Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Butternut squash soup made with squash roasted at 425°F until caramelized, then blended smooth with broth, a little cream, and a spoonful of maple syrup.
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Butternut squash soup tastes like a completely different dish depending on one decision: whether you roast the squash or simmer it raw. Roasting is the version worth your time. Forty minutes at 425°F browns the edges and concentrates the sugars, and you end up with a soup that tastes deep and sweet instead of thin and vegetal.
Everything roasts on one sheet pan. The squash cubes, a quartered onion, and whole garlic cloves all come out soft and browned at the same time, which means the entire flavor base is finished before you turn on the stove.
From there it’s a blender and about ten minutes. Broth thins it out, half a cup of heavy cream rounds off the edges, and two tablespoons of maple syrup pull the sweetness the squash already has into focus. A pinch of nutmeg at the end is what makes it taste like fall rather than just orange.
Why You’ll Love This Butternut Squash Soup Recipe
- Roasting does the heavy lifting. Browned edges on the squash give the soup a depth that simmering in broth never reaches.
- One sheet pan of prep. Squash, onion, and garlic roast together, so there’s nothing to chop fine and nothing to sauté before you blend.
- Silky on half a cup of cream. Puréed roasted squash is already thick and smooth, so it needs very little dairy to feel rich.
- Freezes beautifully. Freeze the purée before the cream goes in and you have dinner waiting on a night you have nothing left in you.
Butternut Squash Soup Ingredients
A 3 pound squash gives you roughly 8 cups of cubes, which is what this recipe is built around. Pre-cut squash from the produce section works and saves the hardest 10 minutes of the job, though the smaller pieces brown faster, so start checking at 30 minutes.
- 1 large butternut squash (about 3 lbs), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 large yellow onion, cut into wedges
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
- 2 tbsp heavy cream, for swirling on top
Recipe Variations
- Use vegetable broth and swap the heavy cream for full-fat canned coconut milk to make it dairy free. Coconut milk brings its own sweetness, so cut the maple syrup back to 1 tablespoon.
- Add 1 peeled, cored, chopped apple to the sheet pan with the squash. It roasts down to nothing and gives the soup a brighter, slightly tart edge.
- Stir 1 teaspoon of curry powder into the pot along with the broth for a warmer, spicier bowl. Leave the cinnamon out if you go this direction.
How to Make Butternut Squash Soup
- Heat the oven and prep the squash: Heat the oven to 425°F. Peel the butternut squash, scoop out the seeds, and cut it into 1-inch cubes. You should end up with about 8 cups.
- Roast the vegetables: Toss the squash, onion wedges, and garlic cloves with the olive oil, salt, and pepper on a large rimmed sheet pan. Spread everything into a single layer and roast for 40 minutes, turning once halfway through, until the squash is fork-tender and browned at the edges.
- Blend until smooth: Scrape the roasted vegetables into a blender with 2 cups of the chicken broth and blend until completely smooth. Work in two batches if your blender is small, and vent the lid with a towel over it, since hot liquid expands fast and will blow the lid off a sealed jar.
- Warm and season: Pour the purée into a large pot, stir in the remaining 2 cups of broth, and set it over medium heat. Bring it to a gentle simmer, then stir in the maple syrup, nutmeg, and cinnamon if using.
- Finish with cream: Turn the heat to low and stir in the 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Warm it through for 2 minutes without letting it boil, then taste and add salt a pinch at a time until the squash flavor sharpens up.
- Serve: Ladle into bowls and swirl a little of the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream over each one.
Recipe FAQs
Do I Have to Roast the Squash for Butternut Squash Soup?
No, but it’s the difference between a good soup and a great one. Simmering raw cubes in broth works and takes about 25 minutes, though the flavor stays flat. Roasting browns the natural sugars, and that browning is where the depth comes from.
What’s the Easiest Way to Peel a Butternut Squash?
Poke the skin all over with a fork or the tip of a paring knife first, 8 or 10 holes, so the steam has somewhere to go. Then microwave it whole for 3 minutes. The skin softens just enough that a Y-peeler glides through instead of skidding. Cut off both ends, peel, then split it lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
Can I Make This Soup without Cream?
Yes. Leave it out for a lighter bowl, or stir in 3 tablespoons of butter instead. Roasted squash purées thick enough that the soup is still smooth with no dairy at all.
Why Is My Soup Stringy?
The squash was probably underripe or pulled from the oven early. Roast until a fork slides in with zero resistance, and blend longer than feels necessary. A countertop blender handles the fibers better than an immersion blender does.
Can I Use Frozen Butternut Squash?
Yes. Use 2 pounds of frozen cubes and roast them straight from frozen at 425°F for about 45 minutes. Don’t thaw them first, or they release water and steam on the pan instead of browning.
Cooking Tips
- Give the squash real space on the pan. Crowded cubes steam in their own moisture and stay pale, and that browning is most of the flavor you’re roasting for. Use two pans if one looks tight.
- Salt at the end, not just at the start. Puréeing dilutes seasoning, and a soup that tastes flat usually just needs another half teaspoon of salt to taste like squash again.
- Blend it longer than you think you need to. Thirty extra seconds is the difference between smooth and velvety, and there’s no fixing a grainy soup once it’s in the bowl.
Storage and Freezing
To store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. It thickens overnight, so thin it with a splash of broth when you reheat.
To freeze: Freeze the purée before the cream goes in for up to 3 months. Cream can separate and turn grainy after thawing, so stir it in fresh when you reheat.
To reheat: Warm over medium-low heat, stirring, until it reaches 165°F. The microwave works too, in 90 second bursts with a stir in between.
How to Serve Butternut Squash Soup
Butternut squash soup wants something with crunch next to it, so crusty sourdough, garlic bread, or a grilled cheese cut into strips for dipping all earn their place. A green salad with sliced apples and toasted walnuts makes it a full dinner. It’s also a good first course ahead of roast chicken or pork chops if you’re feeding people on a Sunday.
Loved This Recipe?
Butternut Squash Soup made with roasted squash takes about an hour and tastes like it took all afternoon.
Leave a star rating in the comments below, it helps other people find this recipe. Made it? Tag @allwellfed on Instagram, I love seeing this one in other people’s kitchens.
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash about 3 lbs, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 large yellow onion cut into wedges
- 6 cloves garlic peeled
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon optional
- 2 tbsp heavy cream for swirling on top
Instructions
- Heat the oven and prep the squash: Heat the oven to 425°F. Peel the butternut squash, scoop out the seeds, and cut it into 1-inch cubes. You should end up with about 8 cups.
- Roast the vegetables: Toss the squash, onion wedges, and garlic cloves with the olive oil, salt, and pepper on a large rimmed sheet pan. Spread everything into a single layer and roast for 40 minutes, turning once halfway through, until the squash is fork-tender and browned at the edges.
- Blend until smooth: Scrape the roasted vegetables into a blender with 2 cups of the chicken broth and blend until completely smooth. Work in two batches if your blender is small, and vent the lid with a towel over it, since hot liquid expands fast and will blow the lid off a sealed jar.
- Warm and season: Pour the purée into a large pot, stir in the remaining 2 cups of broth, and set it over medium heat. Bring it to a gentle simmer, then stir in the maple syrup, nutmeg, and cinnamon if using.
- Finish with cream: Turn the heat to low and stir in the 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Warm it through for 2 minutes without letting it boil, then taste and add salt a pinch at a time until the squash flavor sharpens up.
- Serve: Ladle into bowls and swirl a little of the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream over each one.
Notes
If you made this, leave a star rating down in the comments. It takes about ten seconds, and it’s how other cooks decide whether a recipe is worth trying.
