Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash Soup

This creamy Vegan Butternut Squash Soup is velvety smooth, yet completely dairy free! Seasoned with garlic and thyme, packed with veggies and thickened with sourdough bread, this soup is both silky and hearty at the same time.

I got really lucky last weekend at the farmer’s market. One of the vendors was down to his last 3 butternut squash and he was ready to bargain!

I bought 3 huge butternuts for $4 – score!

Then I got unlucky…

I accidentally blended my stainless steel measuring spoon in my Vitamix with my apple breakfast smoothie. A small corner of my blade broke off – lost somewhere in the smoothie and now I needed both a new measuring spoon and mixing blade – not to mention a new breakfast!

The upside to this unfortunate event was that Vitamix has a policy for mishaps like these and will replace your blending container one time for free. Otherwise, it would have resulted in a $160 smoothie blending mistake.

Lesson learned.

Yesterday my new blending container was delivered. I’ve decided to celebrate with this easy recipe for Hearty Butternut Squash Soup. There’s nothing like the silky smooth result from a high speed blender – however I know how pricey they can be (hint: makes a great christmas gift!).

I also have this immersion blender which works really well too and it’s not so hard on your wallet. You can also use a regular blender – just do it in small batches.

How to make the best vegan butternut squash soup

First and foremost you need to build a good soup base. That means lots of onions, garlic, and herbs.

Then you need to top it with interesting flavors and textures.

For this creamy butternut squash soup, we get that smooth creamy texture WITHOUT cream from cubed bread.  Bread is the secret ingredient to make this soup hearty. Be sure to use bread without seeds or that isn’t too dense – you want it to be able to break down in the broth easily. I’m a big fan of creamy soups without cream – this creamy wild rice + mushroom soup uses cauliflower cream and it’s perfection.

Then to contrast the pureed squash, make a spinach pistou.

What’s a pistou?

It’s a fancy French name for pesto without the pine nuts. Just blend a mix of garlic, lemon and spinach for a green pistou topping. It is a striking contrast to the sweetness of the butternut and it’s fun to swirl the colors together!

Speaking of colors…here are a few photos from the aspen groves near our house.

Get outdoors + then eat soup!

Locketts Meadow, Flagstaff, AZ

For added nutty flavor, drizzle Stony Brook Butternut Squash Seed Oil over the top. It’s one of my favorite fall flavored oils to drizzle on bread. Think fall-themed avocado toast with a drizzle of squash seed oil!

It also makes a perfect foodie gift!

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Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash Soup with Spinach Pistou

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

1 hr

Total Time

1 hr 15 mins

 

A hearty + creamy Butternut Squash Soup that is velvety smooth and dairy free! Seasoned with garlic and thyme, packed with veggies and thickened with sourdough bread.

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: butternut squash soup

Servings: 8

Calories: 230 kcal

Author: Emily Brees | OatandSesame

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium carrots finely diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 celery stalk finely diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 medium onion finely diced (about 1.5 cups)
• 3 large garlic cloves chopped
• 1 Tbs chopped fresh thyme
• Optional: 1/4 tsp chili flakes/red pepper flakes if you want a little kick
• 2 Tbs tomato paste
• 4 cups cubed butternut squash
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups crusty bread cubed into 1" pieces (country or sourdough)
• drizzle of Butternut Squash Oil

Optional Pistou Topping:

• 1 garlic clove chopped
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 cups fresh spinach loosely packed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
• fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.
2. Add carrot, celery and onion. Season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables have begun to soften and onion turns translucent, 10 minutes.
3. Add garlic, thyme and optional red pepper flakes. Cook an additional 2 min until garlic is fragrant. Add tomato paste and mix until completely combined.
4. Stir in butternut squash, broth, salt and pepper.
5. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until squash is fork-tender, about 30-40 minutes.
6. While the soup is simmering, cube the bread and set aside. Prep the pistou and set aside.
7. When the squash is tender, add the bread cubes, cover and let sit for 5 minutes so the bread gets soggy in the broth.
8. Transfer to a high speed blender (or use immersion blender) to purée soup.
9. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
10. Drizzle each bowl with Butternut Squash Oil and Pistou Topping.
    

Optional Pistou Topping:

1. Chop garlic clove and place in a small Cuisinart with juice of 1/2 a lemon. Let sit for a few minutes. The lemon juice will tame the bite of the garlic. This is a great tip for making pesto too.
2. Add spinach, salt and pepper. Blend together while slowly drizzling in the olive oil.
3. Add 2 tsp to each bowl of soup.

Nutrition Facts

Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash Soup with Spinach Pistou

Amount Per Serving (1 g)

Calories 230

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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