Autumn Squash Soup
A creamy blend of butternut squash, pumpkin, and warm spices, simmered with apple cider and finished with coconut milk.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter or olive oil, 45g
- 7 cups peeled and diced butternut squash from 1 medium squash, about 1kg
- 3 medium carrots diced, about 1 cup / 130g
- 1 medium onion diced, about 1 cup / 150g
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar or maple syrup 15ml
- 1/2 teaspoon salt plus more to taste, 2.5g
- 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 1/2 cup pumpkin purée 120g
- 1 cup apple cider or apple juice 240ml
- 3 cups vegetable broth 720ml
- 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk from a can, 120ml
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced butternut squash, carrots, and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Add the brown sugar, salt, curry powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and optional cayenne pepper to the pot. Stir continuously for 1 minute until the spices are fragrant.
- Pour in the pumpkin purée, apple cider, and vegetable broth. Stir everything together until well combined.
- Increase the heat to bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover, and let it simmer for 20-25 minutes. The soup is ready for the next step when the squash is very tender and mashes easily with a fork.
- Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the coconut milk.
- Use an immersion blender to purée the soup directly in the pot until it is completely smooth. Alternatively, let the soup cool slightly and blend in batches in a traditional blender. Only fill the blender halfway and cover the lid with a towel to be safe.
- Taste the soup and add more salt if needed. Serve warm.
Notes
For a richer soup, you can substitute the coconut milk with heavy cream.
If the soup is too thick for your liking, you can thin it with a little more vegetable broth or water until it reaches your desired consistency.
For safety when using a standard blender, never fill it more than halfway with hot liquid. Vent the lid to allow steam to escape and cover it with a kitchen towel to prevent splatters.
Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds, a swirl of extra coconut milk, or freshly chopped herbs like parsley or chives.