 32 ounces) vegetable broth, as needed
- 1 to 2 tablespoons butter, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the butternut squash on the pan and drizzle each half with just enough olive oil to lightly coat the squash on the inside (about ½ teaspoon each). Rub the oil over the inside of the squash and sprinkle it with salt and pepper.
- Turn the squash face down and roast until it is tender and completely cooked through, about 40 to 50 minutes (don’t worry if the skin or flesh browns—that’s good for flavor). Set the squash aside until it’s cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large soup pot, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until shimmering (if your blender has a soup preset, use a medium skillet to minimize dishes.) Add the chopped shallot and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until the shallot has softened and is starting to turn golden on the edges, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring frequently. Transfer the contents to your stand blender (see notes on how to use an immersion blender instead).
- Use a large spoon to scoop the butternut squash flesh into your blender. Discard the tough skin. Add the maple syrup, nutmeg and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper to the blender. Pour in 3 cups vegetable broth, being careful not to fill the container past the maximum fill line (you can work in batches if necessary, and stir in any remaining broth later).
- Securely fasten the lid. Blend on high (or select the soup preset, if available), being careful to avoid hot steam escaping from the lid. Stop once your soup is ultra creamy and warmed through.
- If you would like to thin out your soup a bit more, stir in the remaining cup of broth. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil, to taste, and blend well. Taste and stir in more salt and pepper, if necessary.
- If your soup is piping hot from the blending process, you can pour it into serving bowls. If not, pour it back into your soup pot and warm the soup over medium heat, stirring often, until it’s nice and steamy. I like to top individual bowls with some extra black pepper.
Notes
*How to safely slice your butternut squash: You’ll need a sharp chef’s knife and a slip-free cutting board (place a lightly damp tea towel beneath your cutting board to keep it from moving around). Use the knife to cut off the tip-top and very bottom ends of the squash. Stand the squash upright with the thickest flat side as the base. Carefully slice through it from top to bottom to divide it in half (your fingers should never be in the blade’s way). Lastly, use a large spoon to scoop out the seeds and discard them.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Substitute high-quality olive oil for the butter. It will make your soup taste luxurious and lightly herbal.
Storage suggestions: Let leftover soup cool to room temperature before transferring it to a proper storage container and refrigerating it for up to 4 days (leftovers taste even better the next day!). Or, freeze this soup for up to 3 months.
If you are working with an immersion blender: Cook the shallot mixture in a large soup pot. Then add the scoops of cooked butternut squash, all 4 cups of broth, maple syrup, nutmeg and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes so the flavors have a chance to meld. Carefully use your immersion blender to blend the soup completely, then add 1 to 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil, to taste, and blend again. Taste and blend in more salt and pepper, if necessary.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
How incredibly simply perfect. Really top notch!
Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome, Lori!
I made this yesterday for dinner today. So good! It’s hard to believe there’s no cream in it. I’ll definitely make this again.
I just wanted to create this message as a warning for everyone. I found my butternut squash soup recipe on another website that I am hoping to find again. It called to remove the soup from heat and put in a blender. It did not specify a specific type of blender, but mentioned it could be small or large.
I removed the soup from the stove and put it in my nutribullet. The soup was so hot and the pressure so built up that it exploded all over my kitchen and on my left hand, wrist and arm, as well as my right wrist. I suffered 2nd degree burns and am still recovering. I am very thankful to God that it did not hit my face.
Please be careful! enjoy the soup. I did taste the soup. It was creamy and very good. Just a bit heavy on my stomach.
I had the same experience so now I only use the immersion blender for hot items. So much safer
you clearly didn’t follow the directions!
Super helpful comment, Lisa. She was just trying to help.
Next time, if you are dealing with a small blender like a nutribullet, you have to wait for your ingredients to cool down or only do your soup in batches so you do not get burned. Maybe like a a 3/4 cup at a time. Honestly, go with an immersion blender at that point to avoid the hassle.
This recipe is great! I made it for my estranged father and now he loves me again!
I absolutely love this recipe! It’s super simple to make, and freezes really well. I stock up on produce at the farmer’s market when it’s available and then search for great recipes to use what I’ve bought. Butternut squash is readily available right now so I’m prepping lots of soup for the upcoming winter months. This soup is delicious and is visually appealing to all. Thanks for this great recipe!
Lynda
I have a question … I roasted two small squashes and then found your recipe. I have about two cups of mashed squash – how do I scale the recipe for the amount of squash I have?
Hi Julie! This is is needed for 3lbs of squash. If you know the weight, that would be helpful. Then, you can alter by that amount.
Can I use frozen butternut squash cubes?
Hi! That should work, you will just want to thaw prior to roasting.
Making this in SW France on a very hot August day. Love roasted squash soup
I’m glad you loved it, Triona! Thank you for taking time to review.
I want to pre make this several days before a gathering. What do you think about freezing it? Looks delish!
Hi! This one freezes well, Colleen. I hope you love it!
Would this work with acorn squash?
Hi! I haven’t tried it, sorry.
This was delicious! My husband loved it as well and is asking me for a do-over. I am lactose intolerant so it was a plus to find a recipe for a cream soup that didn’t contain cream!
I’m glad you loved it! Thank you for sharing, Debbie.
Worst soup in the world. Never, Never add GARLIC to a butternut squash soup. I lost of of my squash to this recipe
If you don’t like garlic, why didn’t you just leave it out? There was no reason to be so rude
I love garlic. More than most people. I decided to try this recipe and add garlic to my butternut soup. This recipe absolutely ruined my night. No stars!
Lol dang Anthony. Ruined your night??
Hi, I’m sorry you didn’t love this soup. I appreciate the feedback.
I owe you an apology. I was way out of line to say the recipe ruined my night. If I could delete that comment I would. I’m sorry. Truth is your tips on blending were genius and resulted in a remarkably creamy soup. I will definitely be trying more of your recipes. Keep up the good work.
Hi Anthony, Thank you for your follow-up and I appreciate the apology. I hope you can find something you enjoy from my blog. Be sure to let me know!
I just made this for my family and it was a hit. Everyone loved it and my little sister asked for seconds… she never asks for seconds.
Absolutely delicious and such an easy recipe to follow. -it is finding itself a permanent place in my favourite recipes binder.
Thank you
Wonderful to hear, Ariana! I’m glad you love it. Thank you for your review!
When I eventually find the ingredients and method amongst all your other detritus, I’ll be pleased to give the recipe a try!
When you’re mentally competent enough to use the internet properly, you’ll find the ingredient list and recipe. Everyone else had no problem, so I have faith that one day you’ll figure it out.
There’s a little button…Jump To Recipe…at the top of the page. Next time try that, things work well when you think critically instead of criticizing.
Just made your Butternut Squash soup easy and yummy family loved it going to try more of your rescipes
I roasted my garlic with the squash and squished it into the soup, made it a little bit more smokey! Delicious.
Perfect. Even better on day two. I’m testing soup recipes to freeze for Christmas family gifts. No need to look further for Butternut squash soup. Spot on!
Can I use a regular yellow onion instead of the shallot?
Hi! You can, although i prefer the flavor of shallot better.
This recipe was delicious! 4/4 kids ate it with smiles, which is a big deal! So creamy and delicious. Plus, the tip on how to blend the soup was genius!
Thank you for all the helpful tips (like not to panic at the brown spots when the butternut roasted)! Will definitely be making this again.
Hands down my favorite soup. Its healthy for you, delicious, and so simple to make. Thank you for the recipe, I am so excited its almost fall and squash is back in season here! I am definitely freezing some this year.
I bought butternut squash for the first time and had no idea what to do with it. I thought a soup would be a welcome change and this recipe was perfect! I seasoned the squash before roasting with salt, garlic and garam Masala and added chili powder and parsley while simmering the soup before serving. I ran out of veg broth but subbed with water and extra salt and spices. I love that there isnt any cream in this. The butter adds a nice gloss too.
Thanks so much for the recipe, I’ll definitely keep coming back to it and keep buying squash!
This is a great recipe to try butternut squash for the first time! Thank you for sharing your experience, Shamyla.
This was easy and delicious! I used my Instant Pot for my squash, peeled it after it was cooked, cooked up the garlic and used my BlendTec soup setting to make the final product. Holy wow! It is delicious. So creamy and it didn’t even need cream!! I am thrilled!
I made this in on a rainy day! Perfect!! So delicious!! Thank you!!
Can I substitute onions for the shallots? I have red, white, or green! If so, how much of which?
Hi Gayle, you can use onions although I love shallots for this one. More on substituting onions.
Easy to make. When squash was cooked all it needed to do was to peel off the skin. Easier than scooping it out and save a lot of the squash. The skin peels off very easy.
I am not an onion lover but made it for others. I used half of a sweet onion that I cooked in the oven with the squash.
Blended in batches on the Vitamix. Perfect.
It tastes too much like onion so I added the butter and maple syrup to balance the taste. It is so creamy and perfect for a cold night.
Thank you for posting this recipe.
This was so good!!!
Will be my go to recipe.
I doubled this batch. I will freeze 3/4 of it and enjoy it through the coming cold weather season. I didn’t have maple syrup so I used a small amount of vanilla extract and honey.
Deeeelicious! Just made this on a bizarrely hot (for the UK!) September day. Was planning to freeze it for the colder months, but couldn’t resist having a bowl for lunch, it was that good. Additions like the nutmeg, the maple syrup, the sauteed garlic/shallots, the butter… it all added subtle layers to the flavour, but without being too complex or fiddly to prepare. Have made roasted squash soup several times, using several different recipes but this is the BEST. Thanks Kate :-)
Made this recipe, it was my first time ever making butternut squash soup, and it was delicious!! I always thought that would have to be a “restaurant meal” because it sounded so difficult to make, but your recipe made it pretty easy to do so thank you for posting it! I did have a rather hellish time scooping the cooked squash out of its skin; the skin was paper thin and just kept tearing with the flesh. Do you have any tips to make that part go a little better?
Hi Courtney! I’m sorry you had some trouble. Did you check out the video on the soup? That may be helpful to watch technique. It really could have been your squash skin was just more delicate. I’m glad you loved the result though!
Just made this for the1st time. Simple & absolutely delicious. Tried butternut squash recipe’s before, but with cream. Found them way too heavy.This is a beautiful balance, with just that touch of butter at the end. Bonus that it freezes well!!
Loved this!! If you don’t have enough broth, leave it thick and pour over tortellini as a sauce and top with a boneless, skinless grilled chicken thigh, and a tad of fresh parsley & grated parmesan. It was a sexy and tasty dish. We sent picture of it to friends and they thought we were at a high dollar restaurant. If you could see the picture you would be drooling!
This is the best butternut squash soup recipe. I cut the skin off my squash, do a large dice, and roast it in a different fashion, but the actual recipe is perfect. You can use a small amount of yellow onion, but shallots have a more delicate flavor. I am usually heavy handed w garlic, which is a mistake w this recipe. Use exactly the amount of garlic they tell you.
Someone gave me a butternut squash and I wasnt sure what to do with it, so I looked up recipes. This one sounded interesting and I tried it. I hate to say that I didnt like it. I dont think there was anything wrong with the recipe though. I just think my palate has a strong dislike for this vegetable in general. Also, my mind is prewired to only accept a soup as something salty or sour…not something sweet with maple syrup. I had fun trying it though!
I boiled the broth separately before hand and added rosemary and basil and then strained it off before I used the broth it is amazing!
Insanely delicious!!
I had a store bought squash and a baby Alaskan squash from the garden. Birch syrup from the backyard too. I taste tested as I went along with my wonky amounts. It turned out SO delightful, thank you!
I added a fresh sprig of rosemary and a dash of chili pepper to reserve in the fridge. It didn’t go in the freezer, it wont be around long.
Thank you for sharing, Jenissa!
Delicious!
I did not saute the onion and garlic. Instead, last night I roasted the onion and the garlic at the same time as I roasted the squash. I blended the ingredients this evening when I was making supper and heated it all up on the stove.
Super easy.
I used less garlic than called for (probably 2 cloves) and I added a couple of cooked (microwaved) apples for a little more sweetness.
Love this soup and We’re not even vegan…found out something today that I didn’t know but saves a lot of frustration and time(I usually do 3x’s the soup)…you can ask the produce department to cut your squash!!!! Asked today and sure enough they cut in half for me!!
You’re Welcome! Lol
So good
Hi Kate…
I bought a 5 pound butternut squash today and I’m buying the shallots and garlic tomorrow. I was hoping you could tell me what adjustments you would make to the soup based on the additional weight? How much shallots, garlic, salt, maple syrup, ground nutmeg, butter, and vegetable broth would you add to it?
Thanking you in advance…
Randi
Hi Randi, I’m sorry to not be of more help but I didn’t test this one with a larger quantity, you could try and follow the doubling ingredients with making slight modifications since you will be 1 pound short of squash.
I had a little over 6 pounds of squash and I made the soup in two batches and mixed them came out great.
I made this soup today exactly like the recipe and it was delicious! Will definitely be making it again. Thank you!
I’m very careful to use less salt than a recipe calls for, but this soup still was too salty for me. Is there a way to counterbalance the salt? I did add a little more maple syrup, but that only helped a little. Help, please!
Hi Susan, I’m sorry you don’t love this one. Did you use a really salty broth? That could impact it. I don’t have any suggestions on balancing it out at this point without changing more of the soup and not having a desired result. Wish I could be of more help!
Try adding more squash if you have it. That could help.
If you don’t like a salt, don’t put it.
I don’t like salt is well and I’m not use at all.
P.s. Recipe good as can be
Have been making this soup for three years now and I get rave reviews. Don’t dare make it any other way.
Holy Moses….this is the BEST EVER!!!! Just now made this recipe and I can’t say enough…by far the best tasting soup ever!!!!
Hi Kate & Cookie,
I love your recipes, they are absolutely delish! I’m trying to get my family to eat a more healthy diet and as challenging as it is you are making it easier for me. I can’t thank you enough, l’m looking forward to your next cookbook! :)
cheers,
from you #1 Canadian fan!
Lisa vK
This turned out great. I was doing meal prep today-Sunday- for the week, so I roasted the squash and took it out to let it cool…for like 3 hours. I used homemade veggie stock that I had defrosted and the only thing that was hot was the onion and garlic mix. I put it in the blender and it turned out fantastic. It was lukewarm, which was perfect for cooling in the fridge for our Meatless Monday meal tomorrow. The maple syrup gave it a nice flavor, too. I used EVOO in the blender to keep it vegan. Thank you!
Just a quick question. I do not have a stand blender. Just an immersion blender and a food processor. Will a food processor work as well as blender to get this soup silky smooth?
Hi Becky! I know some have tried the immersion blender and didn’t mind the results. I think it all depends on your immersion blender, but I think you could still like it. Texture may be slightly different.
This has been my go-to recipe since February – the soup is delicious, and this recipe is quite flexible and can be adapted with my own small adjustements to seasoning or to the ingredients depending on what I have on hand (e.g. unsweetened almond milk instead of cream). Looking forward to the fall weather for more of it. Thank you!
Excellent!!!
Made it a few times and even told a friend about it. Tried it with roasted butternut squash and also pumpkin, both turned out delicious.
My daughter made this last night, I loved it so much that i went ou and bought a squash to make some
It was simple and not as messy as I expected. My husband had no idea he was eating a vegetarian soup. And he did not say “where’she the meat.” This is a keeper.
SO GOOD! I also boiled up a sweet potato and blended that in with some cinnamon. I also used chicken broth. Everything else the same and so creamy and delicious.
I like your creativity, Jackie! I appreciate you taking the time to review.