Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

Prep: 30 mins

Cook: 8 hrs

Total: 8 hrs 30 mins

Servings: 8 to 10 servings

Yield: 3 quarts

This crockpot butternut squash soup is a warm and creamy soup that’s cooked up in the slow cooker. It’s easy and requires very little effort. Although it’s creamy, there’s no cream added at all! The recipe is completely vegan and is full of sweet butternut squash and apple flavors.

There are only three simple steps to making this soup. You can throw it all in your slow cooker before you leave for work and you will have a delicious soup waiting for you when you get home with not much left to do other than purée the ingredients.

If you’re looking for a healthy, dairy-free soup, this is the dish for you. Serve with some warm crusty bread or a simple side salad. 

«This butternut squash soup was delicious and makes a lot! I filled a 7-quart slow cooker about 2/3 full and cooked it on high for 4 hours. You could cut the prep time if you use pre-peeled and cubed squash. I got 3 quarts of soup using a 6-pound squash.» —Diana Rattray

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 medium apples

• 2 fresh thyme sprigs

• 2 medium butternut squash, about 6 pounds, peeled and cubed

• 3 cups vegetable broth

• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt, more to taste

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more to taste

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 3/4 cup light coconut milk

• Dairy-free yogurt, for topping, optional

• Toasted pumpkin seeds, for garnish, optional

• Coarsely chopped fresh tender herbs of choice, for garnish, optional

Steps to Make It

1. Gather the ingredients.

   

2. Heat the oil in a medium skillet on medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until just fragrant, about 30 seconds. 

   

3. Core and coarsely chop the apples. It’s ok to leave them unpeeled and on the larger side.

   

4. Add the onion-garlic mixture, apples, thyme sprigs, butternut squash, vegetable broth, season salt, black pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper to a large slow cooker. Cover and cook until the squash and apples are very tender, on low for 8 hours, or high for 4 hours. 

   

5. Remove and discard the thyme sprigs. Add coconut milk and purée with an immersion blender. Adjust the seasoning to taste.

   Alternatively, purée the soup in batches a blender.

   

6. Serve topped with a dollop of dairy-free yogurt and garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds and herbs, if desired.

   

Use Caution When Blending Hot Ingredients

Steam expands quickly in a blender, and can cause ingredients to splatter everywhere or cause burns. To prevent this, fill the blender only one-third of the way up, vent the top, and cover with a folded kitchen towel while blending.

Tips

• If the soup is too thick, you can add in more vegetable broth, some apple cider, or more coconut milk.
• Tie the herbs together with a piece of kitchen twine so they can be removed easily when the soup is done.

Variations

• If you don’t need this soup to be vegan, you can add butter, substitute chicken broth for vegetable broth and cream for the coconut milk. A dollop of sour cream also tastes delicious in place of dairy-free yogurt.
• If you love the apple flavor, you can add in an additional 1/2 cup apple cider.
• Use whatever types of apples you like. Using one tart and one sweet works well. Go ahead and leave the skins on. They provide nutrients and a nice color. 
• Instead of thyme, add a few sprigs of sage leaves to the soup.

How to Store Butternut Squash Soup

• Refrigerate leftover butternut squash soup in a covered container and consume within 3 to 4 days.
• This soup freezes beautifully. Transfer the cooled soup to single-serving or family-size freezer containers or freezer bags—label with the name and date and freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost the soup in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
• Reheat butternut squash soup in a saucepan on the stovetop over medium-low heat until hot. 

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 to 10
Amount per serving
Calories	162
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 3g	4%
Saturated Fat 1g	7%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 365mg	16%
Total Carbohydrate 36g	13%
Dietary Fiber 10g	35%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 44mg	220%
Calcium 123mg	9%
Iron 2mg	11%
Potassium 861mg	18%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.