It’s winter here and we’re in the middle of 2 weeks of weather so cold it’s unbearable to go outside. So naturally, we were in need of soup. Not just any soup though. When it’s this cold outside, the soup has to be warm, comforting, and basically wrap its arms around you like a hug from the bowl. Well, friends, this Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash Soup is all that and more.
We love butternut squash around here, but it doesn’t make it to the table as often as it should. It’s just a bit of a hassle to prepare during the week. The cleaning and scraping out the insides, and trying to cut through that tough exterior. We’re pretty much on a quick “rinse and chop” schedule from Monday to Friday.
But when it comes to soup, butternut squash is just one of those flavors that you crave! It’s sweet but hearty, and it goes with just about every other root vegetable you can think of. So for this recipe, I chose carrots, onions, and sweet potatoes to round out what quickly became a family favorite soup.
How to make Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash Soup
The Instant Pot method is what I did originally because I was cooking about 4 other things at the time and needed to focus. So for Instant Pot lovers, those directions are below in the recipe card.
Here, I want to get into the easy stovetop method. It’s really just as quick and still super easy, but without the need for a pressure cooker.
Start with a large soup pot, and heat up the olive oil. Sautee your onions until they’re translucent (stirring frequently) and then add the sweet potatoes, carrots, and butternut squash. I use frozen butternut squash in this soup at home because all I have to do is open the bag and dump it in. But if you’re not tight on time and love it fresh, either one will work deliciously!
Cook your vegetables for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Keep stirring so that nothing gets stuck to the bottom of the pan, and let all of their flavors meld together while you gather the spices, broth, and coconut milk.
A carton of low sodium vegetable broth is 900ml, and I used a full one in this recipe. Again, if you have fresh homemade vegetable broth – you’re amazing – and yes, use it! Add the bay leaves, spices, broth, lemon juice, and FULL-FAT canned coconut milk to the pot and stir until it’s all well combined.
Full fat coconut milk
I love Thai Kitchen coconut milk in the red can because it always has a generous amount of cream and isn’t watered down. Since the creaminess in this soup comes from the coconut cream, make sure whatever brand you’re using has that thick white layer of cream on the top half of the can when you open it.
Blending your creamy soup
Bring your soup up to a boil, and then cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Everything will be soft and fragrant by then, and ready for blending. But, before you blend the soup – TAKE THE BAY LEAVES OUT. Please, please, please do not blend the bay leaves.
Then ladle your soup into a blender to puree. Blend in small batches (about half full) because this soup is HOT. And no one wants a hot overflowing soup spilling out of a high powered blender. Once you’ve blended all the soup, get your cozy socks and a thick slice of Unreal No-Knead Bread because you’re about to eat comfort in a bowl.
More delicious, comforting vegan recipes
- Creamy Tomato Vegetable Soup
- One Pot Hearty Mushroom Rice
- Vegan Chickpea Egg Salad
- Unreal Whole Wheat No Knead Bread
📖 Recipe
Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 750 g Frozen or fresh butternut squash, cleaned and cubed
- 2 Large carrots, peeled or washed and diced
- 1 Large onion, peeled and diced
- 1 Medium sweet potato, peeled or washed and cubed ~350g by weight
- 1 Can full fat coconut milk I used Thai Kitchen Brand
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 900 ml Low sodium vegetable broth Either homemade or store bought is fine
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 2 Bay leaves
- 1 tsp Ginger
- 1 tsp Sage
- 1-2 tsp Sea Salt *To taste
- 1 tsp Granulated Garlic
- ½ tsp Nutmeg
- ½ tsp Cinnamon
Instructions
- In your Instant Pot, turn on the Saute function. Add the onions and olive oil and cook until the onions are translucent – stirring frequently. Then, add your sweet potatoes, carrots and butternut squash. Cook an additional 3-5 minutes – stirring frequently.Next, add the vegetable broth, coconut milk, lemon juice, bay leaves and spices. Stir until everything is well combined, and then turn off the Instant Pot.Place the lid on the Instant Pot and lock it into place. Close the pressure valve on top by setting it to "Sealing". Turn on the high pressure cook setting for 10 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes to come up to pressure, 10 minutes to cook, and then 5-10 minutes to depressurize – depending on how you release the pressure.Once the high pressure cook time is up and the Instant Pot beeps to signal it's done, place a kitchen towel over the steam release valve on top and turn it to "Venting". Careful – it's hot! Do not place your hands or fingers directly over top of the valve where the steam will come out. Once the steam is released, open the lid and REMOVE THE BAY LEAVES. Use a ladle to transfer the soup into a blender, and blend in small batches. It's VERY HOT so blending in small batches helps to ensure that the blender doesn't overflow.Make sure the BAY LEAVES are OUT BEFORE BLENDING. Once your soup has all been blended on high speed until smooth, it is ready to serve. Enjoy it immediately or let it cool before storing in the fridge for ~ 5 days. It also freezes well once cooled for ~1 month. You can also make this soup in a large pot on your stove. Follow the same instructions as above, except instead of sealing the Instant Pot, do this:Bring your broth and vegetable mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and place a lid on it. Let it cook for about 30 minutes before blending. The flavor is the same with either method, so use whichever one works best for you!
Leave a Reply