This healthy butternut squash and carrot soup recipe is perfect for a chilly day. It’s made with fresh ginger, onion, garlic and creamy coconut milk. All healthy whole food ingredients that you can feel good about – and it’s vegan and dairy-free too!
Hello November!
On the bright side of all this cold weather is soup season (and Thanksgiving and Christmas…and then it’s all downhill til spring…but we don’t need to think about that right now).
I have the perfect soup recipe to make on a cold day when you have a little extra time in the kitchen. You’ll be able to find most of the ingredients at the farmers market too – bonus!
I’m talking about homemade butternut squash and carrot soup with ginger. All pureed together with coconut milk until it’s smooth.
If you haven’t made from-scratch pureed soup before, trust me it’s easy. All you need is a regular high-speed blender or immersion blender.
The first time I had homemade pureed soup was when I lived in France. The couple I lived with made them often. It was as simple as boiling some vegetables from the garden, then sticking an immersion blender into the soup pot to puree all that goodness into out of this world soups.
Once you know how to make pureed soups at home, you’ll feel like a gourmet chef. And you may never buy another box of butternut squash soup from the grocery store again.
(For my easiest butternut squash soup recipe, check out this 3-ingredient butternut squash soup. It’s made with veggie broth, and like this one it’s good for those on plant-based diets.)
Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup Ingredients
This comforting soup recipe is made with all healthy ingredients. And it happens to be a vegan butternut squash soup because it’s made without chicken broth, butter or heavy cream.
Butternut squash and carrots – You’ll need a 1.5 to 2 pound butternut squash to get the 2 cups of roasted butternut squash for this homemade soup recipe. Plus 2 large carrots.
Fresh ginger – Fresh ginger pairs beautifully with carrots and butternut squash…and it’s super healthy too! I’ll show you how to simmer the ginger in water to make a ginger tea as the base of this soup.
Garlic and yellow onion – Roasted garlic and onion bring depth of flavor to this delicious soup.
Coconut milk – Coconut flavor is a classic pairing with butternut squash soup and it gives the soup a nice creamy texture. Be sure to use unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk without added gums.
Olive oil – Before roasting, we’ll rub all the veggies in a little olive oil to keep them from drying out.
Salt and pepper – Roasted veggies are quite sweet. A little salt and pepper will help balance that sweetness.
How to Make Butternut Squash Carrot Soup
We’ll start by roasting the veggies for this healthy soup recipe. Then puree the simple ingredients together with coconut milk and a homemade ginger tea.
1. Roast the vegetables
Cut the stem end off the fresh butternut squash then slice it in half, lengthwise. Remove the seeds and pulp with a metal spoon or ice cream scoop.
Rub some olive oil into the flesh so it’s fully covered (except the skin).
Place the squash halves onto a large rimmed baking sheet, lined with parchment paper.
Important: Choose a baking sheet that’s large enough to also hold the carrots, onions and garlic – which we’ll add to it later.
Now a 3-step process to roast the vegetables.
Step 1: Roast the squash for 30 minutes
Put the squash into an oven that’s preheated to 425 F and set a timer for 30 minutes.
While the squash roasts, we’re going to prepare a homemade ginger tea as the base of this soup.
Peel and finely dice up a piece of fresh ginger to make a tablespoon of ginger. Put the ginger in a small pot with two cups of water and bring it to a simmer on the stovetop for 15 minutes. When it’s done, strain out the ginger pieces and save the tea to use in the soup.
While the tea is simmering, peel two large carrots and slice them in half lengthwise. Then cut each length into two chunks. Rub the carrots with some olive oil.
Then cut a quarter of a medium onion into 4 chunks. Peel 2 large, or 3 small, cloves of garlic. Toss the onion and garlic in a little olive oil.
Step 2: Roast the squash and carrots for 15 minutes
When the 30 minute timer goes off, add the carrots to the baking sheet with the butternut squash and place it back in the oven for 15 minutes.
Step 3: Roast all the veggies for 10 minutes
When 15 minutes is up, add the onions and garlic to the baking sheet in a heap. They’ll cook better in a heap and be less likely to dry out versus spreading them out in a single layer. Flip the carrots.
At this point your squash might be done roasting. If it’s fork tender and starting to brown, you can remove it from the pan. If it needs more time leave it on with the carrots, onion and garlic.
Place the baking sheet back in the oven for just 10 minutes.
After this point all the vegetables should be done roasting. If your butternut squash is larger than about 1.75 pounds it might need more time. In that case, remove the carrots, onions and garlic and put the squash back in the oven until it’s done.
2. Puree the butternut squash and carrot soup
Use a metal spoon to scoop out all the butternut squash from the skin. You’ll need 2 packed cups of mashed squash to make the soup.
At this point we’re ready to puree our ingredients into a healthy soup!
If you’re using an immersion blender place everything in a large pot. Otherwise you can puree the soup in a high-speed blender.
- 2 cups mashed butternut squash
- Roasted carrots
- Roasted garlic and onion
- 1 1/4 cup ginger tea (strain the ginger pieces out first!)
- 3/4 cups coconut milk
- Salt (2 pinches) and black pepper (1 pinch)
Blend into a creamy soup, then check the consistency. Depending on the exact size of the carrots, it may need more liquid. In that case, or if you prefer a thinner soup, add equal parts ginger tea and coconut milk.
Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if desired.
Warm the soup in a pot over medium-low heat on the stove top. Ladle the hot soup into bowls and it’s ready to enjoy!
Creamy butternut squash soup is a delicious first course before the main dish. It’s also a perfect lunch served with a hunk of crusty bread!
Store leftover soup in an airtight container in your fridge and reheat on the stove top.
Toppings for Butternut Squash Soup
Here are some optional toppings that I like on butternut squash soup:
- Grated parmesan cheese
- Coconut flakes (unsweetened)
- Cayenne pepper for a spicy kick
- Sprinkle of curry powder
- A swirl of greek yogurt
- Dried or fresh herbs, such as parsley or sage
More Butternut Squash Recipes
Here are a couple more healthy recipes made with butternut squash at Fed by the Farm:
Is Butternut Squash Soup Healthy?
You might be wondering if butternut squash soup is healthy. The answer is yes, so long as it’s made with healthy ingredients of course. Healthy ingredients include things like vegetables and fresh or dried herbs.
Butternut squash itself is loaded with healthy nutrients. The one cup of cooked butternut squash that you’ll consume by eating a serving of this homemade soup has (source):
- 82 calories and 6.56 grams of fiber
- 30% of the daily value of vitamin C!
- 12% the daily value of potassium
- 1.8 grams of protein
Where butternut squash soup can potentially get less healthy, is with the soup base. For example, many butternut squash soup recipes use a base of chicken stock or vegetable broth. If these broths are store-bought they may include unhealthy ingredients, so it’s important to read the ingredient labels.
My healthy butternut squash soup is made with a base of homemade ginger tea (just fresh ginger simmered in water) and coconut milk.
Each serving of soup contains slightly more than a quarter cup of coconut milk (coconut milk is made by mixing coconut flesh with water). As far as its nutrient profile, coconut milk is high in fat, but these are medium-chain saturated fatty acids, which have health benefits.
Coconut milk is also antimicrobial and anti-fungal. It’s thought that the consumption of coconut milk may help protect the body from infections and viruses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make a double batch of this butternut soup recipe?
Yes you can make a double batch (or triple) if you’ll be feeding a crowd. The recipe as provided makes enough for two generous portions of soup. The only tricky part about increasing the portions will be fitting it all in a blender. That’s why, if you’re making a double batch I recommend using an immersion blender rather than a stand blender. Then you can put all the ingredients in a large pot and purée everything into one big pot of soup.
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Healthy Butternut Squash & Carrot Soup Recipe (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 farm-fresh butternut squash 1.5-2 lbs
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
- 2 large carrots
- 1/4 medium yellow onion
- 2 large cloves garlic or 3 small cloves
- 3/4 cup full-fat coconut milk unsweetened
- 2 pinches salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Cut the stem end off the fresh butternut squash then slice it in half, lengthwise. Remove the seeds and pulp with a metal spoon or ice cream scoop.Rub some olive oil into the flesh so it’s fully covered (except the skin).Place the squash halves onto a large rimmed baking sheet, lined with parchment paper.
- Put the squash into an oven that’s preheated to 425 F and set a timer for 30 minutes.
- Peel and finely dice up a piece of fresh ginger to make a tablespoon of ginger.Put the ginger in a small pot with two cups of water and bring it to a simmer on the stovetop for 15 minutes.When it’s done, strain out the ginger pieces and save the tea to use in the soup.
- While the tea is simmering, peel two large carrots and slice them in half lengthwise. Then cut each length into two chunks. Rub the carrots with some olive oil.Then cut a quarter of a medium onion into 4 chunks. Peel 2 large, or 3 small, cloves of garlic. Toss the onion and garlic in a little olive oil.
- When the 30 minute timer goes off, add the carrots to the baking sheet with the butternut squash and place it back in the oven for 15 minutes.
- When 15 minutes is up, add the onions and garlic to the baking sheet in a heap. They’ll cook better in a heap and be less likely to dry out versus spreading them out in a single layer. Flip the carrots.At this point your squash might be done roasting. If it’s fork tender and starting to brown, you can remove it from the pan. If it needs more time leave it on with the carrots, onion and garlic.
- Place the baking sheet back in the oven for just 10 minutes.At this point all the vegetables should be done roasting.
- Use a metal spoon to scoop out all the butternut squash from the skin. You’ll need 2 packed cups of mashed squash to make the soup.
- At this point we’re ready to puree our ingredients into a healthy soup!If you’re using an immersion blender place the following ingredients in a large pot. Otherwise you can puree the soup in a high-speed blender.– 2 cups mashed butternut squash– Roasted carrots– Roasted garlic and onion– 1 1/4 cup ginger tea (strain the ginger pieces out first!)– 3/4 cups coconut milk– Salt (2 pinches) and black pepper (1 pinch)
- Blend into a creamy soup, then check the consistency. Depending on the exact size of the carrots, or how well the squash was mashed, it may need more liquid. If so, add equal parts ginger tea and coconut milk.Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if desired.Warm the soup in a pot over medium-low heat on the stove top. Ladle the hot soup into bowls and it’s ready to enjoy!
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