Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Butternut squash soup is a classic fall and winter soup recipe. But today we’re roasting the butternut squash, which gives so much more depth of flavor and makes the soup easier to prepare (as you don’t have to cut the butternut squash).
Best Butternut Squash Soup
Roasting veggies is one of my favorite preparation methods, so it should come as no surprise that I opted for a roasted butternut squash soup over a more traditional stovetop butternut squash soup. That earthy, roasted flavor gets me every time.
Butternut squash soup is one of the top 5 fall and winter soup recipes usually on anyone’s list. And it’s one of my personal favorites, along with Carrot Ginger Soup, Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup, Roasted Cauliflower Soup and Taco Soup.
Of course, butternut squash soup is also the quintessential soup recipe for Thanksgiving.
What’s in Butternut Squash Soup?
Butternut squash soup is made from butternut squash, onions, garlic, maple syrup, nutmeg, ginger, vegetable broth, salt and pepper. It’s naturally ultra-creamy (without any cream). But if you do tolerate dairy, adding just a tablespoon or two of fresh butter definitely boosts the creaminess factor.
This soup is gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian and paleo friendly, which makes it perfect to serve to a large crowd.
The Benefits of Roasting Butternut Squash
You could certainly make a traditional butternut squash soup on the stovetop, but there are two key benefits to roasting the butternut squash first:
- Depth of flavor: roasting any vegetable imparts an earthy, smoky, caramelized sweet flavor. And butternut squash is no different. In fact, it’s quite similar to roasting spaghetti squash.
- No dicing needed: butternut squash are notoriously hard to slice and cut. Many a kitchen accident has been had with folks trying to cut through pumpkins and squash. But when you roast the butternut squash no additional peeling or dicing is necessary. You just have to make one slice down the middle of the squash, then scoop the flesh out after it’s cooked. Far easier.
How To Make Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Slice the ends off the butternut squash. Making a flat surface on the ends is key, so you can stand the butternut squash on end and slice through it lengthwise. Once that’s done, use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and membrane.
Place the butternut squash on a baking tray (with the cut side up) and coat with avocado oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Once it’s coated, flip it over so that the cut side is down. Cook for 60 minutes at 425F, but keep an eye on the clock because at the 30 minute point we’ll add the onion to the baking tray (also cut side down) and continue cooking for another 30 minutes.
Let the butternut squash and onion cool to the touch. Then scoop out the flesh of the butternut squash with a large spoon and transfer to a high-powered blender like a Vitamix (this is the Vitamix I use).
Add the butternut squash and onion to your blender along with the garlic, maple syrup, salt, nutmeg, ginger and vegetable broth. I’d recommend starting with 3 cups of vegetable broth and blending to see if you like the consistency. You can always add more to thin it down. If you’re adding the butter, you can add that now as well.
Blend all of the ingredients on high for several minutes, or until creamy. If you’re using a Vitamix you can also use the soup setting to achieve a creamy and hot soup.
Pour the soup into serving bowls. Garnish the roasted butternut squash soup with pepitas, parsley and cracked black pepper – and enjoy!
More Thanksgiving Recipes to Serve with This Soup
- Mashed Cauliflower
- Roasted Delicata Squash, Pear and Pomegranate Salad
- Roasted Butternut Squash, Romaine and Goat Cheese Salad
- Paleo Pumpkin Pie
- Paleo Pumpkin Bread
- Vegan Caramel Cheesecake
Butternut Squash Soup Recipe Video
It’s easy to make this soup in your blender, but in the video below I give you a quick step-by-step tutorial. Give it a watch!
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- 3 1/2 pounds butternut squash
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 small yellow onion, halved
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- cracked black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoon butter, optional
Garnish
- pepitas, pumpkin seeds
- parsley
- cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit. Slice the ends off the butternut squash. With a flat surface on the bulb end, stand the butternut squash on end and carefully slice it in half lengthwise.
- Use a spoon to remove the seeds and membrane.
- Transfer the butternut squash to a baking tray cut side up, coat with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then flip the butternut squash over so the cut side is down and roast for 60 minutes.
- At the 30 minute point, coat the cut half of the onion with avocado oil and place it cut side down on the baking tray. Continue cooking for another 30 minutes, then remove from the oven.
- One the butternut squash is cool enough to handle, use a large spoon to scoop out the flesh and transfer to a blender. Remove the outer layer of the onion and add it to the blender along with the garlic, maple syrup, salt, nutmeg, ginger, butter and vegetable broth. Start with 3 cups of vegetable broth and add more to achieve your desired consistency. Blend on high for several minutes or until creamy. If using a Vitamix, you can use the soup setting to achieve a creamy and hot soup. Taste the soup and add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Pour the soup into bowls and garnish with pepitas, parsley and cracked black pepper.
Lisa's Tips
- In the video above I added 3 garlic cloves as I love garlic and it was the last from my bulb, but it definitely overpowered the soup. Stick to 1 garlic clove as it's written in the recipe. You can also add roasted garlic if you prefer a softer garlic flavor.
- When it comes to roasting veggies, I always recommend a heavy duty baking tray so it doesn't bend and warp while cooking.
- I'm a massive fan of my Vitamix blender, but if you're looking to buy one make sure to check out my Vitamix Comparison post.
- This butternut squash soup is a great soup recipe to meal prep. Just place it in my favorite meal prep containers and freeze.
Nutrition
Recipe originally posted Nov 2018, but updated to include new information.
I just got a vitamix and stumbled upon your recipes! This was sooooo easy and tastes delish!! Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed this butternut squash soup Melissa!
I’ve made butternut squash soup before, but this is the first time using a recipe using roasted squash. I used bacon fat rather than oil, chicken stock, and I roasted the garlic. This came out so yummy! Rich and smooth and with a nice little kick in the end. I will make this one again!
What is the serving size?
Each serving can make about 2 cups, depending how big your squash is.
Just tried this and it’s really good! As someone with zero cooking skills, this is basically fail proof. I added butter and a roasted garlic and it was *chef’s kiss*
What serving size is your nutrition information based on? Is it the same for every recipe?
Depending on how big your butternut squash is, each serving can be up to 2 cups.
I am a cook. I also love to try new recipes. I have never been able to really find a Butternut Squash soup recipe that I love. Until now. This is, hands down, the best Butternut Squash soup recipe. Not even kidding. I think the roasting of the onion and squash laid a beautiful foundation for the flavor of the soup. I didn’t have ground ginger so used grated fresh instead. Well that was a must. Used chicken stock instead and a splash of cream. Only one clove of garlic like you mentioned. Served with pumpkin seeds. Oh baby!!
Thrilled to hear you’ve found a winning butternut squash soup recipe Jennifer!
I have a vitamix 48oz container. Do you think I can blend this recipe in smaller parts and then combine it at the end?
Yes, that should be fine.
This i is delicious. I’ve made it twice in the last few weeks, another winner!
This was SOO good! Easy to make and easy to clean up! Everyone loved this soup! My husband, who typically dislikes soups and any type of squash, my extremely picky son, and even my toddler! Adding this to our meal rotation!!!
Happy to hear this soup even satisfied the picky eaters Ray. That’s always a plus!
Another hit, Lisa!
Again this was a spur of the moment cooking decision for me. I had a lonely butternut squash begging to be used. I did not have any onions but I did have two large scallions that substituted nicely. The soup was sweet / savory and delicious. I would say to people if they don’t like a slight little peppery after kick they might want to go easy with the ginger or pepper. I personally loved it. You are quickly becoming my new go to for inspiration and ideas!!
This soup really is the perfect way to make use of any leftover buttternut squash!
I made this wish Japanese pumpkin and it was so simple but the taste was so rich! Loved it!
Ive been trying to eat healthier due to an autoimmune disease. Its is so delicious. It will be a staple soup at my house from now on. Thank you for the recipe Lisa.❤️
Hope my recipes can help you enjoy cooking again!
This soup was insanely good and so simple! I didn’t have nutmeg on hand so used garam masala instead. I also roasted the garlic as suggested by others. Absolutely amazing. Even my husband who is not a big soup guy went for seconds. Would definitely make again.
Happy to hear this soup even satisfied the pickiest eaters!
Garam masala? I wish I read the comments first. We all love curry and my wife uses it in many of the dishes she makes and never I thought of using our garam masala in place of nutmeg. I will be making this soup for the first time tonight and look forward to it.
Excellent flavor and spices. I saved time by not cutting the squash. I put the cleaned, whole squash (pierced) in a baking dish with a little water and baked until tender, It’s very easy to cut and peel after baking. I sautéed my onions, half way through added the spices and the last two minutes added my garlic. I didn’t like the idea of raw garlic in the soup. Thank you Lisa.
Happy to hear you enjoyed this butternut squash soup Christina!