Celebrate the flavors of fall with this delicious, roasted butternut squash and apple soup. Caramelized pieces of squash are combined with savory bits of bacon, sweet apples, and a hint of maple syrup for the perfect sweet and savory soup that brings all the cozy vibes.
This creamy soup is the perfect first course for your Thanksgiving dinner or just to warm up in the colder months. I serve mine topped with bacon pieces and roasted pumpkin seeds.
I love a bowl of hearty soup for dinner, all through Fall and Winter. If you're the same, you really must try my creamy roasted cauliflower soup or my favorite chicken and butternut squash soup next!
Ingredient Notes
This delicious butternut squash soup recipe uses simple ingredients that can be found in any grocery store. It is both gluten free and dairy free as written.
- Butternut Squash - I always buy a fresh butternut squash which I peel and cut myself. Here's a great video showing how to cut a butternut squash if you've never done it before. The time needed to cut a whole squash is included in the prep time below. You can also buy precut squash cubes in most grocery stores, which will cut down on your prep time.
- Maple Syrup - A little maple syrup is added the squash before roasting to add to the caramelized flavors. If you don't have syrup, you could use a little brown sugar instead. Or just omit the sugar if you prefer.
- Apple - The addition of apples to this soup really compliments the squash in a great way. I used a locally grown apple of the Blondie variety, which is a sweeter apple like a Golden Delicious. Tart Granny Smith apples would also work wonderfully here.
- Gluten Free Chicken Broth (or Vegetable Broth) - If you're following a gluten free diet, make sure you buy a broth that is marked gluten free since this is a product which commonly has hidden gluten. Pacific Foods brand is my favorite to use.
- Lite Coconut Milk - This is the coconut milk found in a can, usually in the Asian food section of the grocery store. I like the unsweetened, lite version which makes a velvety soup without adding the heaviness you get from full fat coconut milk. If you prefer, you can substitute heavy cream in place of the coconut milk.
See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Not Dairy Free - The specific dairy free swap here is the coconut milk. You can stick with canned coconut milk or replace it with heavy cream.
- Make it Vegan - Omit the bacon and use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. You will need additional oil to saute the vegetables when omitting the bacon grease. The flavor will change since bacon is a big part of the savory flavor of this soup, but it should still be delicious.
- No Shallots - Replace them with an equal measure of diced yellow onions.
- Add more vegetables - A few sweet potatoes or carrots would be a lovely addition to this soup.
- Make a chunky soup - If you prefer it a little less creamy, you can puree just half of the soup and leave the rest of the squash and apples as chunks for texture.
How to Make Apple Butternut Squash Soup
Roasting the butternut squash in the oven before adding it to the soup really enhances the sweetness of the squash, making it worth washing a few extra dishes. I used a 4.5 quart Dutch oven pot to prepare this soup. If you don't have a Dutch oven pot, any large pot will work fine.
STEP 1: Combine the cubed butternut squash, maple syrup, olive oil, and ½ teaspoon of salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir to coat the squash.
STEP 2: Spread the cubed squash on a baking sheet and roast for 25-30 minutes until it is just fork tender.
STEP 3: Add the bacon pieces to a Dutch oven pot over medium heat. Cook until the bacon pieces are crispy. Remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate and discard all but 2 tablespoons of bacon grease.
STEP 4: Return the pot to medium heat and add the sliced shallots to the reserved bacon grease. Cook for about 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
STEP 5: Add the minced garlic, remaining salt, black pepper, chipotle pepper and pinch of cinnamon to the pot with the shallots. Cook while stirring for one minute or until fragrant.
STEP 6: Pour ½ cup of broth into the pot and use a spatula to scrape the cooked bits from the bottom of the pot.
STEP 7: Add the roasted squash (and any bits from the baking sheet), the apples and remaining broth to the pot. Bring to a simmer and cover. Reduce the heat to medium low heat and cook for about 10 minutes until the apples are fork tender.
STEP 8: Use a high-speed blender of immersion blender to puree soup. Then pour in the coconut milk. Cook for another 2-3 minutes to warm the coconut milk. Then it's ready to serve.
Storage
Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. This soup reheats really well, so it's a great make-ahead dish for Thanksgiving. It's also wonderful for meal prep as the flavor improves during storage.
More delicious soup recipes to try:
If you try this recipe, please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the comments below.
Recipe
Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 lb Butternut Squash skin & seeds removed, cut into cubes
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon Maple Syrup
- 1 teaspoon Salt divided
- 4 slices Bacon cut into ½" pieces
- 3 Shallots thinly sliced
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon Ground Chipotle Pepper
- pinch Cinnamon
- ¾ Cup Apple peeled & diced
- 3 Cups Gluten Free Chicken Broth or Vegetable Broth
- ¾ Cup Lite Coconut Milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 °F (218 °C)
- Combine the squash cubes, olive oil, maple syrup and ½ teaspoon of salt in a large bowl. Stir well to coat the squash.3 lb Butternut Squash, 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, 1 teaspoon Maple Syrup, 1 teaspoon Salt
- Spread the squash on a baking sheet and roast for 25-30 minutes until the squash begins to soften.
- While the squash is roasting, add the bacon pieces to a Dutch oven pot (or large soup pot) over medium heat. Cook until the bacon pieces are crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined plate.4 slices Bacon
- Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease and return the pot to the stove.
- Add the shallots and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.3 Shallots
- Add in the remaining minced garlic, remaining salt, black pepper, chipotle pepper and cinnamon. Cook while stirring constantly for 1 minute. It should be fragrant.4 cloves Garlic, ½ teaspoon Black Pepper, ⅛ teaspoon Ground Chipotle Pepper, pinch Cinnamon, 1 teaspoon Salt
- Add in ½ cup of the broth and deglaze the bottom of the pan.3 Cups Gluten Free Chicken Broth
- Transfer the roasted squash to the soup pot and use another ½ cup of broth to deglaze the baking sheet. Pour all the browned bits in with the soup.
- Add the apples and remaining broth to the pot and bring to a simmer. Cook until the apples are softened.¾ Cup Apple
- Puree the soup with an immersion blender or using a high-speed blender. Return the blended soup to the pot.
- If you want the soup to be creamy, you can add the coconut milk now or if you prefer a lighter soup add more broth instead. Warm for a few minutes.¾ Cup Lite Coconut Milk
- Serve with the reserved bacon and roasted pepitas.
Notes
Tiffany is the recipe developer, stylist and food photographer behind Well Fed Baker. As a lifelong baker who had to go gluten free and dairy free in 2016, Tiffany strives to share allergen friendly recipes that never feel like they are free from anything.
Anne Marie says
I have been craving butternut squash soup lately, and stumbled across this recipe, so wanted to give it a try. Hands down the best I’ve come across in a very long time! I subbed the chipotle for smoked paprika, as I didn’t have any. The flavour is amazing! Will make again!
Thanks so much for the sweet comment. I'm glad you loved the recipe. ◡̈