This acorn squash soup is creamy, flavorful, and delicious. It is made with roasted acorn squash, vegetables, aromatic spices and sweetened with a little bit of honey. This soup makes great leftovers and freezes well.
Every fall, when you get a few good acorn squashes from the local farmer's market I make my favorite acorn squash soup. And if you have any extra, try baking this delicious chocolate chip acorn squash bread.
Butternut squash soup seems to be the go-to fall soup everyone loves. But it is nice to switch things up, sometimes. Did you know that acorn squash can make an awesome and delicious soup too?
Acorn squash has less sweet flavor so you can make the soup more unique by experimenting with different flavors.
This is a very delicious and unique version of acorn squash soup, made with chili powder, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, lime, and honey.
Are you looking for more creamy soups? Try our carrot and ginger soup, Instant pot potato soup.
Note: this post has been updated with the improved and more flavorful recipe, the new images, and I also added alternative cooking methods.
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Ingredients
Please, see the recipe card at the end of this post for the ingredients' quantities.
- Acorn squash: pick a squash with a deep green color on the outside, and a little bit of orange or yellow from where it was sitting on the ground.
- Olive oil: You will need it to roast the acorn squash.
- Onion: I used yellow onion. You can also use leeks or shallots.
- Garlic: just a few cloves for mild flavor.
- Water: I used water. You can also use store-bought low-sodium vegetable broth or chicken broth.
- Spices: ground coriander, nutmeg, cumin, and chili powder, black pepper
- Lime juice and honey: These are optional, but they balance the taste of the soup and bring up a lot of flavor. You can also use maple syrup instead.
- Salt: add to taste at the end if you are using the broth that has salt added.
Acorn squash soup recipe instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions with images for this recipe.
Roast the acorn squash. Line the large baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 400 degrees f. Cut the acorn squash in half. Scoop up the seeds. Drizzle the cut-up sides with olive oil and season them with salt. Place squash halves with the cut side down on the prepared baking sheet and bake them for about 40 minutes or until fork tender. Once baked, set aside to cool down. Scoop out the flesh and you can discard the skin.
Prepare the base of the soup. In a large pot or a Dutch oven, add olive oil and let it get hot over medium heat. Add diced carrots, and onion. Saute until softened over medium heat, for about 5 minutes. Add diced garlic, and spices. Saute for another 2 minutes, stirring frequently or until the garlic and spices become aromatic.
Add broth and roasted squash. Add roasted acorn squash flesh and then the broth, only enough to cover the vegetables. Bring it to a boil and simmer on low heat for about 15-20 minutes until the carrots are tender.
Blend the soup. Use the immersion blender to blend the soup until creamy with no chunks. Be careful as the soup is very hot and it might splash while blending. If using a regular blender, let it cool down slightly and then blend it in batches.
Finish the soup. Now, add some honey, lime juice, salt and black pepper. Taste the soup and add more salt if needed.
Nataliia' recipe tips
- If it is too hard to cut the acorn squash in half, microwave it for a few minutes to soften it up.
- Cut the vegetables into the same size chunks for even cooking.
- Do not add too much water or broth, just enough to cover the vegetables.
- If the soup is too thick at the end, you can always add more broth later.
- Taste the soup and add more salt, pepper, or even maple syrup to your taste.
- Stir in some heavy cream or coconut milk at the end if you like more filling soups.
- Serving: serve it with croutons, roasted pumpkin seeds, and fresh herbs on top.
Alternative cooking methods
I have made this soup a lot of times using my Instant Pot and a few times a slow cooker. For both methods, you will need to roast the acorn first. By the way, you can also roast acorn squash in the air fryer and it takes less time.
- Instant Pot method: Saute the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in the Instant Pot using the saute mode. Add apple, roasted squash, spices, and broth. Pressure cook for 10 minutes with natural release for 5 minutes. Blend the soup and then stir in the cream.
- Slow cooker method: Saute the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in the Instant Pot using the saute mode. Add apple, roasted squash, spices, and broth. Slow cook it on high or for 2 hours. Blend the soup and then stir in the cream.
Storage and reheating instructions
To store: Transfer leftover soup into a large airtight container. Let it cool down to room temperature. After that, store it in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
To reheat: Reheat the soup on the stove to preserve its flavor and creamy texture. Pour the soup into a small pot and place it over medium-low heat. Bring it to a gentle simmer (not a full boil), stirring it a few times until it is warmed up evenly.
To freeze: this soup freezes so well, that I always make extra to have it on hand. Simply pour the cooled-down soup into the freezer safe bag or container. Freeze it for up to 3 months. Reheat it from frozen in a small pot.
More soup recipes to try
📖 Recipe
Acorn squash soup
Equipment
- 1 Immersion blender
- 1 large stock pot or dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 medium acorn squash
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- ¼ medium onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
- 3 cups water, or low-sodium vegetable broth
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2-3 teaspoons honey or maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- ½ teaspoon salt, add more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper Cut acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Drizzle it with olive oil and sprinkle with salt on the cut side. Place acorn squash with the cut side don on a prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 40-50 minutes or until fork tender. Let it cool down slightly, scoop put the flesh and discard the skin.
- Add one tablespoon of olive oil to the large pot. Once hot, add chopped carrots, and diced onion. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add diced garlic, ½ teaspoon ground coriander, ½ teaspoon chili powder, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground cumin. Cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes, stirring often or until it becomes aromatic.
- Add roasted acorn squash flesh and pour 3 cups of water, just enough to barely cover the veggies. Simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes or unit the carrots are fork tender.
- Once cooked, blend the soup with the immersion blender until smooth consistency . Caution hot!
- Now, 2-3 teaspoons honey or maple syrup , 2 teaspoons lime juice, salt, black pepper to taste. Stir it well and serve.
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