Appetizers Eat

Brown Butter Butternut Squash Soup

This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on these links and make purchases, I may receive a small commission. I only link to products I genuinely trust and recommend. Thank you for your support.

An extra rich, spicy, and nutty twist on the classic Butternut Squash Soup, this brown butter version is perfect for cold, blustery fall days!

Brown Butter butternut squash soup in a white bowl garnished with roast squash seeds, fried sage, and cream swirls. A second bowl to one side. More sage leaves, roast squash seeds scatter around the white background. Pat of butter on a cream ceramic dish and two slices of sourdough bread nearby. Overhead shot. Sugar with Spice Blog.

Of every fall recipe I’ve ever made, this brown butter butternut squash soup is by far my favorite. I make it at least once a month from October through February.

Try this rich and hearty roasted pumpkin and apple soup for another creamy fall favorite!

Another fall soup I always make? This classic stovetop beef stew! Perfect if you don’t have a dutch oven or don’t want to heat up the whole house!

Jump to Recipe

Which really shouldn’t surprise anyone since I love squash. The first day the farmer’s market had butternut squash this year, I bought eleven. Yes, that was too many. I’m still working my way through them. Stick to single digits for round one.

But this soup is a perfect antidote for cold, blustery, fall days, which we are starting to get more frequently up here on the East Coast. The nutty, squashy, cinnamony flavors warm you right up. Curling up in the window seat with a blanket, a good book and a cup of soup? Absolute Heaven. 

Brown butter butternut squash soup with cream, walnuts, and rosemary in a window seat with a red plaid blanket and books. A cozy Sunday.

(Side note: I love that phrase “cup of soup,” it’s so sip-able! You get the perfect image of coziness in your head. Like “mug of cocoa” or “glass of wine” or “wuthering heights.” Isn’t the English language delicious?)

Anyway, back to the soup. Which is also delicious.

Another great rustic fall appetizer is this easy homemade chicken liver paté.

Brown Butter

The brown butter is really what makes the flavor so rich. Somehow browning butter takes it from a delicious but average kitchen fat to something truly transcendent and sublime. I obsessively cook with browned butter once the cold weather roles in. The flavor is nutty, rich, and toasty warm. 

If you’ve never browned butter before, do it now. It will change your outlook on life. Go make a batch. It’s so fast. And you can save it for later- it keeps! Add brown butter to soups, pastas, meats, baked goods, and sauces. Truly. It will ruin regular butter for you.

Looking for more squash and buttery goodness? Try these deliciously easy Pumpkin Spice Hot Buttered Rums!

Brown Butter butternut squash soup in a white bowl garnished with roast squash seeds, fried sage, and cream swirls. More sage leaves, roast squash seeds scatter around the white window sill. Pat of butter on a cream ceramic dish and two slices of sourdough bread nearby. Close up side shot. Sugar with Spice Blog.

Blending

The trick with this soup is blending. Just combining roasted squash with broth and veggies won’t cut it. Even if you over cook the squash. It just doesn’t work. I’ve tried. My friends have tried. You don’t have to try it.

For a long time I used my old reliable stand blender. Which worked very well. I had no problems with it. The annoying thing was, I had to blend the soup in batches. The recipe just makes too much soup to blend all in on little blender. (And you don’t want to cut down the recipe! You’ll miss out on all that delicious soup!) Instead I was juggling two pots, multiple measuring cups and spatulas, and trying to get exactly the right amount of cream in each blending batch. It required a whole afternoon of work.

My life, and this recipe, got a real upgrade when I invested in an immersion blender. Best Christmas present ever, Mom! Immersion blenders make this sort of soup so much easier. All you have to do is plug in the device and immerse it (the name gives it away, doesn’t it) into the soup. Then, press go!

Brown Butter butternut squash soup in two white bowls garnished with roast squash seeds, fried sage, and cream swirls. More sage leaves, roast squash seeds scatter around the white background. Pat of butter on a cream ceramic dish and two slices of sourdough bread nearby. Overhead shot. Pinterest Image. Sugar with Spice Blog.

No extra pots. No messy pouring and scooping. One pot. One immersion blender. 7 minutes and you’re done!

You’ll want to move the blender around in your pot, just to be sure it reaches all the lumps and clumps. Stir every once in a while to be sure you’re blending well. I’ve had a few carrot slices hideout and escape unscathed.

Braun Immersion blender with butternut squash, perfect for blended creamy soups!

I absolutely recommend getting an immersion blender if you plan to make creamy, blended soups (or smoothies or whipped cream or sauces or emulsified food…it’s so versatile!) My personal immersion blender is the Braun Multiquick Hand Blender, which I love. It also comes with a whisk attachment, a smoothie bowl attachment, and a food processor attachment. And, it’s actually a reasonable price! What more could you want? Buy it for yourself, or for that poor cook in your life who is still trying to juggle two soup pots.

And now, without further ado…my favorite fall recipe!

Brown Butter butternut squash soup in a white bowl garnished with roast squash seeds, fried sage, and cream swirls. A second bowl to one side. More sage leaves, roast squash seeds scatter around the white background. Pat of butter on a cream ceramic dish and two slices of sourdough bread nearby. Overhead shot. Pinterest Image. Sugar with Spice Blog.

What dishes go with Butternut Squash Soup?

Brown Butter Butternut Squash Soup is rich and hearty enough to serve as a main course, if you’d like. I’d recommend pairing with a small side salad as well for a full meal.

You could also serve it as an appetizer before a bigger meal like Roast Chicken or Salmon. I also really enjoy it with the end-of-summer Smoked Sausage and Veggie Bow Tie Pasta Skillet.

Soup as a main dish? Yes! You can add these savory stuffed apples on the side if you want a heartier meal too!

And for toppings, why not use the seeds! You can roast butternut squash seeds just like pumpkin and other squashes and they add a lovely crunch.

Woman with red nails holding a cup of brown butter butternut squash soup with cream, walnuts, and rosemary in a window seat with a red plaid blanket and white sweater. A cozy Sunday.

What wine pairs with Butternut Squash Soup?

This is a heavily spiced soup, so I prefer to pair big, bold whites. Try: Viognier, Pouilly-Fuissé, or Chardonnay. But a spiced Gewurztraminer or a sharp Grüner Veltliner could work as well.I just had my first soup of the season with the 2016 Domaine Du Chalet Pouilly which was lovely!

Brown Butter butternut squash soup in two white bowls garnished with roast squash seeds, fried sage, and cream swirls. More sage leaves, roast squash seeds scatter around the white background. Pat of butter on a cream ceramic dish and two slices of sourdough bread nearby. Overhead shot. Sugar with Spice Blog.
5 from 1 vote
Brown Butter butternut squash soup in a white bowl garnished with roast squash seeds, fried sage, and cream swirls. A second bowl to one side. More sage leaves, roast squash seeds scatter around the white background. Pat of butter on a cream ceramic dish and two slices of sourdough bread nearby. Overhead shot. Sugar with Spice Blog.
Print
Brown Butter Butternut Squash Soup
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
2 hrs
 

The most classic fall dish with a deliciously fall twist!

Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
  • 1 large Butternut Squash halved, roasted
  • 1 Carrot peeled and chopped
  • 1 Celery Stalk chopped
  • 1 small White Onion chopped
  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1/2 tsp Cinnamon ground
  • 1/2 tsp Allspice ground
  • 1/2 tsp Cardamom ground
  • 1/4 tsp Cloves ground
  • 1/4 tsp Nutmeg ground
  • 2 Sage leaves finely minced
  • Salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 5 cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
  • 4 Sage Leaves
  • 3 tbsp Butter browned
  • 1/3 cup Heavy Cream
Instructions
Roast the Squash

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cover a baking sheet in tin foil.

  2. Cut a butternut squash in half, long ways. Lay both halves face up on your baking sheet. Cover with olive oil. Sprinkle with a touch of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom*. Place in the oven for about 50 minutes.

Make the Base

  1. Meanwhile, peel and chop your carrot, onion, and celery. Throw them in the bottom of a large soup pot with the olive oil, cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, salt, pepper, minced sage, and bay leaves. Sauté on medium-low heat until the carrots are tender.

  2. Remove the squash from the oven. Let cool slightly. Scoop out the flesh of the squash and add it into the pot with the sautéed veggies. The squash will be in lumps, don't worry about that at this point. Stir.

  3. Add in 5 cups of chicken stock. Stir. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat immediately and let simmer for about 15 minutes

Brown the Butter

  1. While the vegetables are simmering, brown the butter. Place the 3 tablespoons of butter into a sauce pan and turn the heat to medium-high. Add in the 3 sage leaves as well.

  2. Allow the butter to cook slowly until the milk fats turn brown. Remove the butter from the heat immediately when you see browning and set aside. Remove the sage leaves.

Smooth it Out

  1. Once the veggies have simmered, turn off the heat and let cool for about 10 minutes.

  2. Remove the two bay leaves from your soup.

  3. OPTION 1: Using an immersion blender, slowly blend the broth, vegetables, remaining seasonings, and squash until they are fully smooth. This takes about 7 minutes. Make sure to stir the soup to make sure you didn't miss any clumps.

    *DO NOT use an immersion blender directly after taking the soup off the heat! These blenders can create some splashes and splatters. You don't want to get scalded with hot soup while blending.

  4. OPTION 2: Using a stand blender, pour the vegetables, squash, and broth into the blender in batches and blend until smooth. Add a bit from your 1/3 cup of cream to each batch until finished. Add any remaining cream to the last batch and stir all batches back together in the original pot.

Finishing Touches!

  1. Once your soup is smooth, pour in the 1/3 cup cream (if you used an immersion blender) and your browned butter.

  2. Stir or use your immersion blender to combine all the final ingredients.

  3. Serve in individual bowls topped with squash seeds, sprinkled cream, a dash of nutmeg, and some sage leaves.

This post has had new pictures updated October 2020. Look below at my old photos and have confidence that yours will improve too!

Share: