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
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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.
Loved this recipe! Everything on C&K always turns out beautifully. I didn’t have stock so used water and added some Worcestershire sauce. Added some red pepper flakes too.
Omg this soup is sooo good! Layers of flavours. Had it at a friend’s last week and couldn’t wait to make it myself. Instructions are easily followed- you will love it!
Great to hear you loved it, Sherry! I appreciate your review.
When I’m in a hurry I use the frozen butternut squash. It’s already peeled and cut up. Greatly reduces the amount of preparation time and tastes just as good. Wonderful recipe. I make it several times a month. Thanks.
I bought the squash at end of fall diced and froze and put into bags then defrosted a bag drizzled with olive
Oil and bakes. Worked great, will have soup all winter
Love this soup recipe I make it every week if not more. I’ve shared it and people have loved it.
Hi there, cooked this soup on whim. I halved the ingredients because the squash I had was small. This was delicious! I thought the soup might be a bit on the sweet side, but it wasn’t…..nice and savory. Thank you and I will be making it again
That’s great to hear, Ronald! I appreciate your review.
I made the soup it was delicious. I will make it again. Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome, Vinita!
This is a deceptively simple soup that was delicious! I was going to add more spices when I saw how few spices it had, but decided to try it first! The roasted butternut squash was sweet, with a delicate caramel and roasted hint to it. I used sweet onion and chicken broth, olive oil instead of butter, and was surprised at how sweet, and creamy the soup turned out! Will definitely make this again! Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Sue!
I’ve tried several recipes and never liked any. This one is absolutely superb! (Careful on the nutmeg though).
I always roasted my squash with water, but I love this way much better. Yellow onulion works too (I didn’t have shallots on-hand). Carmelize them a bit for a really great flavor.
Thank you!!!
So delicous!! I added an extra teaspoon of maple syrup.
This is a keeper!
I made it!
It was delicious and very easy to make. I will for sure cut back on the garlic cloves. I think my garlic was too big because it was a little more garlicy than I’m used to for butternut squash soup.
Something to try out again. Nice flavor!
My first try at butternut squash soup and it was great! Thanks for a great and easy recipe.
Wonderful, quick, easy and delicious recipe, thank you!
Awesome, except 4 cloves of garlic is way way too much. Use one or two at most. Using 4 cloves ruined my first try at this recipe.
Great to hear, Jason!
This recipe was amazing! My favorite squash soup recipe yet! I used 3 bags of diced frozen butternut squash and roasted them. It took less time than roasting a whole squash. So easy to make! Thanks for this recipe!
You’re welcome, Angela!
I followed the recipe, but used a sweet onion (didn’t have a shallot), and upped the maple syrup as well. I loved it!
I will try a shallot next time-and perhaps play with cinnamon or cumin or. . !
Thank you!
You’re welcome Geebs!
Ok, I’ve been making butternut soup ALL wrong! Great recipe, thank you. I added my own touches such as a dash of curry and chipotle powder and fresh diced ginger. This is going in the “keeper” stash!
I made this recipe for butternut soup and found it to be bland. I added some cinnamon and extra maple syrup and it was still not the best I have ever had. I will try adding some sour cream, I hope it will have more appeal.
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t love this as is. I appreciate your feedback, Emily.
Outstanding! I did roast a sweet potato and carrots to add but that is only my family’s preference. Wonderful recipe, and I would recommend the original as well❣️
Made this today. Delicious. Added a dip of fat free sour cream to serve. Yum. Thanks!
You’re welcome, Linda!
Excellent recipe. We really enjoyed yhe layer of flavor given by roasting the squash. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Docmike! Thank you for your review.
Thank you Kate. I’m not a confident cook. I have tried your Carrot soup and will be trying your roasted butternut soup.
Really like the website layout and Thank you for keeping it simple
you give me confidence
Regards
Robert
Made this tonight and it was so good and sooo easy. Thanks so much for sharing. I will be making again.
Big “B”
I have made this recipe several times. My family just loves it. I follow the recipe to the letter. Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome, Mary! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Love roasted butternut squash in this soup and the simplicity of it-so many fewer ingredients. I added some cumin for punch and half a granny smith apple I had on had. Unsure why anyone would think shallots are strong compared to onion when they are more mild and far less pungent.
Made this soup tonight for dinner and it was incredible!! I didn’t have any vegetable broth and had to use chicken stock instead, but it was still delicious! I’m saving this recipe in my favourites.
I love to hear that!
Delicious! I have had an awful sore throat for the last 36 hours and was getting little relief from medicine and even teas. I suddenly remembered the butternut squash that had been living in my pantry for longer than I care to admit. I had to make a couple of small adjustments to this recipe (so I wouldn’t have to go to the store), but it was amazing!
My throat felt better than it had in days while I sipped on this soup. Thank you for the recipe.
You’re welcome, Amber! I’m happy to hear this was helping you feel better, too.
Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I can’t believe how absolutely delicious this soup is. My mouth dropped open at the flavor! Just wow! I served it at a small gathering and the soup was the highlight of the meal. EVERYONE wanted the recipe. AND…it’s a Weight Watcher friendly and only a few points. This is a win-win! Thank you so much!!
I love garlic, so added an extra clove. That was a mistake. I used honey instead of the maple syrup, but will try it next time with rapadura sugar and cumin. Roasted half a squash in each of my air fryer drawers, but had to cut a bit off so it’d fit. Loved the idea of not having to cut squash into chunks before roasting.
Thanks so much for the recipe.
You’re welcome, BD! I appreciate your review.
This was wonderful! I made your roasted cauliflower soup a couple of weeks ago and had to try this next. Except, I added a whole red bell pepper to the mix with the shallots (inspired by Walder Wellness) as well as cinnamon, paprika, and oregano. I added sour cream when serving.
I also kept the seeds from the butternut squash and, after the squash itself was roasted, I threw the seeds onto the same baking sheet with salt, cayenne pepper, paprika, and other spices. I threw them in with just enough time to blend the soup, and then sprinkled the seeds onto the soup when serving.
So this is a great recipe, but I found a little experimentation and expansion to be more useful than with some of your other, more complicated recipes. Next up, I am excited to make the roasted carrots with farro and chickpeas, from your book!
Thank you for sharing, Eran!
Very good! I used only one roasted garlic clove, and I did need another cup of broth (5 total). I used 1/2 c regular yellow onion. Looking forward to the leftovers tonight.
So I tripled the butternut squash recipe for our family Easter Dinner.
The ingredients tripled but the instructions do not triple. Is that normal? I usually follow the instructions to a T so this was confusing for me.
Hi Margaret, yes unfortunately that isn’t a feature. I hope it turned out well for you!
I LOVE this recipe, as do my friends and neighbours I’ve fed it to. I added a bit of curry powder to the last lot and everyone loved it. I’ve got a butternut cooling as we speak, all set to make some more. 5/5 from us!
That’s great to hear, Jacky! I appreciate your review.
Definitely delicious. The best squash soup I’ve ever made! MS
Wonderful to hear, Mary!
To roast the butternut squash I cut it into cubes, toss with olive oil/salt/pepper. Then blend with immersion blender.
That was absolutely delicious!
Thank you for sharing, Jennifer!
I live in India and tried the soup for the first time. Delighted that it turned out so tasty, and absolutely delicious! My 84 year old mom couldnt get enough of it. Thank you for posting such an easy and wonderful recipe. I cut back on the garlic since I usually keep it light.
Great recipe! I made it today, as my husband was quite unwell, not eating at all
(asthmatic chest infection) until trying a half bowl of this Roasted Butternut Soup. He ate it and declared it lovely! Thank you Kate for an easy-to-eat, flavourful soup that has him thinking about food again. And I love it too!
So easy and delicious! I was so happy cream was not an ingredient. I left out the butter…
I’m trying this today. Looks delicious. I’m wondering if I can pressure can this recipe.
This recipe isn’t meant for canning. I hope you loved it!
I just made this. AMAZING. I followed recipe precisely and I emulsified with hand blender. Such creamy goodness. It’s like a warm hug. It’s like restaurant quality.
Thank you!
This soup is absolutely amazing!
By far the best recipe so far.
That’s great to hear, Yvonne!
Simply love this soup. I don’t roast the butternut in the oven, I grill it on the BQ. I’ve frozen it for close to a year and it still tasted amazing.
Thank you for sharing, Marcello!
The roasting makes allnthe difference. Just wonderful. However, I did not add Maple Syrup, nor any other sweetner and I did serve it with a big dollop of crème fraîche. I chopped the shallots with
the garlic and a carrot and some celery in a mini-blender to get a very fine soffrito. To mill the soup, I used an old-fashioned foodmill. Very hearty soup, especially the next day.
I made this soup and it is absolutely awesome. I did not have butternut available, so I used buttercup. I turned out amazing. It is so rich and creamy without needing to add any cream!
Squash is hard to find where I live in the winter months, so I baked 10 buttercup squash, scoped them out and froze app 2-3 cups/bag. This will be so easy to make into soup.
I love your healthy recipes–thank you so much for sharing.
You’re welcome, Judy!
I cooked your Roasted Butternut Squash Soup today, it was easy to prepare and was totally delicious
Made this today! It was sooooo good! I used only 2 cloves of garlic which I think for me was perfect. Didn’t have shallots so used Vidalia onion . Other than that didn’t change a thing! I had 50 butternut squash from 2 plants in my garden so was looking for good recipes – so glad I found this one . Best butternut soup ever! Thank you!
Amazing
Turned out great! Super easy to make and I roasted the butternut squash first! Amazing taste
Made this for the third time from the original recipe. This time I will add some butter, but judging from the last times I made it, it needed no improvement whatsoever. I subscribed just so I could tell you both how much we love this recipe.
That’s great to hear, Jean!