Butternut Squash Soup with Sage

This easy Butternut Squash Soup recipe is a velvety soup of pureed butternut squash, green apple, and aromatics, seasoned with warm spices to create rich flavors. This delicious soup contains simple ingredients yet makes a filling meal perfect for any time of year, especially for the fall or cold days.

*This recipe was originally published in January 2019. It’s updated with new images and copy.*

What Is Butternut Squash?

Butternut squash- also known as crookneck or winter squash- is native to the Americas and has a pale, thick rind surrounding deep orange flesh. Long necks and bulbous bottoms are butternut squash’s distinguishing features.

You can eat butternut squash raw after peeling and thinly slicing it or dicing it. However, most preparations cook the squash since it brings out its sweetness. Butternut squash is a great replacement for pumpkin in your holiday pies, especially when spiced with warming flavors like cinnamon and cloves.  

What’s The Difference Between Soup and Bisque?

You’ll often see this recipe referred to as a bisque. In my first post, I referred to it as such. However, the guilt of knowing it’s not a true bisque motivated me to update and correct this. 

By culinary standards, a bisque is a seafood soup thickened with cooked rice. Soups are foods that are cooked in a broth or stock. Some soups are left in that state, whereas others are pureed until smooth. Thick soups are the latter. This is technically a thick soup since it contains no seafood or rice. These days, however, bisques are often made from vegetables and non-seafood ingredients. So, I won’t be upset if you refer to this as a butternut squash bisque recipe.

What Ingredients Do I Need To Make Butternut Squash Soup?

To make this easy butternut squash soup recipe, you need olive oil, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, cayenne, curry powder, kosher salt, black pepper, butternut squash, Granny Smith apple, vegetable broth (also sold as vegetable stock), coconut milk, lemon juice, and fresh sage leaves. 

What I love most about this recipe is how it all comes together in one pot. You need a dutch oven and an immersion blender to puree the soup. I’ll give you instructions on how to puree it if you don’t, though.

How Do I Cut A Butternut Squash?

The hardest thing about this recipe is cutting the butternut squash. This squash’s rind is thick and somewhat difficult to get through, much like other winter squashes. 

Use a sharp chef’s knife to cut the ends of the squash with the stem and calyx. Next, cut the squash in half where the neck meets the bulb. This step makes removing the rind more manageable while also providing you with a solid base to cut on. Now, all you have to do is slice away the rind from the flesh.  

Cut a 1/2-inch slab off each half of butternut squash. Lay the squash on the flat part and slice it into 1/2-inch slabs. Cut each slab down their lengths into 1/2-inch sticks. Turn the sticks perpendicular to the knife blade and cut them into 1/2-inch cubes. You’ve just diced your butternut squash!

Here’s a tip: the smaller you cut your squash, the faster it cooks and becomes tender. Here’s another one: skip cutting fresh butternut squash and replace it with frozen, unthawed squash or pre-cut squash from the produce section. 

How Do I Make A Flavorful Vegan Soup?

The key to a delicious butternut squash soup is a balance of flavors. Building that flavor begins with the aromatics and ends with the mildly sweet squash flavor. Sautéing pungent aromatics before adding the other ingredients creates a slightly caramelized flavor in the soup. 

Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven (or large soup pot) over medium-high heat. Add the diced carrots, celery, onion, and garlic to the oil once it begins to ripple in the pot. Sauté the aromatics, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. 

Can I Swap The Spices?

Stir the kosher salt, curry powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper into the aromatics in the pot. The curry powder and cayenne add a smoky, mildly spicy flavor to the soup. Heat the spices for a couple of minutes or until fragrant. 

You can replace the curry powder in this recipe with my Middle Eastern Spice Blend, Garam Masala Spice Blend, or Chai Spice Blend. You can also use store-bought versions of these blends or leave them out.

Why Add Apple?

Add the diced squash and Granny Smith apple to the pot. Stir these into combine them with the spiced aromatics. 

I like adding apple to recipes like this because it adds a slightly sweet flavor to the butternut squash soup. Granny Smiths are high on the tart spectrum, so they don’t create a cloyingly sweet flavor in the soup. You can replace the Granny Smith with a similar apple like McIntosh and Pink Lady apple. If you prefer a sweeter flavor, replace the Granny Smith with a Honeycrisp apple. 

Sauté the squash and apple chunks for 5 minutes. 

Can I Make A Non-Vegan Recipe?

Combine the veggie broth and coconut milk in a pitcher or container. Feel free to replace the coconut milk in this recipe with unsweetened almond milk if you’re allergic. You can also make this a non-vegan butternut squash soup by replacing the vegetable broth with turkey or chicken broth. 

Combining the liquids before adding them to the pot thins the coconut milk so it’s less likely to curdle. Pour the liquids into the pot with the veggies. Bring the liquids to a boil, stir the contents in the pot, then reduce the heat to medium-low.

Allow the soup to simmer for 20 minutes or until the squash is fork-tender. 

What’s The Best Way To Puree Soups?

The easiest and safest way to puree soups is with an immersion blender. Another way to do this is to transfer the liquids to a regular blender or food processor and puree it. The latter is more dangerous, especially if you have a small blender. If you have an immersion blender, insert it into the center of the pot, ensuring it is on the lowest speed. This prevents the liquids in the pot from spraying everywhere and burning you. Begin pureeing the liquids, gradually increasing the speed to medium-high and moving the blender around the pot to get every last chunk.

If you don’t have an immersion blender, position a blender or food processor close to the stove. Carefully ladle the hot soup into the blender, ensuring you don’t fill it past the “max level” marker on the carafe or bowl. Blend it in batches on low speed with the lid’s plug or chute insert removed until smooth. You must vent the lid or chute to prevent the hot liquid from exploding. Once smooth, transfer it to a separate container while you blend the rest of the soup. Return the smooth mixture to the pot to finish.

How Do I Serve This Butternut Squash Soup?

Stir in the lemon juice and chopped sage leaves just before serving the butternut squash soup. Fresh herbs taste best when added to recipes at the last minute. Dried herbs work best when cooked for a little while to rehydrate them. If you’re using dried sage in this recipe, add it with the other spices. You can also replace the sage in this recipe with other fresh herbs. I like how rosemary or thyme complement the squash flavor. 

Serve butternut squash soup with warm, sliced bread like this Asiago Sourdough, a grilled cheese sandwich, or keep it vegan with a garden salad. Another great, non-vegan option is to garnish this soup with shredded parmesan cheese or sharp cheddar, a dollop of sour cream, or garnished with Chai Spiced Pumpkin Seeds or minced apples for vegan diets.

This soup also makes a great appetizer for holidays or larger meals. 

How Do I Store Leftover Butternut Squash Soup?

Store leftover butternut squash soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can reheat this soup in the microwave for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes on high or on a stovetop over medium heat until warm. The added bonus in storing it is that it tastes even better the next day.

To freeze butternut squash soup, transfer the cooled soup to freezer-safe containers and freeze it for 3-4 months. Thaw the soup in the fridge overnight and reheat as instructed above.

One taste of this Butternut Squash Soup, and you’ll agree it’s a perfect soup recipe for your whole family. This velvety soup is a great addition to your meal plans since it’s easy to make and it’s also filling. Pin this recipe to your soups board and share it with your friends and family.

Butternut Squash Soup

Marta Rivera at Sense & Edibility

5 from 18 votes

This easy Butternut Squash Soup recipe is a velvety soup of pureed butternut squash, green apple, and aromatics, seasoned with warm spices to create rich flavors that makes a filling meal perfect for any time of year.

Servings: 8

Print Pin Recipe SaveSaved!

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Equipment

• 6-quart dutch oven
• immersion blender optional

Ingredients

  

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• 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) extra virgin olive oil
• 2 medium carrots peeled and diced (about 1 cup or 125 grams)
• 2 stalks celery trimmed and diced (about 1 cup or 105 grams)
• 1 medium white onion peeled and diced (1 cup or 115 grams)
• 2 large cloves garlic minced (1 tablespoon or 15 grams)
• 2 teaspoons (12 grams) kosher salt or to taste
• 1/2 tablespoon (4 grams) mild curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
• 1 large Granny Smith apple diced (2 cups or 210 grams)
• 1 large butternut squash peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (6 cups or 1 kilogram)
• 1 quart (4 cups or 907 grams) vegetable broth
• 13.6 ounce can (403 ml) coconut milk (or 1 can)
• 1/2 medium (1 tablespoon or 15 milliliters) lemon juiced
• 1 stem fresh sage chopped (2 tablespoons or 5 grams)

Optional Garnishes

• sour cream optional
• Chai Spiced Pumpkin Seeds optional
• minced green apples
• fresh sage leaves

Instructions 

Sauté the Aromatics

• Heat the olive oil in a 6-quart (or larger) dutch oven over medium-high heat.

  Add the diced carrots, celery, onion, and garlic to the oil once it begins to ripple in the pot.

  Sauté the aromatics, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. 

Build the Flavor Profile

• Stir the kosher salt, curry powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper into the aromatics in the pot.

  Heat the spices for a 1 to 2 minutes or until fragrant. 

Add the Butternut Squash and Apple

• Add the diced squash and Granny Smith apple to the pot, stirring them in to combine them with the spiced aromatics. 

  Sauté the squash and apple chunks for 5 minutes. 

Simmer the Soup

• Combine the veggie broth and coconut milk in a pitcher or container.

  Pour the liquids into the pot with the veggies. Bring the liquids to a boil, stir the contents in the pot, then reduce the heat to medium-low.

  Allow the soup to simmer for 20 minutes or until the squash is fork-tender.

Blend the Soup

• Insert an immersion blender into the center of the pot, ensuring it is on the lowest speed.

  Begin pureeing the liquids, gradually increasing the speed to medium-high and moving the blender around the pot until the mixture is smooth.

Finish the Butternut Squash Soup

• Stir in the lemon juice and chopped sage leaves into the butternut squash soup just before serving.  

  Top each serving of soup with minced apples or Chai Spiced Pumpkin Seeds. You can serve this butternut squash soup with warm, sliced Asiago Sourdough or a garden salad for a more substantial meal.

Notes

Swaps and Substitutions

• Replace the whole butternut squash with frozen, unthawed squash or pre-cut squash from the produce section. 
• Replace the curry powder in this recipe with my Middle Eastern Spice Blend, Garam Masala Spice Blend, or Chai Spice Blend. You can also use store-bought versions of these blends or leave them out.
• You can replace the Granny Smith with a similar apple like McIntosh and Pink Lady apple.
• If you prefer a sweeter flavor, replace the Granny Smith with a Honeycrisp apple
• Replace the coconut milk in this recipe with unsweetened almond milk.
• Make this a non-vegan butternut squash soup by replacing the vegetable broth with turkey or chicken broth.
• You can replace the sage in this recipe with other fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme.
• Replace the fresh sage with dried rubbed sage.

Tips and Techniques

• The smaller you cut your squash, the faster it cooks and becomes tender.
• Combining the liquids before adding them to the pot thins the coconut milk so it's less likely to curdle.
• If you don't have an immersion blender:
  1. Position a blender or food processor close to the stove.
  2. Carefully ladle the hot soup into the blender, ensuring you don't fill it past the "max level" marker on the carafe or bowl.
  3. Blend it in batches on low speed with the lid's plug or chute insert removed until smooth. You must vent the lid or chute to prevent the hot liquid from exploding.
  4. Once smooth, transfer it to a separate container while you blend the rest of the soup.
  5. Return the smooth mixture to the pot to finish.
• Fresh herbs taste best when added to recipes at the last minute. Dried herbs work best when cooked for a little while to rehydrate them.
• If you're using dried sage in this recipe, add it with the other spices.

Storage Instructions

• Store leftover butternut squash soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
• Reheat this soup in the microwave for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes on high or on a stovetop over medium heat until warm. 

Freezer Instructions

• Transfer the cooled soup to freezer-safe containers and freeze it for 3-4 months.
• Thaw the soup in the fridge overnight and reheat as instructed above.

Nutrition

Calories: 97kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 2gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0.3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 975mgPotassium: 477mgFiber: 4gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 12849IUVitamin C: 24mgCalcium: 67mgIron: 1mg

Course dinner, lunch

Cuisine vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword bisque, butternut squash, soup

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