Butternut Squash Soup Recipe (2024)

This Butternut Squash Soup Recipe is simple, nourishing, and the kind of cozy soup recipe you want to eat on a chilly fall day. It’s creamy without being too rich, with the perfect balance of sweet and savory flavor.

Why You’ll Love This Easy Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

• A Celebration of Fall Flavors. Yes, we all love pumpkin spice everything. (Ahem: Healthy Pumpkin Muffins, Pumpkin Coffee Cake, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread.) But there’s so much more to fall than pumpkin! With tart apples, creamy butternut squash, yellow onions, and freshly grated nutmeg, this creamy butternut squash soup has a delicate balance of sweet and savory autumn flavors.
• Freezer-Friendly. Because butternut squash is plentiful, inexpensive, and delicious, I buy it in big quantities and turn it into a fresh pot of soup at least two or three times a month.(My budget-friendly 15 Bean Soup and Cabbage Soup are also excellent for freezing!)
• Endless Variations. While I do have different versions of this recipe—Spicy Butternut Squash Soup, Crockpot Butternut Squash Soup—what I mean by variations is that you can truly create a unique version of this butternut squash soup by simply switching up the toppings. Go creamy with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt, lean into the sweetness with a sprinkle of cinnamon or cardamom, or stick with the sourdough croutons I share below.
• Creamy Without Being Heavy. Creamy, without heavy cream! The butternut squash purees into a velvety smooth, creamy consistency without the addition of dairy.

How to Make This Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

The Ingredients

For the Soup:

• Olive Oil. A variety you like to use for cooking is perfect—save the fruity, aromatic olive oil for drizzling over finished dishes.
• Yellow Onions. Yellow onions are a nice middle-of-the-road onion—less sweet than red, with less bite than white.
• Butternut Squash. You’ll need to peel and dice the squash, or take a shortcut and look for pre-cut squash in the produce section at the grocery store.
• Apples. For balanced flavor, I like to use some sweet apples, such as McIntosh or Golden Delicious, and some tart apples, such as Granny Smith or Cortland.
• Low-Sodium Chicken Broth. Stock is absolutely fine too, but keep in mind that it usually comes seasoned, so you’ll want to use a lighter hand with the added salt.
• Seasonings. Kosher salt, grated nutmeg, black pepper, and cayenne.

For the Sage Parmesan Croutons:

• Sourdough Cubes. Whole grain bread works too; basically, you want a crusty, rustic loaf here.
• Olive Oil. Helps your croutons get crispy so they don’t turn to mush in your soup.
• Fresh Sage. Dried sage pales in comparison. You’ll likely have some extra, so add Chicken Saltimbocca or Pumpkin Pasta Sauce to your menu this week.
• Kosher Salt. My go-to for cooking.
• Grated Parmesan. The nutty, umami flavor of Parmesan is fabulous with butternut squash.

The Directions

1. Cook the Onions. Let them get nice and soft.

2. Simmer. Add the squash, apples, and broth. Cover and simmer until the squash is tender.

3. Make the Croutons. Sprinkle ’em with Parmesan and sage (YUM).

4. Puree. Use an immersion blender or work in batches in a food processor.
5. Finish. Add more liquid to reach. your perfect butternut squash soup consistency. Season, serve with the croutons, and ENJOY!

Recipe Variations

• Make It Vegan. Simply swap the chicken stock for vegetable broth and omit the Parmesan (or use a plant-based Parmesan) for a vegan butternut squash soup. (You’ll love this Vegan Potato Soup too).
• Add Bacon. For the opposite of vegan, cook bacon in the pot, then remove it and crumble it. Leave about 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pot and use this to cook the onions. (Alternatively, you can use Baked Bacon for topping and follow the original soup recipe.)
• Try Pears. Give your soup a slightly different flavor profile by using pears instead of apples.

Storage Tips

• To Store. Store butternut squash soup an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• To Reheat. Reheat the soup in a pot on the stovetop over medium-low heat or warm it up in the microwave. Add a splash of broth if needed to thin the soup.
• To Freeze. Transfer the soup to an airtight freezer-safe storage container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheatingaccording to the instructions above.

What to Serve with Butternut Squash Soup

• Bread. If you skip the croutons, you’ll definitely want to serve some bread on the side—even if you do add the croutons, bread is still a good idea! Grab a loaf from your favorite bakery or try my Homemade Dinner Rolls or No Knead Focaccia.
• Salads. Pair butternut squash soup with a fall-inspired salad like my Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad or Apple Walnut Salad.
• Sandwiches. Speaking of fall pairings, my Apple Grilled Cheese with Turkey is an outstanding partner for a bowl of butternut squash soup, or try a classic Air Fryer Grilled Cheese.
• Toppings. Try Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, Brussels Sprouts Chips, Greek yogurt or crème fraîche, or chili crisp for a little bit of heat.

• Immersion Blender. Truly one of the best tools I ever bought myself and makes pureeing soups like this one astronomicallyeasier (and safer) than transferring the piping hot soup mixtureto a blender or food processor in batches.
• Food Processor. If you prefer blending your soup that way.
• Ladle. So much easier than using a spoon for serving!

Recipe Tips and Tricks

• Grate the Parmesan Yourself. The shelf-staple Parmesan they sell next to the pasta—you know, the kind in the green bottle—will not melt into the croutons the same way freshly grated does. It’s absolutely worth it to grate it yourself. I buy big blocks and grate them with a rasp grater or food processor whenever I need it for a recipe. Since Parm is a hard cheese, it’s much faster to grate than other varieties like cheddar!
• Cut the Squash Into Uniformly-Sized Pieces. If they’re all roughly the same size, they’ll all be tender at roughly the same time. Same goes for the onions and apples, but it’s even more important for the squash since hard pieces can get caught in your blender blades or create a gritty texture in your soup.
• Cool the Soup if You’re Using a Food Processor. This is absolutely essential! Piping hot soup in a closed blender or food processor has the potential to cause an explosion as the steam builds pressure.
• Use Freshly Grated Nutmeg. Yes, more grating! It truly makes a difference tograte your ownnutmegrather than buying a jar of it pre-ground; I usethis zesterto do it. Freshly grated nutmeg is also fantastic in Crustless Quiche, Cheese Fondue, and Apple Pie Filling.