Vegan Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
on Sep 22, 2023, Updated Dec 14, 2023
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A five-ingredient vegan butternut squash and apple soup with brilliant color, depth, and a bit of sweetness. Perfect for holidays and fall dinners.
This soup is vegan not because I set out to make it vegan…but because once I had the base of the soup together, it was so delicious, so sweet, and so satisfying that I decided to stop in my tracks and not add the cream! It was just too good to mess with. And the soup contains just 5 ingredients. If you have a butternut squash and some apples, you are almost there.
And the color — eye-poppingly gorgeous and so flipping autumnal. I garnished mine with sliced scallions, but you could also use pepitas, toasted nuts, vegan croutons, or maybe even a sprinkle of vegan cheese or a dollop of vegan sour cream. To complete the meal, serve this soup with Mushroom, Tomato, and White Bean Ragout or Roasted Lemon Brussels Sprouts.
Table of Contents
Vegan Butternut Squash and Apple Soup: A five-ingredient soup with brilliant color, depth, and a bit of sweetness. Perfect for holidays and fall dinners.
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Thick Vegan Butternut Squash Soup
This soup is naturally thick, smooth, and creamy thanks to the butternut squash and the natural pectin in the apples. You can add as much broth as you like to reach the desired thickness.
Keep in mind that the soup will thicken upon cooling. You can thin it out by reheating it over low heat, stirring often. You can also add more broth if you like. It doesn’t need any flour or another thickener, though; the squash and apples will do the job just fine.
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil – For roasting the butternut squash and apples, which will help them caramelize and become richer in flavor.
- Balsamic vinegar – I think this is the secret ingredient. Use the best balsamic vinegar you have, as the vinegar will add that nice bit of acid to balance out the earthy sweetness of the apples and squash, and also another element of fermented sweetness of its own.
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – Don’t be shy with either of these.
- Butternut squash – The base of the soup; you can use pre-peeled and cut squash or cut and cube your own — see here to peel and cut butternut squash! It will be roasted with the onions and apples before it is pureed into the soup.
- Onions – As with all vegetables and fruits, roasting brings out the natural sweetness of the onions. I used yellow onions here, though you can use any color you like. Red will affect the color of the soup, so for the brightest orange color, choose yellow or white onions.
- Apples – Choose Granny Smith or other slightly sour apples, which add more complexity of flavor and a little tangy tartness to the finished soup. The apples are the other secret ingredients to this soup!
- Vegetable broth – If you can make your own, you will be rewarded with one of the best vegan soups of your life (she said not very modestly). Try to use low-sodium broth so you can control the salt content.
What to Serve With Vegan Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
More Butternut Squash Soups
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Maple Butternut Squash Soup
- Roasted Butternut and Leek Soup with Cumin and Coriander
- Indian Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup
- Moroccan Lamb and Butternut Squash Stew
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Vegan Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 2 large butternut squash (about 3 /12 to 4 pounds total) (peeled, halved, seeded and cut into 2-inch chunks)
- 2 large onions (peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks)
- 2 large Granny Smith or other slightly tart apples (peeled, quartered and cored)
- 6 cups vegetable broth (or as desired, preferably low-sodium)
- Sliced scallions to serve (to serve)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F. Place two baking racks evenly in the oven; one in the top third, one in the lower third. Line two rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil and spray it with nonstick baking spray.
- In a very large bowl, stir together the oil and vinegar, salt and pepper. Add the squash, onions, and apples to the bowl and toss to coat them with the oil mixture. Transfer the vegetables to the prepared baking sheets, dividing them evenly and spreading them out in a single layer. Place them in the oven and roast for 20 minutes, then give the vegetables a stir, and spread them out again. Put the trays back in the oven, alternating which was on the top rack. Roast for another 15 or so minutes until all of the vegetables are very tender. Let cool to room temperature or just warm.
- Working in batches, transfer about 4 cups of mixed roasted vegetables to a food processor or a blender and add about 1 ½ cups of broth. Puree the mixture and transfer it to a large soup pot. Repeat with the remaining vegetables and broth, making sure not to overfill the food processor or blender. Stir in any additional broth once the vegetables have been pureed, until you get to the desired thickness and consistency.
- Heat just until warmed through, and serve in bowls. Top with the sliced scallions.
