Roasted Acorn Squash Soup made with coconut milk is a rich and creamy soup that is made in 3 simple steps; roast, simmer, and blend! This is an easy, nourishing recipe made with warm cozy flavors including roasted squash, sautéed apples, onions and carrots, fresh ginger, and thyme! Perfect for a chilly night, this soup is healthy comfort food at its best.

Bowl of acorn squash soup garnished with roasted acorn seeds and parsley.

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Rich, creamy, healthy roasted acorn squash soup is one of our favorite soups to enjoy during the fall and winter when the weather gets cold. It’s easy to make with roasted acorn squash, sautéed onion, carrots, apple, stock, seasonings, and canned coconut milk. Simmer it to perfection, and then blend until smooth and creamy. Enjoy topped with an extra drizzle of coconut milk, fresh black pepper, roasted acorn squash seeds, and fresh chopped parsley.

When this time of year rolls around, we like to make the most of all the autumn squash and winter squash from the farmer’s market and supermarket by making dishes such as butternut squash soup, stuffed acorn squash, pumpkin chili, and this delicious acorn squash soup!

Health Tip: As an added plus, acorn squash is very healthy and nourishing. It’ packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It’s a great source of vitamin B, vitamin C, magnesium, and potassium! It’s also low in calories and contains a good amount of fiber.

Ingredients needed

This squash soup is guaranteed to warm you up from the inside out, with its velvety, smooth texture and rich, comforting flavor. The best part, it’s loaded with nutrients! Filled with plenty of veggies and fiber, it’s hearty and satisfying while being naturally vegan and gluten-free.

Here’s everything you’ll need to make it:

Acorn squash: You’ll need about 4 cups of roasted squash from 2 acorn squash. Choose a ripe acorn squash that is a mix of orange and green, heavy for its size, with skin that is dull with no soft spots.
Olive oil: For roasting the squash and sautéing the veggies.
Sea salt: To bring out the flavor in the soup.
Onion: Use a yellow onion to give this soup a savory, complex flavor.
Carrots: Use regular-sized carrots and not baby carrots, as they tend to have a starchy, not-very-sweet flavor.
Apple: Adds subtle sweetness. We like to use Honey Crisp apples for a sweeter taste, but Granny Smith apples are the perfect choice if you like more of a tart flavor and don’t want your soup to be too sweet.
Seasonings: Dried thyme, ginger, and black pepper for deliciousness in every bite.
Stock: Vegetable stock to keep this recipe vegetarian and vegan.
Coconut milk: To make the soup extra creamy. Use canned coconut milk, as it tends to be creamier and richer.

Carrots, acorn squash, apple, onion, salt, and coconut milk in a bowl.

How to cook acorn squash

Good news! There’s no need to peel the squash before cooking it because you will easily be able to scoop the flesh out after roasting. Here’s how to cut an acorn squash and roast it:

Prep: Place the oven rack in the center and preheat the oven to 400ºF (204ºC).
Use a heavy knife to cut the squash in half lengthwise, using a rocking motion to make the job a bit easier.
Scoop out the seeds. You can discard them or save them to roast.
Brush the flesh side of the acorn squash with 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil each. Place the squash cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Roast for 30-40 minutes or until tender. You should be able to easily pierce into the flesh with a knife.

Scooping seeds out of half of a squash. — Scoop seeds out of half of a squash.

Brushing oil on an acorn squash. — Scoop seeds out of half of a squash.

How to make this soup

Acorn squash soup requires several steps, but it’s really quite easy to make. The most time consuming part is cutting your squash and veggies, and waiting for the squash to roast. It’s well worth it, though! Here’s the simple process:

Scoop the flesh: Once the squash is cool enough to handle. Scoop the tender flesh into a bowl, it should yield about 4 cups.
Sauté onions: In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the remainder of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, along with a pinch of salt, and sauté until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Sauté carrot and apple: Add the carrot, apples, thyme, ground ginger, and black pepper along with another pinch of sea salt. Sauté for 5-8 minutes.

Sautéing onions in a large pot. — Sauté onions in a large pot.

Sautéing carrots and apple with onions in a dutch oven. — Sauté onions in a large pot.

Add stock and simmer: Add 2 cups of vegetable stock and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Partially cover the pot and cook until the carrots and apples are soft and tender, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Add squash: Stir in the roasted acorn squash and 2 cups of vegetable stock to the soup.

Adding vegetable stock to sautéed veggies. — Add vegetable stock to sautéed veggies.

Stirring roasted squash into soup. — Add vegetable stock to sautéed veggies.

Blend soup: Working in batches, carefully transfer the cool soup to a high-speed blender, and blend until creamy.

Soup in a blender. — Add soup to blender.

Blending acorn squash soup until creamy. — Add soup to blender.

Add coconut milk: Transfer the soup back to the pot and stir in the coconut milk. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Reheat over low heat when ready to eat.
Garnish and serve: Enjoy topped with any of the following; an extra drizzle of coconut milk, fresh black pepper, roasted acorn squash seeds, and/or fresh chopped parsley.

Stirring coconut milk into acorn squash soup. — Stir coconut milk into soup.

Soup garnished with acorn squash seeds, parsley and a drizzle of coconut milk. — Stir coconut milk into soup.

Expert tips

Peeling: No need to peel the squash before roasting. Once it is cooked, it is easy to scoop out of the skin.
Blending the soup: Try using an immersion blender instead of a regular blender, that way you don’t have to remove the soup from the Dutch oven to blend. But if you don’t have one, you can transfer the soup carefully in batches to a blender to blend. Just be sure it has cooled some.
Consistency: If after blending the soup, you would prefer it to be thinner, stir in filtered water about 1/4 cup at a time.
Make ahead: This is an awesome make-ahead, and freeze for later soup. It does take a bit of time to make, so we like to cook a double batch and freeze half for another meal.

The difference between acorn squash and butternut squash

The outside of an acorn squash and butternut squash look quite different. Acorn squash are shaped like acorns, while butternut squash have a unique oblong shape where their base is thicker than their top near the stem. The outside of a butternut squash is completely smooth and light tan in color, while acorn squash are dark green with some orange and vertical ridges surrounding the outside of it.

The interior color and texture of butternut squash and acorn squash are very similar to one another, both have a golden yellow color. However, the flavor of butternut squash is slightly sweeter and more potent compared to the mild flavor of acorn squash.

Pro Tip! Although it may change the texture and flavor slightly, you can typically use any winter squash, including butternut, buttercup, Hubbard, sugar pumpkin, and acorn, interchangeably in recipes.

Variations

This acorn squash soup recipe is wonderful as-is, but feel free to change the ingredients to make this your own. Here are some options:

Toppings: Get creative and add different toppings, such as croutons, parmesan cheese, crispy bacon crumbles, or a spoonful of Greek yogurt.
Spicy: Add a kick of heat by mixing in your favorite hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
Protein: If you want to add a boost of protein, stir in cooked, diced chicken, shredded rotisserie chicken, or turkey breast to the soup after it is blended.
Squash: This recipe can be made with butternut squash, kabocha squash or acorn squash.

Bowl of soup made from squash in a white bowl.

Storage recommendations

Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.
Freezer: Freeze in a gallon ziplock bag or other freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. When ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator overnight or slowly in a pot on the stove.
Reheat: Rewarm chilled soup on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave, in 30 second intervals until warm.

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