Silky-Smooth Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
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A creamy-textured roasted butternut squash soup with the perfect consistency! Learn the best way to roast squash in the oven until tender, then blend it with a mixture of broth, cream, Parmesan, and a touch of spices. One of the best butternut squash recipes, this soup tastes like fall comfort food in a bowl, with an Italian-style twist. The squash can be roasted in advance to save time.
I can’t think of a dish that warms you up, inside and out, the way roasted butternut squash soup does.
Smooth and rich, the soup is a classic favorite in the fall and winter — which just happens to be the best time to cook nutty-tasting winter squash recipes!
Things to love about this recipe:
About the ingredients
I added my usual Italian-inspired flair to the soup with some of my favorite flavor enhancers — Parmesan cheese, crushed red pepper and Italian parsley.
- Butternut squash: You’ll need one whole standard-sized squash, weighing 3-4 pounds. See my instructions to learn how to cut the whole squash.
- Heavy cream: This ingredient absolutely makes the texture of the soup out-of-this-world luscious and velvety. You only need 1 cup of cream to really level up the elegance factor. For a subtle spice background flavor, the cream is heated with smashed garlic cloves and a cinnamon stick. If you’re looking for a vegan butternut squash soup without cream or butter, check out my dairy-free recipe for Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger.
- Broth: Use your choice of broth — I love the taste of homemade chicken broth or vegetable broth to make a flavorful base for the soup.
- Parmesan cheese: Grated Parmesan cheese in this soup remind me of the inside of a pumpkin ravioli, in the best way!
- Onion: Yellow or sweet white onion.
- Crushed red pepper: A pinch adds just a hint of heat to the soup. You can omit it if you like.
- Spice: A whole, cracked cinnamon stick really cozies up the flavor of the soup without hitting you over the head. You can also add in a small amount of ground ginger and nutmeg (see recipe notes).
- Fresh herbs: Chopped parsley is the simplest way to add color and flavor to the soup. Other aromatic herbs like sage, rosemary or thyme pair beautifully with butternut squash.
Roasted butternut squash soup cooking steps
Halve a butternut squash, then scoop out the seeds with a spoon. In a baking pan or dish, drizzle olive oil over the cut surface of the squash, then sprinkle with salt and black pepper.
Arrange the squash cut-side down, then cover with a sheet of foil. Roast at 400 degrees until tender, 35-40 minutes. In the oven, the squash steams and roasts at the same time, creating a soft texture along with delicious caramelized edges.
While the squash is roasting, cook chopped onion in a large pot. Combine cream, crushed garlic and cinnamon stick (and other spices, if you like) in small saucepan. Bring the cream to a boil, then remove from the heat and steep 15 minutes. Strain into the pot.
When it’s done, the squash will be soft enough to scrape out of the skin. Add all of the scraped squash to the soup pot (4-5 cups).
Add broth, cheese, chili to the pot and simmer 10-15 minutes to meld the flavors. Use an immersion blender or upright blender to puree the soup until smooth. Serve the soup with chopped parsley and more cheese on top.
How to cut a butternut squash
Instead of peeling and chopping the squash, cutting it in half and roasting it with the skin on is a big time-savor.
- Place a cutting board over a damp towel (so it doesn’t slide around). Grab your sharpest chef’s knife.
- Lay the squash sideways and slice off the top stem. Cut a thin piece off the bottom end of the squash so it sits flat.
- Stand the squash upright and center the knife over the top. Slice downward, see-sawing the knife as you push down, until the squash is cut into two pieces.
Serving and storing
- Roast the squash up to 3 days in advance: Scoop out the flesh and store in a container or ziptop bag, or freeze up to one month.
- When you’re ready make the soup, heat and infuse the cream according to the recipe, the simmer the soup, which takes about 20 minutes total.
- Butternut squash soup keeps in the refrigerator 3-5 days, and in the freezer for 1 month.
Silky-Smooth Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
A creamy-textured roasted butternut squash soup with the perfect consistency! Learn the best way to roast squash in the oven until tender, then blend it with a mixture of broth, cream, Parmesan, and a touch of spices.
Ingredients
- 1 3-4 pound (1.5-1.7 kg) butternut squash
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped (1 cup)
- 1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream
- 3 whole garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 1 cinnamon stick, or ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2½-3 cups (590 ml) chicken broth, or vegetable stock
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, rosemary or sage (or a mixture)
Instructions
Roast the butternut squash
- Preheat oven to 400 (200C) degrees. Line a baking sheet or baking pan with parchment paper.
- Slice the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a large spoon. Drizzle the flesh side of the squash with olive oil and season generously with salt and black pepper.
- Place the squash halves cut-side down on the baking sheet. Cover with a sheet of aluminum foil and bake until the squash is tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 35-40 minutes depending on the size of the squash. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Scrape the flesh from the butternut squash halves with a spoon. You should have 4-5 cups of squash. At this point, you can refrigerate it in a covered container until you're ready to make the soup (up to 3 days in advance).
Make the soup
- While the squash is roasting, pour the cream into a small saucepan and add the garlic and cinnamon stick. Bring just to a boil, then immediately remove from the heat and allow the flavors to steep 15-25 minutes.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion to the pot. Cook, stirring frequently, until it's softened and translucent, 3-5 minutes. Pour the cream through a mesh strainer set over the soup pot (or just fish out the garlic cloves and cinnamon stick with a spoon).
- Add the cooked squash to the pot. Stir in 2½ cups of the broth, ¼ cup of the Parmesan, 1½ teaspoons salt and the red pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes. Puree the soup directly in the pot using an immersion blender until very smooth (or blend in batches in a blender). Stir in more broth as needed if you prefer a thinner consistency.
- Serve the soup in bowls, sprinkled with some parsley, chili and Parmesan cheese.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- Roast the squash up to 3 days in advance: Scoop out the flesh and store in a container or ziptop bag, or freeze up to one month.
- When you’re ready make the soup, heat and infuse the cream according to the recipe, then simmer the soup as directed.
- To add more warm spicy flavor, add 1/4 teaspoon each of ground ginger or 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg to the cream infusion.
- Butternut squash soup keeps in the refrigerator 3-5 days, and in the freezer for 1 month.
- If you use a blender to puree the soup, be careful to only fill the blender jar about halfway. Hot soup expands quickly under pressure, making a mess if it explodes out of the lid.
Nutrition
Calories: 258kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Sodium: 886mg | Potassium: 207mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 938IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 118mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
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Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
Hi Karen,
I know it would be good and creamy, but can I back off of the cup of cream or even substitute something else (maybe a potato)?
Thanks,
Sherri
Hi Sherri – Yes, you can totally make it with less or little dairy. If oat milk is okay you can substitute with that (full fat, unsweetened). Or skip the milk and add 1 cup of cooked chopped potato to the pot before pureeing. Let us know how it works for you!