Roasted butternut squash pureed into a soup rich and silky enough to eat with a spoon — no canned puree, no thin broth base. The trick’s in the cream: I infuse it with whole garlic cloves and a cracked cinnamon stick before it ever hits the pot, then round everything out with a generous handful of Parmesan.

A bowl of creamy orange roasted butternut squash soup topped with herbs and chili flakes, with a spoon resting in the bowl on a beige napkin. Nearby are a small pumpkin and another bowl of soup.

One of my 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.

The techniques that make this soup taste rich, not sweet

  • Getting the squash-to-broth ratio right is what actually gives you a thick, velvety consistency — too much liquid and the soup turns thin and soupy instead of spoonable; too little and you’re eating squash paste.
  • Roasting concentrates the squash’s natural sweetness, so you can skip the honey or maple syrup most recipes lean on.
  • Infusing the cream with garlic and cinnamon before it goes in the pot gives you background warmth without turning the soup into pumpkin pie.

Three ingredients that matter

I added my usual Italian-inspired recipe flair to the soup with some of my favorite flavor enhancers — Parmesan cheese, crushed red pepper, and Italian parsley.

Sliced butternut squash, fresh herbs, garlic, half onion, cinnamon sticks, broth, grated cheese, and cream are arranged on a white tray and in small bowls on a light-colored surface.
  • Butternut squash: Skip the peeling and chopping — roasting the squash whole, with the skin-on, does the hard work for you instead. Look for one in the 3-4 pound range; anything bigger takes longer to cook through evenly and the edges can dry out before the center’s tender. Once it’s roasted, the skin practically falls away from the flesh with a spoon.
  • Garlicky cinnamon cream: This is what turns basic soup into something with layers of flavor. Simmering the cream separately with smashed garlic and a cracked cinnamon stick — instead of dumping cold cream straight into the pot — means those flavors actually infuse the fat instead of getting lost in broth. Want more warmth? Add a pinch of ground ginger or nutmeg to the infusion itself, not the whole pot, so it doesn’t overpower the squash. (If you’d rather skip the cream altogether, try this dairy-free butternut squash soup with ginger).
  • Parmesan: I stir this into the broth, not just sprinkle it on top, so it melts into the body of the soup. It also cuts some of the sweetness from the roasted squash and keeps the whole thing from tasting like dessert.

Roast, simmer and puree

Instead of peeling and chopping the squash, cutting it in half and roasting it with the skin on is less fussy and saves time.

  • A halved butternut squash with seeds removed sits beside a spoon and a dish holding the seeds and pulp, all on a light countertop next to a white baking dish—perfect for preparing roasted butternut squash soup.
    1. Halve a butternut squash, then scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
  • Two halves of butternut squash with seeds removed, seasoned with salt and pepper, sit in a white roasting dish. Nearby are small bowls, a pepper grinder, and a bottle.
    2. In a baking pan or dish, drizzle olive oil over the cut surface of the squash, then sprinkle with salt and black pepper.
  • Two halves of a butternut squash shown skin-side up resting in a baking pan.
    3. Arrange the squash cut-side down, then cover with a sheet of foil. Roast at 400 degrees until tender, 35-40 minutes.
  • Halved roasted butternut squash in a baking pan.
    4. In the oven, the squash steams and roasts at the same time when it’s covered, creating a soft texture along with delicious caramelized edges.
  • Chopped onions and garlic sautéing in olive oil in a white pot, stirred with a wooden spoon. Nearby are a spice dish, pepper grinder, and fresh herbs on a light-colored countertop.
    5. While the squash is roasting, cook chopped onion in a large pot.
  • Heavy cream, cinnamon sticks and garlic cloves in a small saucepan, set on top of a woven pot holder.
    6. Combine cream, crushed garlic and cinnamon stick (and other spices, if you like) in small saucepan.
  • Pieces of garlic and cinnamon sticks in a tea strainer set over a soup pot of creamy broth.
    7. Bring the cream to a boil, then remove from the heat and steep 15 minutes. Strain into the pot.
  • Two roasted butternut squash halves in a white baking dish; one half is scooped out with a spoon, while the other remains intact. The dish features caramelized edges and pools of flavorful leftover juice.
    8. When it’s done, the squash will be soft enough to scrape out of the skin.
  • A white pot filled with mashed cooked squash sits on a light surface, surrounded by fresh herbs, a small plate of red pepper flakes, and a wooden spoon.
    9. Add all of the scraped squash to the soup pot (4-5 cups).
  • Roasted winter squash puree in a soup pot with broth, cream, parmesan cheese and chili flakes.
    10. Add broth, cheese, chili to the pot and simmer 10-15 minutes to meld the flavors.
  • A pot of pureed butternut squash soup, and an immersion blender in the process of blending.
    11. Use an immersion blender or upright blender to puree the soup until smooth.
  • Creamy-textured butternut squash soup and a spoon in a serving bowl, topped with grated cheese, parsley.
    12. Serve the soup with chopped parsley and more cheese on top.
A bowl of creamy butternut squash soup garnished with herbs, Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes, with a spoon resting on top. The bowl sits on a beige napkin.
5 from 10 ratings

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Parmesan and Cream

Karen Tedesco
This rich, creamy soup has real depth, with roasted squash, cinnamon-spiced cream and Parmesan simmered together until velvety-thick. Make it now, or freeze the roasted squash to cook later.
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Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

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 chopped yellow onion, (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)

Equipment

Instructions
 

Roast the butternut squash

  1. Preheat oven to 400 (200C) degrees. Line a baking sheet or baking pan with parchment paper.
  2. Slice 1 3-4 pound butternut 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.
  3. 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

  1. While the squash is roasting, pour 1 cup heavy cream into a small saucepan and add 3 whole garlic cloves and cinnamon stick. Bring just to a boil, then immediately remove from the heat and allow the flavors to steep 15-25 minutes.
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 1 chopped yellow 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).
  3. Add the cooked squash to the pot. Stir in 2½ cups of the broth, ¼ cup of the Parmesan, 1½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon crushed 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.
  4. Serve the soup in bowls, sprinkled with some parsley, chili and Parmesan cheese.

Notes

  • 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. 
  • To add more warm spicy flavor, add 1/4 teaspoon each of ground ginger or 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg to the cream infusion.
  • Skipping the cream-infusion step? Cook 1–2 thinly sliced garlic cloves with the onion, add a dash of ground cinnamon, then stir the cream straight into the pot.
  • 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.
If you happen to have a high-speed blender, you’ll love how super-smooth and creamy this soup will turn out. But next to that, an immersion stick blender like this one does the trick almost as well — it’s what I use most of the time.
 

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 258kcal Carbohydrates: 8g Protein: 6g Fat: 23g Sodium: 886mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 4g

Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.

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