Butternut Squash Soup
4.7
(262)
Active Time
15 minutes
Total Time
1 hour
This easy butternut squash soup recipe yields impressive, deeply flavorful results with very little fuss. Start by roasting butternut squash to enhance its natural sweetness and heighten the soup’s depth of flavor. You will have to cut the squash in half first—if this is your first time dealing with unwieldy large butternuts, follow our guide to butchering butternut squash (or just buy precut squash cubes at the grocery store, we won’t tell). Once they’re roasted, you’ll purée the squash with sautéed diced onions and a few spices for a creamy, warming bowl of comfort.
But, armed with such a simple recipe, there are many ways to make butternut squash soup your own. Play around with the seasonings: Instead of a cinnamon stick, stir in ¼ tsp. each of cumin and cayenne plus a 1 Tbsp. curry powder for curried butternut squash soup. Or top the soup with crispy chopped bacon and apple slivers for a sweet-and-salty take. You could substitute a different winter squash or combine squash with assorted root veggies. Garnish individual bowls with a swirl of coconut milk or a dollop of sour cream, a drizzle of chili crisp, or a sprinkling of crunchy toasted pumpkin seeds.
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What you’ll need
All-Clad Brushed Stainless Steel 5-Ply Bonded Soup Pot With Lid
$280 $200 At Amazon
All-Clad Stainless-Steel Immersion Blender
$170 $120 At Amazon
Wooden Spoons, Set of 6
$17 $11 At Amazon
Caraway Large Baking Sheet
$55 At Caraway
Ingredients
6 servings
Preparation
Step 1
Place rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 375°. Grease a baking sheet with vegetable oil. Place 2 butternut squash (about 4¾ lb. total), halved lengthwise, seeds removed, cut side down, on prepared sheet. Bake until squash is very soft, about 50 minutes. Using a paring knife, remove peel from squash; discard peel. Cut squash into 2" pieces.
Step 2
Heat 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil on the stovetop in a heavy large pot over medium-low heat. Mix in 2 cups thinly sliced onion, 1 Tbsp. light brown sugar, 2 tsp. minced fresh ginger, 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped, and ½ cinnamon stick. Cover pot and cook until onion is tender, about 15 minutes. Add squash and 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable stock and increase to medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Discard cinnamon stick.
Step 3
Working in batches, purée soup in a blender. Return soup to pot; season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a simmer, thinning soup with more broth if necessary.
Step 4
Ladle soup into bowls. Top with chopped fresh parsley.
Do ahead: Soup, without parsley, can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer to an airtight container and chill.
Editor’s note: Head this way for more of our favorite butternut squash recipes →
Leave a Review
Reviews (262)
Back to TopI enjoyed this recipe. I only deviated a bit from the original recipe--I added a lot more ginger--probably two tablespoons instead of two teaspoons. I also added probably a tablespoon and a half of brown sugar. It wasn't terribly sweet at all. I ground some fresh salt and pepper on the squash when I put it in to roast. I roasted it for 50 minutes, but wish I had left it in longer as the carmelization likely adds a greater depth of flavor. I also opted for four cups of stock instead of five because I like a thicker butternut squash soup. I liked it. It's a simple soup, but satisfying. I will probably cut way back on the sugar next time to make it healthier. I'd make it again.
Malybuddha
Summit, NJ
12/22/2023
The basic recipe is pretty dull to our taste but good to build on. As mentioned in the narrative the recipe can be taken in many directions. We added another clove of garlic, another tspn. freshly grated ginger, a splash of Marsala, 3 grated carrots for natural sweetness, additional Cinnamon and Cumin to taste, less brown sugar and the final addition 2 cups half & half. Not the same recipe true but so v ery useful as a starter.
Mike
Portland, Oregon
11/13/2023
Totally bland.
Anonymous
10/29/2023
Easy and a tasty. Could use a but more of a punch to the flavor, which can easily be done to preference. I have never ysed brown sugar and cinnamon in a soup and wondered if the soup would be to sweet for my palate, but not at all. The only sweetness came from the natural sugars if the butternut squash. I like that the soup base is on the thick side, allowing for midification to be thinner if desired. I will be freezing and will likely add other spices and cream to make different version of the soup. I would definitely make again.
Donna Dal Maggie
Orange County, CA
1/14/2023
We love this soup! It's one of our go-tos, it's easy to make and tastes great. And, it freezes well, which means I can have a quick bowl of good soup on a cold day. I make the recipe as is, however I've updated the cooking instructions for the squash. Instead of cutting open and removing seeds, I follow another epicurious squash recipe that calls for baking the squash in whole, with a few knife slits around it. Once finished baking then cut off ends, slice down the middle and remove seeds and skin. I still follow this recipe for temp and time to bake. For me, this technique is a little easier given the squash is soft to work with. Enjoy!
the_happy_cook
Washington, DC
11/27/2020
Too sweet for me. Good but not as good as my red lentil soup.
Anonymous
12/10/2019
I've been making this every fall for years. Love it! It can easily modified to suit your taste. After following the recipe exactly (which is great as is) I've added a bit more ginger just because I like it. As well, if I have homemade stock in the house (either chicken or veg), I use that. Just made a batch, which I've frozen as a first course for Thanksgiving dinner. I plan to serve this with a swirl of heavy cream and some pepitas sprinkled on top.
ginnymeltzer
Merrick, NY
11/17/2019
Delicious! I added a more garlic and a tad less brown sugar, but otherwise followed the recipe pretty precisely. Came out really, really well. Will definitely make it again.
Anonymous
Chicago
12/17/2018
Delicious. Most butternut squash soup gets boring by the 3rd or 4th spoonful. Not this one. Drizzle a bit of Greek yogurt over top and sprinkle fresh herbs and black pepper. Eat with sourdough grilled cheese. Yum.
terramelody1157
Oakland, CA
12/10/2018
Wonderful soup. Good to the last drop. 5 out of 5 in our house. My only changes were: I bake my squash and don't use sugar.
lisabethk
Mn
11/22/2018
Delicious! Used coconut oil and a bit of duck fat instead of vegetable oil. Also added a roasted apple and a couple of crushed cardamom pods. Needed to thin a bit at the end. Really nice. Not sure why some people get bent out of shape by “tweaked” reviews. It’s called creativity. I find them very helpful, particularly when one doesn’t have all the ingredients called for.
Sachi
NYC
10/28/2018
For the most part I tried the recipe as written. Only change was to use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. I thought it was a solid recipe and had a nice flavor. It's squash season, so I made two batches of this recipe and then made another where I added cardamon, turmeric, and cumin. That was good too, but not quite as good as the original recipe.
shellmrtn1
Chicago
9/23/2018
As directed, this soup makes a decent base for jumping off to add other flavours. Like Indian spices? Add curry, turmeric, cumin. Like autumn flavours? Add apple and sage. Thai? Add Thai spices, Thai curries, lemongrass, etc. Play with it according to your preferences.
pikny
California
11/15/2017
Doesn't anyone just follow the Epicurious recipes and then give their opinion of that recipe? I don't think we really care about the tweets that people do since we just really want to review the Epicurious recipe...I find that frustrating since the reviews for the Epicurious recipe are not truly accurate. I made this soup EXACTLY as what the recipe calls for and it was tasty and the cinnamon and ginger were not overpowering. I happen to like using apples and carrots in my butternut squash soup. That brings out a little sweetness in the soup
james_trez
NJ
11/12/2017
I doubled spices (ginger, garlic, cinnamon). Next time I will add even more ginger and cut the brown sugar. Very tasty, my sister in law liked it too!
mashah
Brooklyn, NY
10/28/2017
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