Velvety smooth and creamy, this coconut butternut squash soup is a must on any cold fall day! Subtle hint of ginger, a sprinkle of warm spices and rich coconut milk make this butternut squash so flavorful and cozy!
This naturally vegan and healthy, yet hearty soup is ready in less than 45 minutes. Plus, with a smart shortcuts and/or advanced prep, you can make this soup in less than 30 minutes!
Cozy, cozy, cozy!! That’s all I want to scream when it comes to this deliciously cozy butternut squash soup! Seriously, when you need to warm up on a breezy fall day, a bowl of this creamy thick coconut butternut squash soup will do the trick.
Subtle hint of ginger, a sprinkle of warm spices and rich coconut milk make this butternut squash so flavorful.
But if you want to save time on a busy weeknight and add more flavor to the soup, I encourage you to roast the squash in advance. Like on your meal prep day… That way, not only will you save lots of time, but you’ll also add major flavor to your meal.
HOW TO MAXIMIZE FLAVOR IN THIS BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP?
While this’s super simple soup, we’re adding lots of flavor in small layers. Let’s take a closer look:
- Shallot is a great addition for this butternut squash, because it doesn’t overpower the dish as a regular onion would do. However, it adds that milder and sweeter flavor that compliments the delicate butternut squash flavor. Plus, finely chopped shallots cooks really quick!
- Fresh ginger, or ginger paste adds slightly spicy warming flavor to the soup.
- Roasting spices in hot pot with vegetables intensifies the flavor of the spices. This technique is called blooming the spices, which I learned it from Indian cooking. You’ll love the fragrant aroma during this step!
- Also quickly roasting the vegetables in a hot pot caramelizes butternuts squash, giving it deep flavors. If you notice some browning in the pot, it’s actually a good thing. Just make sure to keep stirring everything to prevent burning. And as soon as you notice the vegetables start to stick to the bottom, or close to burning, add a splash of broth and deglaze the pot by scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon. Then add the rest of the broth, followed by coconut milk.
- And last, but not least, garnishes. We highly recommend serving this soup with some pepitas (pumpkin seeds) or toasted (unsweetened) coconut flakes for texture. You’d be surprised how a little bit of texture adds complexity to this simple soup.
USEFUL TOOLS TO MAKE THIS BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP:
This inexpensive immersion blender (less than $30) is a super handy tool to turn chunky soup into velvety smooth one in matter of seconds! But if you don’t have an immersion blender, you can definitely use your regular stand blender.
To blend the soup in a stand blender, be very careful and take the following precautions:
- Never fill the blender more than half way.
- Remove the center cap on the lid, or open the pouring spout (if you have Ninja blender) and cover it with a kitchen towel.
- Hold the towel in place and blend on low speed until desired consistency. Work in batches, if needed.
If you fill the blender to the top with hot liquid and blend, the steam from the soup could build up pressure and blow up the lid, spraying hot soup all over the kitchen.
Coconut Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash about 2.5lbs, peeled and seeded (Note 1)
- 1 shallot
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
- ½ tablespoon ginger paste Note 2
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder
- 2 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
- 1 can full fat coconut milk (14oz)
For garnish:
- ¼ cup pepitas pumpkin seeds, optional
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
- Cut butternut squash into small cubes.
- Finely chop shallot.
- Heat a large pot over medium high heat. Add avocado oil.
- Once oil is hot, stir in shallot. Cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in squash, ginger, salt, cumin and ginger powder. Cook for another 2 minutes or so, stirring frequently, until nice and fragrant. (Roasting spices in a hot pan is known as blooming the spices, which wakes up the flavors, making them more intense.)
- Pour in broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to deglaze.
- And then add coconut milk. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes, or until squash is tender.
- Blend the soup, using an immersion blender, or transfer into a regular stand blender and blend until smooth. Be super careful!!!
- Garnish with pepitas, or coconut flakes (or both!) and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full nutrition disclosure.
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