Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
on Oct 18, 2021, Updated Oct 08, 2025
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This creamy, comforting butternut squash apple soup is all made in one pot and perfect for a cold night! It’s easy to make, freezer friendly, and a great vegan main dish or side dish.
Looking for more variations of butternut squash soup? Try my red lentil butternut squash soup and roasted butternut squash and pumpkin soup.
You may already have an easy butternut squash soup recipe, but do you have one that also uses apple? It may seem odd to add something sweet to a savory soup, but I assure you this butternut squash apple soup is a must try!
Adding fruit to a savory soup may seem strange, but it works quite well for this soup. Butternut squash has a mellow flavor and apples have a wonderful sweet and tart flavor. Together they balance each other out and turn an average butternut squash soup into something really special.
Ingredients For Butternut Squash Apple Soup
Carrots – Additional veggies and sweetness for the soup.
Onion – A yellow or white onion can be used. Saute it until soft and slightly caramelized for the best flavor.
Salt and pepper – Don’t skip the salt and pepper! I start with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and add from there as needed. Freshly ground black pepper is best. Start with 1/4 teaspoon.
Butternut squash – Look for a butternut squash with a long neck. You get more bang for your buck when you do this since that’s where most of the edible squash is and there’s no seeds to scoop out.
Apples – When choosing an apple for this salad I like to go with ones that are both sweet and tart. Honeycrisp and Granny Smith apples are my top two choices. The soup won’t taste like an apple soup, but rather have notes of apple flavor that you’ll subtly taste at the end of each bite.
Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper – The sweet, earthy flavors of the cinnamon and nutmeg, plus the spicy kick of the cayenne pepper, give this soup the best flavor!
Vegetable broth – Use low sodium to prevent the soup from getting too salty. You can also use low sodium chicken broth.
How To Make Butternut Squash Apple Soup
This is a one pot soup that is made on the stovetop. Start by peeling and cubing the butternut squash. You’ll need about 6-7 cups of cubed squash. Once the squash is broken down, peel and cut the apples into a large dice and dice the onion and carrots as well.
The onion and carrots will go in the pot first. Sauté them for 4-5 minutes and then add in the butternut squash, apples, salt, pepper, and spices. Stir everything together and let it cook for a couple minutes, then pour in the vegetable broth.
Bring the soup to a boil and then lower the heat, cover with a lid, and let it simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. The squash is fork tender and similar to the tenderness of potatoes when you’re making mashed potatoes.
Once the vegetables are tender, turn off the heat and use an immersion blender to purée the soup. Once the soup is puréed and creamy, taste it for seasoning and adjust with more salt and black pepper if needed.
If you’d like to top the soup with homemade croutons like I did, follow the simple method that I used when making this fall roasted vegetable panzanella salad. Pumpkin seeds (pepitas) would also be a delicious crunchy topping.
My Tips for Butternut Squash Apple Soup
- Cut the squash into equal sized cubes so they cook evenly.
- Use freshly grated nutmeg. The flavor is infinitely better! I use a microplane zester to grate mine, it’s so easy.
- If you don’t have an immersion stick blender, add the soup in batches to a high speed blender or food processor. Be sure you don’t add it all at once or the heat from the soup can blow the lid off.
- For extra apple flavor, replace a 1/2 cup of the vegetable broth with unsweetened apple cider.
Butternut Squash and Apple Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 butternut squash peeled and cubed (about 6-7 cups)
- 2 apples peeled and chopped
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
- 32 ounces low sodium vegetable broth
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium-high heat add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil is hot add in the onion and carrots. Sauté them for 4-5 minutes and then add in the butternut squash, apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne, salt and pepper. Sauté another 2-3 minutes and then pour in the vegetable broth.
- Stir everything together and bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, cover with a lid and lower the heat so that the soup is simmering. Simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the squash is very tender.
- Turn off the heat then use an immersion blender to purée the soup until it’s smooth and creamy. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Top the soup with croutons or one of the topping ideas suggested above.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Frequently Asked Questions
This soup will last for 4-5 days in the refrigerator. Simply reheat it in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stove.
Yes. Let the soup cool completely and then put it in a freezer safe container or resealable freezer bag with the air pressed out. The soup will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
A dollop of plain Greek yogurt, sour cream or a drizzle of cream or coconut milk will give the soup extra creaminess. I also love to top it with spiced pepitas like I did in the recipe for this roasted butternut squash pumpkin soup.
Crispy chopped bacon would also be delicious and fresh chopped herbs such as parsley or thyme are always a good addition.
Although it’s not a “hearty” soup, I really liked it! Super healthy with the squash, carrots and apples. I added a big dollop of apple butter to give it just a little more zing.
Happy to hear you enjoyed the soup Kay!
Hey! I want to make this, but does one of your butternut squash really yield 6-7 cups?! I have 2 here and they’ll probably give me 3-4 total cups. I’m gonna work with what I have, just mentioning it in case a correction is needed.