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More Winter Soups
Spicy Butternut Squash Soup
Spicy butternut squash soup is one of my go-to autumn favourites – creamy, comforting, and full of gentle heat. I roast the squash until caramelised, then blend it with garlic, onion, stock, and a touch of chilli for that perfect balance of sweet and spice. It’s smooth, vibrant, and ideal for cold days when I want something nourishing. I usually serve it with crusty bread or a swirl of yoghurt – simple, soothing, and packed with flavour.
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash, halved legnthwise, seeds removed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, roughly diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp minced chilli
- 1/2 tsp cumin, ground
- 1/2 tsp coriander, ground
- 400ml coconut milk
- 2 cups vegetable stock, hot
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Salt, to season
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 190C.
- Place butternut squash skin side down on a baking sheet and brush with a small amount of olive oil.
- Roast in the hot oven for 45-55 minutes, or until the flesh is starting to brown.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Scoop out the cooked flesh from the butternut squash and set aside.
- In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Cook onions 5-10 minutes or until soft.
- Add garlic and cook additional 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add the butternut squash, chilli, cumin, coriander, hot vegetable stock and coconut milk and using a stick blender, blitz until velvety smooth.
- Allow to heat through on medium heat for 5-10 minutes.
- Finally, stir through lemon juice and season with salt to suit.
What I Cook With
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Amount Per Serving: Calories: 345Total Fat: 27.9gSaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 62mgCarbohydrates: 26.1gFiber: 5.9gSugar: 8.1gProtein: 4.3g
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Spicy Butternut Squash Soup Recipe
The Soup That Saved the Week
Sometimes I get stuck in a rut with my soup-making. You know how it is – the same chicken noodle soup with half the crisper drawer thrown in, every week on repeat. It’s not bad, in fact, it’s comforting and familiar. But this week I decided to change it up a little. Enter: Spicy Butternut Squash Soup. I made it while the skies over Scotland were grey and damp, which turned out to be perfect timing because the next day the sun came out swinging and it was salad weather again. But that bowl of soup? Just what I needed in the moment – velvety, warming, and with just enough zing to wake up my tastebuds without needing a fire extinguisher on standby.
The thing that really makes this soup feel a bit special is the coconut milk. It adds that creamy texture you’d usually expect from a dairy-laden soup, but it’s totally vegan-friendly. And the trick to getting that smooth, luscious texture is all in the roasting. Roasting the butternut squash brings out this deep, almost caramelised flavour that boiling just can’t deliver. It’s all down to the Maillard reaction – basically science doing something delicious. So when I tell you this soup tastes rich and silky and way more efforty than it actually is, I’m not exaggerating. It’s a midweek win disguised as something fancy.
Also, I don’t know who needs to hear this, but please don’t go tipping boiling hot soup into a blender without due care. I’ve been there, I’ve screamed, I’ve splattered soup up the walls. That’s why I always reach for my stick blender now. It’s safer, easier to clean, and doesn’t require a prayer and a towel barricade. Trust me, the immersion blender is your friend.
Why Roasting is Non-Negotiable
I used to just chop up my butternut squash and chuck it straight into the pot with everything else. And it was… fine. But once I started roasting it first, I couldn’t go back – the difference in flavour is huge. Roasting the squash brings out all those natural sugars, and you end up with this golden, slightly crisp edge that just melts when you blitz it. It’s a bit like the difference between boiled and roasted potatoes. One’s functional – the other is heavenly.
The colour also deepens when you roast it. I know we eat with our eyes, but this soup really does look as good as it tastes. That rich orange hue is like a bowlful of sunshine, which, let’s be honest, we need in Scotland more often than not. The smell that fills the kitchen while it’s roasting is another reason to do it this way. That slightly nutty, sweet, toasty aroma is enough to make me want to roast squash even if I wasn’t planning to make soup at all.
The roasting step also means less water in the final product, which makes the whole thing thicker and silkier without needing to add extra starch or thickeners. It’s just naturally velvety, which feels a bit luxurious for a simple soup. And on that note, if you’ve got a little extra time, roast some garlic alongside the squash. Just trust me. It’s worth it.
Soup Night Staples and Swaps
Soup night has become a bit of a weekly ritual in my house. It started as a way to use up the odds and ends in the fridge, but now it’s something I look forward to. I keep a few staples on hand – veggie stock, onions, garlic, etc etc – and then I riff on whatever veg I’ve got lurking around. But when I plan it properly, like with this Spicy Butternut Squash Soup, it becomes a proper moment.
If you don’t have coconut milk, you can use oat cream or any plant-based cream alternative. It won’t have quite the same subtle sweetness, but it’ll still give you that smooth richness. And if spice isn’t your thing, tone it down with a bit of maple syrup or leave the chilli out altogether. It’s your soup, after all. Make it suit you. I’ve even added in a spoon of peanut butter before for a bit of depth and it was delicious. Accidental brilliance, that one.
One thing I don’t recommend skipping is the acidity. Whether that’s a squeeze of lime, a splash of vinegar, or even just a little bit of tomato paste, it really lifts the soup and cuts through the richness. And don’t forget the salt. Honestly, I think 90% of disappointing soups are just under-seasoned. Taste as you go, and then taste again after blending. Your future self will thank you.
Ingredients Breakdown
This Spicy Butternut Squash Soup keeps it simple, but every ingredient plays its part. You start with a large butternut squash, halved and seeds removed. This is your hero ingredient, and roasting it brings out its natural sweetness. Olive oil helps it caramelise nicely and adds depth to the base when sautéing the onion. Speaking of which, a large onion is the foundation of so many good soups, giving it that rich, sweet-savory backdrop. Garlic adds that familiar, comforting note, while a little minced chilli brings just enough heat to keep things interesting without blowing your head off.
Ground cumin and ground coriander are the real magic here. They bring that warming, earthy fragrance that turns this from just another squash soup into something with a bit of character. Coconut milk steps in to make everything creamy, mellow, and silky smooth. The vegetable stock gives it body and substance while keeping it light and vegan. A touch of lemon juice added at the end wakes everything up and balances the sweetness from the squash and coconut milk. And of course, a generous pinch or two of salt brings it all together and lifts every other flavour.
You don’t need anything fancy, but you do need balance. The sweetness of the squash and coconut milk, the savoury base of onion and garlic, the warmth of the spices, the freshness of lemon juice, and a whisper of heat from the chilli. It’s all about layers of flavour working in harmony, and that’s what makes this soup so satisfyingly slurpable. No bells or whistles. Just good, honest flavour in every spoonful.
