This Creamy Butternut Squash Soup is an easy soup recipe filled with Fall-inspired ingredients. Flavorful roasted butternut squash is blended into a silky puree, then finished on the stovetop with butter, maple syrup, and spices.
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We love cozy Fall and Autumn soups like Creamy Sweet Potato Soup, Loaded Potato Soup and of course Roasted Butternut Squash soup. The hint of cinnamon and nutmeg make this soup so cozy for cooler weather.
Butternut Squash Soup Video
Watch Natasha make this easy and soul-warming butternut squash soup. You’ll fall in love with how simple and flavorful this recipe is. Prepare to get cozy!
Easy Roasted Butternut Squash Soup Recipe
Butternut squash soup is a simple recipe that tastes totally gourmet. Roasting the veggies before blending brings out their very best flavor, while a touch of fall spice elevates the soup to a whole new level of cozy. Then there are the toppings. The combination of sweet maple syrup and salty crispy bacon is irresistible – so don’t skip those.
Here’s what else sets this apart as the best-ever butternut squash soup:
- Butter – Swirling in unsalted butter and letting it melt in the pot gives the soup a luxurious taste and texture. There’s no need to add any milk or cream.
- Maple Syrup – Adding maple syrup to the soup brings out the natural sweetness of the squash.
- Bacon – Blending sweet and savory with a crispy bacon topping is such a treat.
Ingredients
Below is everything you’ll need to make creamy butternut soup from scratch. Be sure to refer to the recipe card for the full ingredient details:
- Butternut Squash – Prepare and chop up your butternut squash beforehand, so it’s ready to go. You can learn how to peel, seed, and cut up butternut squash in our Roasted Butternut Squash recipe.
- Carrots and Onion – These additional veggies are roasted with the squash, along with garlic, for even more flavor in the soup base.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Tossing the vegetables in olive oil with salt and pepper helps them roast up perfectly.
- Broth – Chicken broth provides a rich flavor and helps to thin out the blended soup.
- Butter – Unsalted butter is what makes this soup extra creamy. No need for added cream.
- Maple Syrup – Pure maple syrup brings the perfect amount of sweetness to the soup.
- Spices – Ground cinnamon and nutmeg add a delicious hint of fall spice.
Pro Tip: For a vegetarian soup, use vegetable stock in place of chicken stock. For a vegan butternut squash soup, use vegetable stock and olive oil instead of butter, and serve with the toasted pepitas instead of bacon (see below).
Toppings and Garnishes
We love garnishing our soup bowls with browned crispy bacon and an extra drizzle of maple syrup. You can serve this with pepitas (toasted pumpkin seeds) instead if you’re looking for a vegetarian option.
Here are more easy topping ideas for a creamy butternut squash soup:
- Extra virgin olive oil – use a good quality oil to add great flavor
- Chili – Crushed red pepper flakes, Cajun spice, or cayenne pepper.
- Herbs – Basil ribbons or thyme leaves.
How to Make Butternut Squash Soup
Before you begin and while the oven preheats, chop up the veggies, peel, and chop butternut squash. With your ingredients prepped and ready, you’ll turn them into a luscious homemade butternut squash soup:
- Roast the Veggies – Toss the cubed squash, carrots, onion, and garlic with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the veggies in a single layer on a non-stick baking sheet, and bake at 400ºF for 35-40 minutes, turning them halfway through.
- Blend – Working in batches, add roasted veggies with the stock to a Blender and blend until silky smooth.
- Combine – Add the puree to a large pot on the stovetop. Stir in a half-cup of water along with the cinnamon and nutmeg, then bring the soup to a uniform boil. I recommend partially covering the pot with a lid and stirring often to prevent splattering. Lastly, stir in the butter and maple syrup, and finish the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve – Ladle your butternut squash soup into bowls, then garnish with your choice of toppings.
Pro Tip: A high-powered blender works best for pureeing soups. Make sure your blender has openings in the lid to allow the heat to escape, and never blend when it’s more than half-full. Alternatively, use an immersion blender to blend the soup right in the pot.
Common Questions
We tested adding an apple to this soup recipe. It created an unpleasant sour tinge that we weren’t too crazy about, so I don’t recommend adding apple.
We found that adding heavy cream or coconut cream wasn’t necessary. Adding butter and blending the soup makes it naturally creamy enough, without adding too many extra calories.
Yes, you can experiment with various squash, such as acorn squash when making this soup. You might also love our Creamy Sweet Potato Soup.
Definitely. If you wanted to make a larger batch of soup, you can always freeze the leftovers. See my tips for storing and freezing butternut squash soup down below.
What to Serve With Butternut Squash Soup
We first fell in love with creamy soups on our honeymoon at an all-inclusive resort where soups were served with just about every meal at every restaurant we dined at. We didn’t eat creamy soups growing up but we both fell in love with the simplicity of a perfectly made, creamy soup.
Soup is such an easy, elegant starter or side dish for a home-cooked meal, also. We love enjoying a cozy bowlful of butternut squash soup paired with:
- Bread – Crusty French Bread, Focaccia Bread, or Soft Dinner Rolls are great for dunking into a creamy vegetable soup.
- Salad – Soup is a classic combo with a Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad or Beet Salad with Arugula.
- Sandwiches – Serve this soup bistro-style with a BLT Sandwich or a kid-friendly Grilled Cheese.
Make-Ahead
Roasted butternut squash soup keeps well, and the leftovers taste great. Here’s how to properly store your soup for easy reheating:
- To Refrigerate: Store this soup airtight in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: Allow the soup to cool completely, and then transfer it to a freezer-safe container. Store this soup frozen for up to 3 months, and thaw it in the fridge before reheating and serving.
- To Reheat: Reheat butternut squash soup on the stovetop or in the microwave. If you’re microwaving, heat the soup in bursts covered with a paper towel, and stir in between to keep it from splattering.
We love the subtle roasted flavor and velvety texture of this homemade butternut squash soup. It’s the perfect bowlful to warm up with this fall.
More Creamy Soup Recipes
Colder weather means it’s officially soup season. If you love creamy homemade soups, you won’t want to miss these other cozy recipes:
- Tomato Soup Recipe
- Creamy Carrot Soup
- Clam Chowder
- Corn Chowder
- Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash, (3 lbs), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1” cubes
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 medium yellow onion, quartered and separated into smaller chunks
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and ends trimmed
- 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 4 cups chicken broth, or vegetable stock
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 Tbsp real maple syrup, plus more to serve
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup filtered water, or added to desired consistency
Garnish:
- 6 oz Browned Bacon Bits, or 1/3 cup Toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- Maple Syrup to drizzle, added to taste
- Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F with the rack in the center of the oven. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or use a non-stick baking sheet.
- Chop all of your vegetables. See our tutorial for how to peel, seed, and chop butternut squash.
- Transfer squash to the baking sheet along with carrots, onion, and garlic, drizzle with oil, salt, and pepper, and toss to combine.
- Spread the squash evenly in a single layer and bake until squash and carrots are fork tender and golden at the edges, about 35-40 minutes, turning the veggies halfway.
- Transfer the roasted veggies to a blender in 2-3 batches (don’t go beyond the max fill line), adding some of the stock each time and water if it gets too thick, and blend until completely smooth.
- Pour the puree into a dutch oven or soup pot and set over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup water, cinnamon, and nutmeg and stir to combine. Bring to a uniform light boil, keeping it partially covered and stirring frequently as cream soups tend to spurt and squirt. Swirl in butter and maple syrup, season with salt and pepper to taste if needed then remove from heat.
- To serve, ladle into bowls, and garnish with a drizzle of maple syrup and bacon (or toasted pepitas), sprinkle of finely chopped parsley, and freshly cracked black pepper.
Just made this soup and had some for lunch…it is awesome! I have made other recipes in the past and the flavor of this one is far superior. Somehow I forgot the garlic and it was still great. The only thing I did differently was to add 1/2 red and yellow peppers when I roasted the veggies….just to get rid of those pieces out of my fridge. definitely will be making this again!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Hi Natasha,
I have made so many of your recipes and have never had a poor result. This soup was no exception, delicious.
Thank- you
I’m so glad to hear that, Janet!
I made butternut squash soup for the first time and I’m glad I chose this recipe. It turned out great, just like at a good restaurant. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that!
Hi Natasha, I am a huge fan! I love this recipe but I have 2 Vegetarians in our family that won’t eat the soup unless I make it with vegetable broth. Would it change the taste drastically if I substituted veggie broth instead of chicken? Thank you!
Hi Lynn, I imagine it will change the flavor profile a bit, but I imagine it will work well! If you do happen to try it, I’d love to know how you like it.
Didn’t want to hurt your ratings. This is the first time usually the roasted garlic and it’s too garlicky. I tried adding pumpkin puree to bury the taste but it’s still there and now the texture is wrong. Anyway to save this soup? Putting it through the blender again? Adding heavy cream?
Hi Diane, not sure why it was too garlicky on your end as the recipe just requires 4 garlic cloves, peeled and ends trimmed. You can probably try adding a bit more broth if that helps.
Delicious! I was short on onion but had some leek and no ground cinnamon but had some tandoori spice from Spiceology and used about a tablespoon of that and that work very nicely. I will make again!
Thank you for sharing, Brian! I’m glad it turned out for you!
Delicious. Thank you so much for this recipe and for all your lovely recipes.
You’re very welcome, Aida!
*****
Nicole
Hi Natasha,
I decided to try your butternut squash soup recipe yesterday. I followed it exactly as is… this is the best recipe thus far! The vegetables get a little caramelized which adds flavor but adding the maple syrup which adds just a hint of sweetness & butter oh my goodness, it is divine! I’ve tried some other recipes, yours is by far the tastiest. Thank you for sharing this great recipe. Also, I made your apple crisp, it turned out very delicious! It wasn’t overly sweet which was nice. Thanks again
Thank you for your wonderful review, Nicole! I’m so happy you loved this recipe!
i just made this and thought it was really good. your seasoning tips are spot on. that last little drizzle of maple syrup is a nice touch. i didn’t do the bacon although it looks wonderful but i did slip in a little chopped parsley to sneak an herb in there. really nice recipe when trying to mix up your veggies a bit.
Thank you for sharing, Gary! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
What is the serving size? I can’t seem to find it. I see how many servings it feeds but, not the actual size of the serving.
Hi Katie! It serves 8 bowls. The size of bowl used can make the servings less/more.
This was an easy soup and the flavors were amazing. My first time making this kind of soup and it was delicious. Love watching you and love the recipes. Will make again and soon!
So glad you loved it, Cynthia!
This is the easiest (I used pre-cubed squash!) and the most delicious soup I’ve ever made! I love the creaminess and I used plant-based butter to remove all dairy and it is still amazing! Plan on serving it at Thanksgiving! Sooo Good!
Thank you for sharing that with us, MaryAnn!
I love all of your recipes. Can this be done with frozen butternut squash? I have several bags of it and wanted to use them.
I haven’t tested it with frozen butternut squash. I think it could work, but let us know if you experiment.
So good ! Would not have thought maple syrup – definitely one to put in the rotation for Fall soups !!! Yum ! Yum !!
Yay! Glad you loved this recipe!
I made this tonight and it is super delicious. Definitely will make it again. I roasted the veggies and put them through the blender this afternoon and then just popped it in the fridge. Then I reheated it and added the few remaining ingredients when it was time to eat. Super easy and oh so good!!! I know you have a gazillion followers, but I truly think I am your biggest fan!!! Having your apple turnovers for dessert!
You’re so sweet! Thank you! I’m glad you’re enjoying the recipes!
I adore watching your videos, Natasha 🙂 I’m reading this recipe before tasting the soup, as I’m sure it’s wonderful, as your recipes are. But peeling and chopping this squash just about made me want to say a bad word, so incredibly difficult to do. There must be a better way.
Thanks for watching my videos. I definitely worth the effort, I love the results!
Our supermarket sells it peeled and chopped both in chunks and small diced pieces. Makes prep very fast and easy.
Buy the pre-chopped in the
grocery store. It’s not much more money, and the work is done for you. It makes it really easy.
there is!! I always go to the area in the produce department where they’ve peeled and cut in cubes to sell. definitely worth it!! my daughter told me about it. she knows I’m not strong enough to manhandle a squash! ha ha
Hi Natasha, your soup was wonderful! I love making and enjoying all your recipes! I saw you on GM America and plan on buying your cookbook!
Thank you, Lynn for sharing and for planning on purchase my cookbook. I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try!
The roasted vegetables make this soup really delicious. Adding the maple syrup definitely adds a subtle sweetness to this savory soup. I’ll be making this again for sure! Thanks, Natasha, for sharing this fabulous recipe.
You’re very welcome, Beth!
Absolutely delicious with so many beautiful hints and flavors of autumn! The nutmeg, pure maple Syrup, crunchy bacon – it doesn’t get much better than this for this time of year!
Hi Natasha, I really wanna make this soup but could using a food processor to blend the soup work? Thank you!!
I think it could work in the food processor but you’d have to experiment which it. The blender gives a nice, smooth finish.
Such a delicious butternut squash soup recipe! I have tried lots and this one has the perfect balance of savory and sweet, and the roasted veggies take this to the next level. Thanks for sharing! I made this for my family and then to bring to a lunch with some friends!!
I’m glad that you love this recipe, Kate!
Could I add some pumpkin purée to this? If so, how much would you recommend?
Hi Victoria, while I have tried that myself, one of our readers has and here’s what they said: “I didn’t have carrots, but after making 2 pumpkin rolls, did have about a cup of pure pumpkin purée leftover. Added it to the soup and it’s amazing! Thank you so much for you delicious recipes.” I hope that help!