Healthy and easy butternut squash soup is ready in just 40 minutes. Only 97 calories and 8g net carbs per cup! Use coconut milk for a dairy free option.
This creamy and healthy butternut squash soup is one of my favorite soups. In my tasty version, Parmesan cheese adds texture and flavor, while a touch of heavy cream adds silkiness and enhances the soup’s delicate flavor, without overwhelming it with fat and calories.
How to make butternut squash soup from scratch
It’s actually very easy to make homemade butternut squash soup:
- Simply cook cubed butternut squash in some chicken broth and spices.
- Then blend it with an immersion blender right in the stockpot. Or puree the soup in batches in a blender or food processor.
- The last step is to add the dairy ingredients that add wonderful flavor and creaminess – just a little heavy cream and Parmesan cheese.
I usually use pre-cut butternut squash cubes, available at Whole Foods and at many supermarkets. Which means this recipe is SUPER easy!
What are the ingredients for butternut squash soup?
This homemade butternut squash soup has a short list of ingredients. It’s basically made with:
- Butternut squash
- Chicken broth
- Spices
- Heavy cream
- Parmesan
What spices do you add to butternut squash soup?
In addition to salt and pepper, I like to add garlic and onion powders, and dried thyme. Some people make Indian flavored butternut squash soup, using curry powder. I haven’t tried it, but it actually sounds very good.
How do you serve butternut squash soup?
I usually serve it as an appetizer, but it’s so rich and filling that you can easily serve it as a main course. Simply serve it in a bowl instead of a cup, with these wonderful almond flour cheese biscuits.
I need this recipe to be dairy-free and/or vegan
No problem! Simply omit the Parmesan, and use full-fat canned coconut milk instead of the heavy cream. And if you need it to be vegan, use vegetable stock instead of the chicken stock.
Is butternut squash soup healthy?
I believe it is very healthy. Butternut squash itself is very healthy. If you can make the soup with homemade chicken broth, that’s best. But even with organic store bought chicken broth, it’s a healthy dish.
A 1-cup serving of this butternut squash soup recipe has 97 calories, 5g of fat, 11g carbs and 3g fiber. So it’s not even very high in carbs. It contains 134% of your daily vitamin A requirements and 20% of vitamin C. So this is a very fine choice.
How to keep leftovers
I very rarely have any leftovers when making this soup. This recipe makes six 1-cup servings, and we are a family of four, so each of us enjoys 1.5 cups. But in case you do have leftovers, they keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheat them gently, covered, in the microwave. You might need to thin the leftovers with a bit of water, as the soup tends to thicken as it stands in the fridge.
More tasty soup recipes
If you love hearty soups as much as I do, you should definitely check out my soup recipes! A few of my favorites are cream of broccoli soup, spicy cabbage soup and easy egg drop soup.
Butternut Squash Soup
INGREDIENTS
- 3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt (not fine table salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 cups butternut squash, cubed (20 oz)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a medium stockpot, whisk together the chicken broth, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and thyme.
- Add the butternut squash. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower heat to medium, cover, and cook until the butternut squash is very tender, about 20 minutes.
- Puree the soup in batches in your blender or food processor, or use an immersion blender to puree it straight in the stockpot.
- Return the soup to the pot. Turn the heat back on to medium. Stir in the heavy cream and Parmesan and cook just until heated through, about 2 more minutes. Serve immediately.
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., has been following a healthy real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She has taken 
