I Make This Vegan Butternut Squash Soup Whenever My Body Craves a Reset

After a season of indulgence (i.e., post-holiday, post-vacation, or just a restaurant bender), have you ever felt like you want to do a juice cleanse all day? Yeah, me neither, but I’ve certainly experienced many a time when my body has told me it needs a reset, and my digestive system needs a serious break. When that feeling strikes, I often head to the stove and put on a pot of this vegan butternut squash soup—and I frequently double the batch, so I have plenty of leftovers to last the whole week.

Why I Love This Vegan Butternut Squash Soup

When it comes to a “soup cleanse” situation, a comforting puréed vegan soup recipe is where it’s at. The blender’s already done the work for you, giving your digestive system the rest it needs. (Bonus points for all the added vitamins!) That said, I’m not about to eat a meager cup of puréed blandness for a single lunch, let alone lunch for a week. I need my soup packed with so much flavor that I’ll *almost* forget it’s healthy, too.

The perfect soup in question? My vegan butternut squash soup recipe. I use coconut milk for that satisfying richness and tons of warming spices to make this soup anything but boring. Trust me: it’s a real treat.

Steps for Making Vegan Butternut Squash Soup

1. Sautee the aromatics: It all starts with a fragrant base of aromatics to give our soup tons of flavor. Get out your big Dutch oven, warm a little olive oil in the bottom, then add chopped onion, minced garlic, and ginger.

2. Add your root vegetables: Add cubed butternut squash and any other root veggies you like. Carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, or any winter squash is fair game. Stir it around, and when it starts to soften, add turmeric and salt, give it a stir, then add your broth, and crank up the heat. When it comes to a simmer, turn it down to medium-low, and let it all simmer away on the stove until your veggies are really soft and tender.

3. Blend it together: To the blender, we add our soup, along with coconut milk, honey, coconut aminos, and the juice of an orange—YUM. Blend it up until smooth, and remember that when you’re blending hot ingredients, you may have to do it in smaller batches so that your vegan butternut squash soup doesn’t explode all over your white shirt. (Like mine did during this shoot.)

Tips for the Best Butternut Squash Soup

Use the right milk: I like to use full-fat coconut milk for optimal richness. The low-fat versions are just too watery to satisfy, and the fat from the coconut milk is what will keep you from wanting to dip your spoon into a gallon of ice cream after dinner. (Okay, I could never promise that, but what I’m saying is, some fat is good.)

Serve with all the toppings: Like most comforting soup recipes, the presentation is all in the garnishes. I top this one with toasted pumpkin seeds, fresh cilantro leaves, and another drizzle of coconut milk. (Styling tip: hold your spoon really close to the soup when you drizzle so it doesn’t sink to the bottom.) Just before eating, give it a final taste, and add more salt or pepper if it needs more flavor. Then grab your spoon and devour.

Storage and Freezing Tips

Few things are better at leftovers than soup. Keep it in the fridge for up to a week, or transfer to a gallon-sized freezer bag, press out as much air as possible, and pop it in the freezer for up to two months. Thaw and rewarm on the stove whenever you need an Insta-cleanse. Day after Thanksgiving, we’re ready for you.

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This post was originally published on September 15th, 2021, and has since been updated.

"Creamy" Vegan Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger & Coconut Milk

Serves 8

This comforting vegan soup is made creamy with coconut milk. It's healthy, delicious, and so satisfying.

By Camille Styles

Prep

30 minutes

Cook

30 minutes

Categories

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Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 - 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped (depending on how spicy you like it)
• extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small to medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
• big pinch of kosher salt
• 2 quarts broth
• 1 can full-fat coconut milk (reserve a little for drizzling)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
• juice of one orange
• garnish: coconut milk, toasted pumpkin seeds, fresh cilantro leaves

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Instructions

1. Get out your big dutch oven, warm a little olive oil in the bottom, then add chopped onion, garlic, and ginger.
2. When all of that is getting just a little golden and caramelized (it just takes a couple minutes of stirring around), add cubed butternut squash and carrot. Stir it around, and when it starts to soften (after about 5 minutes), add turmeric and salt, give it a stir, then add your broth and crank up the heat.
3. When it comes to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and let it all simmer away on the stove until your veggies are really soft and tender, about 15-20 minutes.
4. Transfer soup to a blender, along with coconut milk (reserve a little for garnish), honey, coconut aminos, and the juice of an orange. Blend it up until smooth, and remember that when you're blending hot ingredients, you may have to do it in smaller batches to prevent explosions.
5. Transfer to bowls, then top with toasted pumpkin seeds, fresh cilantro leaves, and another drizzle of coconut milk (styling tip: hold your spoon really close to the soup when you drizzle so it doesn't sink to the bottom.)
6. Just before eating, give it a final taste, and add more salt if it needs more flavor. Then grab your spoon and devour.