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Cozy, filling, and wholesome, roasted butternut squash soup will warm you from the inside out. I love how this recipe recruits your oven for all the heavy lifting; the hands-off method is tailor-made to coax all the best flavor from vibrant butternut, carrots, onion, sage, and thyme. The end result is a rich, velvety soup made entirely of vegetables and broth—no cream or other dairy in sight.
There’s a strong case to be made that soup season is the best season. To be sure, there’s nothing like a piping hot bowl or mug to make you feel cozy when temperatures dip, but I know lots of people who enjoy a great bowl of soup all year long.
This particular butternut squash combination aligns perfectly with two other reasons I love making soup: it’s packed with vegetables, and it’s wildly easy to make a big batch. Crucially, this soup doesn’t slack in the taste department, either. Roasting brings out the natural sweetness and depth of squash and carrots, with browned and caramelized bits for a rich touch, while thyme and sage add some peppery flair.
Keeping it simple? Serve this soup with grilled cheese or a crusty loaf of homemade Dutch oven bread. Craving a feast? Make it an event with soup, brown butter sage chicken, and this wild rice salad with a citrus vinaigrette that also features the gourd.
Why You’ll Love Butternut Soup
- Rich taste with well-balance sweet and savory notes
- Luscious velvety texture
- Full of nourishing ingredients: butternut, of course, plus carrots, onions, and herbs
- Hands-off cooking method—the oven does most of the work
- Naturally dairy-free (and vegan if you use an appropriate cooking stock)
Roast, Blend, Eat
The simplicity of roasting makes this soup not only delicious but also very hands-off. The most work lies in prepping the veggies—butternut, carrots, onion, and celery—to toss onto a large sheet pan together with a few herbs and seasonings.
Time-Saving Tip
Buy pre-cubed butternut squash and baby carrots. These two easy shortcuts save a lot of peeling and chopping time. If all you need to chop is an onion and a few sticks of celery, you can realistically pull everything out of the fridge and have the veggies for this soup roasting in less than 10 minutes.
The one thing you do need is roasting time—roughly 45 minutes. This is a great soup to prep over the weekend or any day when you have a few hours at home.
Pop the sheet pan into the oven at 400°F until it’s easy to pierce even the thick veggies with a fork. Everything should be a little wrinkly and browned.
Now you just need to combine those luscious roasted veggies with about 4 cups of broth or stock and blend it all up.
Standard vs. Immersion Blender
Standard Blender: For the smoothest possible soup, pour 2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth into a large blender, then add about half of the roasted vegetables. Blend on high speed until very smooth. Transfer this mixture into a large Dutch oven or stockpot and repeat with another 2 cups broth and the remaining veggies. Warm over medium heat until ready to serve.
Immersion Blender: For less washing up, transfer all the roasted veggies directly into a pot, add all 4 cups of broth, then blitz with an immersion blender. Also known as a stick blender, this is a really useful tool that typically is dishwasher-safe. Even I admit, however, it doesn’t yield an equally smooth, velvety texture in the case of this soup.
The photos above show the process of blitzing this exact soup with an immersion blender.
Below you can see an example of the texture with an immersion blender on the left, and the texture produced by my Vitamix on the right.
I personally would say the difference is noticeable but not dramatic. If extra velvety soup is your goal, transfer into a high-quality countertop blender such as a Vitamix, Ninja, or Blendtec, and blend away! It’s really not too much extra work.
Butternut Squash Dermatitis!
The first time I made this soup, I noticed my hands looked and felt odd as I cut the squash. Specifically, there were small red-orange patches—and they were growing. A few minutes later, my fingers and the palm touching the squash began to feel excruciatingly dry, tingly, and itchy. Washing did nothing, nor did lotion. Turns out, I have butternut squash dermatitis!
Fortunately, this reaction usually fades in less than a day, and it’s easy enough to use gloves to cut squash now that I know. In reality, though, I just use this as a happy excuse to buy pre-peeled and cubed squash, and save a little time as well.
Perfect Pairings
Just like our favorite tomato butternut bisque, this soup is a dream with grilled cheese, your favorite crusty bread for dunking, or a generous handful of oyster crackers.
My favorite toppings for individual bowls are super simple: a generous sprinkle of fresh-cracked black pepper and maybe a few minced leaves of fresh thyme or sage. If you want to dress it up a little more, pumpkin or chia seeds work well.
Roasted butternut soup also goes well as one course for a larger dinner or gathering. A few autumn-inspired dishes that work well before, after, or alongside it include:
- Pumpkin Ravioli with Browned Butter, Sage, and Toasted Walnuts
- Pork Chops with Apples and Onions
- Apple Cider Chicken Skillet
- Apple Cabbage Slaw with Brown Sugar Cider Vinaigrette
More Cozy Soups
If you love this recipe, try my carrot red pepper soup, easy turkey pumpkin chili, white bean chicken, or Italian chickpea soup next.
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 40-50 ounces peeled and cubed butternut squash, about 2 medium-large whole squash, see note
- 4 stalks of celery, chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 whole carrots, peeled and chopped, or 2-3 cups baby carrots
- 10-12 fresh sage leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- kosher salt and black pepper
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Add cubed squash, celery, onion, carrots, sage, thyme, cayenne, and 1/2 teaspoon each kosher salt and black pepper to a large rimmed sheet pan.40-50 ounces peeled and cubed butternut squash, 4 stalks of celery, 1 medium yellow onion, 4 whole carrots, 10-12 fresh sage leaves, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, kosher salt and black pepper, pinch cayenne pepper
- Drizzle olive oil on top and toss to coat everything evenly.3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Roast for 40-50 minutes, tossing once midway through if possible. Start to check them periodically near the end of the roasting time. When even the thickest pieces of squash and carrot are tender enough to be pierced easily with a fork, remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.
- For the smoothest soup: Pour 2 cups of the broth into a large blender and transfer about half of the roasted veggies on top. Blitz on high speed until very smooth, then pour this mixture into a large Dutch oven or stockpot. Repeat with the remaining 2 cups broth and remaining veggies.4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- For fewer dishes: Transfer all of the roasted veggies and herbs directly into a large Dutch oven or stockpot. Pour in all 4 cups of broth and blend with an immersion blender until as smooth as possible.
- Simmer on medium heat until ready to serve. Be sure to sample a spoonful and add more salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Notes
- Squash: If using pre-peeled and cubed butternut squash, I find most packages contain about 20 ounces and buy two packages, which typically yields about 8-9 total cups of cubes. You’ll probably get the same amount from 2 medium-large whole squash. Don’t sweat the exact amount, the recipe is flexible if you have a little more or less.
- Garnishes: The kids like it plain (what a surprise). My husband and I love a sprinkle of fresh thyme or sage and a little more black pepper, or chia seeds, or roasted pumpkin seeds for a little crunch. So good!
- Storage, Freezing, Reheating: This soup keeps well in the fridge for at least 3-4 days. It can be frozen for 3-4 months. Freeze in an airtight container and leave some room, the soup will expand as it freezes. Defrost in the fridge overnight and re-warm on the stove as needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was originally published on November 24, 2019; it has been updated to include new photos and more info on the pros and cons of different blending options.
I made this with a slightly smaller squash (2.5 lbs.) It is delicious but way too salty. I suggest starting with a 1/2 tsp. not 1 tsp. of salt then adding more to taste if needed. I’m off to go buy more squash to roast to rebalance the seasoning!
I don’t have fresh sage…how would I substitute with the dried leaves?
I’d use between 1/2 and 3/4 teaspoon of dried – should work just fine!
Hooray for soup season! My FAVORITE season! I love that you roast the squash with some many delicious flavors. I can’t wait to try this!
Looks wonderful! I am all about soups this time of year. Bonus is this one is healthy too! Pinning!
Butternut squash is definitely a favorite and agree roasting really adds to the flavor. Love all the additional veg and herbs too.
I love rich and creamy vegetable soups like this. The flavors in this one are spectacular. I also used to only use my hand held immersion blender for puréed soups and also switched over to our Blendtec, which is similar to the Vitamix. Everything gets so smooth in those powerful blenders. Hope you’re staying warm! :
Yum. I love using fresh sage this time of year. This soup sounds delicious.
Love butternut squash soup any time of year, but especially now! This one looks super creamy and just what I need today…maybe with a big hunk of bread 😉
I totally agree, Dawn! And a big YES to the hunk of bread!