This Roasted Butternut Squash Soup recipe is made with the delicate flavors of coconut, miso, and lime. Silky smooth, this vegan butternut squash soup recipe is comforting, nourishing, and super simple to make.
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Soup season is here and I for one am going all in.
Whether it's a cozy bowl of Vegan Chickpea Noodle Soup, some cozy Vegetarian Dumpling Soup, spicy Spicy Pumpkin Soup, or Instant Pot Carrot Soup, I am here for it. If you, like me, want to go all in on soup, feel free to peruse our Soups and Stews archives to get in on the goodness.
This particular soup recipe, Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, is a seasonal favourite that I think you're going to want to get in rotation. It's velvety smooth, and has an incredible depth of flavor, flavor thanks to roasting the butternut squash before we blend it into the soup.
If you're wondering what the heck miso paste, coconut milk, and lime are doing in this soup together with warming spices like turmeric and smoked paprika, let me tell you - your taste buds are in for a treat.
So let's get into it and make this easy butternut squash soup recipe.
Ingredients
Time to gather your ingredients, my friends! You'll find specific quantities in the printable recipe cards at the end of this post, but for now, here's a quick overview of what you need:
- Butternut squash --> We're going with a nice big guy, around two pounds.
- Onion --> The usual wing man.
- Ginger --> For a bit of zing.
- Garlic --> Goes without saying.
- White miso paste --> You're going to love this flavour.
- Coconut milk --> One can of either lite or full-fat.
- Turmeric --> Bright yellow healing power!
- Smoked paprika --> The queen of spices.
- Chili flakes --> For some optional heat.
- Lime --> To balance things out.
- Coconut oil --> Builds great flavour into this soup.
Equipment:
I like to make my soups in a large pot. A big, deep, heavy-bottomed pot like this Dutch Oven from Le Creuset is my favorite.
You will also need something to blend the soup with. I used my Vitamix for this recipe because I love how velvety smooth it gets this soup, but you can certainly also use an immersion blender and blend it right in the pot.
How do you make this recipe?
While admittedly this roasted butternut squash soup dirties up more dishes than I normally like, it's very simple to make. Are you ready for this? I'll talk you through it step by step!
Step 1: Slice your squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Drizzle it with a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Place it into a baking dish cut side up / skin side down, and place into the oven to roast for about 30 minutes, or until deeply golden and at least fork tender.
Step 2: While the squash is roasting, let's get the soup base ready.
Start by melting a bit of coconut oil in a heavy bottomed pot, and sautéing the onions until translucent. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté for a few minutes more.
Step 3: (above) Add the cilantro and spices and sauté for a couple of minutes more.
Step 4: When your flavour base is nice and cooked down (see below) you're going to add just a bit of vegetable broth to the pan.
We're using this to help lift any spices that are stuck to the bottom off the pot - but don't worry if they don't all come up, we'll be adding everything back into this pot eventually.
Step 5: Transfer the broth and flavour base to your blender. Scoop your roasted squash out of the peel (make sure it's cool enough to handle!) and add to the blender.
Step 6: Blend until completely smooth, adding a bit of extra broth if necessary.
*Note - If using an immersion blender you can do this blending step right in the soup pot. If you're using an upright blender, be very careful when blending hot liquid!
Step 7: Transfer the squash mixture back to the soup pot.
Tip! I like to add the remaining broth into the blender at this point and run it for a few seconds to help get all off the squash mixture out.
Step 8: Add the remaining broth, coconut milk, miso, and lime juice to the pot.
Stir to combine, and gently heat to serving temperature.
That's it! You're done!
Recipe Variations + Tips
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup is the perfect canvas for so many different variations. Maybe miso and lime aren't your jam - that's ok. Here are a few ideas for changing up this soup and making it your own.
- Add veggies. You can stir baby spinach leaves right into the soup and they'll wilt right down. Or, throw other veggies into the oven when the squash is roasting, like sweet potato, cauliflower, or broccoli.
- Add lentils or beans. Red lentils will blend right into this soup, much like in our Carrot and Ginger Soup with Red Lentils. Or, add creamy chickpeas. or white beans for extra protein.
- Dial up the heat. Try replacing the red curry paste with smoky chipotle peppers, Aleppo pepper, or a pinch of cayenne pepper - they go great with the sweetness of the roasted butternut squash.
- Mix up your spices. Cilantro not your thing? Try sage instead. Other fresh herbs like chives are perfect sprinkled on top. Butternut also goes beautifully with warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
- Add apples. You know they say what grows together goes together. The natural sweetness of apples is an excellent complement to butternut squash. Pears are a great choice, too!
- To save time, you can pre-cook your squash (try our Instant Pot Butternut Squash) or start with pre-cut squash cubes for roasting - fresh and frozen both work fine!
Recipe FAQ
You sure can! Either make the soup ahead of time and just reheat when you're ready to serve, or you can roast the squash in advance and throw the whole thing together quickly when you're ready for soup.
Roasted butternut squash is a great addition to your weekly batch cooking (related: Batch Cooking For Beginners) and can be used in a recipe like this Spicy Squash and Lentil Salad or even to make a Hassleback Butternut Squash if you par-cook it.
You sure can. To freeze, simply transfer cooled soup into freezer-proof containers and ensure there's enough head space for the soup to expand as it freezes. I often reuse yogurt containers for freezing my soup, but I also love these reusable silicon freezer bags.
To re-heat soup I most often use my microwave.
If the soup is frozen, I'll drop the frozen block of soup into a pot and heat on low heat, covered, on the stove top until the soup has melted and warmed up.
First of all, worry not - miso paste lasts for ages in your fridge. And it's a handy ingredient to have on hand.
I use it in the broth for these 10-Minute Vegetable Ramen Noodles, in these Miso Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts, or in this simple Miso Veggie Soup in a Jar.
Winter squash such as butternut and other yellow-fleshed squash are rich in carotenoids, a precursor to vitamin A, and are a good source of vitamin C.
Winter squash also contains a good dose of fibre, potassium, vitamin C, and manganese.
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup Recipe
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash about 1kg / 2lbs, halved and seeds removed
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 - 2 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- ½ cup finely chopped cilantro leaves and stems
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 14 ounce coconut milk light or full-fat
- 1 medium lime juiced
- 2 Tablespoon white miso
- salt and pepper
- toasted sesame oil for garnish
- cilantro leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C / 400°F.
- Slice the squash in half and remove the seeds.1 medium butternut squash
- Rub with the squash halves with a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place cut-side up in a baking dish.2 teaspoons olive oil, salt and pepper
- Place in the oven and roast the squash for about 30 minutes, until the squash is tender and beginning to turn golden brown.
- While the squash is roasting , heat the coconut oil over medium heat in a large heavy-bottomed pot. I love my dutch oven for this.1 Tablespoon coconut oil
- Add the onions, and sauté for 3-5 minutes, until translucent.1 large onion
- Add the ginger and garlic, and sauté for about 3 minutes, stirring often so that it doesn't burn.4 cloves garlic, 1 - 2 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- Add cilantro, turmeric, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes, and cook for 3 minutes more.½ cup finely chopped cilantro, 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Add about 1 cup of vegetable broth to the pan and stir the bottom to help pick up any spices that are stuck.3 cups vegetable broth
- Once the squash is roasted, remove from the oven and let it cool slightly.
- Scrape the contents of the pot including the broth and spices into your blender.
- Scoop the squash out of the skin and add to the blender with the soup base.
- Blend on high speed until the mixture is very smooth, adding more liquid if you need to in order to loosen the mixture up.
- Pour the squash mixer from the blender back into the soup pot. Rinse the blender out with the remaining broth, and add that into the pot as well.3 cups vegetable broth
- Add the the coconut milk and lime juice.14 ounce coconut milk, 1 medium lime
- Heat the soup to a gentle simmer, just below a boil.
- Put the miso paste into a small bowl, and add a few tablespoons of hot soup. Stir into a slurry, then add this back to the soup. It's really important that the soup doesn't boil after you've added the miso, so reduce the heat and watch it carefully.2 Tablespoon white miso
- Taste the soup and season with sea salt and extra lime juice if you like.salt and pepper
- Serve hot, drizzled with a very small amount of toasted sesame oil and a few cilantro leaves.toasted sesame oil, cilantro leaves
Notes
- Nutrition values are an estimate only.
- You can roast the squash a few days in advance and keep it in the fridge for quick weekday soup making.
- Blending the entire soup in the pot with an immersion blender also works well and will leave you with fewer dishes, however, the soup won't be quite as velvety as with an upright blender.
- Leftovers can stored in the fridge for about 3 days, or be frozen in individual portions.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published October 2, 2014. It was retested, rephotographed, and updated on October 20, 2020. Most recently edited, updated with useful tips, and republished October 3, 2023.
A
This is Katie's best recipe. So many layers of flavour. I make this soup every week and have a second serving its so delicious. Thank you Katie
Kellie Anderson
Lovely refresh of a great soup! So perfect for autumn slurping. And such beautiful images and light.
fabulii
What a fantastic soup. I am all about the finish, when it comes to soup, most I make are pureed, and the more velvety the better! This one has such a great layering of flavors...it's not your run-of-the-mill butternut squash soup, and vegan friendly! LOVE LOVE LOVE!
Katie Trant
I'm glad you enjoyed this soup as much as I do!
Olya
Miso was a sublime idea. Thanks for posting this!
Julian
Mmmmh Soup...
Sounds amazing! I will definitely make this next week. I need hot soup today!
Katie Trant
This really is a lovely soup. The ginger, miso, coconut, and lime work really beautifully together. Let me know how it turns out for you!
Susan Lock
Made this soup a couple of weeks ago - grand! Even better after a couple of days in the frig. I was a bit heavy-handed with the ginger & got hotter soup than I'd expected (no fault of the recipe!), but it mellowed out a bit over time. Adding a dollop or 2 of Greek yogourt on serving was a lovely cooling touch. Definitely have added this to my repertoire!!
Diane W
I have found a lot of other recipes calling for coconut milk, so I bought a case! But as it turns out, I don't quite "get it" .. I love the idea of making the soup creamy, but is there another way? I'm sure not so turned on to this ingredient and don't know exactly why, other than it seems needless. I can't use a whole can in once recipe, and it has to be used within a couple of days & end up throwing the remaining away. Am considering returning to the store.
Katie Trant
Hi Diane. The coconut milk is in there for flavour! It adds a subtle but lovely hint of coconut. If you're not into the taste you can leave it out, but I do encourage you to give it a try in this soup. And this recipe uses a whole can, so nothing leftover to go bad in your fridge! But if you've got leftovers from other recipes you can try adding it to smoothies, which is also delicious.
Gabrielle
Katie this soup is delicious! I usually don't like the blandness and texture of squash soups but the complexity of the miso, lime and coconut make this a new staple in my autumn/winter repertoire.
Katie Trant
It is a complex yet so simply delicious soup!
andmorefood
beautiful! though you could try a drizzle of truffle too - love it with pumpkin!
Mrs P
Delicious recipe and beautiful photography!
Katie Trant
Thank you so much!
Kalen
Mmmm, I cannot wait to try this! It sounds so comforting and I love the flavor combination. Definitely making it soon. 🙂
I also feel quite homesick around Thanksgiving but I make sure to celebrate every year with my "family" here in Portugal. I can't get them to celebrate Halloween (boooo) but they've definitely gotten on board for Thanksgiving. It's probably just because of all the delicious food, though. 😉
Katie Trant
It's a really lovely combination of flavours! Yes, we have an expats 'family' dinner for Thanksgiving, but most of our friends are American while we're Canadian, so we don't get Thanksgiving in October like we're used to.
Lu @ Super Nummy Yo!
Omg I love that you married butternut squash with coconut miso and lime! So creative. Definitely making this 😛
Katie Trant
It's such a great flavour combination, isn't it?
kellie@foodtoglow
A worthwhile autumn project for sure. Love everything about this. Yes, bring on the woolly jumpers and thick tights! This is the culinary version 🙂
Katie Trant
This soup is calling your name with all those flavours, Kellie!
Christine | No Gojis No Glory
Katie, I just read your "about" page and saw that you live in Stockholm. We lived in Umeå for three years before coming to New York. By the way, this soup looks absolutely amazing. I wouldn't have a problem with the clean-up since every time I step into the kitchen it looks like a bomb went off. But at least the food is good!
Katie Trant
Oh wow, Umeå! And I complain about the darkness in Stockholm! Umeå is like a totally different world. I've also got kitchen-bomb syndrome happening here - especially on weekends like this when my husband is away and I power cook for the blog!
Christine | No Gojis No Glory
Yeah....3 hours of daylight in the dead of winter was really tough to get used to, but at least we could always look forward to summer and the 24 hour daylight. The people up there are amazing though....very nice and hospitable. You and your husband should spend some time up there if you haven't already.
Katie Trant
The light is the toughest thing! We've been in Stockholm nearly 5 years and I still find 1pm sunsets so crazy, but knowing you're going to have a glorious sunlight filled summer does make it easier to deal with. We'll definitely try and spend some time up north - we've got a good friend from Luleå so hoping to get to go there soon!
Karishma
Butternut squash soup is so creamy and delicious, and I really like the addition of miso here!
Katie Trant
The miso is really good! It doesn't turn it into miso soup, but adds a really nice layer of flavour.
Susan lock
I've been loving your blog for a while now! Thank you for this soup project - heading out now for ingredients not already stocked. Time flies for me as well & I hope your October is a bit of an improvement over your sept.
(I can't seem to get out of 'caps' here - ?)
Katie Trant
Thanks Susan! The caps thing is to do with the font, the comment doesn't actually show up in caps. I had asked my web developer to fix that because it was confusing people, and it's fixed on my end, so I'll have to look into why it still appears in caps for you. Thanks for the comment!
Kristine @ Kristine's Kitchen
Butternut squash soup is one of my favorites, and I love how you've added the coconut, miso and lime to make the flavor really pop! I'm ready for October and soup weather, although I agree time is going by too quickly!
Katie Trant
Those flavours really come together to make something special. I hope you try it out!
shelly
Oh my, my boyfriend does the same thing whenever I make soup. Its always a bunch of cumin, what is that?
Katie Trant
Yes, it's cumin in my house too! Or smoked paprika - which is actually in this soup, but still!
Emma
Katie!
1) Thanks for stopping my the blog earlier today!
2) This soup looks amazing, I have *almost* all of the ingredients to make it tonight, so I may pop out to grab some coconut milk...
3) LOVE the idea behind your blog, I will be back for sure 🙂
Katie Trant
Thanks Emma! Glad you like what I'm doing here 🙂 I hope you popped out for that can of coconut milk, it's totally worth it!
Nicola
I love these flavors and the addition of miso! So unique and different from all the other butternut squash soups out there. You have tons of great information around healthy eating and I'm signing up to follow your blog. Can't wait to see what comes in the future!
Katie Trant
Thanks Nicola! Glad you like it here 🙂
Alissa
I'm so with you on all of that - glad to be into October, ready for fall and lots of soup! This one looks awesome. I love butternut squash and the spices in here sound amazing. Pinning this so I can make it on a chilly day. 🙂
Katie Trant
This soup is perfect for a chilly day. There's just that right amount of spice and so many layers of flavour.
Rachel @ Bakerita
Wow - this soup sounds phenomenal! I absolutely love all the flavors you put in here, so unexpected but it all sounds amazing. Pinned!
Katie Trant
Thanks Rachel! Yep, the flavours all work really well together. Such a great soup!
Joanne
October is one of my favorite months also, but it is crazy how time is flying this year. Wasn't it just June?!
Want to slurp up this soup and lick my bowl clean! ALl those flavors sound so good together.
Katie Trant
I know, right? I mean it was literally just June yesterday. Now it's practically Christmas! You def want to lick this bowl clean, it is ah-mazing!