Autumn Squash Soup
This Autumn Squash Soup is the perfect bowl of cozy on cooler weather days. Combining butternut squash, carrots, apples, canned pumpkin, and lots of spices makes this soup a new favorite. Think butternut squash soup with hints of apple, pumpkin, and a little bit of heat for good luck!
Creamy soups are just so comforting! Try my Roasted Carrot Soup or my Butternut Squash Soup with Bacon for even MORE creaminess! And this Creamy Potato Soup can be almost completely pureed as well!
Panera Copycat Recipe
Have you ever had Panera’s Autumn Squash Soup? Well, it’s yummy, and since we’re not eating out nearly as much now, I did my best to replicate it. Give it a try and let me know if it compares!
Reasons to love this soup (more than Panera’s!)
- It’s cheaper. A bowl of this soup at Panera’s costs $6.79! You can make an entire batch of this soup for far less. This recipe makes five medium bowls or six small’ish bowls.
- You can tailor it to your taste buds. There is SO much wiggle room in soup recipes. If you want to add more cinnamon and sugar to make it sweeter, have at it. If you like your soups spicy, then add more curry powder, ginger, or cayenne (or all)! You can also add some apple cider for an even more pronounced apple taste. Email me if you need more suggestions or help.
- It’s delicious! It really IS delish. Creamy with a savory and sweet flavor all at once.
Another bonus is staying in your pjs and slippers and enjoying this soup in the comfort of your home. I’m all about the cozy life after 2020!
Ingredients Used
- Butternut Squash – I used one medium to large squash. After I peeled and cubed it, it equaled about eight cups.
- Carrots – Use about three large carrots, chopped.
- Onion – I use yellow onion in most of my recipes.
- Apples – You can use any type of apple you like. I used Honey Crisp for some added sweetness.
- Garlic – A few cloves of garlic are always a good thing.
- Olive Oil – You’ll need some olive oil for drizzling over the veggies. This is also a flavor enhancer!
- Pumpkin – One can of pumpkin puree adds depth of flavor and some sweetness too.
- Brown Sugar – Just a bit of brown sugar is needed, but you could use honey instead. You may even want to skip the extra sweetener altogether due to including those naturally sweet apples in the soup. Test it, and add as you go!
- Seasonings – Cinnamon, ground ginger, curry powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper round out the seasonings.
- Broth – Use either vegetable broth to keep it vegetarian, or chicken broth works too.
- Cream – Some heavy cream is a nice final touch to this healthy soup!
How to make Autumn Squash Soup
Step 1
Roast the veggies. Peel and cube the squash. I use a potato peeler and then start chopping, discarding the seeds and pulp as I go. Peel the carrots and chop them, along with the onion. Spread the veggies on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Then roast them in a preheated 425 degree oven (on two racks), rotating the pans as needed. They are done when they are fork tender.
Step 2
Cook the apples and garlic. Peel and chop two apples. Mince the garlic. Place everything in a stock pot, along with about two tablespoons of water. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the apples are soft.
Step 3
Puree. Place the roasted veggies and the cooked apples and garlic in a blender. Add about 1/2 cup of broth and blend until pureed. You’ll need to do this in two batches.
Step 4
Add ingredients to stock pot. Pour the blended mixture into the stock pot. Add the remaining broth, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, heavy cream, and seasonings (cinnamon, ginger, curry powder, and cayenne).
Step 5
Cook. Cook the soup on medium heat until heated through. You’ll need to stir frequently to avoid the sputtering all over the place. (Pureed soup can make a mess of things quickly!) This will take about 10-15 minutes to get hot.
Step 6
Serve. Serve the soup with some roasted pumpkin seeds and some crusty bread, if desired.
Expert Tips
- Roast the veggies. Some recipes boil the veggies instead of roasting them. If you take the extra step of roasting them with olive oil, salt, and pepper – you’ll notice the depth of flavor. It’s so good this way!
- Use a blender to puree. You could try using a food processor or an immersion blender to puree the soup, but it won’t get as smooth. I recommend using a blender instead.
- Blend in batches. Don’t try to stuff everything in one batch when blending. You’ll need to do it in two.
- Warm up slowly. Pureed soups can be difficult to warm up on the stove (because they sputter!). So make sure you do it slowly and stir often!
- Taste test and adjust. When adding in the sugar and seasonings, taste as you go. Then you’ll know if you want to add more sweet or spicy. All of the seasonings together are a great balance in flavor!
More Butternut Squash Recipes
I’ve got a few other delicious recipes for you to try next!
Other soup recipes to try
Soup Season is one of my favorites because there is really nothing easier than a big pot of whatever you’re craving. I’ve built up a pretty large library for you to sample from, and here are some by category. Take your pick!
- Beefy – Hearty Beef Vegetable Soup, Shredded Beef Cabbage Soup, and Beef Barley Vegetable Soup.
- Curry Based – Sweet Potato Curry Soup, Curry Fish Stew, and Coconut Curry Vegetable Soup.
- Chicken – Green Chili Chicken Soup, Chicken Tortilla Soup, and Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup.
- Other – I’ve also got creamy soups, meatless soups, meatball soups, chowder, chili, and more!
Kitchen Tools Used: (affiliate links)
xoxo ~Sue
Autumn Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash (about 8 cups chopped) – chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion – chopped
- 3 large carrots – chopped
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste
- 2 medium apples – peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic – minced
- 2½ – 3 cups broth – vegetable or chicken
- 15 oz. pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon curry powder – optional
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper – for heat (optional)
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ cup heavy cream
- roasted pepitas and crusty bread – to serve
Instructions
- Roast the veggies. Spread the chopped veggies (the butternut squash, carrots, and onions) on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil, and add salt and pepper to taste. Then roast in a preheated 425 degree oven (on two racks(, rotating pans as needed. They are done when they are fork tender.
- Cook the apples and garlic. Place the chopped apples and garlic in a stock pot, along with about two tablespoons of water. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the apples are soft.
- Puree. Place the roasted veggies and the cooked apples and garlic in a blender. Add about 1/2 cup of broth and blend until pureed. You’ll need to do this in two batches.
- Add ingredients to stock pot. Pour the blended mixture into the stock pot. Add the remaining broth, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, heavy cream, and seasonings (cinnamon, ginger, curry powder, and cayenne).
- Cook. Cook the soup on medium heat until heated through. You’ll need to stir frequently to avoid the sputtering all over the place. (Pureed soup can make a mess of things quickly!) This will take about 10-15 minutes.
- Serve. Serve the soup with some roasted pumpkin seeds and some crusty bread, if desired.
Notes
Expert Tips
- Roast the veggies. Some recipes boil the veggies instead of roasting them. If you take the extra step of roasting them with olive oil, salt, and pepper – you’ll notice the depth of flavor. It’s so good this way!
- Use a blender to puree. You could try using a food processor or an immersion blender to puree the soup, but it won’t get as smooth. I recommend using a blender instead.
- Blend in batches. Don’t try to stuff everything in one batch when blending. You’ll need to do it in two.
- Warm up slowly. Pureed soups can be difficult to warm up on the stove (because they sputter!). So make sure you do it slowly and stir often!
- Taste test and adjust. When adding in the sugar and seasonings, taste as you go. Then you’ll know if you want to add more sweet or spicy. All of the seasonings together add a really nice flavor!
What type of apples do you recommend using?
I used Honey Crisp in this recipe, but you could use whatever you have.
My daughter made this for me as I wasn’t feeling great and requested it and had already bought everything to make it. This was the first time making it, from any recipe. It was a bit thick, I had her use greek yogurt in place of heavy cream to decrease the calories a bit and ended up adding in some apple cider at the end to thin it out and that made it perfect! Thank you for a fantastic recipe! It really tasted great and I will be making it again.
Yes, I would guess that the yogurt made it extra thick. Glad you were successful in thinning it out, Kristi.
Your soup recipes are incredible….. for some reason, this one is also fun to eat!
This was a big hit with my dad and guests. (Hubs is more of a carnivore.) Warm and filling. We had sliced sourdough and steamed asparagus on the side.
Definitely needed the cream added at the end, but I don’t see where that’s added in the instructions. I just stirred it in after it was hot. Is that when I should?
I prefer savory, so left out the brown sugar—apples made it sweet enough. Needed a lot more salt added at the end and a lot more liquid in order to be able to purée in my blender. I used a whole 4C container of veg broth + an extra cup of water. But I also added a roasted Japanese sweet potato I got in my farm box, and they tend to be pretty dry. It was a lot of work to prep and roast all the vegetables, but worth it on a weekend with guests who enjoy healthy food. Served my vegan aunt before adding the cream and she enjoyed it.
Hi Ginger! I’m so glad your guests enjoyed the soup. I fixed the recipe and added the cream to directions. Thanks for trying it!