I’m posting this Vegan Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger today not just because it’s delicious and easy and I want to share it with you, but because I owe my mom the recipe. A few visits ago, she and I made a double batch of this soup and we froze it up for her work lunches. She asked me to make more when we were visiting a few weeks ago and I never got around to it. Sorry mom. Here’s the recipe – wish we could whip it up together.
Cutting the peel from the butternut squash is the most challenging part of making this soup. The trick to peeling these big, awkward squashes is to cut the top and bottom ends off, so they sit flat on your cutting board. Then, with a sharp knife, start from the top of the squash and cut the peel off top to bottom along the squash’s contour (watch your fingers!). Then slice the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds (I find a grapefruit spoon works well for scooping). Once that’s done, the rest is easy.
For so few ingredients, you may be surprised at this vegan butternut squash soup’s depth of flavor. Fresh ginger adds sweetness and spice, nutmeg exhales a soft creamy scent, and sweet potato feels velvety smooth in your mouth.
Vegan Butternut Squash Soup
You can make this soup with chicken broth and top with sour cream, but I also recommend trying the vegan version made with vegetable broth and drizzled with cashew cream. I’ve included the simple recipe for cashew cream in the recipe notes.
Love sweet potatoes? Don’t miss this Sweet Potato Hash. And if you’re a soup lover like me, don’t miss these other big flavored, satisfying soups: Winter Squash Soup, African Peanut Soup, Caldo Verde, Albondigas Soup, Tom Kha Gai, Pasta e Fagioli!
Vegan Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger
This amount of ginger will add a subtle flavor - feel free to increase it if you really love ginger or want the soup to have a bit more kick. To make vegan butternut squash soup, use vegetable broth and drizzle with cashew cream if desired.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion cut in to 1/2 inch chunks
- 1 large butternut squash peeled and cut in to 1 1/2 inch chunks
- 1 medium sweet potato cut in to 1 1/2 inch chunks (no need to peel)
- 4 large cloves garlic smashed and peeled
- 8 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
- 3 inch piece fresh ginger peeled and finely grated
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg preferably freshly grated whole nutmeg on a microplane
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- cashew cream (see recipe notes) or sour cream, optional
- pumpkin seeds to taste, optional
Instructions
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Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add olive oil, onions, and a pinch of salt. Cook and stir until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.
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Add squash, sweet potato, garlic, and broth to onion mixture and stir. Bring to boil. After 15 minutes, add ginger and stir. Cook 5 to 10 minutes more, or until the squash and sweet potato are tender.
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Time to puree the soup. If you have an immersion blender with a stainless steel shaft, you can puree the soup right away in the pot. If you're using a stand blender, wait until the soup cools a bit and then puree it in batches. Add nutmeg, salt, and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
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If desired, serve with a swirl of cashew cream or sour cream and a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds.
Recipe Notes
To make Cashew Cream: soak 1 cup raw cashews in enough water to cover for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours. Drain cashew water and add cashews to a blender pitcher. Add enough fresh water to cover by 1 inch and blend until smooth
This is the first butternut squash soup I’ve ever made. I followed the recipe exactly It turned out perfect!!! This is going to be a new fall favorite. Thank you for such a simple vegan recipe.
That’s wonderful, Kelli! So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for coming back to let me know.
Your mother sent me home with a serving of your Butternut, ginger soup and as soon as I tasted it, I knew I had to have the recipe. I made it tonight, and it was easy to make and turned out perfectly. I am in heaven, the ginger flavor is so yummy and the soup is just so creamy and smooth.
Hi Peggy! I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup enough to come home and make another batch!! It was very sweet of you to let me know. XOXO
Hi Marissa! This looks great. I usually bake squash or pumpkin whole and then the skin comes off easily. I find it so slippery otherwise!
That definitely makes it easier! I’ve never made this where I’ve roasted the squash and sweet potato, but I’m going to try it next time!
Love butternut squash soup! I love the addition of ginger here too…what a lovely compliment. And your mom is so lucky she got some of this for her work lunches! Gorgeous, Marissa!
Thank you, my sweet friend!
Mmm…. I love butternut squash! That super creamy texture and color is just stunning! I can see why your mom wanted the recipe – it sounds out of this world! And great tip on the grapefruit spoon! I’ll have to try that next time!
The grapefruit spoon makes it so much easier! Those little teeth, you know. 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend, my friend!
I am obsessed with everything butternut squash related, especially soups! So naturally I am loving this one! I can see why your mother wanted the recipe, because it looks creamy, dreamy and wonderfully flavorful! I could go for a few big ‘ole bowls of this right about now! Cheers, dear!
P.S. Have you tried microwaving the whole squash for a minute before peeling?? It makes it a cinch to get the skin off!! <3
I’ve heard that microwave trick, but you want to know a secret? We don’t own a microwave…they’ve always freaked me out. #weirdo Have a wonderful weekend, sweet Chey!
Hi Marissa! We grow butternut squash and they keep on shelves in the basement for about a year. I love squash and sweet potatoes (so long as they do NOT come into contact with marshmallows!). This is perfect as it has become quite chilly/cold here! I’m always happy with a good bowl of soup and some crusty bread!
Hi Dorothy! I’m always learning new things from you – I had no idea they would last that long! Agreed about the marshmallows – no thanks. And I love how you think, crusty bread makes soup that much better.
This is such a lovely soup, made all the more special. I LOVE that you’ve added sweet potato here; that’s one of the best tricks I know for getting a velvety-textured squash soup. And I bet fresh ginger really takes it to the next level!
Sweet potato is amazing isn’t it – game changer for soup. Have a wonderful weekend, my friend! xo