It’s a cool drizzly day, and I’m dreaming about butternut squash soup with coconut milk and fresh herbs from the garden. This delicious, cozy, creamy soup is so easy to make and so delicious! If you’ve been looking for an easy roasted butternut squash soup recipe (that’s easy to make for a for crowd), today is the day for you!

This is one of those soup recipes that will keep the whole family happy all winter long. Made with warm spices and creamy coconut milk, this is a winner! Serve this fantastic recipe with a piece of crusty bread or my homemade pumpkin seed sourdough bread.

What is butternut squash?

To start, if you aren’t familiar with butternut squash, it’s a large winter squash with a pale orange skin and a bright orange buttery/nutty flavored flesh. Butternut squash are grown in the summer, and they are harvested/eaten in the fall/winter most commonly, which is why it is categorized as “Winter squash.” The flavor could easily be compared to the taste of pumpkin; and, in fact, it makes a perfect substitute for pumpkin in most recipes!

How to make simple butternut squash soup

In my opinion, this soup (with roasted vegetables) is the easiest way to make the best butternut squash soup. To give you an overview of the process, here are the basic steps of how to make this recipe with a few simple ingredients:

Prick the squash all over with a sharp knife, and prepare the vegetables (carrots and cauliflower). Roast them in the oven until soft.
Sauté the onions until translucent; then add the rest of the ingredients (veggies, broth, spices and coconut milk), and bring the mixture to a boil on medium heat.
Purée the hot liquids with the vegetables and spices using an immersion blender until smooth.
Simmer 30 minutes, and then serve.

If you prefer to save the time it takes to roast the vegetables (ie, you don’t want to roast your veggies), you can start on step 5 of the recipe card (full recipe below) and just throw the raw veggies, peeled, washed and chopped, into your pot with the chicken broth and cook them until soft. Then proceed with the recipe as directed, adding the rest of the ingredients and puréeing the mixture. Allow it to simmer for at least 30 minutes before serving.

What spices to use for butternut squash soup

For this recipe, I’m using a select few spices to bring out the flavor of the squash, accent its natural sweetness, and make a savory, delicious soup. Here’s what you need:

Salt

Sea salt is my favorite, but any type of salt will do. Salt makes this soup savory and delicious!

Pepper

Fresh ground black pepper will give you the best flavor. Pepper is the perfect complement to salt, and it adds to tiniest bit of spice to this recipe.

Cinnamon

You can use a whole cinnamon stick and discard it when the soup is done, but I am just using ground cinnamon for this recipe. Cinnamon is the best friend of winter squash and pumpkin, accenting the natural sweetness of the squash, and pairing beautifully with the creamy coconut milk in this recipe.

Ginger

Fresh or dried ginger are both delicious. For this recipe, I’m using dried ground ginger, but you can easily sub it out for 1-2 tsp grated or minced fresh ginger. Ginger makes a great addition to this soup, pairing with cinnamon, complementing the sweetness of the soup, and adding a little extra spice.

Is this butternut squash soup vegan?

You can easily make this butternut squash soup vegan by substituting the chicken broth for vegetable broth. Likewise, the butter in this recipe can be substituted for olive oil or coconut oil with great results.

How to make your own chicken stock

Here’s my basic method for making my own chicken broth: Place a 3lb (1.5kg) raw bone-in chicken (a whole chicken is usually perfect) into a large pot with about 1 tsp of salt, 1/2 an onion and a gallon (16 cups or 4L) of water. Bring this to a boil, reduce it to a simmer, and cook for 2 hours. Remove the chicken from the broth, and de-bone to use in other cooking. Put the rest of the broth through a fine mesh sieve to strain it, and discard the bones. Store the broth in small containers in the fridge or freezer for cooking.*

This recipe is a basic cooking chicken stock; it is not seasoned for chicken soup (in other words, it has a very low salt content).

Making your own vegetable stock from scratch

The key to making good vegetable broth is a backbone of 4 basic ingredients: onions, celery, parsley and salt. From there, you can add pretty much any vegetable scraps*, and you’ll get a pretty decent broth to use for cooking. Make your own vegetable soup broth with a 1:1 ratio of vegetables/veggie scraps to water with about 2 tsp salt per 1/2 gallon of water. Cook this until the vegetables are very tender and the broth has good flavor. Strain off the vegetables, and use the veggie broth for cooking as desired.

Example, in a large stock pot, you can use this to make your own vegetable stock:

8 cups (2L) vegetables/veggie scraps (making sure to include at least 1 large onion, 3-4 ribs of celery, and a handful of parsley)
8 cups (1/2 gallon, 2L) water
2 tsp (10ml) salt

*Note that sweet vegetables like carrots will add a natural sweetness to the broth.

Squash soup garnishes

You can garnish your squash soup with a number of different things to make it extra pretty and delicious. Try any one or a couple of the following garnishes to make your creamy butternut squash soup look and taste amazing:

Coconut milk/cream
Parsley
Cilantro
Pumpkin seeds
Sesame seeds
Cinnamon
Maple syrup (just a tiny bit)

In these pictures, I’ve garnished my soup with a drizzle of heavy cream and a sprig of cilantro.

Recipe substitutes

For this recipe, there are a few easy substitutes you can make that are delicious! I’ll note them below:

Squash: Use acorn squash or pumpkin instead of butternut squash. Acorn squash is much more starchy, however, so you may want to add a little extra broth to thin the soup out a little bit. This recipe can be used to make pumpkin soup easily by substituting the squash for pumpkin purée.
Coconut milk: You can use regular cream (10%) or evaporated milk as a substitute for coconut milk. These delicious options will still give you that rich, creamy texture.
Chicken broth: Substitute chicken broth for vegetable broth, if desired.

How to store butternut squash soup

You can keep your leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer for next time! This soup will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for several months.

You will need:

Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk

This creamy butternut squash soup is complemented perfectly with sweet spices, coconut milk, and the flavor of fresh herbs. This is a large batch recipe, perfect for making ahead or for serving a crowd!

Course Dinner, lunch

Cuisine American, Canadian

Keyword butternut squash, soup

Prep Time 2 hours

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 3 hours

Author Naomi

Ingredients

1 large (4 lb) butternut squash
1 medium carrot
1/2 medium head cauliflower (about 4 cups, chopped)
1/2 cup water
1 small cooking onion
2-1/2 Tbsp butter (or olive oil, for a vegan option)
1-1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2-1/2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth, for a vegan option)
1 can coconut milk
1 handful fresh parsley or cilantro washed
1 handful parsley or cilantro to garnish (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Prick the squash all over with the tip of a sharp knife, to let steam escape as it bakes. Bake the squash in the oven for an 1 to 1-1/2 hours, or until soft.
Tip: Check the squash by sticking a knife into the long, narrow part at the top (the fat part– where the seeds are– has less flesh, and it will cook faster.) If a knife inserted into the top of the squash goes in easily, it is done.
In the meantime, wash and cut the cauliflower, and set it aside. Peel the carrots and cut into chunks, and place with the cauliflower into a small roasting pan or casserole dish with 1/2 cup water. Cover with a lid or foil, and bake in the oven next to the squash) for about 30 minutes. Remove the covering, and bake uncovered for another 1/2 hour (or until soft).
Cut the baked squash lengthways down the center and scoop out the seeds with a large spoon. Scrape the flesh off of the skin and set it aside with the baked cauliflower and carrot chunks. Discard the squash seeds and skin.
Chop the onion into small pieces and add it to the large stock pot. Sauté the onions in butter until transparent. Add the squash, cauliflower, and carrots, chicken broth, spices, herbs, and coconut milk.
Bring the mixture to a boil, and then purée with an immersion blender.* Reduce the heat to low, and simmer at least 1/2 hour before serving.
*Alternatively, you can blend the vegetables and herbs in the food processor until smooth, and then add it to the pot with the other ingredients.
Garnish with fresh parsley or cilantro and serve hot. For presentation, you can also drizzle a bit of cream or coconut milk on top.

If you like this recipe, you may also like:

That’s all for today, friends! If you make this recipe, let me know what you thought in the comments! Or, if it’s easier, you can always tag me in your gorgeous food photos on Instagram @naomicakesofficial – I love to see when you guys are enjoying my recipes!

Back soon,

Naomi

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Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk [Recipe]