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This creamy cozy Butternut Squash Soup recipe is perfect for a chilly evening. It combines butternut squash, warm spices, cayenne pepper, and heavy cream for a tasty, hearty winter soup. Make a double batch and freeze leftovers for another night.

If you’re looking for more cozy cool weather recipes with butternut squash, our favorite fall vegetable, you’ll want to add these recipes to your arsenal: Maple Braised Butternut Squash,  Southwest Black Bean Stuffed Butternut Squash, Smoked Gouda Dip With Butternut Squash, and Pumpkin Alfredo with Butternut Squash Ravioli. 

2 bowls of easy butternut squash soup

Easy Butternut Squash Soup Recipe, Love At First Bite!

  • Quick and easy stovetop butternut squash soup on the table in 30 minutes!
  • Frozen or pre-cut packaged squash saves even more time, making this squash soup a delicious, hearty go-to year-round.
  • Butternut squash is low in sugar and high in fiber.
  • Rich, creamy butternut squash soup is delicious the second time around for lunches.
  • Bonus: Healthy, full-flavored, packed with vitamins and minerals.
Ingredients for creamy butternut squash soup

What’s In Butternut Squash Soup

I love how quick and easy this satisfying, creamy squash soup is to make. Keep a package of frozen squash on hand, or pick up a pre-cut squash from the grocer on the way home-hungry bellies won’t grumble about this tasty butternut squash soup!

For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

  • Olive Oil – regular cooking olive oil is best if you have it; save the EVOO for dipping sauces or fresh salads.
  • Chopped Yellow Onion   
  • Minced Garlic – raw garlic deepens the savory side of squash soup. You can use jarred garlic if that’s what you have. Check it’s not turned bitter and drain off the excess liquid to avoid a metallic taste.
  • Butternut Squash – Fresh, frozen or pre-packaged peeled, seeded, and cubed. See below for how to pick squash.
  • Vegetable Broth – adds depth and boosts flavors in soups without meat.
  • Brown Sugar – you’ll want to stick with this moist sugar with a hint of molasses for layering and boosting the natural sweetness of the butternut squash.
  • Ground Cinnamon, Ground Ginger, & Nutmeg –
  • Salt & Ground Pepper
  • Cayenne Pepper – is optional, but check out the tips below to enhance our butternut squash soup recipe with this “warming” spice.
  • Heavy Whipping Cream – is recommended for the most luscious and silky consistency.
how to make butternut squash soup on the stovetop photo collage

How To Make Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

When you are making this recipe, you’ll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.

  1. Saute onion in olive oil until tender and add garlic and saute for another minute.
  2. Stir in butternut squash, vegetable broth, brown sugar, and spices, and bring to a boil.
  3. Reduce the heat and simmer covered for 10-15 minutes or until squash is tender.
  4. Blend cooled squash soup in batches until completely smooth. 
  5. Add the cream and cook until heated through, stirring frequently. 
  6. Taste the butternut squash soup and add more salt, if needed.
  7. Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle with heavy cream, and top with homemade croutons and fresh sage or thyme.
butternut squash recipe made in a stockpot

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Easy Butternut Squash Soup Recipe Notes/Tips

  • For a quick tip, use store-bought pre-cut butternut squash.
  • Frozen squash for soup is always an option; drop it into the soup and simmer until it’s warmed through, then blend.
  • Roasted butternut squash soup is delicious and adds a deeper savory layer. Roast the butternut squash for about 1.5-2 hours until fork tender.
  • You can leave the thoroughly cleaned skin on the squash.  The peel won’t add any additional texture since it is pureed for this butternut squash soup recipe.
  • Butternut squash peels are an excellent addition to homemade veggie broth, adding extra nutrition.
close up of a bowl of easy butternut squash soup

Storage Tips

Refrigerate:

Butternut squash soup in an airtight container keeps well in the refrigerator for up to one week. Reheat on the stovetop or microwave.

How to Freeze:

Store completely cooled squash soup in a glass or plastic freezer jar for up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator for 36-48 hours. Heat over medium heat until warmed through.

a spoonful of butternut squash soup

Serving Suggestions

2 bowls of creamy butternut squash soup

4 Tips On How to Pick A Butternut Squash

A surefire way to pick the best winter squash is to use the four S’s:

  1. Sight – look for dull, matte skin with deeper tan hues. It isn’t ripe if the skin is pale, green-hued, or shiny.
  2. Stem – The “tail” left on the squash should be firm, brown, dry, and free from mold. Older squash will have soft, moldy, or missing tails.
  3. Skin – It’s not always easy to get blemish-free fruit these days, but if there are cracks, bruises, cuts, or soft spots, avoid them.
  4. Solid – Like watermelons, a good heft or weight to the squash indicates ripeness relative to its size.

Tip

Bonus Tip: Storing – Keep butternut squash separate from ethylene-producing fruits like peaches, avocados, and apples. Ethylene gas causes soft spots, yellowing, and rot in squashes.

    butternut soup with cream, croutons and fresh rosemary on top

    Variations For Butternut Squash Soup & Additions

    Butternut squash recipes adapt to your family’s tastes. (And what you have in the pantry!)

    • If you are short on butternut squash, add pumpkin or sweet potato to make the difference.
    •  Change things up if you are out of heavy whipping cream by using coconut cream and curry spices flair of Indian cuisine.
    •  Substitute chicken broth for vegetable broth in squash soup.

    Butternut squash soup garnishes:

    • Sprinkle with crumbled feta or blue cheese.
    • Drizzle with EVOO or a pat of butter instead of heavy cream.
    • Top with diced ham, bacon bits, or shredded chicken breast.
    • We love the added crunch of croutons on squash soup recipes.
    • Crispy fried sage leaves are perfect on this fall soup! Just coat a pan with a little olive oil, once it’s hot and shimmering add the sage leaves in a single layer, and remove when crisp (about 30 seconds). Transfer to a paper towel then serve on top of soup
    a ladle full of butternut soup

    Butternut Squash Soup  FAQs

    Can you eat the skin on a butternut squash?

    Yes, All winter squash skins are edible and do well in pureed soups. But eating the edible peel isn’t always recommended based on age (texture) of the peel and how you are using it.

    Can you ripen an unripe butternut squash?

    Kinda. I know this answer is as painful to me as it is to you. Harvesting not quite ripe winter squash is common if freezing conditions are forecasted. The bottom line is squash, like watermelons, requires the natural ripening process (in sunlight), so the plant’s starchy carbohydrates turn into sugar and creamy, nutty flesh.

    Sunlight is crucial to ripening butternut squash. I’m told that unripe butternut squash will have immature seeds, pulling nutrients and sugars for several weeks to grow to maturity, which ultimately degrades the flesh and the flavor you want for your dishes, like this recipe for squash soup.

    bowl of creamy squash soup

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    a spoonful of butternut squash soup

    Easy Stovetop Butternut Squash Soup

    Yield: 8 cups
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes

    This creamy butternut squash soup recipe is perfect for a chilly evening. It combines butternut squash, warm spices, cayenne pepper and heavy cream for a tasty, hearty winter soup. Make a double batch and freeze leftovers for another night.

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1/2 large yellow onion chopped
    • 4 teaspoons minced garlic
    • 3 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed (about 1 medium-sized squash)
    • 4 cups vegetable broth
    • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
    • 1/2 teasoon nutmeg
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
    • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
    • Optional: additional heavy whipping cream, croutons, fresh sage or thyme.

    Instructions

    1. In a large saucepan or dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion. Cook and stir until tender, 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking for another minute.
    2. Stir in butternut squash, vegetable broth, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt, ground pepper, and cayenne pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer covered for 10-15 minutes or until squash is tender.
    3. Using an immersion blender or working in batches with cooled soup in a blender, blend soup until completely smooth; return to pan. Add the cream and cook until heated through, stirring frequently. Taste the soup and add more salt, if needed.
    4. Ladle the soup into bowls and if desired drizzle with a little heavy cream, top with homemade croutons and fresh sage or thyme.

    Notes

    Refrigerate: This soup keeps well in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to one week. Reheat on the stovetop or microwave as needed.

    Freeze: Store completely cooled soup in a glass or plastic freezer jar in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator for 36-48 hours. Heat in a pot on the stove over medium heat until warmed through.

    For a quick tip, use store-bought pre-cut butternut squash. Frozen squash should work too, drop it into the soup and simmer until it's warmed through, then blend.

    On the other hand, you can also roast the butternut squash (this takes about 1.5-2 hours in the oven).

    Chicken broth can be used in place of vegetable broth if that's all you have on hand.

    The cayenne pepper is totally optional. I just add the tiniest bit and you can barely taste the heat. If you're not sure if you want to use it, don't add it with the other spices. Wait until the soup had been blended and cream added. Then add a small amount of soup to a cup and add the tiniest pinch of cayenne pepper to the cup and taste it to see if you like it (that's what I did the first time I added it to my soup). If you like it, then add 1/4 of a teaspoon to the pot of soup (feel free to add more or less or just skip it). I just love the unexpected flavor it brings.

    We love the added crunch of croutons to the top, but feel free to garnish with whatever you'd like.

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    Nutrition Information:
    Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 cup
    Amount Per Serving: Calories: 154Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 610mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 6gSugar: 6gProtein: 2g

    Nutrition information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin, and freshness of ingredients used and are just estimates. We encourage, especially if these numbers are important to you, to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.

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    © Cheryl Sousan
    Cuisine: American / Category: Soup and Chili Recipes

    Originally posted September 15, 2022

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