Creamy, comforting, earthy, warming, silky, gorgeous. This soup recipe is one of our favorites from my second cookbook Dinner Solved! and it’s one of those dishes that will make anyone entering your house say, “What in the world smells so amazing?” It’s the combination of all the warm spices, the hit of fresh ginger, and the sweetness of this easy-to-find, inexpensive winter squash and ubiquitous and downright cheap carrots.

If you use vegetable broth, the soup is vegetarian, and if there is a dairy intolerance in your household, swap the butter out for olive oil and skip the cream — you’ll have a lighter, lactose-free, vegan soup. If you like fresh cilantro, think about sprinkling some of the chopped herb on top just before serving.

This would be a great opener to a meal featuring Indian-Inspired Lamb Kebabs, Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani), or Potato Curry. But, served with a big chopped salad like this Romaine, Kale, and Broccoli Salad, it can very well be the main event.

Indian Butternut Squash-Carrot Soup: This creamy, comforting, earthy, warming, silky, gorgeous butternut squash carrot soup is the very definition of what we want on a cold winter night.

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Indian Butternut Squash-Carrot Soup Ingredients

If you don’t have one of the spices in this recipe, leave it out! You’ll still end up with a super flavorful soup.

• Unsalted butter
• Onion – Softened in butter, these make a sweet-savory base for the soup.
• Carrots – Squash and carrots share that gorgeous orange color and a natural sweetness, too, making them a perfect match for this soup!
• Butternut squash – If you are in a rush, you can buy peeled and cubed squash, but if you have time and want to save some money, peel and cube it yourself.
• Low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth – The base of our soup — vegetarian broth makes a vegetarian soup.
• Heavy cream – Cream adds flavor and a velvety texture and softens the color of the soup. Coconut cream could also be used in this instance to make the soup vegan (along with veggie broth!).
• Scallions (optional) – An optional fresh green garnish.
• For the Indian Spice Blend – Minced garlic, minced fresh ginger, ground coriander, ground cumin, ground cinnamon, cayenne pepper, turmeric, and ground cloves all come together to create a mix of flavors that will have your kitchen smelling like heaven.

How to Make Indian Butternut Squash-Carrot Soup

1. Cook the vegetables: Saute the vegetables in butter until they start to soften. Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer partially covered, for 25 to 30 minutes, until the vegetables are all very soft.
2. Make and add the spice blend: In a small bowl combine the garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, turmeric, cloves, and salt and pepper. Add it to the simmering vegetables in broth for the last 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Blend the soup: Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender or food processor (alternately you can run the mixture through a food mill, which offers a great kind of nubby texture, or puree with an immersion blender). Return the pureed soup to the pot.
4. Add the cream and serve: Add the heavy cream and heat just until warmed through. Garnish with chopped scallions if desired.

Butternut Squash Tips

It all comes down to surface area … your butternut squash will cook and soften much more quickly if it’s cubed. Plus, it’s pretty challenging (I’d imagine) to fit a whole butternut squash in your stock pot! So, grab yourself a strong vegetable peeler and peel away the skin until you can see the squash’s bright orange flesh. Then chop off the top and bottom of the squash and slice it in half lengthwise. Now, you can scoop out all of the seeds and cube your squash. And remember, it will all be blended up, so perfectly even slices are not necessary here!

P.S. Here’s a full guide with every tip and trick in the book on how to peel and cut butternut squash.

Make-Ahead and Leftovers

This is a great make-ahead soup. It can be stored for up to 4 days. If you plan to make it ahead, stop before the cream is added, refrigerate the soup, then heat and add the cream right before serving. If you reheat it with the cream already added in, make sure you only bring it to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat so it doesn’t curdle.

What to Serve With Indian Butternut Squash-Carrot Soup

Grilled Chicken Thighs with Indian Curry Yogurt Marinade

Lamb Chorba

Chicken Tender Skewers with Spiced Curry Rub

More Roasted Vegetable Soup Recipes

• Creamy Rutabaga, Carrot, and Parsnip Soup
• Creamy Roasted Beet Soup
• Moroccan Carrot and Cauliflower Soup
• Parsnip and Golden Beet Soup