The Spicy Butternut Squash Soup seamlessly melds the robust flavors of butternut squash with the exotic and creamy texture of coconut milk, creating a harmonious blend that envelopes your soul in warmth. Accentuated by an exquisite blend of spices like dry cumin and paprika, along with herbs like thyme and rosemary, this soup epitomizes comfort in every mouthful.
Cooking Tips:
- Selecting the Right Squash: Choose a butternut squash that feels heavy for its size with a firm, unblemished skin. This ensures optimal flavor and texture.
- Spice Selection: Opt for freshly ground cumin and paprika for an enhanced aroma and more vibrant taste.
- Coconut Milk Choice: Use full-fat coconut milk for a richer and creamier soup consistency. Shake the can well before use to combine the cream and liquid.
- Broth Volume: Tailor the vegetable broth volume to achieve your preferred soup consistency.
- Grilled Cheese Perfection: For a perfect grilled cheese, use thick slices of bread and cook on a low-medium heat to ensure the cheese melts beautifully as the bread crisps up.
Ingredients:
- Butternut Squash: This soup harnesses the richness of a small to medium-sized butternut squash. A dense, heavy squash is your best pick for sumptuous sweetness.
- Coconut Milk: The recipe calls for half of a standard can of full-fat coconut milk, lending a lush, creamy texture to the soup.
- Red Onions and Garlic: One to two red onions and a head of garlic infuse the soup with an aromatic punch and depth of flavor.
- Carrots: Include 2-3 carrots, peeled and chopped, to add a natural sweetness and depth of flavor to the soup.
- Seasoning: Elevate the taste with a combination of spices like dry cumin, paprika, thyme, and rosemary along with chili flakes, salt, and pepper.
- Fresh Ginger: Optionally, include fresh ginger to highlight the spices and squash with its warm, zesty note.
- Cherry or Normal Tomatoes: A cup of cherry tomatoes or two normal tomatoes contribute a tangy undertone.
- Vegetable Broth: Utilize vegetable broth to achieve the desired consistency for the soup, ensuring it is rich yet fluid.
- Fresh Cilantro: Garnish with fresh cilantro to infuse a refreshing, herbal hint.
Let’s Cook!
Preparing the Vegetables
Start by getting all the vegetables ready. The butternut squash, onions, and tomatoes should be nicely cut (the smaller, the faster they soften) and prepared. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, thyme, and rosemary before roasting.

Roasting the Vegetables
Preheat the oven. Place the seasoned vegetables in a baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Let them roast until they turn golden and soften, releasing all their natural sweetness and flavors.

Blending
Once roasted to perfection, transfer the vegetables to a blender, adding the vegetable broth and optional ginger. Blend until the mixture transforms into a smooth, creamy soup, echoing hues of vibrant orange.

Final Cooking Steps
Pour the blended mixture into a pot, integrating the coconut milk. Stir this mix, letting all the flavors meld together seamlessly. Adjust the seasoning as per your preference at this stage.

Serving the Butternut Squash Soup
When it’s all beautifully blended and heated through, it’s time to pour the soup into bowls. Adorn each serving with a garnish of fresh cilantro and a sprinkle of chili flakes for that extra kick. The final touch of richness is ready to be relished, promising a comforting, flavorful embrace with every spoonful!

How to Serve:
Serve this vibrant butternut squash soup in a deep bowl, piping hot and garnished. A side of crispy grilled cheese perfectly counters the creamy texture, making each bite a harmonious dance of flavors and textures. Embellish with a drizzle of coconut milk and
a sprinkle of chili flakes before serving, and relish the enveloping warmth of this sumptuous soup. Let every spoonful hug your senses on a cool, breezy day!

Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk and Grilled Cheese
Equipment
- Oven
- Blender
- Pot
- Baking Dish
Ingredients
- 1 Butternut Squash small to medium-sized
- 200 ml Coconut Milk approximately half of a standard 400 ml can of full-fat
- 1-2 Red Onions
- 1 head Garlic
- 2 Tomatoes or 1 cup of cherry tomatoes
- 350 ml Vegetable Broth (1 1/2 cups)
- 1 tsp Fresh Ginger optional: grated
- Olive Oil enough to drizzle over vegetables
- Fresh Cilantro: for garnish
- For Grilled Cheese: 2 slices of bread preferred vegan cheese, vegan butter
- 3 Carrots
Seasoning
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp dry cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp chili flakes to taste
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat the oven to 380°F (193°C).
- Prepare all listed vegetables and place them in a baking dish.
- Add all seasonings, including cumin, paprika, thyme, and rosemary, and a drizzle of olive oil. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
- Roasting: Bake for about 1 hour, or until the vegetables are golden and soft inside.
- Blending: Place the roasted vegetables in a blender, add the 350 ml of vegetable broth and ginger (if using), and blend until smooth.
- Cooking: Transfer the blended mixture to a pot and place it on medium heat. Add the coconut milk and stir for 2 minutes.
- Final Touch: Adjust the seasonings to your taste. Garnish the soup with fresh cilantro, extra coconut milk, and chili flakes.
Best Soup I ever cooked!!
Normally I take Hokkaido, but this is so much easier and most tastiest pumpkin soup ever ((:
Awesome and tasty recipe! Easy to prep at all steps. I’ve broiled the veggies as a last step before adding them to the mixer.
You’ll need to roast veggies much longer than recipe says to. Mine had to roast for 1.5 hours. Kids screaming hungry the whole time. Ended up just feeding them the grilled cheese because they were starving. Husband and I still waiting till veggies are soft enough to put into blender…
I’m really sorry to hear about the squash taking longer than expected – that sounds frustrating, especially with hungry kids waiting! Sometimes ovens can be a bit unpredictable. The size of the squash pieces and even where you place them in the oven can make a difference. Next time, maybe try cutting them a bit smaller or starting earlier if you can. Hang in there, and I hope the soup turns out delicious when it’s ready!
First time ever making butternut squash soup. It was so fantastic. Was I supposed to peel the squash before baking?
You’ve got options! Either peel it before baking or just scoop out the flesh afterwards. Whatever you prefer 🙂
Tess,
I am in the middle of the recipe, I chose to slice the entire squash with my mandolin, in 1/4″ slices. Hopefully this works and cooks quickly.
So delicious and super easy to make non-vegan (I used heavy cream, chicken stock, and normal cheese). The squash and carrots took significantly longer to cook, but I figured they would, just plan ahead. So worth it!
Great tasting soup! I live at a high altitude so roasted the vegetables at 375 for about 1.25 hours. Used two small red onions and 2.5 roma tomatoes. At the end I added some salt. Delicious!! Will make again!
I wrapped the squash in foil and cooked on a cookie sheet. Cooked the other veggies in a pan with foil. That really helped so I could cook the squash for longer.
Very easy to assemble and make. This also took longer than an hour. Oven time was 1 1/2 hours at 380. Other than that great recipe. I will be making this again
Made this last night. AMAZING!!! The squash took longer than an hour- I’d recommend cutting into smaller pieces- but it was worth the wait! This recipe is perfection! 🤌🏼