Butternut Squash Bisque
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Start the fall season on the right foot with this rich and creamy Butternut Squash Bisque! Easy to make in one pot with warm spices and seasonal produce, the fall flavors make this ultra-creamy bisque completely irresistible.
When you want to put a pause on savory pumpkin recipes, like pumpkin pasta or vegan pumpkin chili, for a short while, dig into this ultra-creamy Butternut Squash Bisque. It’s a luxurious fall soup made with seasonal fall produce, warm spices, and plenty of heavy cream. You’ll quickly fall for its comforting and rich flavors!
What sets this bisque apart from other soup recipes is its silky smooth texture. After it’s done simmering, the soup is pureed until it’s completely smooth and velvety. Heavy cream is used as a finishing touch, giving the dish its signature rich, mouthwatering flavors and mouthfeel.
One taste and you’ll never settle for a simple butternut squash soup again! It’s bisque or bust, baby.
Recipe features
- Better than your everyday butternut squash soup, butternut squash bisque takes the creaminess and indulgence to a whole new level!
- A fall-flavored soup made in one pot with winter squash, sweet apples, and warm spices.
- Just like pumpkin curry soup and carrot apple ginger soup, it’s a must-have on any fall and winter menu, along with this butternut squash risotto.
- It’s naturally vegetarian, gluten free, and nut free.
Butternut Squash Bisque Ingredients
Butternut squash – You can peel and cube the butternut squash yourself or save your arm from the struggle by using pre-cut squash instead. Can’t find butternut squash? You can make this with cubed pumpkin, acorn squash, or kabocha squash instead.
Apples – I prefer to make this recipe with apples that taste sweet rather than tart, like Fuji, Gala, or Honeycrisp apples.
Heavy cream – A must-have ingredient in any bisque recipe.
Warm spices – Ground ginger and nutmeg give the soup warm and comforting notes. Feel free to add a dash of cinnamon for another layer of spice.
How to Make Butternut Squash Bisque
Step 1: Cook the vegetables. Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Once melted, add the onion, celery, and carrot. Cook until soft.
Step 2: Add the squash. Add the garlic and chopped squash to the pot. Cook until the squash is tender, then season with the salt, ginger, and nutmeg.
Step 3: Simmer. Stir in the chopped apples and broth, then bring the soup up to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the apples and squash are soft and fork tender.
Step 4: Puree, then serve. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until it’s smooth. Stir in the cream, season with salt and pepper, then serve. Enjoy!
Tips and FAQs
- If you don’t have an immersion blender, carefully blend the soup in batches using a high-powered blender instead.
- Feel free to roast the cubed squash in a 400ºF oven for about 45 minutes or until the cubes are tender, and slightly golden and crisp around the edges. This will give the soup deeper and more delicious flavors!
- For garnish, top each bowl of bisque with a drizzle of heavy cream, maple syrup, pepitas, fresh parsley, and/or crispy sage leaves.
My Pro Tip
Recipe Tip
Are you peeling and chopping the squash yourself? Try heating the whole squash in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes first. The warm and somewhat soft squash will be much easier to slice and peel.
Is bisque the same as soup?
Kind of. According to this comparison guide from Chefd.com, a bisque is an ultra-creamy and smooth type of soup. They’re almost always made with heavy cream to give them a distinctively rich flavor and consistency compared to texture-heavy, broth-based soups, like vegan minestrone soup or instant pot chicken noodle soup.
Can this be made dairy free?
Yes, you can make a vegan butternut squash bisque with full-fat coconut milk or cashew cream instead of heavy cream.
Do you have to peel the butternut squash?
Butternut squash skin is edible but for the smoothest consistency, you should peel it ahead of time.
Storage
Refrigerator: Once it’s cool, transfer the soup to an airtight container and store it in the fridge. The leftovers will stay fresh and delicious for about 4 or 5 days.
Freezer: I don’t always recommend freezing bisque because the dairy tends to separate and take on a grainy texture when thawed. If you want to freeze it, try making it with coconut milk instead.
More comforting soup recipes
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Butternut Squash Bisque
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 4 cups cubed butternut squash
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 sweet apple, fuji, gala, or honeycrisp, (peeled, cored, and cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large stockpot or dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat. Then add onion, celery, and carrot and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Then add the garlic and butternut squash. Continue sautéing for another 10 minutes until the squash is tender. Add salt, ginger, and nutmeg and sauté for 30 seconds.
- Add the apple and broth and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes or until the apple is soft and can be pierced with a fork.
- Remove from the heat and blend soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Or, carefully ladle the soup into a high-power blender and blend until smooth.
- Stir in the heavy cream, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Erin, another totally delicious recipe, butternut squash bisque. Easy and so fragrant while simmering!!! Thank you!!!! As a garnish, I flash fried the sage and sprinkled on top. Yum!!!!
Thank you SO much Christie 🙂 I appreciate the love!
This butternut bisque looks amazing! I would use coconut milk. But is there any way to lower the Sodium and sugar content?
The sugar comes from the squash and apple, so no. As for sodium, you can use unsalted butter, low sodium broth and then reduce or omit the actual salt in the bisque. I hope this helps!