The best butternut squash soup recipe! It’s sweet, creamy, and perfectly spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg. It’s cheap and easy to prepare, and you can make it with pantry staples!
Like most people, I loaded up on pantry goods in preparation for this quarantine. I had a butternut squash that had been sitting on my counter forever and a pantry full of coconut milk and onions.
Also, like most of us during this trying time, I’ve been searching for comfort. Cue this butternut squash soup – it’s the perfect way to use up some pantry goods and is comfort in a bowl.
This butternut squash soup is sweet, salty, and spiced (not spicy, spiced!). I used chai spices here because they’re my favorite! Cinnamon, nutmeg, and the MVP cardamom work so well with butternut squash!
To make the spices really pop I created a dimension of sweet by adding some maple syrup. The coconut milk naturally has a hint of sweetness as well, and gives this soup some extra creaminess without any dairy!
Ingredients
Butternut Squash: Use a large butternut squash, this will make the soup nice and thick and creamy.
Coconut Milk: This gives this butternut squash soup a lot of extra creaminess with no heavy cream or dairy!
Onion: A sweet onion works best here, but whatever you have on hand should work fine!
Garlic: Minced garlic will incorporate with the other flavors best.
Cinnamon, Cardamom, Nutmeg: A delicious spice trio that goes great with butternut squash!
Vegetable Broth: I used a low sodium vegetable broth so that I could control the saltiness myself.
Pure Maple Syrup: Loaded with antioxidants and nutrients. It brings out the flavors in the spices and squash beautifully. I added it in last, with the heat off to help preserve the nutritional benefits.
Salt: Amount of salt you use will depend on the saltiness of your broth and your flavor preference.
How to make butternut squash soup
First, start off by cutting your squash in half (lengthwise). Scoop out the seeds with a spoon (you can save them for later to roast!). Next, you’ll put each half flesh side facing down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (no need for oil!).
Bake at 400F for 45-50 minutes until it’s super soft to the touch. Allow
Next, you’ll cook up your sliced onion. To avoid using oil in this recipe, I used two tablespoons of the hardened cream on top of a can of chilled/unshaken coconut milk (we’ll pour in the rest at the end so no need to worry about it going unused in your fridge).
Once the onion is nice and soft (it should look almost translucent), add in the minced garlic and spices. Cooking the spices like this intensifies their flavor and gives off an intoxicating aroma which is the best part of cooking amirite?
Next pour in your broth and go grab your squash.
Scoop out the flesh of the cooked squash and transfer it to your pot (to save a step you can transfer it directly to your blender but I like to add it to the pot to allow all the flavors to meld together for 5-10 minutes first).
Next, transfer the mixture to a blender (I use a Vitamix for an ultra
Pour the blended mixture back into the pot and with the heat off, add in some maple syrup. I love the salty and sweet combo so I added 1/2 cup, but you can adjust that amount to suit your tastes.
Next, add in the remaining can of coconut milk (I like to top each bowl with a drizzle of coconut milk so save some for that if you want). Then add in spices and salt to taste. P
Next the fun part, toppings! I like to drizzle each bowl with a swirl of coconut milk, more cinnamon, cardamon, roasted seeds, and red pepper flakes for a little spice!
If you try this recipe tag me on Instagram @wholesomehedonista! I love seeing your creations. Also, comment below to let me know how you liked it!
Spiced Butternut Squash Soup (Vegan, Oil-Free)
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash
- 1 can coconut milk Chilled/unshaken (two tablespoons of thick cream separated)
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon +more to taste
- 1 teaspoon cardamom +more to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 quart vegetable broth
- 1/4-1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Cut butternut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place both halves flesh side down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 45-50 minutes until soft.
- While squash cools, melt 2 tablespoons of the hardened cream on top of can of coconut milk in a large pot over medium heat. Once melted, add in onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes.
- Next add in garlic, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg. Cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Pour in vegetable broth.
- Scoop out flesh from roasted squash and add it to your pot. Cook for 5-10 minutes to meld flavors then transfer to a high powered blender (I use this one!) and blend until smooth or use an immersion blender in the pot.
- With the heat off, add in maple syrup to taste* and remaining can of coconut milk (reserving some for garnish if desired). Next add salt and spices to taste. I added a generous amount of cinnamon and cardamon and about 1 tablespoon of salt.
- Top with whatever you like! I topped mine with coconut milk, cardamom, cinnamon, roasted seeds, hot sauce and red pepper flakes for a little kick!
Notes
Nutrition
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