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This butternut squash soup is both savory and sweet, packed with apples, ginger, and your favorite winter squash. It’s incredible as a simple weeknight dinner or dressed up for a holiday meal! Make it in just over an hour — it also freezes beautifully for a make-ahead meal.
I know that it’s not quite November yet, but what can I say? I’m already thinking about Thanksgiving.
Recipes like pumpkin cheesecake, Jiffy corn casserole, homemade cranberry sauce, and garlic mashed potatoes are obvious staples on our Thanksgiving table. But it’s also fun to switch things up with something new each year.
This butternut squash soup recipe is originally from my friend Emily at Jelly Toast and is as great for weeknight dinner as it is for a holiday starter course.
Its flavor is rich and complex with a combo of sweet and savory ingredients. Combined with the silky smooth texture, this soup feels totally fancy but is super simple to make!
This soup takes just over an hour to make, but you can speed things up by using pre-cubed squash if you want. It also freezes well—add it to your meal prep list or make it ahead of time leading up to a holiday meal.
What readers are saying
“I’ve made this soup at least half a dozen times since discovering the recipe last fall. It is absolutely delicious, and the house smells AMAZING while cooking….A new tradition for my family and friends who always adoringly reply when I put the soup on the menu- ‘Oh! that Squash soup!'” -Amy
“Made this for dinner last night, with the ginger included. Simply splendid flavors! And added bonus that the house smelled so good while it simmered.” -Michele
Ingredient notes
⬇️ For the full recipe, including ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below!
Butternut squash soup is one of those recipes where the method is super simple, so the thing that really makes it special is the ingredients.
To make this butternut squash soup, you’ll need:
- Butternut squash: You’ll need about 3-4 pounds total, so look for 1 large squash or 2 smaller squash. They’ll need to be peeled, seeded, and cubed—check out “how to cut butternut squash” below for more info on that process.
- Apples: While the butternut squash is naturally sweet, I like adding apples to this soup for a bit of extra sweetness and a bit of tartness. I typically use Gala apples, which are pretty sweet, but you could absolutely use a more tart apple – such as Granny Smith – if you want a slightly different flavor profile.
- Fresh ginger: One of the other keys to this soup is the ginger and spices. The ginger adds a lovely spiciness that pairs really well with the other warm spices.
- Ground spices: A mix of cinnamon, allspice, and cardamom. If you don’t have ground cardamom you can skip it, but I love the way it really rounds out the flavors of the soup.
- Onion: For a bit more savory flavor to balance out the sweetness of the squash and apple.
- Stock: Chicken or turkey stock both work great. If you need this recipe to be vegetarian, make sure to use vegetable stock.
You’ll also need olive oil, butter, salt, and pepper. If you need this soup to be vegan, simply use additional olive oil in place of the butter.
How to cut butternut squash
Butternut squash is one of my favorite winter squashes. It is sweet and nutty, similar to pumpkin. In fact, it is not uncommon for what is marketed as “pumpkin puree” to actually be butternut squash puree.
The only thing that sometimes makes butternut squash kind of intimidating is figuring out how to peel and cut it!
For me, the best way to peel a butternut squash is to use a Y peeler. Even though the skin seems really thick, a good peeler will make quick work of taking it off.
Once you have peeled the squash, lay it on its side. Use a large, sharp knife to cut the squash in half, right around where the thinner neck of the squash meets the bulb end.
The seeds are in the bulb end of the squash, so now it will be easy to cut that section in half and use a spoon to scoop out and discard the seeds.
From there, you can cut the squash into cubes before roasting it as noted in the recipe!
Using pre-cut squash
If you are unable to cut and prep a whole butternut squash, or are looking for a bit of a shortcut, don’t worry.
A lot of grocery stores carry pre-cut butternut squash cubes this time of year.
Since this butternut squash soup calls for a 3-4 pound whole butternut squash, plan to use 2 ½ to 3 pounds of prepared butternut squash cubes for this recipe.
How to make my creamy butternut squash soup
The combination of butternut squash, apples, ginger, and spices in this soup give it so many layers of flavor that you can easily serve this at Thanksgiving and impress everyone. But the secret they don’t need to know?
It’s just as easy to make – maybe even easier! – as your comfort-food stand-bys like loaded baked potato soup and corn chowder.
To start this recipe, roast the butternut squash cubes. You can do this just before making the soup, or you could roast the squash the day before and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to make the soup.
Drizzle the squash with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, then roast on a sheet pan for about 30 minutes.
In a large Dutch oven, sauté apples, onion, ginger and spices in a combination of olive oil and butter until the apples and onions are soft. This will take around 10 minutes.
Add the roasted squash and the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, then carefully puree the soup using an immersion blender.
Continue simmering the soup for another 10 minutes, taste for seasoning, and serve!
Serving suggestions
I love to top this soup with pumpkin seeds for a little bit of crunch. Maple roasted pumpkin seeds would be really delicious! A dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche would be lovely as well.
You could even go for some homemade sourdough croutons or crispy bacon!
If you’re serving this for a holiday meal, try setting out small bowls of a few different toppings to let your guests top their soup exactly how they like.
Storage and freezing
Store cooled butternut squash soup in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze it for longer-term storage.
Unlike other soups with dairy or potato bases that split after thawing, butternut squash soup retains its silky texture, making it the perfect make-ahead meal.
Transfer cooled soup to a large airtight container or divide into smaller containers or Souper Cubes for individual portions or quick lunches on the go. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw larger batches in the refrigerator overnight. Individual portions can be quickly thawed and reheated on the stove or in the microwave.
Butternut Squash Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 pounds whole butternut squash (about 1 large or 2 small) peeled, seeded, and cubed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided use
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 2 apples peeled and diced
- 1 inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and grated or minced (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
- 1 medium onion chopped
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- 1 pinch of ground cardamom optional
- 6 cups stock chicken, turkey or vegetable
Video
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Spray a rimmed baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Spread squash in a single layer on prepared baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, tossing the squash to coat. Roast squash for 30 minutes or until tender and the edges are caramelized. Allow to cool slightly.3 to 4 pounds whole butternut squash, 2 tablespoons olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper
- In a heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and butter over medium heat. When butter is melted, add apples, ginger, onion, cinnamon, allspice and cardamom (if using). Cook, stirring frequently, until apples and onions are soft and mixture is fragrant, about 10 minutes. Add roasted squash and stock to the pot and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.1 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon salted butter, 2 apples, 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, 1 medium onion, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1 pinch of ground cardamom, 6 cups stock
- Use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Alternatively, working in small batches, carefully transfer soup to a blender and puree until smooth. Return soup to the pot and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
- Taste and add more salt and/or pepper as needed. Serve hot.
Notes
Ingredients
- If using pre-cubed butternut squash, you will need 2 1/2 to 3 pounds of squash cubes.
- I typically use gala apples, but you can use any variety you like. Use a more tart variety, such as Granny Smith, to balance the natural sweetness of the squash.
- For a vegan soup, replace the butter with additional olive oil and use vegetable stock.
Serving
- Try topping the soup with pumpkin seeds, sour cream or creme fraiche, sourdough croutons, or cooked and crumbled bacon!
Storage
- Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hello ! Regards from Costa Rica! Can you please tell me if this soup is sweet ?? Its kind a dessert or its salty like another soup ? Thanks for youre response !
Hi, Maria! The soup is not sweet and not a dessert. It’s a really lovely savory soup I think you’ll like! Let me know if I can do anything else for you!
I’ve made this soup at least half a dozen times since discovering the recipe last fall. It is absolutely delicious, and the house smells AMAZING while cooking. This soup is clean and plenty flavorful!! A new tradition for my family and friends.. who always adoringly reply when I put the soup on the menu- “Oh! that Squash soup!”
So happy to hear you enjoy the recipe, Amy! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback.
-Jamie
Made this for dinner last night, with the ginger included. Simply splendid flavors! And added bonus that the house smelled so good while it simmered. Thanks for posting this. (PS – the pepitas are addicting :-) )
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Michele!
-Jamie
I made this tonight. The color was WAY off. It looked like baby poop. But it tasted good. :)
I think the color was off because I browned the apples and onions too much. Whoops!