This Ginger Turmeric Butternut Squash Soup is extremely healthy and packed full of healing ingredients. It’s low-carb, vegan, Paleo/Whole30 compliant, and so deliciously bright and warm. It’s the perfect winter meal to make when you want something warm but not too heavy- it’s one of those things that makes you feel healthier AFTER eating it!
The best part about this recipe (besides the fact that it only takes 20 minutes to make!) is the fact that it’s super creamy, but has no dairy.
Coconut milk makes it velvety smooth, with a subtle coconut flavor that pairs so well with the sweet squash and spicy ginger and turmeric. I HIGHLY recommend buying full-fat coconut milk for the best taste.
The three main ingredients in this soup- squash, fresh ginger, and turmeric- are extremely healthy, not to mention pair very well together.
Fresh ginger is known to help with digestion and is a natural anti-nausea and anti-inflammatory. It’s been a lifesaver for me during my pregnancy whenever I felt nauseous.
By now, I’m sure you’ve hear about all the health benefits of turmeric floating around the internet. It can help with blood sugar balance, detoxifying the body and preventing against cancer, and even certain kinds of arthritis!
Finally, butternut squash, like other winter squashes (like spaghetti squash), are high in carotenoids like other orange vegetables such as carrots, as well as vitamins A, C, and fiber.
And you can even roast the seeds like you would pumpkin seeds- I tossed mine with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin, and turmeric, roasted in the oven on parchment paper, and topped the soup with them as a garnish.
How to cook the butternut squash in your slow cooker
One reason why this soup is extra quick and easy to make is that you use already cooked butternut squash to make it. I recommend sticking the WHOLE squash (not cut in half or anything) in your slow cooker with just a splash of water, and cooking on high for about 3 hours or low for 6.
The squash will cook perfectly and you can slice it in half, scoop out the seeds and pulp, and scoop out the flesh to use in this soup. For easy weekend prep, do this ahead of time and save the squash in a container for an easy weeknight dinner.
How to puree the soup
If you read my blog regularly, you probably already know how obsessed I am with my immersion blender. If you don’t have one, I HIGHLY recommend you get one!
For creamy soups like this, you just stick it in the pot and press on, and it blends it perfectly smooth right in the pot. It’s much easier than dragging out your standing blender (and subsequently cleaning it).
Other Butternut Squash Recipes
- Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Soup with Turmeric
- Moroccan Butternut Squash, Chickpea, and Spinach Stew
- Butternut Squash, Brown Butter, and Rosemary Fettuccini Alfredo
- Butternut Squash and Thyme Soup
Recipe for Ginger Turmeric Butternut Squash Soup below!
Ginger Turmeric Butternut Squash Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash cooked (see notes)
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger peeled and chopped
- 1 onion diced
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil, or butter
- 2 cups chicken stock/broth or vegetable broth, for vegetarian/vegan
- 15 oz. canned coconut milk
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- roasted squash or pumpkin seeds and fresh cilantro for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot, saute the ginger (2 tablespoon) and diced onion in oil (1 tablespoon) over medium heat until softened (about 3 minutes).
- Add the stock (2 cups), bring to a boil.
- Add the cooked butternut squash.
- Stir in the can of coconut milk.
- Season with salt, pepper, and turmeric (1 teaspoon).
- Use an immersion blender to blend to a smooth puree (alternatively, you can use a standing blender in batches). Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Serve topped with roasted seeds and/or fresh cilantro, if desired.
Notes
- To cook the butternut squash, place it whole in your slow cooker for 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low. Remove, let cool, halve, deseed, and remove flesh from peel. Or, halve it and roast it in your oven at 425 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour, then remove the seeds and remove the flesh from the peel.
- Freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Lauren
My son has made this for me in the past a couple times, and I’ve loved it! I’ll be trying my own hand at it for the first time soon. I realize that quantities have a lot of “wiggle room” in a soup, so it really doesn’t matter much, but how large is “large” for the butternut squash? Do you know weight-wise how big a squash I should be looking for? Thanks!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! This is a good question. If I had to guess, I’d say about a 3-4 pound butternut squash. Because you are roasting it beforehand, it already gets tender, so the broth you add is a lot less than if you were cooking raw squash in a soup. For that situation, the amount would be more important, since it would be easy for the soup to be too thick/thin depending on how much is used. But because the amount of added broth here is only 2 cups (which can be adjusted easily if needed), it isn’t quite as important for the size of the squash. Hope that helps!
Lauren
Thanks, Elizabeth — this is helpful!
Jude
Love this soup so much.
So much favor, the ginger and coconut makes the soup, with the turmeric. Thanks
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Betsy Drennan
Correction. I made my butternut squash bisque and found it lacking. Your suggestion of turmeric made it perfect. Thank you.
Betsy Drennan
I made my sweet potato bisque but could tell it was missing something. The turmeric made it perfect.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Kara
Delicious, healthy and easy to make! I’m on my 4th batch for myself and I am making it for my son’s teachers lunch next week. Fool-proof recipe that is now in my keeper binder!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it, especially enough to add to your recipe binder!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Also, as a former teacher, I LOVE that you’re making this for your son’s teachers. What a wonderful gesture!