Healthy Buttercup Squash Soup Recipe with Carrots

Creamy Buttercup Squash Soup is an easy-to-make soup loaded with healthy ingredients. With a rich, creamy, and velvety texture and a satisfying flavor, this soup is perfect for making ahead and enjoying for days! Plus, it is low-carb, gluten-free, and can be made dairy-free or vegan! This is a restaurant-quality soup that you will want to make again and again.

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We plant buttercup squash in our garden every year, and it is my favorite kind of squash. It has a delicate flavor that goes so well in many winter dishes.

Now that it is my favorite time of year, Fall (and soup season), I can finally make recipes using fresh squash.

I have been trying out some different roasted buttercup squash soup recipes for the last month or so, and I decided to make this healthy buttercup squash soup since I was craving something hearty, filling, and comforting.

I wanted to make a dish that would fill me up but also be nutritious. And what better than a bowl of warm soup?

This recipe is the ultimate low-carb creamy soup, and it is a favorite soup of everyone in my family, kids included.

It's insanely delicious, and it is the perfect soup for anyone who wants something creamy but healthy! I recommend making a double batch!

Serve this creamy soup as an appetizer during the holidays before serving Double Smoked Ham with Brown Sugar Maple Glaze, Turkey in a Toaster Oven or Smoked Turkey.

Don't forget the Cranberry Sauce (Paleo, Vegan) and Crustless Pumpkin Pie (gluten-free) 🙂

This savory soup can also be served as a main course for a healthy yet comforting meal.

Other healthy main dishes

Jump to:

• Other healthy main dishes
• What is buttercup squash?
• Buttercup Squash Vs Butternut Squash - What's The Difference?
• Recipe features
• Ingredients and Substitutions for buttercup squash and carrot soup
• How to Make Low Carb Creamy Buttercup Squash Soup
• Variations for roasted buttercup squash soup
• Equipment
• How to store gluten-free buttercup squash soup
• Tips for success
• Health benefits of squash
• What else can you make with buttercup squash?
• FAQs
• More recipes you may enjoy
• 📋 Recipe
• Food safety
• 💬 Comments

What is buttercup squash?

Buttercup squash is a winter squash with a dark green exterior and deep orange flesh. The peak season for it is in the fall months of September, October, and November. Buttercups are easy to recognize as they have a protruding lighter gray-green button surrounded by a circular scar at the bottom end.

It's one of the sweetest winter squashes, with more of a sweet flavor than acorn and spaghetti squash varieties.

When this squash is cooked, it is very creamy and smooth. In addition, it tends to retain more moisture than some of the other squashes.

This winter squash is quite firm and is perfect for soups, roasted vegetables, and any dish requiring tender vegetables that won't mash when stirred or tossed with seasonings.

Buttercup Squash Vs Butternut Squash - What's The Difference?

Buttercup squash and butternut squash are winter squashes, but buttercup squash is smaller, has a dark-green exterior, and has sweet orange flesh. Also, buttercup squash is firmer than butternut squash.

Butternut squash is a yellowish winter squash having sweet, orange-colored flesh, which is softer and sweeter than buttercup squash. Butternut squash is also easier to peel than buttercup squash, which makes it a very popular squash.

Recipe features

HEALTHY: This buttercup squash soup is packed full of healthy veggies. Plus, it has only 129 calories per serving. So it makes a great main dish, or you can also serve it as an appetizer. See the nutritional information in the recipe card below.

EASY: This is such a simple recipe. All you have to do is roast the squash and carrots in one pan, combine it with chicken stock, then blend it with the other ingredients until smooth.

NO PEELING OR CUTTING SQUASH: The squash needs to be sliced in half, the seeds removed, and baked in the oven until fork-tender.

GREAT FOR MEAL PREP: This soup is great for leftovers and tastes just as good when reheated. It is a great make-ahead option when you need a quick lunch or dinner.

DIETARY NEEDS: Gluten-free, low-carb, dairy-free option, and an option for vegan.

Ingredients and Substitutions for buttercup squash and carrot soup

This hearty soup is made with simple ingredients that can easily be found at your local grocery store.

• Buttercup squash. The main ingredient in this soup is buttercup squash. You could also substitute your favorite squash such as acorn squash, kabocha squash, butternut squash, or even pumpkin. Cooking butternut squash is easy, and can be cooked the same as buttercup squash.
• Olive oil. I used extra virgin olive oil. You could also use avocado oil.
• Onion. I used a yellow onion, but you could also use red onion or white onion.
• Carrots. I used carrots that we grew in our garden. I would recommend buying organic carrots.
• Garlic cloves. I used garlic cloves, but you could also use ½ teaspoon of garlic powder.
• Ginger. I used fresh ginger, but you could use ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger.
• Chicken stock. I used organic chicken broth, but you could also use veggie broth if you want to keep the soup vegan. You could use homemade chicken stock for an even healthier soup.
• Cinnamon. I used ground cinnamon in this soup to add fantastic fall flavor.
• Nutmeg. Adds more flavor to the soup.
• Salt and black pepper. Adjust to taste.
• Whipped cream, optional. This is optional. It makes the soup even creamier. Substitute with coconut milk or coconut cream, or omit if you want a vegan soup.

See the printable recipe card for quantities.

How to Make Low Carb Creamy Buttercup Squash Soup

This easy-to-make soup is one of the easiest soups to prepare. But, first, you need to roast the squash for an extra depth of flavor. I find that using roasted squash for soup amplifies its flavor.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the squash half lengthwise, and remove the seeds with a spoon.

Add about ½-inch of water to a baking dish. Place the squash halves cut side down in a baking dish or sheet pan.

Peel the carrots and place them whole in the baking dish or baking sheet beside the squash.

Bake for 45 minutes until the squash is soft and can be pierced easily with a fork.

When the squash is cooked, remove it from the oven.

Over medium-high heat, add olive oil, chopped onion, minced garlic, and grated ginger. Saute for about 5 minutes until the onion starts to get translucent.

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat the chicken (or vegetable) stock over low heat.

If you have an immersion blender, scoop out the flesh of each squash half and place it in the pot with the chicken stock. Add carrots, onion, garlic, and ginger to the soup pot. Use the immersion blender and blend the vegetables until smooth and creamy.

If you do not have an immersion blender, you can use a blender or a food processor. Take one cup of hot chicken stock and place it in the blender. Scoop out the squash from one half and place it in the blender. Place the carrots in and blend until smooth.

Scoop out the squash from the other half and place it in a blender. Add the cooked onion, garlic, and ginger to the blender and blend until smooth. Pour blended soup into the soup pot to heat on low heat.

Add cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and pepper to the soup. Stir well to combine. Serve hot in bowls.

You may add one tablespoon of heavy cream or sour cream to each serving if desired.

Enjoy!

Variations for roasted buttercup squash soup

This recipe can be easily modified in many different ways. Some fun ideas are:

• Spicy - Add more ginger, or add a dash of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to imbue heat.
• Earthy - Add a dash of curry powder to the soup to give it an earthy flavor.
• Deluxe - Roast some red peppers and place sliced pepper on the soup for garnish, or top with sliced jalapeno pepper.
• Buttercup squash soup (vegan) - Use vegetable broth and make roasted buttercup squash soup with coconut milk. If you are using butternut squash, make vegan butternut squash soup with coconut milk.
• Herbs - Top the soup with fresh herbs such as fresh cilantro, fresh thyme, fresh oregano, or fresh basil.

Equipment

To make this savory buttercup squash soup, you will need:

• Sheet pan.
• Large pot or dutch oven.
• Immersion blender, stick blender, regular blender, or food processor.

How to store gluten-free buttercup squash soup

FRIDGE: Leftover soup will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Just make sure to let the soup cool to room temperature first.

FREEZER: Butternut squash soup freezes very well. Pour cooled soup into an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months.

Tips for success

• I recommend using an immersion blender to make the pureeing process easier and so you can easily achieve a smooth texture.
• Do not dice the carrots or squash; it is so much easier to roast them whole.
• Use a smaller amount of ginger at first. You can always add more later. It is always easier to add spice than take it away.
• Serve this soup hot for the best flavor.

Health benefits of squash

• Squashes are nutritional powerhouses.
• It is an excellent source of soluble and insoluble dietary fiber.
• Contains absolutely no saturated fat or cholesterol.
• Buttercup squash is naturally gluten-free.
• Buttercup squash is a powerhouse of carotenoids and vitamin-A, which is an important antioxidant that helps in fighting cancer.
• Fresh Buttercup squash holds relatively higher amounts of vitamin C and thiamin than pumpkin.
• It is also a good source of folates, which help prevent neural-tube defects in newborns when taken during early pregnancy in expectant mothers.
• Buttercup is a low-sodium winter squash.
• High in potassium. Potassium helps our cardiovascular healthy by decreasing blood pressure and heart rate.
• In addition, buttercup squash has many other vitamins and minerals essential for good health, such as copper, selenium, calcium, iron, manganese, phosphorus, and zinc.

What else can you make with buttercup squash?

• Buttercup Squash Stew is absolutely delicious, and this squash is a great addition to any stew. I especially liked it in my Instant Pot Venison Stew.
• Cooked buttercup squash can be mashed to make a creamy, velvety sauce for your favorite pasta.
• You can also use buttercup squash to replace pumpkin in pumpkin recipes.
• Make Oven-Roasted Buttercup Squash for a delicious side dish.
• One of my favorite ways to make this squash is to bake it in the oven with diced apples combined with cinnamon and syrup. This is more like a dessert, but it is so good!

FAQs

More recipes you may enjoy

This soup is not only easy to make, but it's healthy, creamy, and low in carbs. The best part about this soup is that the ingredients are all common ingredients readily available at any grocery store.

I hope you enjoy this healthy and easy-to-make buttercup squash soup recipe!

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Food safety

• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended