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    Home » Recipes » Soup

    Published: Oct 2, 2020 · Updated: Jan 29, 2023 · This post may contain affiliate links · We donate 10% of our profits to support good causes.

    Butternut Squash Soup with Carrot & Ginger

    Jump to Recipe 10 Comments Share Pin Save Saved!
    A collage of pictures of the soup. Text reads: Vegan Butternut Squash Soup.

    This butternut squash soup is just so refreshingly tasty with the delicate flavours of carrot, the sharpness of fresh ginger and just a squeeze of zingy lemon. This super easy soup is so yummy, it’s hard to believe how quick it is to make! 

    Two bowls of squash soup and a slice of lemon.

    Squash and carrots make this a perfect celebration of late summer and autumn produce. But really, the flavours of this soup go well with any season! We could have this delightfully refreshing dish all year round. 

    Ingredient tips

    Here’s what you need for this delicious butternut squash, carrot and ginger soup:

    • Squash & carrots - The two main ingredients for this soup.
    • Ginger - The spicy root is the actual star of this recipe with its fresh flavour!
    • Onion and garlic - A great base for any vegetable soup. 
    • Olive oil - For frying the vegetables.
    • Vegetable bouillon powder
    • Soy sauce - For a subtle umami flavour boost!
    • Coconut milk - To add some creaminess.
    • Lemon - A bit of juice and zest to round things off - you’ll want an unwaxed or organic lemon. 
    Soup ingredients - a half butternut squash, some carrots, ginger and garlic in a dish, coconut milk, soy sauce, an onion, half a lemon and a spoonful of stock powder.

    As far as the squash goes, butternut is the classic. We also really like the more plump looking hokkaido, a.k.a. red kuri squash. 

    Carrots are a perfect colour match to the yellow-orange squash, but the flavours also go well together. 

    Stock powder and soy sauce provide that foundation of savoury umami flavour that the other ingredients can build on. You won’t need to add any extra salt.

    The vegan staple for creamy sauces and soups is coconut milk, and it works its subtly sweet magic here. We prefer organic full fat coconut milk for its way of emphasizing all those flavours and the smooth mouthfeel.

    The last bit to really make this vegan butternut squash soup sing with freshness is a bit of acidity. A small bit of lemon juice does this well, and we also throw in some zest for what it’s worth.

    A dollop of vegan yoghurt, some coriander and lemon zest garnishes the soup.

    How to make it

    What I love about this recipe is how straight forward it is. You don’t even need to saute the onions on their own at first, like I normally do in most recipes. Why not use those five minutes efficiently and fry the rest of the veg at the same time? 

    Just throw everything - squash, carrots, onion and ginger, all roughly chopped or diced - in a saucepan with some olive oil. You’ll get some really nice caramelisation on the veg and the roasted flavour that comes with it - without actually using an oven to roast them. 

    By frying the vegetables at the same time as the onion, they also get a head start and you won’t have to cook them so long with the liquids added.

    Once the garlic, coconut milk, water and rest of the ingredients are in the pan, you just have to let it all simmer for a short while. When the squash and carrot cubes are soft to the bite, it’s time to puree with a stick blender and serve!  

    Step by step

    You can find more detailed ingredient info and instructions in the recipe card, and here’s also a visual guide for you.

    Chunks of squash, carrots, onion and ginger browning in a saucepan.

    Step 1 - Heat up the olive oil in a saucepan and fry the cubed vegetables - squash, carrots, onions - and the ginger. 

    Adding the garlic into the saucepan.

    Step 2 - When the veg has browned a bit, add the garlic and saute for another minute.

    Stirring in the coconut milk, water, bouillon and lemon.

    Step 3 - Add all remaining ingredients - the water, bouillon powder, coconut milk, soy sauce, lemon juice and zest. Bring to a boil.

    Pureeing the soup with a stick blender.

    Step 4 - Simmer until the squash and carrots are both cooked soft, then blend until the soup is completely smooth. 

    Variations and Substitutions

    To make this recipe gluten free, replace the soy sauce with gluten free tamari, and make sure your bouillon is gluten-free as well. For a soy-free alternative, you can use liquid coconut aminos.

    If you have pumpkin on your hand, it works well in the place of squash. In fact, we often use the two completely interchangeably! Slightly different outcome, but never disappointing!

    If you don’t want to use bouillon, add an extra tablespoon of soy sauce or tamari. You might want to check the salt level and adjust to your taste.

    Instead of coconut milk, you can use half the amount of coconut cream and the same amount of extra water. Or just replace it with water for a less creamy soup.

    Two bowls of soup next to half a butternut squash and two spoons.

    Serving

    A spoonful of tangy vegan yoghurt complements the fiery heat of the ginger.

    And a garnish of lemon zest and some fresh herbs make a nice refreshing garnish. We used some cilantro/coriander, but some crispy sage leaves would also go amazingly well with the squash.

    For a tasty side dish for this soup, we can highly recommend some of our Potato Scones!

    Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat on the stove, or in the microwave. You might want to add a splash more water if it has become too thick.

    Dipping a spoon into the thick, orange coloured soup.

    If you like this soup, you might also enjoy these Vegan Soup Recipes:

    Vegan Mushroom Soup

    Creamy Wild Garlic Soup

    Pumpkin Red Lentil Soup

    Vegan Lentil Soup

    And if you've got butternut leftover, then you can use it to make some yummy Pumpkin Gnocchi, or this cosy onepot Lentil Risotto with Butternut Squash.

    📖 Recipe

    A white bowl of butternut squash soup.

    Butternut Squash Soup with Carrot & Ginger

    by Sophie & Paul
    5 from 12 votes
    This butternut squash soup is just so refreshingly tasty with the delicate flavours of carrot, the sharpness of fresh ginger and just a squeeze of zingy lemon. This super easy soup is so yummy, it’s hard to believe how quick it is to make! 
    Print Pin Save Saved!
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Makes: 4 servings
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: American, British

    Ingredients
     

    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • 3 cups (350 g) butternut squash peeled, cubed
    • 2 cups (250 g) carrots cubed
    • 3 cm ginger chopped
    • 1 onion diced
    • 2 cloves garlic chopped
    • 2 cups (480 ml) water
    • 1 ½ tsp stock powder or bouillon
    • ½ can (200 ml) coconut milk
    • 1 tbsp soy sauce
    • 1 ½ tsp lemon juice
    • 1 tsp lemon zest

    Instructions
     

    • In a saucepan, heat the olive oil on medium/high heat and fry the squash, carrot, onion and ginger for about 5 minutes. 
    • When the veggies have started to brown, add the garlic and saute for another minute.
    • Next, add all the remaining ingredients - the water, bouillon powder, coconut milk, soy sauce, lemon juice and zest.
    • Stir and bring up to a simmer until both the squash and carrot are tender, approximately 10 minutes.
    • With a stick blender, puree the soup until smooth. 
    • Garnish with your favorite soup toppings - we used some vegan yoghurt, lemon zest and fresh herbs.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 219kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 257mg | Potassium: 725mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 21853IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 3mg

    This information is calculated per serving and is an estimate only.

    Did you make this recipe?Leave a comment to let us know! Share a photo and tag @veganonboard - we love to see what you make!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Flo says

      December 02, 2022 at 6:53 pm

      5 stars
      Great recipe! Subtle rich flavour, balanced combination of onion, ginger & garlic.
      Could easily be served chilled as a starter or hot as a main dish with a cheese bread or croissants.

      Reply
      • Sophie and Paul says

        December 05, 2022 at 5:48 pm

        Thanks so much Flo! It's one of our fave meals this time of year.

        Reply
    2. Suzin says

      October 18, 2022 at 8:19 pm

      can this be frozen as I need to use up my vegetables?

      Reply
      • Sophie and Paul says

        October 19, 2022 at 9:15 am

        Hi, Yes this soups freezes really well. Simply let it cool and then transfer into an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge and then reheat until piping hot. Enjoy!

        Reply
    3. Shoestring Jane says

      November 27, 2021 at 7:13 pm

      This is my new favourite soup! Delicious! I have been using dried ginger and it tastes really nice.

      Reply
      • Sophie and Paul says

        November 28, 2021 at 9:34 pm

        Thanks so much Jane! Great to know that the recipe works great with dried ginger too.

        Reply
    4. Robert says

      April 03, 2021 at 9:32 pm

      5 stars
      I had a lot more carrots than squash to use up, but even with a different ratio this still came out great. Very gingery.

      Reply
      • Sophie and Paul says

        April 06, 2021 at 11:11 am

        Thanks Robert. We sometimes make it with just carrot or just squash and its great like that too. We love the zing that the ginger brings to the soup.

        Reply
    5. CookinWithKatrina says

      January 04, 2021 at 3:43 pm

      5 stars
      Super Delicious Recipe! Highly recommend. I made it a little different, to be honest I'm not the most accurate with measurements, so I kind of use the old cook trick, "throw it in" and "thats about right" but it still turned out amazing. I will certainly be making this again. I used more ginger than recommended, (because I like the flavor) I probably used about 2 inches of a ginger root, peeled and chopped it up, but I also doubled everything else. Topped with a splash of sour cream and cilantro

      Reply
      • Sophie and Paul says

        January 06, 2021 at 7:47 pm

        Hi Katrina, so glad you liked this recipe! It's our favourite soup in winter, and we, too, often just "throw it in" and then season to taste with salt or soy sauce and pepper. A bit more ginger can never be a bad thing, and also we save some time and don't bother peeling it - it gets all blended up anyway!
        Hope you stay safe and enjoy more of our recipes! 🙂 Take care, Sophie & Paul

        Reply

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