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The Best Savory Autumn Squash Soup

This low-fat, dairy-free savory autumn squash soup is a delicious start to a meal and hearty enough to be the main course.

Once the weather begins to cool down, I begin craving soup.

How about you?

There’s something so comforting about soup, isn’t there?

It’s wonderful as a meal on its own, and it can also be the perfect way to begin a meal.

This recipe?

It’s my new favorite.

For lunch with some sprouted toast.

Or for dinner topped with some shredded chicken or diced ham.

The savory flavors make this soup a delicious first course.

In fact, I’m planning to make it for Thanksgiving this year!

I’ve shared more than 70 delicious and healthy Thanksgiving recipes if you’re looking for more recipe ideas.

If you follow Trim Healthy Mama like AnnMarie and me, this recipe is an E with 5 grams of added fat. Don’t add any more fat to your meal or you may make a crossover.

And to be fair, Thanksgiving will definitely be a crossover meal for me…

Bowl of savory butternut squash soup on a wood board with a black iron spoon

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Tips for Making This Savory Squash Soup Recipe

One of my favorite parts of this soup is how easy it is to make.

And it’s fast!

My favorite shortcut is to start the soup with a package of pre-cut butternut squash.

After all, peeling and cutting up butternut squash can be a real pain…

So make your life easy with that handy dandy package.

The price is only a tiny bit more than a whole squash!

Although this soup isn’t really a butternut squash soup, because between you and me?

I don’t love butternut squash by itself…

This is why I added sweet potatoes.

And carrots.

Some red onions.

Celery.

With lots of savory herbs: garlic, fresh thyme, sage, bay leaves, a touch of nutmeg, and a sprinkle of cayenne.

Instant pot filled with chopped butternut squash, onions, sweet potatoes, carrots, celery, and fresh herbs

So it doesn’t really taste like a butternut squash soup.

I prefer to use vegetable broth for this recipe, but you could use chicken broth too.

Or even a chicken bone broth to boost the amount of protein.

It’s hard to find a good vegetable broth in the store so I like to make my own using veggie scraps and peelings that I collect and freeze until I have enough.

Wait until you see my trick for freezing soup and stock at the end of this post!

You can also use a high-quality vegetable broth base like Better Than Bouillon.

Be sure to whisk all the dry seasonings into the broth before adding it to the pot.

Instant pot filled with chopped butternut squash, onions, celery, and fresh herbs with vegetable broth

I love how fast this recipe is ready to eat with an instant pot.

This is the kind of pressure cooker I have and it’s one of my favorite appliances.

This soup only has to cook for 12 minutes!

Once it comes to pressure, your kitchen is gonna start to smell amazing.

If you don’t have a pressure cooker, no problem.

Because you can make this soup in a crockpot too.

I’ve included instructions and timing for using a crockpot in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Cooked autumn squash in an instant pot with broth and immersion blender

When the soup is done cooking, use an immersion blender to turn it into a smooth and creamy bisque.

I love this blender because it’s reasonably priced and so easy to clean!

The blending stick separates from the motor so you can pop it in the dishwasher.

If you don’t have an immersion blender, don’t despair.

You can blend the soup smooth in small batches using a regular blender or food processor, just be cautious while blending hot liquids and follow the instructions for your appliance.

A hand mixer or potato masher are other alternatives to blend the soup, but the onions and celery may not blend up perfectly smooth.

Don’t worry, though, because a few small chunks won’t make this squash soup recipe any less delicious!

Bowl of vegan autumn squash soup garnished with coconut milk and pumpkin seeds on a plate

I also decided to add collagen to the recipe to add protein.

If you follow a vegetarian diet, you can use pea protein powder instead.

Add the collagen or protein powder at the same time you blend the soup smooth.

Some recipes for soups like this call for heavy cream.

But with Trim Healthy Mama we separate fats and carbs, so I needed to find a lower-fat alternative that would still give a great creamy texture.

I also try to limit my dairy intake in this season of my life.

Pureed squash soup in an instant pot with coconut milk being stirred in

Light coconut milk in a can works perfectly.

I find it in the Asian food section of my grocery store where they sell the soy sauce down on the bottom shelf.

Give the can a good shake before you add it to the soup to blend the coconut cream throughout the milk.

I like to reserve a little of the coconut milk (about 1 teaspoon per bowl) if I’m making up bowls of soup to serve.

It really makes a pretty presentation that way!

How to Serve Creamy Squash Soup

Bowl of dairy free autumn squash soup garnished with coconut milk and pumpkin seeds on a plate with a black metal spoon

Float a little bit of coconut milk on the top of the soup.

You can swirl it in a bit with a spoon if you want to make a pretty pattern!

Roasted pepitas are wonderful on top and add a little crunch.

Some other tasty garnishes are crumbled turkey bacon, diced ham, fresh parsley, fresh thyme, and homemade sprouted grain croutons.

You could even roast the seeds from the butternut squash if you use a whole squash instead of the precut kind!

Depending on how much heat you like, a sprinkle of either cayenne, smoked paprika, regular paprika, chili powder, or chipotle powder adds another layer of flavor.

Plus it looks kind of extra.

Can You Make This Soup Ahead?

Any time I’m entertaining, I love finding delicious recipes that I can make in advance.

After all, there’s a pretty good chance I’ll be spending the day before company comes over cleaning the house…

Nothing like having people over to motivate me to actually clean! LOL

Plus, when my guests arrive I want to spend time visiting, not slaving over the stove.

This dairy-free butternut squash soup is the perfect make-ahead recipe!

1 quart mason jar filled with butternut squash soup on a wood board

I find the flavors meld even more as it sits in your refrigerator.

Large glass mason jars are perfect for storing the soup until you’re ready to reheat it.

You don’t even have to wait for the soup to cool down before pouring it into the jars!

Reheating is so easy too.

Just pour the soup into a saucepan and set the heat on medium or even medium-low if you want it to warm more slowly.

Be sure to give it a stir now and then to prevent it from sticking to the pot and to help it reheat evenly.

Or make life really simple and reheat it in the microwave!

The length of time in the microwave will depend on how much you’re reheating and how powerful your microwave is.

I always recommend starting with one minute on high, stirring, then adding another minute, and stirring until it’s the perfect temperature all the way through.

The Best Way to Freeze Soup

Recently I’ve found a fantastic way to freeze soup!

This autumn squash soup recipe freezes beautifully.

In the past, I would pour cooled soup into freezer bags and freeze it lying flat.

But thawing and reheating was a little bit of a pain that way.

Those big rectangular bricks never fit into any of my pots!

Plus, what if I only wanted to reheat one or two servings?

Jumbo-sized silicone muffin pans are the solution!

Silicone large muffin pan with frozen soup in the cups

Always start by putting the silicone pan on a sturdy baking sheet.

Otherwise, you’re going to make a mess…

Trust me on this one!

Fill each muffin cup with cooled soup, then place the pan in the freezer for about 4 hours, until the soup is frozen through.

Gallon ziploc bag filled with individual portions of frozen soup

The silicone molds release the soup pucks so easily!

Place the pucks of soup in a freezer bag and store them in your freezer that way.

Not only does this method make it so easy to reheat the soup, but you can also reheat the perfect amount every time.

One of the pucks is the perfect appetizer serving for a small cup of soup.

Two pucks are just right for a meal-sized bowl.

The nutrition information in the printable recipe below is based on a 1-cup serving which is 2 of these jumbo-sized cups.

I hope you enjoy this soup as much as I do.

Be sure to leave a star rating and review after you make the recipe!

This helps other people to find and enjoy it too.

Plus it means the world to us!

Bowl of dairy free autumn squash soup garnished with coconut milk and pumpkin seeds on a plate with a black metal spoon

Savory Autumn Squash Soup

Yield: 12-14 cups
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Additional Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

This low-fat, dairy-free savory autumn squash soup is a delicious start to a meal and hearty enough to be the main course.

Ingredients

  • 8 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
  • 4 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 2 cups carrots, peeled and cubed
  • 1 cup celery, 1-inch chunks
  • 1 medium red onion, chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable base (like Better than Bouillon)
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp ground thyme
  • 1/2 tsp mineral salt
  • 1 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne
  • 6 leaves fresh sage
  • 4-6 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 13.66 can light coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup collagen peptides
  • Smoked paprika
  • pepitas, optional garnish

Instructions

  1. Set Instant Pot to Saute, and add 1 Tbsp of coconut oil (see notes below for Crockpot instructions). Saute red onion until translucent, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
  2. Place butternut squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, celery, garlic, and fresh herbs in the Instant Pot.
  3. In a large measuring cup, combine water, vegetable base, and seasonings. Pour over the vegetables in the Instant Pot.
  4. Put the lid on and seal the Instant Pot. Use the manual setting and set the time to 12 minutes. When done, do quick pressure release.
  5. Remove the bay leaves, sprigs of thyme, and sage leaves.
  6. Add the collagen, then use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth (see notes for alternative blending methods).
  7. Shake the can of coconut milk well, then stir into the soup.
  8. Sprinkle lightly with smoked paprika. Garnish with additional coconut milk and roasted pepitas, if desired.
  9. Can be made ahead. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Store in the freezer for up to 4 months.

Notes

To prepare in a crockpot, saute onion in a skillet, then add to crockpot. Follow steps 2 and 3, but place ingredients into the crockpot. Cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4 hours. Follow the remaining steps above.

If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender to blend the soup in small batches. Just be cautious when blending hot liquids. You can also use a hand mixer or a potato masher, although the soup will not be as smooth.

Nutrition Information
Yield 12 Serving Size 1 cup
Amount Per Serving Calories 172Total Fat 5gSaturated Fat 4.5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat .1gCholesterol 0mgSodium 328mgCarbohydrates 29gFiber 7gSugar 9.5gProtein 12g

Please note that we are not medical or nutritional professionals. We include nutrition information for our recipes as a courtesy to our readers. However, due to wide variations in brands, nutrition data is subject to change for every user. Nutrition data is calculated using My Fitness Pal Pro and we subtract all sugar alcohols from erythritol and xylitol from the final carb count because that is how THM calculates carbs. Please refer to our complete Nutritional Disclosure for more details.

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