This easy, creamy 30-minute butternut squash soup recipe comes together FAST with pre-roasted butternut squash, which requires ZERO upfront prep work {no peeling, chopping or deseeding}. Yes really!
Creamy butternut squash soup, or “Pumpkin” soup as we call it here in the US, is the perfect recipe to usher in the fall season. Made from sweet roasted butternut squash, sautéed yellow onions and a splash of coconut milk (no, it doesn’t taste like Hawaiian Tropic) the rich, velvety flavor is pure comfort in a bowl. I love it with sourdough focaccia.
Now, there are thousands of butternut squash soup recipes online. Maybe more. Mine boasts a singular “why didn’t I think of that?” shortcut that saves on time and stress: no need to cut butternut squash beforehand.
Tell Us More…
Cutting butternut squash is a total pain. We know this. It’s slippery to peel, the seeds are slimy and your knife, I don’t care how sharp it is, always gets stuck at some point- it’s like cutting chalky little ice blocks. The work around?
Roast The Butternut Squash Whole
That’s right. Here’s how to do it: take the whole butternut squash (don’t peel, chop, halve, or deseed it) and place it directly onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Roast @ 400 F for 1+ hour until soft and tender. The skin will shrivel up and soften; it’s ready when a sharp knife easily slips out when pierced. Intrigued? More details & video here: The Easiest Way To Roast Butternut Squash.
Ok, So Then What?
Once your butternut squash is cool enough to handle, peel and discard the skin, save the seeds if you want to roast them, and mash with a fork to even out the texture (or blend in a food processor or blender for a silky, smooth puree).
Portion the squash into small air-tight containers and chill or freeze until ready to use. Now, you can make my butternut squash soup. It will be ready in 30 minutes (or less).
Butternut Squash Soup Ingredients (You Will Need):
- Whole-Roasted Butternut Squash
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Onion
- Rosemary
- Garlic
- Curry powder (optional)
- Coconut milk
- Chicken or vegetable stock
How To Make Butternut Squash Soup
Sauté chopped onions and rosemary in olive oil and butter until soft about, 5-7 minutes. Add the curry powder (use it, so good!) and garlic. Stir for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the roasted butternut squash, coconut milk and stock. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a gentle boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Puree in a blender for a creamy texture.
Thoughts On Coconut Milk
I toyed with calling this recipe “butternut squash soup with coconut milk,” but it’s not heavy on the coconut flavor at all. Didn’t make sense. In fact, the coconut milk just adds a buttery, background note which enhances the overall sweetness of the squash. It’s delicious. FYI: I use coconut oil in my sourdough cornbread to enhance the natural sweetness of the cornmeal- it’s the same idea.
Soup Substitutions? Read On.
- Vegetarian: Swap chicken stock for vegetable stock.
- Vegan: Use vegetable stock + vegan butter. Just watch the salt. Is it me, or are most plant-based butters salty these days?!
- Gluten Free: Already is!
- Curry Powder: I add 1/2 tsp. for warmth. You can barely taste it. Add up to 1 tsp, for more flavor.
- Herbs: Fresh rosemary, scallions or chives to garnish
- Coconut Milk: Do not sub with thick coconut cream (it’s too sweet). Use the tiniest bit, if you have to, to taste.
More Delicious Fall Recipes To Try!
- Beginner’s Guide to Sourdough Focaccia
- Secret Ingredient Sourdough Cornbread
- Maple Roasted Harvest Vegetables
- Easy Apple Tart With Puff Pastry
30-Minute Butternut Squash Soup {Sweet & Creamy!}
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4-6
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stove-top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This easy, creamy, 30-minute butternut squash soup recipe comes together FAST with pre-roasted butternut squash which requires ZERO prep work {no peeling, chopping or deseeding}.
Note: if you don’t already have pre-roasted squash, I’ve included the instructions below. Tack on 1+ hours for roasting time. But remember, since my whole-roasted squash doesn’t require any prep work, it’s 100% hands off!
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 1 whole-roasted butternut squash (instructions below)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Sprig of fresh rosemary
- 1/2– 1 tsp curry powder (optional)
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 4 cups chicken stock, plus more as needed
- Salt & black pepper
To Serve
Instructions
To Whole-Roast Butternut Squash: Preheat oven to 400 F. Place butternut squash (left whole- don’t peel, chop, halve or deseed it) onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Roast for about 1+ hrs until soft and tender. A sharp knife should slip right out when the squash is pricked straight through the center. When cool enough to handle, peel off the skin, slice it in half, remove the seeds and scoop out the flesh (save the seeds to roast, it you’d like). Mash the butternut squash with a fork or puree in a blender or food processor. Set aside until ready to use.
- ) For the Soup: In a heavy bottom pot, warm the olive oil and butter over medium-low heat. Add the onions and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and curry powder (if using), and continue to cook until fragrant, 1 minute.
- ) Add the squash, coconut milk, and chicken stock to the pot. Stir to combine. Bring to a rolling boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or more for the flavors to meld. Discard the rosemary sprig.
- ) Remove soup from heat. Puree in a blender until smooth and creamy. Pour back into the pot and give it a taste. Adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper, if needed. Add additional coconut milk or stock if the texture is too thick.
- Portion soup into bowls and serve piping hot.
Keywords: Butternut squash, soup, roast, how to, whole, coconut milk, curry, recipe, easy
Comments
Nikki says
Made the recipe to a T with only 4 measured cups of stock and it was so watery haha. Tomorrow I’ll go buy another squash and reheat this soup up and add it to it to hopefully make it smooth and creamy.
★★★
PAULINE says
Hi Emilie,
I am so looking forward to making this delicious soup…BUT I have one question(s) Does the soup really come this velvety smooth just using a blender?
Would a Vitamix Stick Blender work as well?
Thank you
Pauline
PS
I ordered your book Artisan Sourdough. As a “newbie” I want to learn the art of sourdough baking.
Barbara B. says
Can you please provide weight of squash or amount of roasted, mashed squash needed for recipe? I couldn’t find this information in recipe or instructions.
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! You’ll need to use the entire butternut squash, which is usually about 2 1/2- 3 pounds. I don’t have the weight of the roasted, mashed squash. However, for reference, you’ll end up with about 1 quart.
Vanessa says
Hello! Roasted my whole squash yesterday (woohoo!). Planning to make this soup today and wondering if the soup freezes well?
Emilie Raffa says
OH YES! It totally freezes well. I’m actually eating some right now (not even joking…) that I defrosted earlier this morning. I threw in some baby spinach leaves which wilted perfectly as the soup re-heated. Enjoy. PS: the roasted/mashed squash can be frozen too ;)
Angie Cook says
Just made this…delicious!! Wasn’t sure how the Rosemary was going to play with the curry and the coconut milk but it’s all amazing.
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Angie! The flavors play nicely together ;) Thrilled you liked it.
Maria says
Excited to be making this today with our CSA butternut squash! I have coconut oil, but no coconut milk handy. Could I substitute oil for milk? If yes, any idea how much? If not, we’ll buy the milk.
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Maria! Great question. I haven’t tried it, but if you do: only use a small amount of coconut oil (1 or 2 tsp) and increase the butter to make up the difference. See how that goes, to start. You don’t want the coconut flavor to be too strong. To finish, if you have a small amount of cream on hand, even half n half, add the tiniest bit at the end to achieve a similar “coconut milk” effect.
Maria says
Thanks, I do have heavy cream on hand and will let you know how it works! We recently purchased a “golden milk” blend at a farmer’s market, after trying it at the coffee truck there – truck recipe included adding a teaspoon of coconut oil, along with the spice blend, simple syrup, and milk – the coconut oil was not overpowering and almost magical in how it rounded out the flavor. Thanks!
Emilie Raffa says
Yes! That’s exactly it! The additions of coconut rounds out the flavor just a touch. Delicious. I hope you enjoy 😊
Maria says
I can’t figure out how to post a photo, but 1 tsp coconut oil, 1/2 cup heavy cream and 3/4 tsp Penzey’s Now Curry was wonderful. No fresh rosemary (that was last week’s CSA!) so added crumbled-up dried rosemary. Next time I would try 1 1/2 tsp each of curry and coconut oil. In the interest of time and less clean-up, I used a stick blender in the pot and we enjoyed the slightly chunkier soup. My husband and I both thank you for this new addition to our recipe roster!
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Yay! Thanks so much for circling back. Excellent tips and feedback. So glad you enjoyed it. I often use a stick blender too, for a rustic, slightly chunky texture.
CMR says
Thanks for this recipe Emilie! I made butternut squash soup the other day. I baked the squash as you taught us and it was a great shortcut. Worked like a charm. Now I cannot wait to add the ingredients you mentioned in this recipe to my next batch. The one or two added recipe ingredients continues to enhance my cooking! Again thanks! You are extremely talented!
★★★★★