This carrot butternut squash soup is a cozy bowl of fall! Everything is roasted together first so it has an incredibly rich vibrant flavor. Fresh rosemary, sage, and ginger give this soup a savory, herby flavor. Then, it’s blended smooth so it’s perfect for dipping your favorite homemade focaccia bread in.
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Table of Contents
This carrot butternut squash soup is a cozy bowl of fall! Everything is roasted together first, so it has an incredibly rich, vibrant flavor. Fresh rosemary, sage, and ginger give this soup a savory, herby flavor. Then it’s blended smooth, so it’s perfect for dipping your favorite homemade focaccia bread.
I love butternut squash soup, especially in fall, aka soup season! I already have a vegan butternut squash soup with curry (which is AMAZING). However, I really wanted to lean into the sweet and spicy with this squash and carrot soup recipe. (I’m so happy with how it turned out. I hope you love it too!)
For this carrot and butternut squash soup recipe, I opted for roasting the veggies first and flavoring it with fresh ginger, rosemary, and sage. Roasting brings out the sweetness, and ginger, herbs, and cayenne add savory spice! I love how these flavors play together.
One of my favorite things about this carrot squash soup is that it is baked in a Dutch oven, then transferred to your stovetop in the same Dutch oven. This means you’re only using and dirtying one pot, making cleanup a breeze!
Some of my favorite recipes to pair with this soup include orange fennel salad and the best quick focaccia. For a soup and sandwich combo, try this beet hummus veggie sandwich and a crisp glass of cranberry lemonade.
For more ideas, check out my resource for what to have with butternut squash soup.
Nutrition for Mental Health
As a nutritionist, I love butternut squash! It is an excellent source of vitamin A and potassium. Butternut squash is also a good source of magnesium, folate, and vitamins E and B6. A 2018 landmark nutritional study identified butternut squash as one of the top plant foods for nutrients associated with prevention and recovery from depressive disorders.
Ingredients + Substitutions
This is a soup I wouldn’t make substitutions in unless you really need to. Butternut squash soup with carrots paired with the right spices and herbs is absolutely delicious as is.
- Squash: This recipe is all about butternut squash (obviously). It’s in the name. However, if you really can’t find butternut squash, then I’d recommend making my curry coconut pumpkin soup instead.
- Onion: I used a yellow onion in this recipe, but a white onion or even a red onion works just fine in a pinch.
- Carrots: Don’t skip the carrots. I used regular-sized carrots. However, if you have baby carrots or rainbow carrots on hand, you can definitely use those.
- Vegetable bouillon: A good vegetable bouillon and veggie bouillon paste are my go-tos because they are super easy to always have on hand. That being said, if you have a vegetable broth you adore, go for it! If you want to be super adventurous you could make your own homemade vegetable broth from scraps.
- Ginger: Fresh ginger ftw! Fresh ginger is particularly hard to mince or grate. So, I recommend freezing the ginger in advance. No peeling needed! Then use a citrus zester/microplane or the small side of a box grater to finely grate the ginger (including the peel). It makes things so much easier!
- Herbs: For this recipe, I used fresh sage and rosemary (finely chopped). As a common rule of thumb, if you need to substitute dried herbs for fresh, use ⅓ the amount of dried herbs. So, for this recipe, since there is a tablespoon of rosemary and a tablespoon of sage, you would use 1 teaspoon of each dried herb instead of fresh if needed. Now, if you just don’t have any rosemary on hand, I made this helpful guide for the best rosemary substitutes.
- Spices: The main spice in this butternut and carrot soup recipe is cayenne. I just used a tiny amount of cayenne in this recipe, though. If you’re anxious about it, swap the cayenne out for extra ground black pepper. On the other hand, if you’re looking for more spice, feel free to use more!
A full list of ingredients with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How To Make Butternut Squash Soup With Carrots
This butternut squash soup with carrots is nice and simple. You essentially chop and dump the veggies (and water) into your Dutch oven, bake it, transfer it to your stovetop, simmer, and blend! (Also, don’t worry, here are your step-by-step instructions.)
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- Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C.
- Add squash, carrots, onion, oil, and 1 cup of water to a medium Dutch oven, cover with the lid, and bake for 30-40 minutes. (Until squash and carrots are tender.)
- Transfer the Dutch oven to the stovetop and cook over medium heat. Add remaining water, vegetable bouillon, remaining ingredients, then stir.
- Once it is simmering, turn off the heat and blend using an immersion blender. (If you want it to blend faster, you can scoop the soup into a traditional blender, but I find the immersion blender works just fine and only takes a few minutes, and you don’t have to dirty your blender.)
- Serve with fresh herbs, pumpkin seeds, and toasted bread.
Storage Tips
I always recommend storing leftover soup in glass jars. This keeps your soup fresh for longer. This vibrant butternut and carrot soup recipe will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. Alternatively, you can freeze it for up to a month.
FAQ
Yes! They complement the natural sweetness of squash and make the soup even more flavorful.
Common problems include undercooked squash and carrots, too much broth, and bland flavor. Make sure your squash (and any other veggies) are fully cooked before blending them. Only use the amount of liquid called for in your squash soup with carrots. If, for some reason, it ends up too liquidy, then simmer your soup (without the lid) for at least an additional 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. (This will naturally thicken the soup.)
If you’re asking this question, then you probably shouldn’t be eating it. Avoid squash that smells weird, is moldy, slimy, etc. When raw, it should feel firm and have a relatively even color.
If you tried this Butternut Squash Carrot Soup Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Recipe
Carrot and Butternut Squash Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed into ~1-2″ pieces
- 1 lb carrots, trimmed, scrubbed, and chopped into ~2″ pieces
- 1 large yellow onion, peeled and cubed into ~2″ pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup of water
- 4 cups of water + vegetable bouillon, or veggie broth
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, minced/grated (freezing ahead of time makes this easier!)
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne, to taste
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste
- 1 teaspoon pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C.
- Add squash, carrots, onion, oil, and 1 cup of water to a medium Dutch oven, cover with the lid, and bake for 30-40 minutes. (Until squash and carrots are tender.)
- Transfer the Dutch oven to the stovetop and cook over medium heat. Add remaining water, vegetable bouillon, and remaining ingredients.
- Once it is simmering, turn off the heat and blend using an immersion blender. (If you want it to blend faster, you can scoop the soup into a traditional blender, but I find the immersion blender works just fine and only takes a few minutes, and you don’t have to dirty your blender.)
- Serve with fresh herbs, pumpkin seeds, and toasted bread.
Video
Notes
- Vegetable bouillon: A good vegetable bouillon and veggie bouillon paste are my go-tos because they are super easy to always have on hand. That being said, if you have a vegetable broth you adore, go for it! If you want to be super adventurous you could make your own homemade vegetable broth from scraps.
- Ginger: Fresh ginger ftw! Fresh ginger is particularly hard to mince or grate. So, I recommend freezing the ginger in advance. No peeling needed! Then use a citrus zester/microplane or the small side of a box grater to finely grate the ginger (including the peel). It makes things so much easier!
I always recommend storing leftover soup in glass jars. This keeps your soup fresh for longer. This vibrant butternut and carrot soup recipe will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. Alternatively, you can freeze it for up to a month.
Nutrition
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Reference
LaChance, L. R., & Ramsey, D. (2018). Antidepressant foods: An evidence-based nutrient profiling system for depression. World journal of psychiatry, 8(3), 97–104. https://doi.org/10.5498/wjp.v8.i3.97
