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!
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.
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.
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.
Step 1 - Heat up the olive oil in a saucepan and fry the cubed vegetables - squash, carrots, onions - and the ginger.
Step 2 - When the veg has browned a bit, add the garlic and saute for another minute.
Step 3 - Add all remaining ingredients - the water, bouillon powder, coconut milk, soy sauce, lemon juice and zest. Bring to a boil.
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.
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.
If you like this soup, you might also enjoy these Vegan Soup Recipes:
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.
Butternut Squash Soup with Carrot & Ginger
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.
