The autumn leaves are in full color and the jack o'lanterns are popping up on every doorstep. That can only mean one thing! It's time for some Vegan Butternut Soup!
Wait a minute!
Isn't ALL Butternut Soup Vegan you ask?
It is, however sometimes chefs will stir a little cream into their soup, or they will roast their veggie in oil, and this recipe does neither.
It is 100% completely Vegan AND oil-free.
All you need is a nice-sized butternut squash, a few veggies, an oven to roast them in, and a blender to make it smooth. Seriously, that's it and nothing could be simpler.
My mother-in-law (who is adamantly NOT Vegan) was here last week and she absolutely LOVED it. In fact, between her, my wife, AND my daughter, I had to make it TWICE.
Good thing it's so easy to make!
Now to be 100% honest, you WILL see a little cream swirled into mine in the photo. That is Cashew Cream and is completely optional as it will add a bit of fat, so don't think it's necessary because it's not.
It's warm, it's comforting, it's easy to make, and it tastes delicious, so what are we waiting for?
Easy Vegan Butternut Soup
To start, you'll need to peel and quarter a large white onion and place it on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Scrub a couple of carrots and chop them into 3 or 4 pieces and lay them alongside the onions too. And for some extra flavor, peel 5 or 6 cloves of garlic and thrown them on there as well.
Now... the star of the show - the butternut.
I used about a 3 ½ lb squash. CAREFULLY cut the squash into 2 equal halves, lengthwise. The skin is kinda of tough, so take it slow. It helps to cut through the neck first, then stand it up and push down through the round part.
Once the squash is cut - remove the seeds and pulp and lay them cut-side up beside the veggies. Sprinkle a little salt, and then place your tray into a 400° F oven to roast for 1 hour.
After an hour, check your squash by inserting a fork - it should pierce the flesh easily. If it doesn't, continue to roast for an additional 5 -10 minutes or until a fork pierces easily with no resistance.
Let the squash rest for a bit after you remove it from the oven until it is cool enough to handle.
Then you can take a large spoon and scoop out the flesh and add it to a large soup pot or dutch oven along with the rest of the roasted veggies.
Add 4 cups (an entire 1 qt carton) of low sodium veg broth, 2 cups of water, the seasoning listed below in the recipe box, and 1 Tbs of Maple Syrup and bring your pot to a boil.
Reduce the heat to a steady simmer and let it simmer for 30-45 min. If any of the squash was still a little hard in the center, this will finish cooking it.
To blend you can transfer small batches to your blender, or do what I do and use an Immersion Blender until it is smooth and creamy.
Here is the blender I use and I'll post an affiliate link below. Remember, as an Amazon Associate I do earn from qualifying purchases but at no extra cost to you.
I honestly use my Immersion Blender about as much as I use my Instant Pot - and that's a lot.
Once the soup is blended we will probably need to adjust the seasonings. Stir in 2 Tbs of Apple Cider Vinegar (which nicely balances the sweetness) and then salt to taste.
At this point you can either adjust your cooking time to let it reduce if it seems too thin, or add a little water if it seems too thick.
Once the consistency and seasoning are to your liking, serve with whatever garnish you like. Cashew cream, pumpkin seeds, parsley, chives, or in my case - and I know this sounds weird, I like a little Cholula Hot Sauce.
Hope you enjoy my recipe this week. If so please let me know in the comments below.
Happy Autumn and we'll see you next week.
Vegan Butternut Soup
- Prep Time: 60 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
- Category: Soup, Stew
- Method: Stovetop, Blender
- Cuisine: American, Vegan
Description
The autumn leaves are in full color and the jack o'lanterns are lit - that can only mean one thing! It's time for some Vegan Butternut Soup!
Ingredients
- 1 large onion
- 2 carrots
- 5-6 cloves garlic
- 1 butternut squash (3.5 lbs)
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 2 cups of water
- 1 Tbs maple syrup
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp italian seasoning
- ½ tsp rubbed sage
- 2 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- Peel onion and cut into quarters. Peel garlic cloves. Clean carrots and cut into 3-4 pieces and arrange all veggies on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Carefully cut squash lengthwise into 2 equal pieces, and remove seeds & pulp. Arrange squash, cut-side UP, next to veggies, sprinkle a little salt, and roast for 1 hour.
- Allow squash to cool enough to safely handle.
- Scoop out the cooked squash, (discarding the skin) into a large soup pan or dutch oven and add the other roasted veggies.
- Add veg broth, water, maple syrup, salt, italian seasoning, and sage and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to a steady simmer and cook for 30-45 min.
- Blend until smooth.
- Add apple cider vinegar and salt to taste
- Serve with your favorite garnish like roasted pumpkin seeds, cashew cream, parsley, chives, etc.
Kim
This is such a delightful soup it can be made any time of the year. But I’m made a bunch of this yummy BNV Butternut Squash Soup for Christmas for my neighbors. It feels old fashioned and will makes for a lovely meal for now or later in large mason jars.
Leslie Ewing
I made this soup following your recipe exactly. Delicious! I made it again, and made it my own. First, I tucked the garlic under the onion quarters because I burned the garlic the first time. I had dried porcini mushrooms left over from a previous recipe which I soaked, and added both shrooms and liquid. Then I changed the Italian seasoning out for just a bay leaf, a couple dashes of nutmeg, and a little bit of thyme, which was enough to suit my taste buds.
Thanks for such a good recipe. You have put together a nice blog.
Donna
This soup is absolutely delicious and perfect for a cool Fall evening. The only thing I did slightly different is to slice the peeled garlic thin and add it during the simmering step rather than roasting with the other veggies.. My family & I loved it. This recipe will definitely be a keeper! Thank you! ?
Julia Gray
So tasty and very easy to make! Also makes huge portion so I can freeze some for a lazy day!
Alex King
This is so good i made it last week for my family! 🙂
Marie Townsend
Made the soup today Chuck and it's delicious. i will be making a double batch next time. I made a suggestion regarding the soup. a day or two ago, please disregard comment about microwaving squash first. I hadn't read the recipe all the way trough. Thank you
Diane
This looks really interesting. I am not used to seeing Italian seasoning in a squash soup. I created a Pumpkin Bisque recipe about 2 years ago. I add nutmeg. My ingredients are not like your recipe so the taste profile would be so different. I will have to give yours a try. But I will be using pumpkin instead because I have it in the freezer.
Linda
If I use pre-cut butternut squash, would 2 (12 oz each) be too much or not enough? Thanks.
Winona Davies
I've made butternut soup in the past and hated it so I was nervous but this recipe was delicious! I swirled in some cashew cream and it was really really good. I love your blog for making healthy food that is also "comfort food". Thanks so much, and so glad I decided to do something I rarely do...subscribe to a blog.
Donna
This is excellent. So glad I made and so very happy, Chuck, that you shared it Some going into freezer for a cold winter evening if it makes it that long. 🙂
Kate
Hi Chuck - ever tried making it with the skin on and did you notice any difference?
Chuck Underwood
No I haven't.
Tamie
Absolutely delicious! Roasted a honey crisp apple to add to the soup. Left out the acv and added cinnamon. Recipe is a keeper!