Healthy & Hearty Butternut Squash Soup Recipe (Vegan)

Last updated on August 7th, 2023 at 05:24 pm

This hearty butternut squash soup is great anytime of the year, but we especially love it during those cold fall and winter days.

This vegan dish is full of healthy ingredients, a bold taste, and can be prepared quickly. It’s the ultimate comfort food and pairs wonderfully with a sandwich, fresh bread, or salad too.

Butternut squash soup health benefits

Butternut squash is packed with vitamins and nutrients, including more than 100% of your daily requirement of vitamin A. It’s also a terrific source of vitamins C, magnesium, potassium, and calcium. 

This delicious winter squash is excellent for your immunity, is a good source of fiber, is beneficial for your eyesight, and is a good hydrator. It can even help you to maintain a healthy blood pressure and blood sugar level. 

Ingredients for our healthy and hearty butternut squash soup

Here’s everything you need to make this delicious vegan soup recipe! 

• Butternut Squash
• Coconut Milk
• Lemongrass OR Lemon Zest
• Vegetable Stock
• Garlic
• Onion
• Cilantro
• Ginger
• Olive Oil

An immersion blender is needed for this recipe, but you can use a hand mixer if you don’t have one. Just be sure that you remove the soup from the heat, and let it cool before using the hand mixer. You want to make sure hot soup doesn’t splatter onto your skin.

How to make hearty butternut squash soup from scratch

First, saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until the onion is soft and the garlic is fragrant.

Next, add the ginger and lemongrass, and cook for two more minutes.

Add the squash next, and cook for five more minutes. (Check out our tips below to see how to prepare the squash.)

Add the veggie stock and cilantro to the pot, and bring to a low boil.

Cook for 15 minutes, or until the squash is tender. Then remove from the heat, and allow to cool slightly.

Using an immersion blender, blend the squash mixture until it’s smooth.

Return to the heat, and add 3/4 of the can of coconut milk, reserving the rest for garnish. Simmer for another five minutes.

Top this tasty hearty butternut squash soup with shaved coconut, chopped cilantro, or chopped chilies if desired. (Find more serving ideas below.) Enjoy!

How to choose the best squash and how to break down butternut squash 

The main ingredient in our recipe is squash. So how do you choose the best squash? Look for a butternut squash with a longer neck and smaller bulb.  These tend to have fewer seeds and less waste.

For this recipe, you’ll need to dice or cube the squash, as you see in the photos above. Here’s the easiest way to do that. Follow along with this video, or the steps outlined below it.

• Cut off both ends of the squash. 
• Next, cut your butternut squash crosswise into two pieces, the base and the neck.
• Peel with a vegetable peeler.
• With a sharp knife, cut the base of the squash in half lengthwise.
• Remove the seeds and pulp with your fingers or a spoon.
• Cut the squash into cubes.

If you have a vegetable slicer, you can use it to cut the butternut squash instead of chopping it. This will make it a bit easier to tackle as butternut squash can take some strength to cut through.

If you’d like, you can skip having to prepare the squash yourself by buying it already cut. You can find often find cubed butternut squash in the produce section of your grocery store.

How to serve this hearty butternut squash soup?

This soup is perfect as a starter, side, or main dish. When I make it the center of my meal, I like to serve it with some fresh, flavorful breadsticks or any hearty bread, like focaccia. Here are some more ways to serve this soup:

Top this vegan butternut squash soup with ground thyme powder or freshly chopped black pepper. Then serve with a side crispy flatbread.

This soup would be amazing served in a bread bowl, with a sandwich, or by itself as a lighter meal. I like to top mine with a little bit of extra coconut milk, chopped chilis, or a bit of shredded coconut.  

There are so many ways to serve this flavorful soup. In fact, you could even eat it chilled warmer days if you prefer.

Check out this post for more ideas about what to serve with butternut squash soup.

Recipe tips and variations

Instead of butternut squash, you can use any other pumpkin or squash in season. To make things really easy, you can even use canned pumpkin. If you do, skip step three in the recipe below.

For extra flavor, oven-roast your squash for 10 minutes. You’ll want to drizzle it with some olive oil before roasting. Then add the squash to the soup, and blend according to the recipe.

This recipe calls for lemongrass, which you can find at most Whole Foods stores, or other stores that sell healthier options. Walmart sometimes carries it too. If you don’t want to use lemongrass (or you’re having a hard time finding it), you can substitute two teaspoons of lemon zest.

To thicken this hearty butternut squash soup, you can make a cornstarch slurry. Just add a tablespoon of cornstarch to two to three tablespoons of the soup in a cup. Stir well, and then add it back to the soup. Allow to simmer a bit longer until the soup thickens.

How to store butternut squash soup?

Store your butternut soup in an airtight container for up to five days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it for up to three months.

We hope you love this healthy and hearty soup!

Print Pin

Butternut Squash Soup Recipe (Vegan)

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium size onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2.5 lb butternut squash
• 1 lemongrass stalk finely chopped (or 2 teaspoons lemon zest)
• 1 Tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 Tablespoon Minced Cilantro
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 can coconut milk

Garnish

• Cilantro
• Chili pepper sliced
• Coconut flakes

Instructions

• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is soft and the garlic is fragrant.
• Add the ginger and lemongrass. Cook for two more minutes.
• Add the squash to the pot and cook for five minutes.
• Add the stock and cilantro. Bring to a low boil. Cook for 15 minutes or until the squash is tender enough for a fork to easily pierce. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
• Using an immersion blender, blend the squash mixture until smooth.
• Return to the heat, and add 3/4 of the can of coconut milk, reserving the rest for garnish. Simmer for another five minutes.
• Serve with shaved coconut, chopped cilantro, and chopped chilies if desired.

Notes

Instead of the butternut squash you can use any other pumpkin or squash in season. You can even use canned pumpkin and skip step 3.
For added flavor, roast your squash for 10 minutes in the oven drizzled with some olive oil. Then add the squash to the soup and blend as instructed.
Lemongrass can be found at most whole foods stores, or places that sell healthier options, such as health food stores. Walmart sometimes carries it as well.
If you don’t want to use lemongrass or try to find it, simply use two teaspoons of lemon zest in its place.
To thicken the soup, you can use a cornstarch slurry. Add a tablespoon of cornstarch with two to three tablespoons of the soup in a cup. Stir well before adding back to the soup. Allow to simmer a while longer until thickened a bit more.
Store in an airtight container, once cool, in the fridge, for four to five days. Store in the freezer for two to three months in an airtight container.

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What to Serve With Butternut Squash Soup

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