This roasted butternut squash soup recipe with a short list of simple ingredients turns out silky, smooth, and incredibly delicious.
In this recipe, you’ll roast butternut squash on top of fresh garlic and thyme, then blend it with broth for one of the easiest soups we’ve shared!
There’s no sautéing, very little simmering, and you don’t need to chop lots of veggies. I love it for an easy fall dinner, but since it turns out so well, it’s actually perfect for the holidays (like Thanksgiving dinner). For a similar soup with even more seasonal vegetables like leeks and carrots, see this Butternut Squash Soup topped with crispy chickpeas.
Key Ingredients
- Butternut Squash: I use medium butternut squash, but feel free to swap in winter squash varieties often found during autumn at the farmers market, like honey nut, kabocha, or red kuri squash, or swap it for a small sugar pumpkin like I use when making homemade pumpkin puree.
- Herbs:When roasting the squash, we tuck fresh herbs underneath for extra flavor. I use fresh thyme and rosemary most often, but this is also incredible with fresh sage. You can use one of these or all three.
- Garlic: In addition to the herbs, we also tuck whole garlic cloves (still in their skins) under the squash. This way, they flavor the squash, and the garlic becomes soft and sweet at the same time. You can then blend the roasted garlic into the soup later on.
- Broth: You can use your favorite broth or stock. I love the richness of homemade chicken stock, chicken broth, or bone broth, but this soup is also excellent when you use a flavorful vegetable broth.
- Cream: This is optional, but I almost always add a splash of heavy cream to my soup for a silky, velvety texture. To keep it vegetarian or vegan, try coconut milk or coconut cream.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
My Tips for Making the Easiest Butternut Squash Soup
Tip 1: Cutting butternut squash. My favorite method for cutting butternut squash is the same as I use for spaghetti squash:
- To prevent the squash from rolling around, place one half of a kitchen towel under the squash to keep it stable on the counter. Then, use the other half of the towel to hold the squash in place while you cut.
- Using a heavy chef’s knife, pierce into the middle of the squash and cut it from end to end. Don’t try to cut through the stem. It is too tough.
- Wiggle the knife out and separate the two halves by removing the knife and pulling them apart.
Tip 2: Roast the squash with garlic and herbs. Sneak some herbs and garlic underneath the butternut squash halves before roasting them in the oven until fork-tender and golden on the bottom. The squash becomes fragrant and so flavorful this way.
Tip 3: Blending your soup. When the squash is tender and caramelized, it’s time to blend. Use an immersion blender in a pot or use a stand blender to blend the roasted squash with broth and the soft roasted garlic. (You can squeeze the roasted garlic flesh into the blender and discard the skins.) Season with salt and pepper to taste, then, as a last (optional) step, I love blending in some cream.
Tip 4: Serving this soup. I love this roasted squash soup with a slice of homemade focaccia bread, but it’s also really good with some homemade croutons on top. If you’re feeling fancy, it is also amazing with a grilled cheese made with sourdough and Gruyère cheese!
More Easy Soups
- Roasted Tomato Soup
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Roasted Cauliflower Soup
- Lemon Turmeric Lentil Soup
- Creamy Vegetable Soup
Easy Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
This easy butternut squash soup requires a short list of ingredients and minimal effort from you. Since it is so simple, you have some wiggle room with variations. Feel free to substitute other varieties of squash or pumpkin in place of the butternut squash. Or add some roasted apples, onions, or carrots. You can roast them alongside the squash on the same baking sheet. More variations are below the recipe.
You Will Need
1 medium butternut squash, 2 ½ to 3 pounds
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or melted butter
3 sprigs fresh thyme, rosemary, or fresh sage
4 garlic cloves, with skins left on
4 to 5 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken stock, try homemade chicken stock (950ml to 1180ml)
¼ cup heavy cream, optional (60ml)
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Directions
1Prepare oven and pan: Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet, roasting pan, or baking dish with foil or parchment paper.
2Prepare the squash: Cut the squash in half, lengthwise, using a heavy chef’s knife. Scoop out and discard the seeds. Brush each half, inside and out, with 1 tablespoon olive oil (or melted butter). Season the squash with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
3Roast the squash: Make a bed of fresh herbs and garlic cloves in the middle of the baking sheet. Place the squash, cut side down, on top. Roast until the squash is completely tender, about 1 hour.
4Blend until creamy: Remove the squash from the oven and let it cool until you can handle it. Scoop out the roasted butternut squash flesh and add it to a large pot. Squeeze the roasted garlic from the skins into the saucepan and throw away the skins. Throw away the herbs.
5Pour 4 cups of stock into the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Using a blender or immersion blender, blend the soup until completely smooth. Add more stock to thin the soup to your desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in cream (optional).
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Store homemade butternut squash soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Variations: Consider adding some warm spices to this soup, like ¼ teaspoon ground ginger or finely grated ginger, a pinch of nutmeg, or a pinch of cayenne pepper for some heat.
- Serving ideas: I love an extra drizzle of cream, but this soup is also lovely with some toasted pepitas (or roasted pumpkin seeds), crumbled bacon, or crispy fried shallots on top.
- Blending hot liquids: When using a regular blender, work in smaller batches, and don’t fill it too high – hot soup expands! For safety, remove the lid’s center insert and cover the opening with a kitchen towel while blending. This releases steam and prevents messy splatters.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Nice squash soup recipe but I would add carrots, mashed. You could thicken the soup without dairy that way, and it adds flavor and nutrition. Have made this soup but not with your recipe. Why leave the skins on the garlic?? Thanks.
After garlic cloves have been roasted, you can very easily squeeze the roasted garlic out of their skins and add to the soup.
Delicious!!!!!
This is so easy and it smells so delicious I cannot wait until it’s done cooking. I am pairing it with toasted ham cheese and spinach sandwiches on whole wheat. I will take pictures when everything is done and post them on Facebook.
Can you freeze butternut squash soup?
Hi Lisa, Yes. we recommend freezing without any cream or dairy added.
As always, excellent. I added a touch of curry as well and made some fresh rolls. Yum!
I made this last night for my family and it was delicious! Thank you for the scrumptious and easy recipe with the simple instructions for roasting the squash. I had been keeping one butternut squash and one acorn squash in my garage since the fall as I had been using them as festive decorations for a few weeks…So I used those two squashes and doubled everything else. The acorn squash was great in there too! And I added a large carrot I had in the fridge too as per your advice of using what we have! It made enough for our family of four for two meals at least. Thanks again! 5 stars!
Oh and I finish mine with a little cinnamon and some cold milk on top. 🙂
I’ve been making soup like this for years! Instead of squash and garlic, I use pumpkin, carrots, apple and onion. I roast it how you described, with oil, salt, pepper, and dried thyme, though I wish I could always find fresh. My kids are now grown ups (ages 19-25), but this is still their favorite comfort food when they’re sick! Thanks for sharing! It’s actually easier than it looks and you can make big batches and freeze it. Now I have to try this version!
Have made this a few times now, love it!!! It is so good, you don’t have to change anything, perfect the way it is!