Butternut Squash and Apple Soup (Printable Version)

Creamy squash and apple blend with warming spices for a comforting autumn bowl.

# What You Need:

→ Vegetables & Fruit

01 - 1 medium butternut squash (about 2 lbs), peeled, seeded, and cubed
02 - 2 medium apples (such as Gala or Fuji), peeled, cored, and diced
03 - 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Liquids

05 - 4 cups vegetable broth (gluten-free if needed)
06 - 1/2 cup apple cider or unsweetened apple juice

→ Dairy

07 - 1/2 cup heavy cream or coconut milk (for vegan option)

→ Spices & Seasoning

08 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
09 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
10 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
11 - 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
12 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Garnish

13 - Toasted pumpkin seeds
14 - Chopped fresh parsley

# How-to Steps:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes until soft and translucent.
02 - Stir in minced garlic, cubed butternut squash, and diced apples. Cook for an additional 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
03 - Add ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger to the pot. Stir thoroughly to evenly coat all vegetables and fruit with the spices.
04 - Pour in vegetable broth and apple cider. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes until butternut squash and apples are very tender.
05 - Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until smooth and creamy. Alternatively, carefully transfer in batches to a countertop blender and process until desired consistency is reached.
06 - Stir in heavy cream or coconut milk if using. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
07 - Gently reheat if necessary. Ladle into serving bowls and garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds and fresh parsley as desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The natural sweetness from apples and squash means you barely need any added sugar, just pure, honest flavor.
  • One pot, thirty-five minutes, and you'll have something silky enough to impress people while being embarrassingly easy to make.
  • It tastes like fall in a bowl without requiring you to spend hours in the kitchen.
02 -
  • Don't blend the soup until it's completely cooled—I learned this the hard way when a pot of hot butternut squash soup exploded inside my blender, and the cleanup was genuinely tragic.
  • The apple cider is not optional if you want the soup to taste bright and autumn-forward; without it, the sweetness tastes one-dimensional.
  • Tasting and seasoning at the very end, after blending, changes everything—flavors concentrate and shift as the soup smooths out.
03 -
  • Use an immersion blender instead of transferring to a countertop blender—it's safer, faster, and means fewer dishes to wash afterward.
  • Don't be tempted to use store-bought pumpkin pie spice blend; mixing your own cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger gives you control over the balance and tastes noticeably fresher.
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