Meet my favourite easy and creamy one-pot vegan butternut squash soup made with butternut squash, local apples and coconut milk. Sweet, savoury and delicious, this soup is served with swirls of coconut milk and sprinkled with roasted pumpkin seeds.
When I crave something warm and comforting in the fall and winter, this golden-orange butternut squash soup is always my first choice. It’s an ideal soup for a simple weeknight meal and also perfect for fall or holiday entertaining menus.
Full of fresh seasonal ingredients, this dairy-free vegan soup has a pleasant balance of sweet, savoury, earthy and warm flavours. Sautéed onions and garlic meld beautifully with the natural sweetness of butternut squash and apples seasoned with sage and nutmeg. Vegetable broth helps smooth and flavour the puree while coconut milk makes the soup rich and velvety. Servings are drizzled with more coconut milk and sprinkled with roasted pumpkin seeds for some crunch. A comfort food soup that satisfies everyone, whether vegan or not.
How to make butternut squash soup
Gather the ingredients needed to make the soup.
Prep the ingredients for the soup.
To a pot add vegetable broth, apples, butternut squash, onion, garlic, sage salt, pepper and nutmeg, and cook for 20 – 25 minutes.
Remove pot from heat and puree ingredients until smooth with an immersion blender.
Add coconut milk and stir until smooth and combined, cook 5 – 10 minutes more until hot and thickened.
Ladle hot soup into bowls, drizzle with coconut milk and sprinkle with roasted pumpkin seeds
Why this butternut squash soup is better than others
- Suitable for vegan diets
- Thick and creamy with a sweet, savoury and warm flavour
- Made with only a few ingredients all in one pot
- Has local apples for added sweetness
- Seasoned with earthy sage and warm nutmeg
- Uses vegetable broth for smoothness and flavour
- Uses rich and creamy coconut milk as a cream substitute
- Has a crunchy texture from roasted pumpkin seeds
- Contains no dairy so can safely be made ahead, reheated and/or frozen
Best soup tips
- Use a vegetable peeler to peel the whole squash before slicing through it vertically; then scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp with a spoon and dice the flesh
- Any type of sweet local apples will work for this soup like McIntosh, Honeycrisp or Gala
- For optimum flavour, use fresh sage as opposed to dried; find it in the produce section of many grocery stores.
- To store leftover sage place the stems in a small vase or glass of water and keep it on your countertop; you’ll enjoy the fragrant scent for up to a week or more.
- To use up leftover fresh sage, add some to other butternut squash recipes, roasted root vegetables, roasted potatoes, vegetable stews, etc.
- For optimum flavour, use whole nutmeg and grate it yourself; ground nutmeg goes flat in your pantry after a while.
- Refrigerate leftover coconut milk in an airtight container and add some to your morning smoothies for a real treat.
Hungry for more butternut squash recipes? Also try:
Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk
Easy and creamy one-pot butternut squash soup is sweet, savoury and delicious. Served with swirls of coconut milk and sprinkled with roasted pumpkin seeds for added crunch.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups vegetable broth
- 2 medium local apples peeled, cored and roughly diced
- 6 heaping cups diced butternut squash about 1” dice (use 1 medium-large squash)
- 1 medium onion roughly diced
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and smashed
- 4 large sage leaves roughly chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup coconut milk plus more for drizzling (from a 400mL tin)
- roasted pumpkin seeds, for garnish
Instructions
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In a 5 or 6 quart Dutch oven add vegetable broth, apples, butternut squash, onion, garlic, sage, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Reserve coconut milk to add to the soup later. Cover and bring to a light boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, keep covered, and let boil lightly for 20 - 25 minutes until the squash is tender.
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Remove from heat, remove lid and let cool for about 5 minutes.
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With an immersion blender right in the pot, or by transferring the soup in batches into a blender, puree the soup to a smooth, creamy consistency until no lumps remain.
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Add the coconut milk and stir until combined. Cover and cook for another 5 - 10 minutes over medium-low heat until the soup is hot and thickened.
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Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with a drizzle of coconut milk, sage leaves and roasted pumpkin seeds.
Jessica Orika says
Thanks for sharing the recipe. It looks sumptuous. Can’t wait to try it out.
T.Wilcock says
I’ve been looking for a good butternut squash soup recipe and I think this is it!