This easy butternut squash soup recipe is the perfect comfort food on a cool afternoon. Besides being incredibly delicious, its beautiful bright color just lights up the table.
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Whether you're looking for festive fall recipes or Thanksgiving soups, this butternut squash recipe definitely ticks both boxes. And adding roasted apples, carrots and potatoes to the mix absolutely takes this recipe to the next level. (Your guests will think it was prepared by a fancy restaurant.) 😉 This is seriously the BEST butternut squash soup recipe.
For other must have holiday recipes, you can also try these delicious roasted Brussels sprouts, this classic cranberry sauce or these perfect homemade mashed potatoes. Or garnish the holiday table with some pomegranate (you can even add the seeds to the soup for a truly festive garnish.)
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Only 15 minutes of prep time required; the rest is hands-off!
- Delicious way to use seasonal butternut squash and apples
- Festive and pretty; great for gatherings or everyday meals
- Velvety-smooth texture and perfect fall flavors
- Kid-friendly and approved
🌿 Ingredients
All of the ingredients for this recipe are widely available in any large grocery store, particularly during the fall when butternut squash is in season. You'll want to look for a medium-sized squash, weighing roughly 3 pounds. Don't worry if it's a little heavier or lighter than that though. I love using a Granny Smith apple for this recipe, but any variety of apple will work.
Pro tip: If you don't want to deal with peeling and prepping the butternut squash yourself, you can usually find already prepped packages of squash in the produce department.
See recipe card below for exact quantities.
📝 Instructions
Once you have the prep done for this soup, the rest is a breeze—just hands-off roasting and simmering. The butternut squash itself is the only ingredient that requires some tips. If you haven't cooked with one before, here's what you need to know.
How to cut butternut squash
Use a sharp vegetable peeler to remove the skin first, and then start slicing 1-inch chunks off the skinnier end until you get to the main bulb where the seeds are.
Cut another slice or two until you can easily access the seeds, and then use a metal spoon to scrape out all of the seeds; those can be discarded or composted.
How to make butternut squash soup
Now the hard work for your soup is done! 🙂 Next, continue chopping up the squash into 1-inch chunks, and then peel and chop the potatoes, carrots and apple. Mix all of those up in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil and some salt and pepper.
Next up, the roasting. I like to line a baking sheet with parchment paper to make cleanup easier, but you can also roast the butternut squash, veggies and apple directly on the sheet pan if you prefer to brown them a little more. Note that the apple will get a little soft/mushy either way you roast it, and that's perfectly fine. (It's all just going in the soup pot anyway.)
You're going to roast the vegetables and apples at 400°F for 35-40 minutes or until just tender and browned.
While the veggies are roasting, you'll sauté the onion and garlic in some olive oil in a big soup pot and then add the broth, roasted veggies and apples, and spices and simmer for about 15 minutes.
And lastly, carefully blend the soup in a couple batches using a high-speed blender like a Vitamix if you have one, or just use a regular blender on the purée setting.
Warning: The soup will be extremely hot; be careful not to place you hand directly on the lid while blending as steam will be coming up through the lid.
Adjust the seasonings if needed, and you're done!
📋 Substitutions
As written, this butternut squash apple soup is vegan and gluten free. You can make any of the following substitutions as necessary.
- Butternut squash - if for any reason you can't find butternut squash, you could substitute either acorn squash or kabocha squash for a very similar result
- Yellow potatoes - feel free to use Russet, red potatoes or sweet potatoes instead
- Carrots - substitute parsnips, or leave out if necessary
- Granny Smith apple - use any other variety of apple you can find
- Olive oil - substitute avocado oil or canola oil
- Yellow onion - use a white or red onion instead
- Garlic - use a little garlic powder instead, if you don't have fresh garlic
- Low-sodium vegetable broth - use regular vegetable broth, but cut the added salt in half
- Nutmeg - substitute allspice or cinnamon, or just leave out
📖 Variations
There are so many delicious variations on this butternut squash soup you could make! Here are a few of my favorites:
- Butternut squash soup with coconut milk - replace half of the vegetable broth with a 15-oz can of full fat or light coconut milk to make super creamy butternut squash soup
- Butternut squash and sweet potato soup - use sweet potatoes instead of yellow potatoes
- Butternut squash and pumpkin soup - use a smaller 2-pound butternut squash and add a 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree to the soup when you add the broth
🔪 Equipment
I used the following equipment to make this recipe:
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
- vegetable peeler
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- mixing bowl
- large pot
- standard blender
🍱 Storage
This soup recipe will stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
🎉 Top tip
This butternut squash soup recipe makes a perfect first course to dinner, but has enough calories to easily stand alone as a light lunch paired with some crusty bread.
Enjoy!
💭 FAQ
Typical spices for butternut squash soup include garlic, ginger, nutmeg, sage and salt & pepper in various combinations.
Butternut squash soup pairs well with a simple salad of greens and some crusty bread for a wholesome lunch or light dinner.
You can top butternut squash soup with freshly chopped herbs like parsley, basil, cilantro or chives, make it festive with fresh pomegranate seeds (arils), or swirl in a little sour cream just before serving.
Yes; after cooling your butternut squash soup completely, you can store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
🍳 Recipe
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Apple
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Roast: Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup. While the oven is warming, peel and roughly chop the squash, potatoes, carrots and apple and add them all to a mixing bowl. Drizzle everything with half of the olive oil and a little salt and pepper to taste, and pour into one layer on the parchment paper. Roast for about 35-40 minutes or until just tender and browned. Remove from the oven.
- Cook: When everything is out of the oven, add the remaining olive oil to a large soup pot and warm to medium-high heat. While the oil warms, roughly chop the onion and mince the garlic. Add the onion to the pot once the oil shimmers and cook until translucent and browning on the edges, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute more. Add the broth, roasted veggies and apples, nutmeg, salt and pepper, lower the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for 15 minutes.
- Blend: Carefully scoop about 3-4 cups of soup into a high speed or regular blender, cover tightly and increase speed until smooth and creamy. Pour the blended soup into a serving bowl and continue with the next batch until everything has been blended. Warning: the soup will be extremely hot and will produce steam from the lid—be careful not to place your hand directly on the lid while blending.
- Enjoy: Adjust seasonings with a little extra salt and pepper if desired, serve immediately, and enjoy!
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