If there was ever the most perfect fall soup recipe, this would be it.
I mean, ok there’s is the best ever lentil soup, and everyone’s favorite broccoli cheddar soup, and a whole lot of vegetarian soup recipes to love. But this one? This one is fall all wrapped up in a bowl of cozy. It’s herby with warm cinnamon and creamy from in-season squash and sweet potatoes.
It’s the easiest to make in one pot and is ready in less than 30 minutes for the most perfect weeknight dinner. Wait, did I also mention that it’s so comforting? Ok, good, let’s get to cooking!
Ingredients + Substitutions
Easy, simple ingredients that are in-season, nutritious, and delicious! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Butternut Squash: a sweet root vegetable, this squash is dense and is what makes this soup so naturally creamy!
- Sweet Potato: kind of like butternut squash’s cousin in texture and flavor, they both compliment each other so well!
- Yellow Onion or Shallot: you can use either; a shallot provides the onion flavor with sliter sweeter and more subtleness than a yellow onion.
- White Pepper: it can be a pungent spice, but when it sneaks in as an undertone in the soup, it absolutely hits the right way, adding a hint of spice and an earthy flavor, opposed to black pepper’s heat. Not into it? Use black pepper or a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Thyme: one of my favorite fall herbs, it’s so cozy, like a warm hug, and pairs so beautifully with butternut squash and sweet potatoes (ahem, like these sweet potato bites and squash crostini).
- Cinnamon: warm and just a subtle hint goes a long way in this soup! A pinch of nutmeg does the same, too.
- Vegetable Stock: it thins out our soup, you can add more or less depending on the consistency you like. If you don’t need this soup to be vegetarian or vegan, you can substitute chicken stock, too.
How to Make this Soup
Alright, it’s easy and made in one pot. You can rejoice in fewer dishes – YES!
Before we start, you’ll need to dice the butternut squash. It can be quite an intimidating task if you haven’t ventured there before, but you’ve got this!
I recommend dicing the squash and sweet potato into similarly sized pieces so they cook at a similar rate. However, because they will be pureed together in the end, it doesn’t much matter the size or what they look like (again, aside from the side impacting the cook rate).
Now, as all good layers of flavor, start by sauteeing the aromatics – the shallot or onion and the garlic. As always, begin adding your salt with each flavor layer, and don’t forget to taste test!
Then, in goes the squash and sweet potato. Try not to stir them too often so they get a bit caramelized, however, you will want to stir occasionally so the aromatics don’t burn.
Alternatively, you could roast the vegetables in the oven if you love a good roasted vegetable, and then continue making the soup from there (skipping the cooking of the veggies in the dutch oven).
Ok, so let the veggies cook down. Again, add a pinch of salt to layer it in! We’re also layering in the herbs and spices here, which allows them to infuse into the veggies for the most YUM.
Once caramelized, deglaze the pan with the stock, and simmer until tender. Then, it’s time to puree. I like to use an immersion hand blender for ease since the soup is already in a large Dutch oven. If you don’t have an immersion blender, carefully transfer the vegetables to a blender to puree until smooth. Add more vegetable stock as needed until you’ve reached your desired consistency.
Ways to Serve Squash Soup
You can enjoy this squash soup as you should any soup: with a loaf of crusty bread.
It’s also great with croutons and/or pepitas if you need to keep it gluten-free. You can also top it with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream for some added creaminess if you’re okay with dairy, or a drizzle of coconut cream to keep it dairy-free.
Of course, you can’t go wrong with grilled cheese or veggie sandwich.
Common Soup Questions
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Yes, this soup freezes really well! I love to freeze it in individual portions in my SouperCubes for a really easy lunch option.
You can reheat the soup in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!
Get the Recipe Butternut Squash Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup shallot or yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 2 cups sweet potato, diced (1 large)
- 4 cups butternut squash, diced (1 small)
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt, more or less to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper, start with 1/4 teaspoon if needed
- 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 1 3/4 – 2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add shallot and garlic, cook for 2 minutes. Add sweet potato and butternut squash. Stir in salt, white pepper, thyme, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook vegetables for 8-10 minutes until browned and caramelized.
- Deglaze the pan with vegetable stock, starting with 1 ¾ cups. Bring to a boil for 10-12 minutes until vegetables are tender.
- Remove from heat (or turn off the stove) and use an immersion blender (or a regular blender) to puree the vegetables until smooth. Add more vegetable stock until desired consistency is reached. Taste test for salt levels and adjust as needed.
- Serve with croutons or pumpkin seeds as desired. Also delicious with a crusty loaf of bread! Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days, reheating on the stove or in the microwave.
Mmmm this looks so creamy and comforting and SO necessary for a Monday night! I’ve never tried sweet potato soup before so now I’m totally curious to try it!!
So yummy – I love sweet potatoes!
Hi! Just came across this recipe, looks DEELISH, and would love to know if you think it would work to “Cook” it in the vitamix?
Hi Melissa! You’ve just blown my mind – I had no idea that you could make hot soup in a Vitamix from raw veggies! That’s amazing! After reading more about it, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work for this recipe. I’d personally make sure the squash and potato are diced smaller to make sure it blends through. Please report back if you try it, I’d love to hear how it works out!
P.S. Vitamix does say that this method intensifies aromatics, so just keep that in mind with the shallot/garlic/herbs!
You are COMPLETELY awesome for getting back to me, thank you! And it worked BEAUTIFULLY!! So so easy and yummy! I did indeed just dice everything smaller than if roasting the veggies. Truly appreciate you sharing the recipe!
Ah, Melissa, thank you!!! I’m so glad you shared an update – it’s so exciting to hear that it worked out wonderfully! I can’t wait to try it that way now. Thanks again so much!
I made this once the weather started changing and it was the perfect thing for a cozy fall day! Really hearty, easy to make, and savory. I work odd hours so I froze this for lunches and the consistency held up beautifully once dethawed, too. Really great with Becca’s homemade French bread recipe 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Shelby! Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment!!
Hearty and delicious. After Thanksgiving I had several varieties of squash and sweet potatoes on hand, as well as fresh thyme This was the perfect recipe to use it all up. I added some fresh minced ginger that I had on hand. Otherwise, I made it just as written and it is soo good. I will definitely make this again and again.
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it! Fresh ginger sounds yummy! Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment!
This is my favorite go to recipe, at least once a month I make a big batch and freeze some! It thaws perfectly. I use a little less of the spices because it’s mostly for my kids and the nutmeg and white pepper was too strong for them the first time. I put the squash in the instant pot for a few minutes to help with peeling and I use more broth. Sometimes I add a splash of heavy cream, and ditalini pasta! We love this soup! Thanks!
Thank you so much for sharing, Liane! I’m so glad you all love it – and I love hearing about the variations.
I love this soup. Just made it today as is and it was wonderful
I’m so glad to hear! Thanks, Laurie!