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This is truly the best Roasted Butternut Squash Soup recipe! Made with simple, fresh ingredients, the healthy and satisfying vegetarian soup will soon become a staple in your fall kitchen. Serve a warm bowl with a loaf of crusty bread, buttermilk biscuits or skillet cornbread for a cozy, cold-weather comfort meal!

Side shot of hands holding a bowl of roasted butternut squash soup

How to Make Roasted Butternut Squash Soup | 1-Minute Video

The Best Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

Some roasted butternut squash soup recipes can be overly-sweet or too thick and creamy. Instead, this naturally sweet dish gets its rich flavor from the toasty, caramelized, roasted butternut squash. Add a few more simple ingredients like onion, garlic and ginger for a savory, nourishing, and incredibly light-but-satisfying bowl of autumn comfort food!

Why This Recipe Works

  • Roasting the squash before adding it to the soup results in an incredibly flavorful, rich, and naturally sweet dish that doesn’t need many additional ingredients. Garlic, onion, and a bit of seasoning simply highlight the taste of the vegetable. In this easy soup, butternut squash remains the star of the show!
  • Using a blender to puree the soup gives it a smooth, buttery texture that tastes almost creamy — without any cream!
  • The perfect amount of ginger and cayenne (optional) make the soup zippy and flavorful, rather than flat and dull.
Hands holding a bowl of roasted butternut squash soup

Ingredients for Vegan Butternut Squash Soup

This is a quick overview of the simple ingredients that you’ll need for this easy butternut squash soup recipe. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.

  • Butternut squash: start with a large 3-lb. squash, or purchase about 4-5 cups of peeled butternut squash cubes for a shortcut.
  • Olive oil: for roasting the squash and sautéing the vegetables.
  • Onion and garlic: for savory, earthy flavor.
  • Ginger: use fresh ginger if available, or substitute with ground ginger when necessary. It’s the perfect flavor companion for the butternut squash.
  • Cayenne: an optional ingredient if you like a spicy butternut squash soup.
  • Vegetable stock: or substitute with chicken broth or chicken stock if you’re not concerned with preparing a vegetarian soup.
  • Brown sugar: adds a hint of sweetness in the background. You can substitute with maple syrup if you like.
Process shot showing how to make roasted butternut squash soup recipe

How to Make Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I have always enjoyed butternut squash soup at Panera and other restaurants, from the deli at the grocery store, or even from a can on occasion. But I could never quite get it to taste the way I wanted it to when I prepared it on my own at home. Until now! This, my friends, is the only roasted butternut squash soup recipe that you will ever need!

  1. Roast the squash in a 425°F oven for 30 minutes. At this point it should be almost tender, but not totally soft.
  2. Peel off the skin and dice the squash into large cubes.
  3. Sauté onions, then add the garlic, ginger and cayenne.
  4. Add some of the stock, the brown sugar, and the cubed squash. Bring to a boil.
  5. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for about 10-15 minutes (until the squash is very tender).
  6. Puree the soup with an immersion blender or a standard blender, adding remaining stock until the soup reaches the desired consistency.
  7. Season with salt and pepper, ladle into bowls, and garnish with toppings.
Adding vegetable stock to the best roasted butternut squash recipe
Process shot showing how to make a creamy butternut squash soup
Ladle serving a pot of easy roasted butternut squash soup recipe
Sprinkling fresh thyme on a bowl of the best butternut squash soup recipe

What to Serve with Easy Butternut Squash Soup

Garnish the soup with any of your favorite toppings, from chopped fresh chives, thyme, sage or parsley to sliced green onion, croutons or toasted bread, grated cheese (Parmesan, Gruyere, feta, goat cheese, or sharp cheddar), toasted nuts or pumpkin seeds, crispy bacon or prosciutto, or a dollop of sour cream.

A few sides that go well with Butternut Squash Soup

Two bowls of roasted butternut squash soup on a farmhouse table served with bread

Storage

Store the soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. It’s a great make-ahead option for busy weeks. Packed tightly, the soup will last in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Thaw frozen soup in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat the soup in a saucepan over low heat, just until warmed through.

What to Add to Butternut Squash Soup

  • For a creamy soup, stir in heavy cream, half-and-half or coconut milk at the end of the cooking time (just until warmed through).
  • Add curry powder, to taste, for a curried butternut squash soup.
  • If you like a spicy soup, increase the amount of cayenne or garnish individual bowls with crushed red pepper flakes.
  • Fresh herbs add nice dimension to the soup. Try sage, thyme, rosemary, parsley or chives.
  • Warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg are also a great addition to the cozy soup.
  • For a sweet-tart addition, add some peeled and diced Granny Smith apple to the pot when you add the roasted squash. Cook until the squash and apple are very tender before pureeing.
Spoon in a bowl of vegan butternut squash soup

Tips for the Best Roasted Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

  • If you don’t want to deal with cutting up a whole squash, purchase about 4-5 cups of peeled, diced squash from the produce section. Toss with olive oil and roast the squash in the oven until almost tender.
  • If you don’t care for a spicy soup, omit the cayenne pepper.
  • Double all of the ingredients for a larger batch of soup (it keeps well in the freezer!), or cut the ingredients in half to serve a smaller family.
  • Garnish with plenty of tasty toppings for extra flavor and texture. Herbs, nuts, seeds, cheese, sour cream, croutons, and bacon are all delicious options.
Overhead shot of hands holding a white bowl full of simple butternut squash soup

More Soup Recipes to Try

Square overhead shot of a bowl of roasted butternut squash soup

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

5 from 25 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings 8 cups
Calories 116 kcal
The best Roasted Butternut Squash Soup recipe, this is healthy fall comfort food at its finest!
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 (3 lb.) butternut squash (or about 4-5 cups peeled and diced butternut squash cubes)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • ½ onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (or ¼ teaspoon ground ginger)
  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 3-4 cups vegetable stock (or chicken broth), divided
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar (or maple syrup)
  • Optional garnish: sour cream, fresh chives, toasted nuts or seeds, croutons, parsley, thyme, sage, grated cheese, crispy bacon or prosciutto

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
  • Slice squash vertically down the center, scoop out the seeds, and place the halves cut-side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Rub 1 tablespoon of olive oil on the outside skin of the squash, and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes (or until almost tender).
  • Allow squash to cool, peel the skin off, and cut squash into 2-inch cubes. Set aside.
  • Next, in a large pot, heat remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute onions until slightly brown, about 3-4 minutes, adding a pinch of salt as they cook. Stir in garlic, ginger and cayenne pepper and cook for 1 more minute.
  • Add 2 cups of the stock, brown sugar (or maple syrup), and squash and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 10-15 minutes (or until the squash is very tender). Remove from heat.
  • Puree soup with an immersion blender or puree in batches in a regular blender or food processor, adding remaining stock slowly until the soup reaches the desired consistency.
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with optional toppings.

Video

Notes

  • For a creamy soup, stir in heavy cream, half-and-half or coconut milk at the end of the cooking time (just until warmed through).
  • Add curry powder, to taste, for a curried butternut squash soup.
  • If you like a spicy soup, increase the amount of cayenne or garnish individual bowls with crushed red pepper flakes.
  • Fresh herbs add nice dimension to the soup. Try sage, thyme, rosemary, parsley or chives.
  • Warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg are also a great addition to the cozy soup.
  • For a sweet-tart addition, add some peeled and diced Granny Smith apple to the pot when you add the roasted squash. Cook until the squash and apple are very tender before pureeing.
  • Recipe adapted from Gourmet Made Simple: A Fresh Approach to Flavor with Gena Knox.
Keyword: butternut squash soup, roasted butternut squash soup, squash soup
Course: Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: American
Author: Blair Lonergan
Don’t Forget to Share a Pic of What You Made!
Tag me on Instagram at @theseasonedmom
blair

Hey, I’m Blair!

Welcome to my farmhouse kitchen in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Inspired by local traditions and seasonal fare, you’ll find plenty of easy, comforting recipes that bring your family together around the table. It’s down-home, country-style cooking!

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Comments

      1. Thank you Blair for posting this recipe. I have made this soup several times for my husband and I. It is fantastic and so healthy too! The only thing that I do slightly different is to add less ginger and cinnamin instead. We sweeten ours with fresh maple syrup and not the brown sugar. This recipe is a keeper. It is very easy too for anyone out there that has not tried making it. Fabulous fall meal :).

        Reply

  4. Looks delicious! We’re always up for trying new soup recipes! Thanks for sharing it with us at Foodie Fridays, Blair! Pinning!

    Reply

  7. This looks amazing but I have a question. I have a special needs son that gets sick from maple syrup, is there anything I could use as a substitute? Thanks

    Reply

    1. Hi, Jan! Yes — I use brown sugar instead of the maple syrup sometimes, and that works equally well. I think that honey would be a fine substitute, too. You can also just omit the extra sweetener altogether. It’s just one tablespoon, so it won’t change the flavor of the soup drastically…it just will be slightly less sweet. 🙂

      Reply

  8. Delish just made this for supper quick easy and yummy. I’m going to toast the seeds to add a little crunch for the left overs.

    Reply

    1. Awesome, Brenda! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it! The toasted seeds sound like a perfect topping. Love that idea!

      Reply

  9. 5 stars
    I made this last night. It was amazing! I omitted the garlic because I can’t stomach it, and the cayenne only for the sake of my 1-yr-old. The taste was so pleasant and my BlendTec pureed it smooth as baby food! It’s healthy and my family loved it so I will definitely be making this again!

    Reply

  12. 5 stars
    My husband had cut up more butternut squash than I needed for a Thanksgiving recipe. I had been wanting to try making roasted butternut squash soup and used your recipe following the directions exactly. My husband and I both agree that it’s delicious! And it was so easy. I’ll definitely make it again.

    Reply

  14. I just finished making this soup 10 minutes ago and I love it. I used 3 squash, barely 1/2 cup shallots, 5 cloves garlic, and I eyeballed everything else, and it had a good amount of flavor. I like it a little thicker so I used about 3 cups of vegetable broth. I also used 4 tbsp butter, about 1 tbsp brown sugar, and a couple shakes of nutmeg on top of salt and pepper to taste. Even with 3 squash and not as much shallot as the recipe called for for 1 squash, I can still taste them. This is my first time making this soup and I am pretty happy with the result. Thank you for the great recipe!

    Reply

  15. 5 stars
    This is absolutely delicious! Such depth of flavor with the garlic, brown sugar & touch of cayenne pepper. Would make it again. Absolutely 5 stars .

    Reply

    1. Hi, Barbara! It says in the recipe that it yields 8 cups total. So the number of servings will depend on how large your serving size is. If you’re serving small 1-cup servings, it will feed 8. If you’re using larger 1.5 or 2-cup servings, it will only serve 4-6. Hope that helps!

      Reply

    1. Hi, Todd! The recipe calls for 1 squash that weighs about 3 lbs. Ultimately, you need about 4 cups of peeled, diced squash, so you can use two smaller squashes or just part of a really big one. Enjoy!

      Reply

  19. 5 stars
    I made this soup tonight and my family thoroughly enjoyed it! I followed the recipe exactly using the maple syrup!

    Reply

    2. 5 stars
      This was so delicious! I added the sprinkling of curry powder along with other spices, sweetened with maple syrup, and puréed with 2 percent milk (what we had on hand) for a wonderful creamy consistency. We garnished with croutons, toasted pecans, feta cheese, and bacon bits. Yum! Will be making it again for sure.

      Reply

  20. 5 stars
    Super easy….super YUMMY….I added a little more stock and next time I will just add a hint of pepper – was a bit spicy (even for this Texas girl who loves spice).

    Reply

  21. 5 stars
    I have made this recipe twice now, once with fresh ginger and once stuff ground. The first time I only had a small Butternut squash, so I added an acorn squash to the soup.The roasted squash is easy to manage. One of my family members said that it tastes like soup from a restaurant. I increase the amount of cayenne and onion in the recipe.

    Reply

  22. 5 stars
    I made this lovely soup today with just a few minor adjustments. I did not add anything to sweeten, as the onions provide enough for me, I used freshly grated ginger, used chicken bone broth and added a few tablespoons of butter. I’ve made other butternut squash soups over the years and had never added ginger. Thank you for including that! Saved to my favorites on Pinterest❤️

    Reply

  24. 5 stars
    So…… I just made this and it is absolutely delicious! I made it exactly as written, but added a little more cayenne pepper and also the juice of a half a lemon. So good. Thank you for the recipe. I have always been weary of using butternut squash (or any squash for that matter!) and found I had nothing to be affraid of. Thank you for helping me overcome my fears with this yummy recipe.

    Reply

  25. Aloha Blair,
    Your soup is very much like I make, & just a suggestion…try roasting shallots & whole head of garlic on same roasting pan w/squash. I just put olive oil on them also. Then I use Vita mix.You might need to remove them a little sooner, & just squeeze out cloves you want in soup, & have extra garlic cloves for making garlic toast to go with the soup. Joyous cooking!

    Reply

    2. Yes I roasted garlic and shallots with squash. I didn’t add any maple sugar as I found it was perfect. Thanks so much!

      Reply

  26. 5 stars
    I made this soup this evening. It is delicious, my new favourite soup! I wouldn’t change a single thing in the recipe – why mess with perfection!!
    I used brown sugar not maple syrup – purely cos that is what I had in the cupboard.
    Perfect! Thank you.

    Reply

    1. That’s wonderful, Sue! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back here and let me know. I really appreciate it. It’s one of my favorite soups, too! 🙂

      Reply

      1. 5 stars
        This is a fabulous recipe… absolutely delicious! I used ginger spice, the cayenne & maple syrup….the balance is amazing! I finished off with adding heavy cream at the end, & a dollop of sour cream… thanks so much for “a keeper” recipe!

        Reply

  27. 5 stars
    Simple yet sooooo delicious. Great soup now that it’s getting cooler. Already made this soup twice. Thank you for this.

    Reply

  28. 5 stars
    1- you are smarter than everyone else because you roasted first and THEN cut it
    2- simple flavor not overwhelmed by too many spices! You get to truly enjoy the flavor of the vegetable
    3- EASY
    4- we added two tablespoons of half and half and lots of fresh thyme.

    THANK YOU! lovely food today 🙂

    Reply

      1. 5 stars
        I received some honeynut squash in my Hungry Harvest delivery and used them to make your recipe. As I had roasted the squash the night before, this fantastic soup came together very quickly! Thanks!!!

        Reply

  31. I had about 6 small butternut squash that I got in my most recent CSA boxes and wanted a straightforward soup to make them into and this fit the bill very well! It’s warm and spicy (love that cayenne in there) and quite easy to make. I think I went a little heavy on the fresh ginger so next go around I’ll maybe use half as much, but that’s just personal preference. I’m enjoying the first bowl with a bit of cream mixed in and it’s a wonderful cold weather pick me up. Thank you!!

    Reply

  33. 5 stars
    Amazing and simple! I used leftover roasted butternut squash and a couple pieces of roasted brussels I had from a dinner recipe. Those had seasoning on them (garlic, paprika, rosemary) so that added a nice touch! I also threw in a leftover bit of baked potato. Used brown sugar because that’s what I had. Immersion blended and served with croutons and a dallop of sour cream. Delish!

    Reply

  35. 5 stars
    Thanks for the recipe, it’s wonderful. Put a bit of sweet curry in it. Tried it once at home with great reviews. Now I’m making it for our church potluck tomorrow.

    Reply