Whenever I find a good deal on butternut squash, I like to grab an extra because they keep well (I’ve had them last for weeks on my countertop before!) and can turn into so many cozy, budget-friendly meals. This super simple creamy Butternut Squash Soup is one of my favorite ways to use one. The flavors are simple yet warm, and the soup is a breeze to prepare, which makes it a total win in my book. With roasted squash and onion, cozy sage and nutmeg, and a splash of cream at the end, this is one fall staple I’m happy to come back to year after year!
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“Excellent! Used some roasted butternut squash that I had in my freezer. I also had some turkey broth that needed a good use. Very good.”
JERILEA
Roasting the Squash Makes All the Difference
I love this soup for its simplicity, but I don’t skip the roasting. The butternut squash and onions are roasted until tender and lightly browned, which intensifies their flavor and adds a slightly caramelized sweetness. Those roasted butternut squash and onions give the finished soup a deeper, more developed flavor before the broth or seasonings even go in. Then I blend the roasted vegetables with chicken broth until thick and smooth, season with nutmeg and sage, and heat through. For an extra luxurious finish, I stir in a half cup of heavy cream at the end. The texture is similar to pumpkin soup but a little more creamy. It’s simple, but so *chef’s kiss* perfect!
And the price is hard to beat. The whole pot feeds four and comes in at about $5.52, or $1.38 per serving! I think of it as a cozy lunch, starter, or side as written. If I’m serving it as dinner, I’ll add some bread, a sandwich, or another filling side to round out the meal.
Recipe Success Tips
- Let the squash get some color! I don’t pull the pan from the oven as soon as the squash is soft. I want to see some lightly golden-brown edges too! That browning concentrates the squash’s natural sweetness and gives the soup a deeper roasted flavor. Spread everything out on the baking sheet so the vegetables roast instead of steaming.
- Take the shortcut if you need it. Peeling and chopping a whole butternut squash is probably the most time-consuming part of this recipe, so fresh pre-cut squash is absolutely fair game. Frozen squash can also work, but I find it releases more moisture and doesn’t always brown quite as deeply.
- Blend until it’s really smooth. A little extra blending time gives this soup a velvety texture. If I’m using a countertop blender with the hot vegetables, I’ll vent the lid and work in batches if necessary. An immersion blender works too. Just add the roasted vegetables and broth directly to the pot and blend!
- Adjust the consistency before serving. If you want a thicker soup, hold back a little broth when blending and add it as needed. If it ends up thicker than you like, especially after refrigeration, stir in a splash of broth or water until it loosens up.
- Taste before adding more salt. The amount of salt you need will depend heavily on your broth. I like to get everything blended and heated first, then taste and adjust the seasoning at the end.
- Make it your own! Add a pinch or two of cayenne for heat, stir in a tablespoon or two of curry powder for a different spice profile, or roast a few apple slices with the squash and onions for a slightly sweeter soup. You can also skip the cream for a lighter finish.
Butternut Squash Soup
Cost $5.52 recipe / $1.38 serving
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. butternut squash (4 cups cubed, $3.08*)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.70)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.44)
- ¼ tsp salt ($0.02)
- ¼ tsp black pepper (freshly cracked, $0.02)
- 3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth) ($0.39**)
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg ($0.02)
- ¼ tsp rubbed sage ($0.02)
- ½ cup heavy cream ($0.83***)
Optional
- 2 garlic cloves (unpeeled, (optional)****)
Video
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Peel and dice the butternut squash. Cut the onions into wedges.
- Place the squash and onion on a parchment-lined baking sheet. If using the optional garlic, add the whole unpeeled cloves to the pan. Drizzle everything with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss until well coated, then spread the vegetables out in an even layer.
- Roast for about 30 minutes, stirring after about 20 minutes (if using, check the garlic after 15-20 minutes). After roasting for 30 minutes, the squash should be tender and slightly browned on the edges.
- Transfer the roasted vegetables to a blender and add the chicken broth (or vegetable broth). Purée the vegetables and broth until smooth. If using the garlic, remove the skins and add to the blender with the roasted vegetables.
- Pour the puréed soup to a pot and add the nutmeg and sage. Heat the soup over medium, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
- Stir the heavy cream into the soup, then taste and adjust the salt or other seasonings to your liking. Serve hot.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Storage & Reheating
- Fridge: Let leftovers cool, then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The soup will thicken as it chills. Reheating: Reheat gently on the stovetop, stirring often, or microwave in intervals and stir between each one until the soup reaches 165°F throughout. I’ll add a splash of broth or water if needed to loosen the soup back up if it’s thickened too much. Freezing: Pour the soup into an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating (or use the defrost setting on your microwave). Cream-based soups can separate slightly after freezing, so stir well or briefly blend again after reheating if needed. Make Ahead: If you’re making this soup specifically for the freezer, you can also freeze it before adding the cream, then stir the cream in after reheating!
Nutrition Information
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Butternut Squash Soup Step-by-Step Photos
Prep the veggies: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Peel and dice butternut squash (about 2 lbs) into roughly ½-inch cubes (about 4 cups total). Slice 1 yellow onion. Place the squash and onion on a parchment-lined baking sheet. If using the optional garlic, add 2 whole unpeeled cloves. Drizzle everything with 2 Tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with ¼ tsp black pepper and ¼ tsp salt. Toss until everything has a light coating of oil, then spread it into an even layer on a baking sheet so the vegetables have room to roast.
Roast the veggies: Roast the squash and onions for about 30 minutes, stirring once after 20 minutes. (If you’re using the optional garlic, check it after 15-20 minutes and remove it from the baking sheet once tender). The squash should be fork-tender with golden-brown edges, and the onion should look soft with a few darker caramelized spots. If the squash is tender but still pale, give it a few more minutes in the oven to develop a more roasted flavor.
Transfer to the blender: Add the roasted butternut squash and onion to a blender along with 3 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth. If your blender is on the smaller side, blend the hot mixture in batches and make sure steam can escape. If you added garlic, squeeze the softened cloves from their skins and discard the skins, and add them to the blender with the butternut squash and onions.
Blend the mixture: Purée until completely smooth and velvety. Give it more than a quick pulse here. You shouldn’t see any squash pieces or fibrous bits remaining. You can also add the vegetables and broth to a pot and use an immersion blender until smooth.
Add the seasoning: Transfer the soup to a pot and add ⅛ tsp nutmeg and ¼ tsp rubbed sage. Stir to combine. Place the pot over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes. It’s ready for the cream when it is steaming hot with small bubbles beginning to appear around the edges.
Add the cream: Stir in ½ cup heavy cream continuously until the soup is one even color. If using full-fat coconut milk instead, stir it well before measuring and add it the same way. Keep the heat gentle once you add either one, rather than letting the soup boil vigorously. If the soup boils once you add the cream, it could split. Keep it at a gentle simmer.
Taste test: Taste the soup and adjust the salt or other seasonings to your liking. Broths vary quite a bit in saltiness, so I always do this at the end!
Serve: Serve the soup hot. I like an extra swirl of cream and some freshly cracked pepper on top, but croutons or pepitas are also great if you want a little crunch. SO CREAMY! 🤤
What to Serve with Butternut Squash Soup
This creamy soup is begging for some hearty bread for dipping. I love my no-knead bread (it’s EASY but requires some planning!), or I’ll grab a sourdough loaf at the store if it’s a good deal. Other times I’ll just top my bowl with a handful of homemade croutons! Since each serving is about 1¼ cups, I usually add something alongside it if I’m serving it for lunch or dinner. A grilled cheese sandwich is an easy way to make it more filling. I just love a soup and grilled cheese moment, and this creamy butternut squash soup makes my fall and cheese-loving heart very, very happy.
I also think this soup works really well as a starter or side. I’d serve it with our sheet pan chicken and vegetables for a heartier dinner, or pair it with an autumn kale and apple salad when I want something crisp and fresh alongside that smooth, creamy soup. The slightly sweet roasted squash also makes it a really nice first course for a fall or holiday meal.
More Ways to Use Butternut Squash
- This Stuffed Butternut Squash turns the squash itself into dinner with a savory sausage and veggie filling, melty cheddar, and a touch of maple sweetness.
- If you have extra squash, my Butternut Squash Salad is a lighter way to use it with tender greens, crunchy toppings, and a maple Dijon vinaigrette!
- Our Butternut Squash Lasagna layers roasted squash with mushrooms, kale, plenty of cheese, and a creamy sage brown butter béchamel for serious fall comfort food.
- Or take things in a totally different direction with my Butternut Squash Curry, where tender squash simmers with warm spices, tomatoes, coconut milk, and spinach.
More Creamy Vegetable Soups
Our Butternut Squash Soup recipe was originally published 12/14/22. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be better than ever 12/3/25.
The soup tasted good, and I enjoyed eating it. However, it felt more like an appetizer and less of a meal because I was still hungry after eating it.
I have made this soup several times, and it is exceptional!
A few notes,
– I use pre-cut butternut squash for simplicity, and it’s worth it.
– I like to roast the squash until it is browned for extra flavor.
– I recently swapped the heavy cream to whole milk to lighten up the soup for someone on a low-fat diet, and it was still delicious.
Easy to make AND packed with flavour. I used frozen squash and it was fine.
I made this recipe just this afternoon for me and my neighbour that I care for and it’s a great recipe easy and very delicious we loved it
I recently made this delicious soup. The flavor is so much better with the squash being roasted first! It’s our new favorite soup. I also agree that the stick blender is the way to go. Much more convenient than using a blender.
I’ve been making a very similar recipe for years – try adding in a large sweet potato to the roasting pan too.
I made a double batch of this to share recently, it was really good! The hardest part is peeling the squash, once you’re past that it’s all very straightforward. Having a stick blender is a really blessing for this kind of job. I separated out a portion just before adding the cream in case there were any vegans in the crowd; ultimately I ended up eating portions both with and without cream, and both were quite good, though I think the cream adds just a little something. I didn’t math it out but I have to assume the cost/portion ratio for this was great, even after sharing it I was eating soup for days.
So good!! I made it with veggie broth, fresh sage, and added an ambrosia apple. Safe to say, I will be making this recipe again this Fall!
Thank you very much for sharing, I learned a lot from your article. Very cool. Thanks.
Hello! I have some frozen butternut squash cubes I’m looking to use up. Could they work with this recipe with the roasting or would it be too mushy? Thanks!
I think that would be fine! Just keep an eye on it because it likely wouldn’t take as long to roast! You might actually want to start the onions roasting a little bit before adding the butternut squash in this case because frozen is already cooked.
Does this freeze well? Or no because of cream.
Should freeze well!
Trick for NOT PEELING butternut squash: I learned this trick from Sara Moulton on PBS. Poke whole squash 5 times with a skewer or pointy knife. Microwave 4.5 minutes on high. Now it’s easy to slice in half horizontally. Do not remove seeds yet. Roast cut side down at 400 for 40 mins until tender. Now it’s easy to scoop out the seeds and you can scoop out the innards.
Excellent! Used some roasted butternut squash that I had in my freezer. I also had some turkey broth that needed a good use. Very good.
Delicious, with a luxurious mouth-feel, velvety-smooth. “The cream really makes a difference; it’s not all…*squashy* all the time,” says my non-foodie husband. It’s a really satisfying bowl of soup, and it’s rich without being heavy.
Love it! My neighbor brought me cooked butternut squash that wasn’t roasted so I roasted the onion and squash in two batches in my little air fryer. I also used condensed milk in place of cream becuz I didn’t have any cream. Next time, I’ll use the cream. But this was great.