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.
This really is the Best Butternut Squash Soup recipe! We loved it, super simple and delicious. The only thing different I did was add about 1/8 t Cayenne. Thanks for the recipe.
Waaayyyyyy too much garlic
Sorry you didn’t love this one! You can always adjust the garlic to your liking next time.
This soup is delicious! I will definitely be making it again.
Thank you for another great recipe!
Love this soup! I used an immersion blender and squash already packaged and chopped from the store as they didn’t have full squash at the time. I’ve made this soup three times now, and it’s always a winner. Just bought the cookbook tooa and can’t wait! This has become my favorite site for recipes.
Love this soup – i have made it twice in the last two weeks. Exactly as written the first time. I loved it. This second time I made some keto adjustments – used maple stevia drops and I also added a touch of cayenne and about 1/2tsp of pumpkin pie spice. I didn’t have enough shallots so I used 1/2 shallots 1/2 leeks. Worked great. Sprinkled with a few pepitas at serving and it was perfect! Thank you.
Truly the best tasting butternut squash soup I have ever made. As simple as it sounds the proportions are just perfect. Prior to making it I read the five star reviews but was a little skeptical that with that few of ingredients it could really wake up my taste buds. I never leave reviews and this is probably my first one but I had to say “thank you” for this delicious recipe. Moreover, I used bone broth instead of vegetable broth which I do not enjoy much by itself and have been looking for recipes to disguise its distinguished taste. With this recipe I finally found a way to enjoy my bone broth and this I my new favorite soup. The only ingredient I didn’t have was the nutmeg and I compromised a little by adding the Herbs de Provence. My entire family really loved this soup! It’s healthy and so so tasty!! Thank you again for sharing this amazing recipe!
I just about fell off my chair eating this soup, it is that good! I usually use far less salt than most recipes call for, so I halved the amount. I didn’t have vegetable broth on hand so I used plain water instead. I wanted the squash flavor to shine, so I cut way back on the garlic and used only 1 large clove. And even though butter at the end would be sublime, I opted not to use it (maybe for guests I would.) Since I don’t have a blender, I used my Cuisinart to puree everything. Even with the “austere” adaptations it was easily the best butternut squash soup I’ve ever had – rich, creamy, delicious! I kept licking the stirring spoon as I was packing away the remainder, or else I would have kept eating the whole pot!
This is the perfect butternut squash soup recipe! It’s so simple to prepare and really lets the squash flavour shine through. My squash was only 2.5 lb and I found I only needed 2 cups of broth. Definitely recommend preparing in an upright blender – mine doesn’t have a fancy soup setting, but between the heat of the broth and the squash flesh the blended soup came to a perfect, ready-to-serve temperature without any extra heating necessary.
Made this for Christmas, Was a big hit with my children. Will be making it again.
Great recipe and so simple! Adjusted salt to taste and added about a TB of minced ginger – it was lovely. Thanks for posting!
You’re welcome, Marie!
I love this recipe! So simple and easy to make. I prepare exactly as written but with a little less salt, and blend with an immersion blender. Have yet to have a bad batch!
Hi again Kate!
I forgot to give this soup recipe a 5 star rating!
Cheers,
Thank you, Janet!
Great recipe! If you don’t want to buy a whole bottle of nutmeg you can buy 1 whole nutmeg for pennies and grate off as much as you need. The rest of the nut can be used later. My toddler granddaughters like this soup. We have tea parties and sip it from tea cups. They also will eat a healthy serving if I let them top the soup with croutons, cheese, sunflower seeds, ect…
LUCKIEST GRANDMA IN THE WORLD.
GO CHIEFS!
This soup was the delicious,first time making it or eating it, thank you for teaching me how to cook butternut squash.
Five star!
! Just had a bowl. The recipe was easy and pardon me, going to have another bowlful!
I made this soup today, just in time for butternut squash to still be in season, and it’s delicious! I must admit, I’m not a huge squash person to begin with, but this soup is divine and very flavorful. I didn’t add any butter at the end, nor did I add any salt at all (my vegetable broth was salted plenty). After roasting, I tried at first to blend it quickly, and found it grainy, but then I used the puree setting on my Ninja patiently for about 60 full seconds of blending, and it turned out so creamy, I couldn’t believe it! I plan to serve this with a nice side salad – I think it would pair nicely with a spinach/pecan/strawberry salad! Thanks again Kate for the amazing recipes that make me feel like a 5-star chef! :)
Made this today. Followed recipe exactly and used my immersion blender. Delicious. Will definitely make it again. And again.
Hi Kate! Could I use frozen butternut squash in this recipe? I have some peeled and chopped in the freezer.
SKC, I refrigerated my cooked squash overnight and made the soup the next day and it was delicious, so I would imagine you could use frozen defrosted squash. I blended all the ingredients and then heated it in a soup pot. I sprinkled bacon bits and pepitas on top for some crunch and served it with a salad. Yummy!
Made this last night (the olive oil version) a d really enjoyed it! Even my daughter who proclaims not to like squash. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi! This was the easiest recipe ever & I had all ingredients on hand. It tasted great!
Wonderful to hear, Sandy!
Fantastic soup! My baby and I loved it. We’ll definitely be making it again. I swapped the shallots with onions as it’s hard to get shallots where I live and I skipped the nutmeg since I didn’t want to get a whole bottle just for one recipe and it still tasted great. Creamy with a nice roast.
Thank you for sharing, Jamie! I’m happy you were still able to enjoy it.
Recipe looks great! I have 2 lbs of cubed squash that I will still roast for the soup. Should I reduce the recipe since it calls for 3 lb squash? Thanks!
Hi Andrea, I recommend you adjust as you see fit. You may not need as much liquid.
Trying this tonight for the first time. Do you think I could possibly use chicken stock instead of vegetable stock?
Sure, I know lots of readers who have used that in the past.
This looks delicious!! Can honey be used instead of maple syrup?
It could, but the maple is really nice here!
I have been eyeing this for years, and finally tried it. Incredible base recipe, but I think it must be unnecessarily salty as written. I reduced to from 1tsp (!!!!!) to 1/4 tsp (and used only 1 cup of reduced sodium broth + 2 cups water) and was still a little saltier than I needed at 411mg per serving by my calculation. I also omitted the butter and added 1/8 tsp cayenne as other comments suggested. Still incredibly flavorful and by far the best butternut squash soup I’ve ever had. I may omit the maple syrup next time — was a little sweeter than I needed, too, with all the natural sweetness from the caramelized squash coming through. I will definitely make this again. Thanks for helping me use up the winter squash I still have sitting around in such a delicious way! Luckily I still have one butternut left so I can make this again soon.
I’m sorry you thought it was too salty. You can always adjust to your tastes.
I love this recipe and have made it multiple times. I like to add a 1/4 tsp of cayenne at the end for an extra kick. Thanks, Kate
You’re welcome, Amy! Thanks for your review.
Thank you! Normally I make squash soup with curry and Cheyenne etc, or with savory spices such as thyme and oregano, so this was pleasant change. I did, however, choose not to add all the sodium. Was wonderful! (My husband will add salt to his)
Sherri
Very good recipe! Simple, super flavorful!
My daughter who is a picky eater gave it the thumbs up! Which means a lot. Thank you!
I cut back on the salt and garlic. Added ginger. Then added back some dried onion and garlic powder. It was easy. Then added some cooked shrimp for protein and texture. Yum!
Thank you for your review, Sondra!
Amazing soup!! So glad i found recipe!!!
If you found this recipe and you’re wondering if the hype is real, believe me the hype is real! The hands down best butternut squash soup I’ve ever had! And I loved every bit of the garlic! So stop thinking about it make it already! Thanks Kate for sharing your genius with the rest of us. I’m now officially a raving fan!
I didn’t have a shallot so I used an onion and added turmeric and ginger. It was delicious. Excellent served over jasmine rice as well. Thank you for this delicious recipe.
Super Easy and Fantastic flavor. It is a definite do again!
Amazing! Super delicious, incredible flavour. I will peel the squash before roasting next time. Scooping out the flesh was a pain since the peel became very thin in the roasting process (hence the 4 stars). I will also try roasting the garlic at the same time as the squash Next time so that the garlic is not so overpowering.
Thank you for sharing! I’m sorry you didn’t love the roasting method. If you peel it prior to roasting next time, you might not need as long.
Made this today, super easy and delicious recipe, hubby wants to cut back on garlic the next time I make it.
Hi Kate!
I made your soup for dinner tonight, followed the recipe exactly, and both my husband and I enjoyed it – it was good but not great. The thing that we found that detracted from the flavors was a slight but off-putting bitter taste. All we could think of was the garlic! All ingredients were fresh and organic, and I even pulled out the bit of green inside the cloves of garlic. Perhaps I will try roasting the cloves before adding to the mix next time so their flavor is sweeter and mellower. Has anyone else had this experience? Thanks!
Hi Lin! I’m sorry to hear that. I think you got it right, it was likely the garlic. Sometimes cloves may not be as fresh as you think. You can try to roast them, if you like. I do love roasted garlic!
This is the creamiest, smoothest butternut squash soup I have ever made. Positively delicious! It’s easy to make, really doesn’t take long, nor does it make a great mess. I think I have found a new staple.
Love to hear that! Thank you for sharing, Heather.
This is easy and delicious! I roasted the garlic and shallot the last 15 minutes in the oven with the squash.
What can I substitute for the vegetable broth? Want to make today but have no v. broth?
Hi Nancye, you could try another broth you have on hand or possibly water. Although, I’m not sure how it will turn out without trying it. Let me know how it works for you!
This recipe sounds delicious AND it seems easy enough even for me to make!
My only problem — I don’t have a stand blender. My options are a food processor or an immersion blender. Which would you recommend?
I would try your immersion blender and go from there. It all depends on how they have worked for you in the past.
I’ve never had butternut squash anything before so I didnt know what to expect. And this tasted so good! And easier than I thought! Your directions were easy to follow, so that really helped. My whole family loved it and I will definitely will be making this again.
Wonderful to hear, Amy!
Fantastic!!!!!!! What I especially liked was no cream so it was delish and healthy too. I bought another squash to make it again.
I just made this it’s amazing! I used my food processor. I roasted the seeds and used them as a topping for the soup. Just delicious! A keeper!
Thanks Kate. I intend to make this for dinner this evening.
Can I substitute nutmeg for all spice?
Hi Gabrielle, I haven’t tried but that sounds like a safe bet to me. Or, just omit it altogether.
Simple and delicious!
Yum yum! I’ve turned back to this recipe so many times. I also roasted a green apple with the squash and it gives it just a bit of tartness. Thank you for this amazing winter staple!
Followed this recipe as is, and found it absolutely scrumptious! Thank you for this wonderful recipe
OH MY FEKKIN gawd this soup is good,..my guy IS a soup guy,..when he tastes this,..he’ll LUV LUV LUV it!! I added freshly ground fennel seeds and also roasted an apple and a half,.. used garlic olive oil,…used my immersion blender,..I also added the “candy”,..you know,..the brown candy-like stuff that collects on your parchment paper AFTER roasting AND cooling the butternut squash??? Yeah,..THAT stuff,..put it right back into the soup to reheat,.. Heaven sent!! Thanks for the recipe,..I’ll definitely look to your website for MORE great ones!! THIS one’s a KEEPER!!!
Is wonderful. Added curry (not a lot just enough to give it an undertone) then at the end added new baby lime leaves. That was the secret ingredient. Didn’t have maple syrup so just added maple flavoring.
This is fantastic. The best soups seem to take the least amount of work. I had three bowls of this last night for dinner… =)
Sometimes I use roasted onion instead of shallots. I also go on the lighter end of the range for the vegetable broth. I skip the olive oil and butter but instead add a couple of tablespoons of coconut milk. The recipe is ok this way (3 stars), but adding curry powder definitely kicks it up a notch! (I added half a Tbsp in a double recipe.) Delish! I make this often, and it has the advantage of being a truly beautiful soup.
Excellent recipe! It’s very easy to adjust to your particular taste. I like mine sweet so I added a dash of cinnamon, cayenne, and brown sugar. The recommendation to use the Vitamix in lieu of the immersion blender made all the difference in texture. Thank you!
I love this recipe and I love garlic. So I added a couple extra gloves of garlic to my version of this roasted butternut squash soup recipe. In addition, I topped it with a dallop of low fat sour cream and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Yummy. Thank you Cookie and Kate!
Delicious!! Only change I made was to add Garam Marsala spice. Also I used freshly grated nutmeg which i highly recommend.
The garlic overpowered the squash so would use less next time. Otherwise good!
Thank you for the simple, tasty recipe. Followed every step except for using honey in place of maple syrup. My daughter loved it very much