Ginger Turmeric Butternut Squash Soup
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
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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:
Super easy to make and has such great flavor! I topped mine with nutmeg and cinnamon. Great recipe!
So glad you liked it, and great idea about topping with cinnamon and nutmeg!
I made this and it was delicious. I did cut up my butternut squash in bite size pieces and sprinkled it with olive oil and Kinders ‘The blend’ seasoning (salt, pepper, garlic). Roasted it in the oven at 400°f for 20 min. Tossed and put back in the oven for another 15-20 min. to Roast. Added it then as per your other directions in the recipe. Just fabulous 👌
So glad you liked it! Love that you seasoned and roasted it before using for the soup, thanks for sharing!
Hi can I make the butternut squash soup in a soup maker. Thank you xx
I’m sorry I can’t help with this but I’m unfamiliar with how a soup maker works! This recipe might help you with timing and basic instructions, and then you can adjust to use the spices and ingredients from my recipe. Hope that helps a little! https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/soup-maker-butternut-squash-soup-chilli-and-creme-fraiche
This was so good, I’m not the biggest butternut squash fan but had one as part of a vegetable delivery – I think I’ll start ordering them just for this soup recipe! I didn’t have any coconut milk so substituted for a small can of coconut cream.
So glad you liked it!
This soup was SO delicious! Really filling, healthy, and the flavor was absolutely delicious. I followed the recipe exactly, with the addition of three large roasted carrots – I threw them in before I blended everything. The slow-cooker method for cooking the squash was fabulous. I topped it with feta chunks, walnuts, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
So glad you liked it, and I love the idea of adding carrots and all the delicious toppings you added! Thanks for sharing these suggestions.
I made this recipe because of the turmeric addition. It was creamy and tasty but I would cut back on the ginger, it was a bit strong for me.
Thanks for the feedback, and glad you liked it!
Love the color and richness. I added harissa and a few red pepper flakes to add some spicy. Served with a side of white fish and plantain chips.
Oh wow that sounds like an amazing meal! Love the idea of adding harissa- I have a jar of it in my pantry and now I know what to do with it haha!
Maybe I did something wrong, but I found this soup to be very bland even with extra ginger added. I’m going to turn it into some sort of curry-Style dish but this was disappointing.
Oh no, sorry it didn’t turn out the way you wanted! In my experience, lack of salt is the #1 thing that causes food to be bland. You can add as many spices as you want, but if you don’t balance it out with salt to bring out their flavors, it will taste lacking. If you’re worried about adding too much sodium, try adding a squeeze of lime or lemon juice- citrus has a similar effect to salt in bringing out other flavors. The other thing that might have come into play is the freshness of the butternut squash- if it was picked off-season, or picked too soon off the vine and ripened off the vine, that can contribute to a lack of flavor. Hope that helps, and better luck next time!
I made this soup as a vegan option for my Christmas Eve family dinner. It was delicious, and everyone loved it. I used three small squash because there were no large ones available, so I may have had more squash than the recipe called for. I just added a little extra coconut milk and vegetable stock when blending, to make it the right consistency, adjusting the spices accordingly. Because I had the time at home that day, I roasted the squash instead of boiled, and I used a Vitamix instead of an immersion blender. This is a keeper!
So happy you and your guests liked it! Thanks so much :-)
Sounds wonderful Is it gluten free?
Yes it is, as long as you make sure the ingredients you are using, like the chicken broth, is gluten free! Sometimes, there can be hidden gluten in store bought broth. Hope that helps! Here’s more info: https://celiaccentral.wordpress.com/2012/05/01/hidden-gluten-4-places-and-1-resource-to-watch/
Delicious and creamy. I’ve made several versions of ginger/squash soup but the turmeric gives it a unique flavour.
Thanks so much! So glad you liked it.
It’s a very nice and heartwarming recipe ?. But careful! If you put chicken stock/broth, the soup is not vegan anymore. I used a bit of veggie organic bouillon and added a teaspoon of masala.
So glad you liked the recipe! You’re right- and I’m usually more explicit about indicating clear directions to make my recipes vegan. I’m going to add a note to the recipe card right now. Thanks very much for bringing this to my attention (and for your suggestions)!
I love this recipe, thank you so much for sharing! We make it all through the fall and winter ~ who knows maybe spring and summer too. My question is can one freeze this soup?
Just made this recipe, and it’s a keeper. Had a good sized bowl of it and went back for seconds. I used fresh turmeric cooked with the onion and ginger. It was quick and easy to make with cooked squash from my freezer.
So glad you liked it! I’ll have to try it with fresh turmeric next time, sounds delicious!
I peeled the squash, cut it into chunks and roasted @425 for 1/2 hour until browned & soft. I think roasting the squash gives it a little more flavor. I roasted the seeds in the warm oven after the squash was done. I thought the soup needed a little bump in sweetness and flavor, so I added a little raw honey with cinnamon.
Yummm I love the idea of roasting to add more flavor and sweetness, along with the honey and cinnamon! Thanks for the suggestions!
I just served this soup for Thanksgiving and I think it received the top compliments; from adults all the way down to the kids. Plus I made it a couple of days ahead and kept it refrigerated tightly in jars – so the flavors had even more time to blend. My favorite part is getting a crunch of zesty ginger – so good. Thank you.
Oh yay!! So happy everyone liked it ?
I can’t get enough of this soup! Made with homemade chicken stock is to die for!!
Can’t beat homemade chicken stock! So happy you liked it, and thanks for the comment :-)
I dont have a blender, could I use a hand mixer instead?
You know I never thought of that! Great idea- I bet it would work! It wouldn’t be as smooth as a blender but you can just call it “rustic” ???? if it doesn’t work, just use a potato masher to break it apart a little bit. Hope you like it!
Can’t you cut up and still cook the squash in the slow cooker? Debating whether to do that or roast the cut up pieces.
You can definitely cook it in the slow cooker once it’s been cut up! I find a cooked whole squash easier to deal with, since you can just scoop the cooked squash out of the peel rather than peeling it beforehand. If you roast it, the flavor will develop even more, since it will get a bit caramelized.
I plan on cooking it today. I love the ingredients so I know it will be good. My only concern is not knowing the total carbs per serving. I will let you know how it turns out.
I hope you liked it! I’m in the (slow and tedious) process of updating my recipes to have nutritional information. I went ahead and updated this one thanks to your request! Looks like, at 6 servings per batch, there are about 20.4 g carbs in each serving. Hope that helps :-)
Delish and healthy. Good low carb dish.
Thanks! It’s one of my favorite soup recipes- I’m glad you liked it.
The soup turned out nicely. I really like the bright yellow color, especially when eating in the winter time. My squash didn’t cook sufficiently in my slow cooker (3+ hours on high), so I had to slice it and finish it in the oven. I agree – an immersion blender really comes in handy for making soup such as this one. Thanks for the recipe!
So happy you liked it! I agree- eating brightly colored things in the winter is so lovely.