This easy to make butternut squash tomato soup is naturally sweet and creamy. The sweet butternut squash balances out the tangy tomatoes and creamy coconut milk. This homemade vegan soup is cozy, comforting and absolutely delicious!
Butternut squash and tomato soup is popular during the fall and winter months. This recipe uses canned tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes since tomatoes are at their peak ripeness during the summer. You can opt to use fresh tomatoes if you want but I like using canned tomatoes since they are consistent in flavor and available year-round.
This delicious vegan soup pairs well with air fryer crostini, garlic knots made from pizza dough, grilled cheese sandwiches or chickpea curry sandwiches. Serve it as an appetizer or main dish!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This is not your traditional butternut squash soup! It's a perfect mix of cozy tomato soup with added sweetness from the butternut squash.
- It's easy to make, creamy and dairy-free! It only takes 30 minutes to make this recipe.
- It freezes well! Make a pot of soup and freeze half of it for a later date.
Equipment Notes
You will need a blender, food processor or hand held immersion blender to create this smooth and creamy fall soup.
Ingredients Notes
- Butternut squash - you can use pre-cut squash or peel and dice it yourself.
- Onion - adds a good flavor base to the soup.
- Garlic - just a few cloves of garlic for aromatics and flavor.
- Whole peeled tomatoes - make sure they are plain tomatoes rather than flavored with Italian seasonings.
- Vegetable broth - you can buy broth or make your own veggie scrap broth!
- Spices - just a hint of smoked paprika, thyme, salt and black pepper.
- Coconut milk - use full-fat coconut milk to achieve a creamy, velvety soup!
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Fresh tomatoes - use 6-8 vine ripe tomatoes. Diced them and sauce them with the butternut squash.
- Acorn squash - swap in acorn squash in place of butternut squash. You can also use other squash such as kabocha, buttercup or delicata!
- Low fat - use oat milk, almond milk or light coconut milk in place of full-fat coconut milk.
- Spicy - add ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper and ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
- Cheesy - top of the soup with parmesan cheese.
- Roasted - roast the squash and onion in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes before adding it to the soup. This will create more depth of flavor.
- Frozen - feel free to use frozen butternut squash in a pinch!
- Chunky - only blend about half of the soup before serving. This will leave chunks of squash, tomatoes and onions!
Step by Step Instructions
Sauté the onion and butternut squash for 5-10 minutes until the onions are translucent.
Add the garlic, smoked paprika, thyme, salt and pepper. Sauté for 1-2 minutes until the garlic begins to brown.
Add the whole peeled tomatoes and their juices from the can and the vegetable broth.
Bring the soup to a simmer. Cover with a lid and reduce the head to low-medium. Simmer for 15 minutes until the squash is cooked through.
Turn off the heat. Blend the soup using an immersion blender, food processor or blender. You may have to blend in batches.
Stir in the coconut milk. Serve immediately or put the soup on low heat until ready to serve. Garnish with black pepper.
Hint: Taste and adjust your seasonings after you blend the soup. Do you want more salt or spices? This recipe is fairly mild in spice so feel free to add more spices if desired!
Storage & Freezing
Store tomato butternut squash soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat the soup in the microwave or on the stovetop. You can freeze this soup for up to 3 months.
Tips and Tricks
- I highly recommend using a hand held immersion blender to blend the soup. It is so easy to use and you don't have to transfer the soup to a blender and then back to the pot.
- But pre-cut butternut squash to save on prep time! If you need more information on how to cut squash feel free to check out my butternut squash fries post.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes you can use frozen butternut squash in place of fresh.
For this recipe I recommend peeling the squash. Since we are cooking the squash directly in the pot with other veggies it is best to have it already peeled. If you are roasting the squash then you can leave the skin on and simple scoop out the squash when it is done.
Yes you can use fresh tomatoes in place of whole peeled tomatoes in a can. I would recommend using 8-10 vine ripened tomatoes. Simple dice the tomatoes and add them to the soup at the same time you normally would if using canned tomatoes.
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Butternut Squash Tomato Soup
Equipment
- 1 blender, food processor or immersion blender
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 4 cups butternut squash diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 28 ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 15 ounce can of coconut milk
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and butternut squash. Sauté for 8-10 minutes until the onion turns translucent and the squash begins to soften.
- Add the garlic, salt, thyme and smoked paprika. Sauté for 1-2 minutes until the garlic turns fragrant and begins to brown.
- Add the entire can of whole peeled tomatoes and vegetable broth.
- Turn the heat to medium-high and bring the soup to a rapid-simmer.
- Cover the soup with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until the butternut squash can be easily pierced with a fork. Turn the heat off.
- Use an immersion blender, food processor or blender to blend the soup. You may have to work in batches if using a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Return the soup back to the pot if needed.
- Stir in the coconut milk until combined.
- Serve the soup immediately. Top with freshly ground black pepper if desired.
Notes
- For a chunky soup only blend half of the soup.
- You can use other varieties of squash such as acorn squash.
- Add ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper for a spicy variation!
Adele says
This soup is delicious and “souper” easy to make! I garnished with some fresh chives and served it with some crusty bread. Perfect for a chilly fall night!
Emily Toshiko says
Haha I love it! I'm glad you enjoyed it! It's one of my favorite recipes on my blog.
Em says
I thought this would be a strange flavor combination but it actually works really well. I love the creaminess from the coconut milk.