Quick Look at this
Simple Acorn Squash Soup Recipe
- Ready In: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Serves: 12
- Main Ingredients: Roasted acorn squash, full-fat coconut milk, and vegetable broth
- Dietary Info: dairy-free, gluten-free, vegetarian, and paleo
- Why You’ll Love It: Acorn squash soup with coconut milk is an easy way to make this classic soup dairy-free without skimping on the creaminess or flavor. Plus, it’s simple enough to enjoy throughout the week and delicious enough for the holidays.
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Why You’ll Love This
Acorn Squash Soup Recipe
- 8 Ingredients: Yup, just 8, folks. And most of them might already be in your pantry, making this soup a great one to make at a moments notice.
- Dairy-Free: It may be dairy-free, but you better believe that it’s just as creamy as the original thanks to full-fat coconut milk. And no, you wouldn’t even guess that there’s coconut milk in there. The rich flavors from roasted squash, maple syrup, and broth are great disguisers.
- Leftovers: This soup is freezer friendly and can be stored for up to 3 months in your freezer! So make a double batch to have on hand for a rainy day.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
Be sure to see the recipe card below for a full listing of ingredients, instructions, and estimated nutritional information.
- Roasted Acorn Squash: Roasting squash brings out a nutty caramelized flavor that just can’t be beat with canned squashed. Want to use butternut squash instead? Check out our butternut squash soup recipe that is also dairy-free!
- Full-Fat Coconut Milk: This is my go-to ingredient for some of my most popular dairy-free recipes like dairy-free pumpkin pie. It adds creaminess without adding much of a coconut flavor at all. If dairy is not a concern, swap with heavy cream.
- Vegetable broth: The natural flavors in vegetable broth pair perfectly with this vegetarian soup. Feel free to use better than Better Than Bouillon Vegetable or chicken broth if making a vegetarian soup is not of concern to you.
- ghee: Ghee is clarified butter made by cooking butter to remove the water and milk solids, leaving behind a silky, rich fat with a naturally nutty flavor. It adds delicious depth to this soup. Feel free to substitute regular butter if dairy isn’t a concern.
How To Make Acorn Squash Soup
Step 1 – Preheat oven to 400 degrees and cut your acorn squash down the middle lengthwise.
Step 2 – Place cut squash in a baking dish and let roast for 1 hour.
Do You Have To Peel Acorn Squash For Soup?
Nope! The squash meat softens during the cooking process, which makes it incredibly easy to scoop out with a spoon. After you’ve removed the squash meat, you’ll be left with empty acorn squash shells which can be tossed in the garbage or compost.
Step 3 – Sauté shallots in your dutch oven.
Step 4 – Add roasted squash, coconut milk and vegetable broth.
Step 5 – Use an immersion blender to combine the squash, coconut milk, and broth.
Step 6 – Add maple syrup, salt, and ghee and stir to combine.
Step 7– Serve with some fresh sage and/or a sprinkling or roasted pumpkin seeds and enjoy!
What We Learned Testing this Recipe
- Will the soup taste like coconut? Nope, the combination of roasted squash, sweet maple syrup, and nutty ghee are such strong flavors that you just get the creaminess from the canned coconut milk and no coconut flavor.
- Blending Methods: This soup blended beautifully with a hand held immersion blender but a high powered blender like a Vitamix will work too. If using a blender, be sure to let your soup cool a bit before blending as very hot liquids can cause a steam buildup which can cause the top to explode off the blender.
Acorn Squash Soup FAQs & Tips
What makes acorn squash soup creamy?
The combination of full-fat coconut milk and roasted acorn squash meat makes for a decadent and creamy soup. If you want your soup thicker, decrease the amount of coconut milk in quarter cup increments.
Yes! If you use coconut milk instead of heavy cream and ghee instead of butter, this recipe is vegan.
Yes! Cream-based soups can separate or become grainy when frozen and thawed because freezing can disrupt the dairy emulsion. This soup holds its creamy texture better because the coconut milk’s naturally occurring solids, combined with the blended roasted squash, help create a stable, cohesive texture. To freeze, transfer the cooled soup to an airtight, freezer-safe container, leaving a little room at the top for expansion. Label and freeze for up to 6 months.
Store acorn squash soup in an air-tight soup container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 acorn squash, halved lengthwise with seeds removed
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil, or olive oil
- 1 tablespoon shallots, minced
- 15 ounces full fat coconut milk
- ⅓ cup vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons butter, ghee or vegan butter work
- 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup
- pinch kosher salt
Optional Serving Suggestion:
- pepitas
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 400℉.
- Roast Squash: Place acorn squash, cut-side up on a rimmed baking sheet. Place in oven, middle rack, and let cook for 1 hour (or until you can easily pierce with a fork). Remove and let cool. Scoop out squash and place in a bowl; set aside.
- Sauté: Bring a large Dutch Oven or saucepan to medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon avocado oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add 1 tablespoon shallots and let cook down, about 1 minute.
- Blend: Add squash, 15 ounces full fat coconut milk and ⅓ cup vegetable broth to the pot. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Alternatively, you could transfer everything to a blender, blend on high until smooth, and then pour back in the pot.
- Combine: Add 3 tablespoons butter, 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup and pinch kosher salt. Stir and let the ghee melt.
- Adjust: Taste and add additional salt or maple syrup, as-needed. If you want a thinner consistency simply add another splash or two of vegetable broth at a time and stir.
- Serving: We love serving with pepitas for a little crunch!
Notes
- Dairy-Free: to make dairy-free use vegan butter.
- Coconut Milk Substitute: I haven’t found a dairy-free substitute for the coconut milk that results in the same creaminess as coconut milk. You could use an unsweetened almond milk, but it wouldn’t result in the same consistency.
- Vegan: to make this vegan use vegan butter.
- Coconut Milk: if your coconut milk has separated in the can don’t forget to mix it back together so it is nice and creamy before adding it into the pot.
- Storage: store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: to freeze let cool completely. Place in freezer-safe container (leaving extra room for expansion during the freezing process), label and keep in freezer for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
Originally published November 30, 2021.
Liz Sipley says
This is one of my favorite fall soups!
Lisa A. says
Love this soup! I made an abundance after a good crop of squash and freeze it, SO delicious it’s my go to!
Erin says
so happy to hear that, Lisa!