A luxuriously creamy (yet cream-less!) butternut squash soup that is loaded with veggies while still allowing the butternut squash to shine! An optional sweet and savory topping of caramelized onions, sweet apples, and salty bacon kicks up the tasty factor even more. Gluten-free & dairy-free!
It’s the week before Thanksgiving and I’m coming to you with soup. I’ll confess, I thought it would be a turkey. Maybe you were hoping it would be too. I’m sorry. Next year friends. Buuuuut….if ever there was a soup that you should be making RIGHT NOW, it should definitely be this one.
Before we talk about all things soup and dive into this bowl of creamy tastiness that has been on repeat at my house for the last month, I want to express by deep appreciation and thanks to so many of you. I am abundantly grateful to those of you who over the last three months have sent me kind messages, posted loving comments, came alongside me in person to just listen (in the moments when there were words to say and in the moments when there were no words to be found), left phone messages, those who gave hugs, those who nourished my soul with food when the grief took over my motivation to cook, and those who drove from both near and far to just be a comforting and available presence. I am thankful for you. And I am thankful for your love and compassion toward me during a difficult time as I adjust, grieve, and process the loss of my best friend.
This season of life with grieving has not been easy. But I am okay. I’m not saying I’m okay with losing my best friend to breast cancer. I hate cancer and I hate what it did to her body. And I miss her like crazy and daily wrestle with the feelings of “if only I could tell her this” or “if only she were here to see this.” But in spite of those types of moments, I’m okay. And sometimes being just okay is not a bad place to be in. I am taking all that comes with experiencing great loss day by day, and sometimes just moment by moment. I recently read this quote by Elizabeth Kübler-Ross (she is the voice who introduced the world to her theory of the five stages of grief) that currently resonates with me:
“The reality is you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same again. Nor should you be the same, nor should you want to.”
And that’s where I’m at.
And thank you for being with me in it.
And now I’d really like to talk about this soup. Cue awkward transition.
I basically sacrificed the end of my left thumb to bring this soup recipe to you. Not joking. My thumb could be the poster example for what happens when you don’t properly hold your fingers in claw grip fashion when cutting vegetables. Anyone interested in thumb soup? Joking. I checked my thumb about an hour later after the feeling of wanting to pass out from the thumb massacre subsided and it’s still there. But it was a close call. Not joking.
All thumb joking aside, this creamy butternut squash soup IS the BEST. Like I kind of want to enter it into a soup contest because it’s that good. I don’t care how many other millions of butternut squash soup recipes there are already out there vying for the fame and glory on the world wide web. Or the internet. Or cyberspace. Or the InfoBahn. Or whatever you want to call it. THIS ONE. THIS creamy butternut squash soup is THE BEST. As in two thumbs up. Even though it was nearly 1 ⅞ thumbs up.
It’s loaded with vegetables so maybe it should be named The Best Creamy Vegetable Soup instead. However, once the butternut squash is added to the veggie party all those other veggies seem to take backstage by creating an added depth of flavor to my favorite squash of all squashes. Which btw, I’ve just realized that I kinda have a thing for butternut squash. See Date Night Gnocchi, Easy One Pot Game Day Chili, and definitely the Dreamy Mashed Potatoes with Butternut Squash. (The mashed potatoes are a Thanksgiving side dish dream come true. You’re welcome.)
And it’s soooo creamy. But it’s a cream-less creamy for all you needing some slurpy goodness that’s dairy free. Think silky luxuriousness that makes you want to just dump your whole face right into the bowl for a soup facial. Is that a thing yet? Soup facials? I could maybe get on board with that. Too weird? Maybe? Oooor maybe not?!?! Maybe I’m on to something…
And I know it totally defeats the purpose of telling you how creamy dreamy this soup is when obviously there is that chunky topping staring straight up at you. The topping is totally optional and the soup will still be amazing. But I like toppings. Think of the topping as a flavor bonus. It’s a tasty little add-on of sweet and savory. Chunks of carmelized onion with crispy, salty bacon pieces, and slightly sautéed diced, sweet Honeycrisp apple. Uuuugh. So good. AND I’m thinking this soup might just be the perfect first course to your Thanksgiving smorgasbord.
But first things first. Who’s with me on that soup facial?!
More Tasty Soup Recipes!
- Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Basil Soup delicious served alongside a salad or sandwich
- Gluten-Free Flu Fighting Chicken Noodle Soup a hearty, nourishing bowl of comfort
- Easy One-Pot Game Day Chili perfect for fall, winter, or the big game day party!
Did You Make This Recipe?!
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave me a comment below and tell me about it! And don’t forget to snap a photo and tag @passmesometasty on Instagram so I can see!
The Best Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: Makes about 10 cups 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
A luxuriously creamy butternut squash soup that is dairy free and loaded with veggies while still allowing the butternut squash to shine! An optional sweet and savory topping of caramelized onions, sweet apples, and salty bacon kicks up the tasty factor even more.
Ingredients
Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 large cloves garlic
- 1–2 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1–2 stalks celery, chopped (seeing a trend here? -> about 1 cup chopped)
- 1 large parsnip, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 1–2 cups)
- 1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed (about 7 cups)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 cups chicken broth (*see notes below)
- 1 can (14 oz) unsweetened coconut milk (*see notes below)
Sweet & Savory Topping (Optional)
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
- ¾ cup onion, diced
- ½ large Honeycrisp apple, diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
Instructions
Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- Once hot, add garlic, carrots, onion, celery, and parsnip. Sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add butternut squash, salt, and pepper. Stir to coat.
- Add broth and bring to a low boil. Then reduce heat to low, cover, and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until squash is fork tender.
- Transfer the soup to a blender (or use an immersion blender) and puree soup until smooth.
- Return soup to pot and add coconut milk. Continue cooking for a few more minutes over medium heat.
- Serve as is or garnish with Sweet & Savory Topping (see instructions below) and a little drizzle of coconut milk.
Sweet & Savory Topping (Optional)
- Preheat a skillet over medium heat.
- Add bacon and onion to skillet and sauté for about 5-10 minutes or until bacon is crispy, its fat has rendered, and the onions are soft and slightly caramelized.
- Drain off the grease and return the skillet to stovetop.
- Add apple and sauté an additional 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Remove from heat. Add parsley and stir until just combined.
- Serve as a topping on a bowl of luxuriously creamy butternut squash soup.
Notes
The equipment section above contains affiliate links to products I use or recommend.
Vegan option: Substitute the vegetable broth for the chicken broth. However, this will affect the flavor slightly.
Low calorie, lower fat option: Use light coconut milk in place of regular coconut milk. However, the soup will not be as thick and the flavor will be affected slightly. You can also omit the bacon from the topping and instead sauté the onion and apple in a small amount of olive oil.
What is the white drizzle on top of the soup? It’s coconut milk. If you’d like to add that pretty drizzle of coconut milk to the top of your soup, reserve a little bit from the can when adding the coconut milk to the soup. This will save you from needing to open up an additional can of coconut milk.
- Category: Soup
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: butternut squash, butternut squash soup, soup recipes, gluten free recipes, easy dinner recipes, fall soup recipes
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I’m cooking this recipe right now, and am looking forward to the topping, also. I’ll let you know how it turns out! I think it’s going to become one of my favorites!
Awesome! I hope you love it! Can’t wait to hear what you think!
This is great soup! I keep going back to this recipe.
★★★★★
Thank you Marita! I’m so glad to hear that it’s become a go-to recipe for you! ❤️
Hi Anna! Great question! When reading any nutrition label the nutrition facts displayed will always be per individual serving. So the carbs listed for this recipe are in fact “high” because onions, carrots, parsnips, and butternut squash are all high carb vegetables. As with anything though, context is key here because the veggies are high in healthy, complex carbs which in my personal opinion is very different than if we were comparing them to empty carbs found in plain white bread (for example). And it’s important to keep in mind that these veggies are also loaded with a ton of other nutritional benefits! I hope that helps answer your question!
I am excited to try this recipe. But I think the carb information is incorrect. There is no way it could have 500 g carbs per serving, and only be 2-300 calories. Maybe the decimal point is off by one place?
Hi Christy! Thanks for your comment. I dug further into the mysterious carb count that my nutrition label was generating and discovered that for some reason the label was having a hard time processing the nutrition facts for the chicken broth I used. So weird! The nutrition facts for the soup should look a little more reasonable now. ? I’d love to hear what you think of the soup after you tried it out! I hope you enjoy!
This was the best butternut squash soup I’ve had and I’ve tried a handful! The soup itself is delicious on its own, but the topping (with the apples, onions, bacon and parsley) MAKES this recipe. Delicious and definitely a make again.
★★★★★
Thanks so much Allison! I’m so happy to hear that you loved it!
Yep, I was referring to her! Thanks for catching the typo!
I love me some butternut squash soup!!
★★★★★
I was looking for a butternut squash soup recipe…..and this one is AMAZING! so easy, and so so good! love the creaminess of the coconut. I look forward to trying the topping too next time!
★★★★★
Thanks so much Megan! : )