Keep cosy and warm by making a batch of this Butternut squash and Sweet Potato Soup. Roasting the vegetables enhances their natural sweetness and flavour. You’ll want to make this again and again during the chilly Autumn/Winter months.
When the weather starts to turn colder, we all tend to turn to comfort food like simple, nourishing soups that are easy to prepare.
Minestrone soup, cream of mushroom soup, Scottish tattie soup and lentil soup all make regular appearances in my kitchen when it starts to turn cold.
This easy butternut squash and sweet potato soup recipe is one of my favourites. It ticks all the boxes – warming, healthy, filling and relatively cheap to make.
ingredient list
Keep scrolling to the bottom of this post to find a printable recipe card with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
- Butternut squash, deseeded and cut into small cubes. I don’t usually peel the squash. It’s fiddly, time-consuming and there are a lot of nutrients in the skin, including fibre and Vitamin A. However, please go ahead and peel it if you wish.
- onions. I like the sweetness of a red onion, but you can use a regular onion instead.
- Fresh thyme. If you don’t have any, swap for one teaspoon of dried thyme. If you have neither, don’t worry. Herbs do add extra flavour, but they aren’t essential. Sage and Rosemary are also lovely with this soup.
- Olive oil (not extra virgin) for roasting the vegetables.
- fresh garlic adds depth and flavour. If you can’t eat or don’t care for garlic, feel free to omit it, but it makes a huge difference to the taste.
- vegetable stock. I prefer the flavour of a stock pot, but you can use a stock cube if you can’t find the pots. Of course, you could be super organised and have homemade stock in your fridge/freezer! I’m afraid that’s just not me these days – I don’t have the time.
- spices – I love to add a little ground cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg to the vegetables before roasting them – it adds a lovely warmth. See my recipe notes below for alternative suggestions.
how to make butternut squash and sweet potato soup
- Prepare the vegetables: Cut the butternut squash in half, remove the seeds and cut into 3-4 cm chunks. (If you prefer to peel the squash, please go ahead.) Peel and chop the sweet potatoes. Peel the onion and cut into fairly large chunks. Separate the garlic cloves but don’t peel them. Place the vegetables and the unpeeled garlic cloves in a large roasting tin.
TOP TIP! Leaving the garlic cloves unpeeled will prevent them from burning in the oven and becoming bitter. Once the cloves are roasted and golden, the skins will slip off quite easily.
2. Add oil and herbs. Drizzle the vegetables with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and add some fresh or dried thyme if using along with the ground cinnamon and nutmeg.
3. Roast the vegetables. Season the vegetables with a little salt and pepper and roast in the oven 180C/160fan/350F for around 45 minutes or until golden, soft and slightly charred around the edges.
4. Blend the vegetables and stock together. Using a freestanding or hand-held blender, blend the roasted vegetables with the hot vegetable or chicken stock (please watch you don’t get splattered!) to your desired consistency. If I’m using my stick blender, I transfer the roasted vegetables to a large saucepan and pour in the stock.
You can leave the soup slightly chunky or make it super smooth. I prefer butternut squash soup smooth and silky, but with a little bit of texture. At this stage, you’ll need to taste the soup to see if it needs more salt and pepper.
Serving suggestions
Soup and homemade bread is always a winning combination. If you’re in the mood for a little baking, my soft sandwich loaf recipe is the perfect accompaniment to a bowl of hot soup. Or if you’re in the mood for something a little bit fancier, you could give these gorgeous pumpkin bread rolls a try!
recipe notes
- If you want to save time, you can use the pre-prepared packets of peeled and chopped sweet potato and butternut squash. You’ll find packets in the chilled section of most large supermarkets. I find 3 x 300g packs is just the right amount for this recipe.
faqs
If you prefer a creamy soup, stir in 100ml of double (heavy) cream and gently heat for about five minutes. You could also use Greek yoghurt or Creme Fraiche.
If you add cream, don’t allow the soup to come to the boil or the cream could split, ruining the soup.
For a vegan alternative, use a plant based cream such as Oatly or Alpro.
Roasting the vegetables before blending them into a soup brings out all their natural sweetness and makes for a really delicious and flavoursome soup. I use the same method for another favourite soup of mine – sweet potato and red pepper soup. However, if you would prefer not to do this, please see below for how to make the soup on the hob/stovetop.
You don’t have to peel the butternut squash – it’s entirely your choice. The skin of a squash is perfectly edible and packed full of goodness. Once the squash is roasted the skin is quite soft, but if you want to peel it by all means go ahead.
Without a doubt yes. Butternut squash is an excellent source of fibre and is also full of potassium. Sweet potatoes are also full of fibre, Vitamins B and C and minerals including Iron and Calcium.
If you don’t need the soup to be vegan, then you can swap the vegetable stock for chicken stock.
hob/stove top instructions for this recipe
If you are short on time you could skip roasting the vegetables, but I really believe this is 100% worth doing. It really intensifies the flavour of the soup. But we all need to try and save on our energy bills right now so here’s how I cook the soup on the hob…..
- Place a large saucepan on the hob and add some olive oil. Gently sauté the onions in the oil for about 8-10 minutes or until they are soft and translucent (you don’t want them to brown).
- Add crushed garlic (obviously, you’ll need to peel the garlic cloves) and sauté for two minutes, then add the spices.
- Add the cubed butternut squash, sweet potato and stock. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat to low-medium and simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 15-20 minutes. Blend the soup to the desired consistency and season to taste.
variations
This is a really adaptable soup recipe. To ring the changes, here’s some ideas to try –
- add a couple of fresh carrots – simply peel, chop and add them to the roasting tin
- Experiment by adding different herbs – a few sprigs of rosemary or sage instead of the thyme works really well
- add some ground turmeric, grated ginger and curry paste or powder for a curried butternut squash soup. Love a curried soup? Try this spiced parsnip soup recipe.
- butternut squash soup with coconut milk is really delicious
- If you like a spicy, warming soup, add some chilli flakes to the vegetables before roasting
storing butternut squash soup
Once the soup has completely cooled down, store it in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To reheat, transfer to a saucepan and reheat over a low-medium heat until piping hot. The soup will thicken up in the fridge, so you will need to add a splash of water or stock.
You can also reheat the soup in a microwave.
freezing
Place the completely cooled soup in a lidded container or thick freezer bags (these soup and sauce bags from Lakeland are very good) and freeze for up to 3 months.
Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before reheating in a saucepan over a low-medium heat (see above for reheating instructions).
more comforting soup recipes to try
If you like this recipe, you might also like….
- For even more soup recipes, check out my soup archive
Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup
Keep warm this Winter by making a batch of this warming butternut squash and sweet potato soup! Roasting the vegetables brings out their natural sweetness and makes a delicious and flavourful soup.
Ingredients
- 500G Sweet Potatoes, peeled and chopped into rough chunks (about 3-4 cm)
- 1 Butternut Squash, cut into chunks about the same size as the sweet potato (about 500G)
- 1 Large Red or brown Onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 or 2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- A few Sprigs of Fresh Thyme leaves stripped (you can also use fresh rosemary or sage)
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1.5 - 2 Litres Vegetable (or chicken) Stock
- Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/180Fan/400F.
- Place the sweet potatoes, butternut squash, red onion, a few sprigs of fresh thyme and the garlic cloves if using in a roasting tin. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle over the ground nutmeg, cinnamon and a good grinding of salt and freshly ground back pepper. Roast for about 45 minutes -1 hour or until the vegetables are soft, caramelised and slightly charred around the edges.
- Allow to cool slightly, then slip the garlic cloves out of their skins, Transfer the roasted veg to a large saucepan and add half the vegetable stock. Using a hand blender, blitz the soup until smooth. Add the rest of the vegetable stock and blitz again. Obviously if you have a proper blender, you can use that instead!
- Taste the soup to see if you want to add any salt and pepper, then heat the soup gently for 5-10 minutes. Serve with a swirl of double cream/croutons if you like.
Notes
If fresh herbs aren't available, you can swap them for one teaspoon of their dried counterpart .
Herbs add extra flavour to the soup, but it can be made without them if necessary.
You can roast the vegetables in advance if you like - they will keep in the fridge for up to two days.
For a spicy kick, add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of dried chilli flakes.
To cook the soup on the hob, gently sauté the onions for about 10 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add crushed garlic and sauté for two minutes, then add the spices.
Add the cubed butternut squash, sweet potato and stock. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat to low-medium and simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 15-20 minutes. Blend the soup to desired consistency and season to taste.
The cooked soup will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. The soup will thicken up, so you'll probably need to add a little water or stock when re-heating.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 128Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 595mgCarbohydrates: 22gNet Carbohydrates: 0gFiber: 4gSugar: 7gSugar Alcohols: 0gProtein: 2g
Could you make this with white onion? I have sore feelings toward red onions, don’t like them at all usually!
Absolutely, you can use white onions!
This soup was amazing! I added a quarter cup of cream while blending and it took this to the next level. My father loved it, he’s a big soup guy. I will make this again & again this fall & winter.
I’m so pleased you enjoyed it, thanks for letting me know!
This is without a doubt one of the most enjoyable soups you can make this fall.I just don’t think soup gets tastier.You can add a bit of fresh or ground ginger to it as well if you are a fan of ginger, like me.
This soup is so rich and pleasing in every way.Sight to behold!
Thank you Carol, I’m so pleased you like the soup! It’s perfect for this time of year, isn’t it? 🙂
Brilliant! So incredibly tasty, not difficult to make at all. T does take a little prep and oven time but I found the time cosy by the oven a cool evening. Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you for your lovely comment! I’m so glad you enjoyed 😊
I found this to be a hearty soup but not the traditional thick butternut squash soup l was expecting. It’s actually fairly thin and refrigerating it didn’t help.
All that said, it’s tasty and great for a Winter’s day. Next time l will use half the broth