With just 4 ingredients –oil, onion, squash, and water, Butternut Squash Soup is a delicious comfort food that’s easy to make! If you want a richer soup, use my homemade Bone Broth recipe in place of the water. Bone Broth will add protein as well as gut healing nutrients. Use water if you’re making this easy soup recipe for your vegan friends. Vegetable stock will also work very well in this soup recipe for vegans.
When I make this Butternut Squash Soup I use a butternut squash that weighs around 2.5 pounds before I remove the peel and the seeds. If you use a larger squash your soup will be thicker and creamier. Likewise, if you use less squash, the soup will become more watery. This easy soup recipe is incredibly flexible and would be fantastic with acorn squash, butternut squash, or even pumpkin.
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced into 2-inch cubes
- 6 cups water or chicken stock
- In a large soup pot, warm oil over medium heat
- Caramelize onion, sauteing 10-15 minutes until golden brown
- Add squash cubes and cook for 10 minutes, until squash is barely soft
- Pour water or stock over squash mixture
- Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes
- In a vitamix, puree in small batches on low, working up to high speed until mixture is smooth
- Serve
This Paleo Butternut Squash Soup recipe is perfect for a cold winter’s day. We’ve had a lot of those lately. I haven’t worn anything outside but snow boots in all of 2007. And we just had our 7th snow storm in seven weeks. I don’t mind, I was raised in California where we pretended that a heavy frost was “snow.” Here’s to staying warm with a big dose of healthy soup!
Here are some of my other healthy soup recipes:
Kelly says
Delicious! I crumbled some bacon on the top. It’s quick, easy and yummy.
Denise says
This soup is really god with rosemary. I make it often. I never measure anything and it always turns out great! It is also very filling.
Alice says
Great recipe!!! My family loved it!!! I had a very large squash and I added 4 cloves of crushed garlic and a bit of cayenne to warm it up and it definitely was a hit even with my picky husband. Thanks!!!
Sandy says
Made this wonderful soup this evening. After the difficult part (the peeling, scooping out the seeds, & cutting up the squash), it was easy peasy to make.
I did use chicken stock & also added enough water so that the cubes of squash had around an inch of liquid above the tops of the cubes.
Simmered the cube mixture as per directions. During the simmering, I added salt, ground pepper, & 3/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg.
After cooking, the pot of soup was set aside for cooling. Using an immersion blender right in the pot worked very well.
Next time I make this soup, I will use vegetarian stock. Bet it will be just as good. This soup is a keeper!
Denise says
You don’t have to peel the butternut. You can bake it in the oven and then scoop out the soft flesh. I did it today and it turned out perfect (and much easier than peeling).
Ann says
I made this wonderful and beautiful soup tonight. so simple to make, so elegant!! I made it without stock, just water. I wanted a bit of protein, so I added 1 /4 cup of cashew pieces before blending, and served the soup with a dollop of yogurt on top (goat as I am lactose intolerant but have no problems with goat milk products). It was a hit; everyone loved it. Thank you Elana.
Linda says
What would you suggest you could do with this recipe to cook in a crockpot – which I am a huge fan of doing with my schedule ;)
polyphany says
I’ve made a half recipe of this twice now. I used frozen organic butternut squash and no chicken broth, though I could have used real chicken broth I wanted to test the no chicken broth for flavor since I have several vegetarian friends and family members. The frozen butternut squash works wonderfully and makes this soup quick enough for a weeknight. I only make a half recipe at a time because my children won’t eat soup, and I don’t want leftovers until the end of time. I also use my immersion blender to blend the soup right in the pot. I don’t have a regular blender so this was my only option anyway, and it works great! Thank you for this wonderful grain free recipe!
Stacey says
Love, love, cream soups but I’m allergic to dairy. This recipie was tasty, but had a little too much onion flavor for me. I added a couple drops of honey and it balanced it right out! Will make this again! Thank you for this recipie and all others!! This site has saved my family’s annoyance of my special dietary needs!!!
Carolyn says
Hi. Love this site. I am making my way thru the recipes. I made the Pumpkin Ginger Soup and I put in too much ginger. Does anyone have an suggestions for what to add to the soup to counter the ginger flavor. I need to use the soup tomorrow night. (Spicy suggestions are OK!)
Thanks for any suggestions!
Stacey says
I know this might be a little late, but I added a couple drops of honey to my soup and it balanced it
right out. Good luck next time. :0)
Kate Riggle says
I have to say that squash and pumpkin are my favs for anytime of the year. I live in northern Minnesota and this is what I crave! I do add 1# of turkey or pork sausage for more “meat and potatoes” that is the norm for here. Everyone loves it! I am canning 50# of squash this weekend and it will make creating such wonderful dishes(like this one) fast and easy. Thank you Elana for all of your time and efforts. It really helps in my family to recipes that are gluten free and low starch that everyone loves. I also love your books they have been a godsend in my busy life!
Melissa says
This soup is SO YUMMY!! I added a clove of garlic.
Noel says
I’m craving Mulligatawny Soup/Stew today. But I’m going to make your Butternut Squash soup b/c it looks so much easier. I need simple right now.
I’d LOVE for you to come up with a Mulligatawny Soup.
I had one at a restaurant with a great balance of curry, vegies, apples…
Wouldn’t it be great Super Bowl food???? : )
There are so many vaiations online, and most of them with a LONG list of ingredients. Too much for me right now with sick kids.
Stay warm and well!
: )
Noel
Vee says
Made the soup yesterday. I liked the creaminess of the soup, but didn’t quite care for this one. I think I am just not a butternut squash person. I will eat all that I made though.
butternut squash soup says
I love squash soup – I’m pleased to see that you do too! Nice recipe, thanks for sharing.
Kala Tharp says
Dear Elana,
Can you share a Broccoli soup recipe please. I am so glad I found your site. My friend emailed your site to me.
Kala Tharp
Michelle Varrin says
So many lovely variations for butternut squash soup and my favorite is the simple one above. I learned in France to do the same exact, but with pumpkin and 1/2 the water at first, but add milk in place of it in the end (almond milk is yum, as is soy). Had a delectable version at Esalen http://www.esalen.org a year ago with red thai curry and coconut milk. I embarrassed myself with 3rds.
Jane Linkenman says
Golden Yummy in a bowl. I created Elana’s butternut squash soup. It was sooooo easy to make although I did require my husbands muscles to cut into the butternut squash for me. Yikes! The funny thing is, I didn’t think our picky 5 year old would eat any of it after the first bite. She has sensory disorders…so we never know what she will eat easily without a fuss. She LOVED it and asked for more! I couldn’t believe it. My husband asked for several bowls. He made the comment that it is like we are eating at a top resturant now that mommy is cooking all these new recipes. Unfortunately there must be one at the table that disagrees with the over whelming majority. Our 8 year, who usually eats just about everything and likes it…did
not like it at all. I did get her to finish her bowl but she did not ask for more. The great thing is…it made enough for me to fill several glass bottles for the freezer.
Now we have golden yummy in the freezer.
Thanks a bunch Elana for helping me to build my confidence in cooking again and cooking gluten free. I’m not sure what our next adventure will be but I’m sure it will be a yummy one!!
P.S. I blogged about in on my facebook and my livejournal (glutenfreelife).
Jane Linkenman says
I created this magical soup tonight. I loved the color of this soup. It was so easy to prepare other than the cutting of the actual butternut squash which required the muscles of my husband. The crazy thing is…my picky 5 year old devoured it but my 8 year old who usually eats just about everything I make – made faces at the soup. I conveinced her to eat her soup or at least part of it or else she would face the sheriff!! She finally ate it. The great thing is – I filled some glass jars with the left over soup and put in the freezer. I also have a jar in the fridge for tomorrow. My husband thought it was great and had 2 or was it 3 helpings.
Thanks Elana for another fantastic recipe to add to my notebook of gluten free recipes. Yummy and healthy!! I’ll blog about it later on my facebook and livejournal.
Yummy to my tummy!
LearningMama says
Hubby added plain horseradish to his soup, gave it a flavorful dimension. He is suggesting different proteins for the next batch. Guess this recipe is a keeper!
LearningMama says
Just made this yummy soup! Kids are enjoying it too! I even made my vegetable stock from scratch. Just think I’ve been composting my veggie scraps without getting all the flavor first. Thanks again! The kids are going for seconds:)
Francheska says
I made this tonight and it is wonderful!!! I didn’t feel like getting out my vitamix so I mushed it up with a potatoe masher. I never thought butternut squash soup would be good so I didn’t try it for 38 yrs! I wish I had tried it sooner! Fantastic!
elana says
~M,
Yes, I do need to post the frugal chicken stock recipe; I’m a bit back logged with the holidays. I will put your carrot soup request on my list.
Thanks for all of your comments!
Elana
~M says
I can’t wait to read about your frugal chicken soup and your other soups! Dairy-free, low-fat, nutritious soups make such excellent lunches for me and warm me up! By the way, do you have a carrot soup? Every one I try is on the bland side or with way too much curry for me. :(
elana says
~M,
I’m glad you enjoyed the soup.
I will look for more online jar options in various sizes and put them in my Elana’s Pantry amazon store if I can locate them for you.
Thanks for the chicken stock suggestion. I’ve been meaning to post that recipe, it’s fun and practically free –I make mine almost entirely from scraps. I think you’ll like it, given our affinity for cooking, cost savings and excel spreadsheets.
xo Elana
~M says
Hi Elana,
This soup was fabulous and almost sweet! I am so happy to have another great soup in my repertoire. And I bet it would be great with other winter squash. I made it completely vegan with grapeseed oil and Imagine’s No-Chicken broth.
For the last two weeks, I’ve been taking my soup to work in glass mason jars. I love that there is absolutely no leakage, that the glass is dishwasher-safe, and that they are cheap (compared with replacing cheapo tupperware) in addition to the 10 other reasons you mention in your other post! My fellow employees comment about the good idea, and I always refer to your blog! I just need to find the half-size ones (like you used for custard) for hummus or almond butter!
I would love to see a post on how you make your weekly stock with the leftover bones from your Shabbat chicken. Do you add vegetables? I’ve always used fresh chicken (although sometimes cheap parts like necks, backs, wings, and even feet), but this would be another frugal trick/approach that I would like to learn!
As another side note, my mother has gotten on a kick of making a huge pot of stock…daily. My dad decided that clarified chicken soup (from scratch) beats coffee and now drinks the consomme in a mug around the clock. I’m sure his ulcer appreciates it. :P Lucky for me, my husband and I prefer our chicken soup “dirty” (unclarified, with all the cooked vegetables and chicken).
I wish you and your family a fun and safe Halloween this weekend! Take care!
elana says
Hi ~M,
Sorry I can’t be of more help with this, I make stock every Friday night with the bones from our Shabbos chicken dish. I can’t recall the last time I bought stock pre-made.
Maybe you could post this question in the forums.
Thanks,
Elana
Dawn says
Brads organic or pacific organic—both come in low sodium and work well
~M says
Hi Elana,
I was wondering which brand of store-bought vegetarian stock/broth you recommend if homemade is not an option.
This soup looks tasty…my fiancé loves any recipe that begins with “caramelize the onions…” :)
Thanks,
~M
Leslie says
I find Vogue tasty – buy it on Amazon if you can’t find locally