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Ready in the slow cooker or on the stovetop, this vegan butternut squash soup is a delicious hands-off recipe perfect for cold fall or winter weeknights. Be ready for your house to smell heavenly with punchy garlic, sweet Granny smith apple, and cozy fresh thyme.
save this recipe!When you have limited ingredients or a lack of energy, dinner can seem impossible. That’s where a slow-cooker butternut squash soup comes in!
All you have to do is throw everything for this vegan dinner into a crock pot and blend. And don’t worry if you don’t have a slow cooker; I’ve also included instructions for making it in just 30 minutes on the stovetop!
Reader rating
“This soup is tasty and warm and perfect for chilly, lazy days. The flavors are great and I love the addition of coconut milk, both within and on top of it as a garnish. Great call!” —Tiffany
Key Ingredients
This is just an overview; jump to the recipe card for full measurements!
- Butternut Squash: Once diced, it should amount to about four or five cups (you can buy precut to save on time)
- Vegetable Broth: I like the low-sodium option or homemade veggie broth.
- Granny Smith Apple: It may sound weird, but the apple brings so much magic. No need to peel it–the peel contains pectin that thickens the soup.
- Coconut Milk: I prefer coconut milk to keep it vegan, but you could also use cream cheese or heavy cream.
- Garlic, Onion, Thyme
make it a full dinner
You might be unsure what to serve with soup, but here’s the thing: soup goes with everything! My favorite pairing is this fall farro salad!
Easy Vegan Butternut Squash Soup (Slow Cooker or Stove)
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash, about 4 to 5 cups diced
- 2 cups vegetable broth, 480 mL
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 1 granny smith apple, diced
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 bunch fresh thyme, about 5 to 6 sprigs
- 1 13-oz can coconut milk
Instructions
- Butternut: Peel, deseed, and dice butternut.
- Assemble: Add butternut to slow cooker along with everything except the coconut milk.
- Cook: Stir to combine then cook for 6 to 8 hours on low, or 2 to 4 hours on high. Soup is ready when butternut is easily mashed with a fork.
- Blend: Pick out the sprigs of thyme. Use a handheld immersion blender to puree the soup (alternatively, carefully transfer to a countertop blender and puree).
- Serve: Stir in coconut milk and serve, optionally drizzling more coconut milk over soup after ladling into bowls.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
I’m a big fan of using a slow cooker since my schedule can be a bit hectic at times. I like how I can just pop things into it and forget about them. This soup actually inspired me to get an immersion blender, something I had been putting off since I didn’t have any recipes that called for one. I’m glad I got it because this soup is tasty and warm and perfect for chilly, lazy days. The flavors are great and I love the addition of coconut milk, both within and on top of it as a garnish. Great call!
Aren’t immersion blenders the BEST? I use mine ever day, just so much more flexible than the standing ones. Happy you liked the soup! 😀
I made this yesterday! I used fresh rosemary rather than thyme (that’s what I’ve got in my garden) and increased the garlic a bit. The soup is really good! A little rich for me, but it was so easy to make and the green apple was an interesting addition! I’m hoping to enjoy all the leftovers with some homemade sourdough bread (:
Does this freeze alright? I really do have a lot and want to enjoy it at it’s best.
Thanks for the recipe!
Happy to hear you liked it, Sarah! While I haven’t frozen this one in particular, I’ve had success with freezing other butternut soups in the past, so I think this would freeze well. Enjoy! 😀
Any suggestions for this soup being made in an Instant Pot?
I haven’t tried this one in an instant pot. You might check out this recipe for some ideas.
Do you peel and cut up the apple? I’m making this today.
No need to peel, but cube it up! 😀
I came to ask this glad I didn’t need to peel it
Believe it or not, I never had butternut squash before. I was expecting this to be a little bit sweeter than it was, but overall I think it turned out pretty good. Very easy to make, and my husband loved it.
PLEASE KEEP SENDING YOUR GREAT RECIPIES TO MY EMAIL GOD’S BLESSINGS
I’ve made this twice, once exactly by recipe, and second time I had to improvise by substituting sugar for apples. Also, I add 3 cups of vegetable broth instead of 2, but it was absolutely delicious both times!! My daughter is vegan, so when I find a great recipe that both vegans and non vegans both like, it’s a winner in my book!! Thank you for this recipe 💕 I could have this soup everyday.
I’m so happy to hear it’s a hit, Melissa! Happy eating!
love it
Thank you for sharing this recipe
Thanks for sharing this recipe. It looks delicious…