Vegan Butternut Squash Soup
This easy and creamy vegan butternut squash soup is comfort food in a bowl. It's sweet, smoky, and spicy, and it makes a satisfying meal with a hunk of crusty bread.
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Total Time30 minutes mins
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 94kcal
Dutch oven or large saute pan or large soup pot with lid
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger
- 1 small leek (green and white parts chopped)
- 1 small carrot (cut in small dice)
- 1 stalk celery (cut in small dice)
- 20 oz butternut squash (cut butternut squash into small cubes)
- 2 teaspoons dried sage
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 4 cups vegetable stock (or water)
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or sugar. If sugar-free, use stevia or erythritol instead)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For optional pumpkin cream
Saute the aromatic base ingredients. Heat the oil, add the crushed ginger and saute for a few seconds. Add the leeks, carrots and celery, season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened but not brown, about five minutes over medium heat.
Add the butternut squash and herbs. Saute the butternut squash for a couple of minutes, then add the sage, water, maple syrup and paprika. Stir, cover and cook 8-10 minutes or until the squash is soft and a fork goes cleanly and easily through.
Blend the soup. Transfer the soup to a blender and blend until smooth. The soup is very hot, so exercise caution and follow manufacturer instructions on blending hot liquids. If you have an immersion blender you can blend the soup right in the pot. Or if you have a food mill pass the soup through the food mill to puree.
Finish the soup. Return the soup to the pot and bring back to a simmer. Check seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed. Turn off the heat.
Make the optional pumpkin cream
Helpful tips
- For easy prep use pre-cut butternut squash cubes.
- If you don't like added oils in your food, saute the ginger, leeks, carrots and celery in ¼ cup vegetable stock instead of oil.
- To make the soup low carb friendly, skip the maple syrup and use erythritol or stevia instead. This will bring down net carbs to 11 grams per serving.
- Don't add too much of the leeks and celery for a more vividly colored soup. Just one small leek and one celery will add enough flavor without toning down the orange color too much.
- You can make the soup as thick or thin as you like. If you find the consistency too thick, thin out with more water or vegetable stock. If you accidentally make it too thin, cook a little longer or stir in a slurry of ½ teaspoon cornstarch mixed with two teaspoons water and bring to a boil.
- This soup tastes amazing with butternut squash, but you can also use another orange-fleshed winter squash, including pumpkin and acorn squash.
Storage instructions
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to three days. To freeze the soup, place it in a freezer safe container and freeze up to three months. Thaw in refrigerator and reheat before serving.
Calories: 94kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Potassium: 350mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 9182IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 1mg