This butternut squash soup with coconut milk is full of flavor, is easy to make, and freezes well. It’s a perfect vegan dinner any time of the year!
I like to call this soup fall in a bowl. While I enjoy this soup in Autumn, I end up making it throughout the winter too! This soup is so flavorful and delicious; it’s tasty all year long!
Butternut squash soup is my favorite, and it’s effortless to make. This version is dairy-free, made with coconut cream (from a can of full fat coconut milk) instead of heavy cream! This secret ingredient pairs well with butternut squash and surprisingly don’t add a coconut flavor. Instead, the soup is rich in flavor and warming.
I’ve used both fresh butternut squash and frozen for this dish, and either works great. Some butternut squash soups have a strong curry flavor. While I love curry, I prefer this soup spiced with simple herbs like them and nutmeg. This vegan butternut squash soup is rich and creamy and is very good for you too! Enjoy!
Vegan Butternut Squash Soup Recipe
Start by prepper the veggies. Dice the onion, peel and cut up the butternut squash, and prepare the fresh herbs and spices.
In a large stockpot, melt the coconut oil (or use olive oil if you prefer) over medium-low heat. Add in the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Then, add the squash and roast it with the onions for 1-2 minutes. Next, add the veggie broth, thyme, and nutmeg and bring to a boil.
Cover the pot with a lid and cook until the squash is soft and fork tender. Remove the thyme from the pot with a slotted spoon.
Use an immersion blender (or stick blender) to puree the squash in the pot. Blend until the soup is smooth and creamy.
Stir in the coconut cream and bring to a simmer. Remove the butternut squash soup from the heat. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with nutmeg if desired. Serve immediately. Store leftover soup in an glass airtight container.
Related recipes:
- Tom Kha Gai (Thai Coconut Soup) Recipe
- Paleo Chicken Noodle Soup
- Leek and Cauliflower Soup with Coconut Cream
Vegan Butternut Squash Soup
This butternut squash soup with coconut milk is full of flavor, is easy to make, and freezes well. It’s a perfect vegan dinner recipe and is also paleo-friendly.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
- 5 cups vegetable broth
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg
- 1/2 cup coconut cream (Refrigerate 1 can of coconut milk for 3-5 hours. Remove the lid and scoop out the coconut cream on top of the can)
- pinch of salt & black pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Melt coconut oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add squash, broth, thyme, and nutmeg to the pot.
- Bring to a simmer.
- Cover the pot with a lid and cook until the squash is soft and tender for about 20 minutes.
- Remove the thyme from the pot.
- Use a stick blender to puree the squash in the pot. A blender can be used instead if you don’t have a stick blender. Only blend small batches of the soup at a time.
- Blend until smooth.
- Return the puree to the pot and stir in the coconut cream.
- Bring to a simmer, then remove immediately from heat.
- If the soup is too thick, you can thin it with more broth or water if needed.
- Season the soup with salt and pepper before serving.
- Garnish with additional nutmeg or pumpkin seeds if desired.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 150
- Fat: 5.6g
- Carbohydrates: 19.2g (13.5g net carbs)
- Fiber: 5.7g
- Protein: 8g
This recipe was originally published on October 6th, 2015 and was updated with new images on February 18th 2022.
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So glad I found this. Due to several food sensitivities/allergies and a long process of elimination diet I was blessed to discover that both butternut squash and coconut are life!!! For me anyway lol. However, I can’t use nutmeg. Anyone have a suggestion to replace that? I can use cinnamon I just know it won’t give the same bite specifically.
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I would think that you could try any of the “pumpkin pie” spices. Try different cinnamons. I like the milder ones, but there are some stronger ones out there. Allspice, has a bit of a bite too.
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I would try ginger…just a bit…instead of nutmeg
Misty, I am the same! No pumpkin pie spices. I used a tiny bit, yes tiny bit, of mace instead of nutmeg. It’s on my list of low-histamine herbs. Wow. Delicious! Try it!
If I have a can of coconut milk and I put it in the refrigerator to take the cream off of it do I still need to buy the can of coconut cream? Also do you have any suggestions for replacing the onion, I can’t have onion or garlic.
Thank you for this nightshade-free butternut squash recipe! It is hard to find, most want to spice it up. I used to make a wonderful Coconut Curried Butternut Squash soup, but I can’t do curry… and my delicious Carrot-Cardamom soup uses leeks, which I also have to avoid. Onions are on the list, but I can handle moderate amounts. I will try this soup with 1/2 onion, and my homemade bone broth. Thank you so much!
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When do you add broth?
Step 3 🙂
SO freakin’ good, just had this for lunch today!
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I’m so glad you liked it!
I made this for dinner tonight, using pre-cubed butternut squash. I didn’t have thyme, so I left that out and also added about a teaspoon of cinnamon. Yum!!
I was wondering, though, did you mean 3 pounds of squash after it’s peeled and cubed? That’s what I assumed and I third-ed your recipe because the package I bought was 1 pound. I was just wondering if you meant a 3-pound squash, including the skin, which would mean I added way too much squash.
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Can I sub the coconut cream for almond milk? If not, are there any other substitutions?
Thanks.
It’s so weird that here in Australia we lump all the large squashes together with pumpkins and call them all “pumpkin”! Fruit and vegetable nomenclature is a strange thing sometimes 🙂
This soup really does look like Fall in a bowl, coconut cream tastes amazing when paired with squash or pumpkin. Thanks for sharing!
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Could you use coconut cream concentrate instead?
Hi Mickie! Yes, but it does have the coconut meat in it so it’ll make the soup a little gritty. That’s why I opted to use the cream instead.