Butternut Squash Soup with Sage and Croutons
This Butternut Squash Soup with Sage and Croutons is tasty, hearty, and perfect for chilly fall or winter nights. Butternut Squash Soup can often be too sweet, but ours is perfectly balanced with lots of fresh sage, crunchy parmesan croutons, and a secret ingredient that makes it extra creamy and rich. It’s easy and you’ll feel like a pro after making it.
Why You’ll Love This Butternut Squash Soup with Sage
- Not too sweet and well-balanced. Fresh sage, onions, and crème fraîche balance out the sweetness of the butternut squash in this soup.
- Made with fresh, flavorful ingredients. We add veggies, sage leaves, and a whole butternut squash to this soup for fresh and tasty fall notes.
- Hearty and super cozy. This is the kind of soup you want to eat while curled up in a blanket, watching your favorite holiday movie. It’s warm and comforting and filling.
- Easy and unfussy. The soup breaks down to 3 easy parts: roasting the squash, cooking the aromatics and veg in a pot, and blending the soup. Bake up some easy croutons for an optional, but highly recommended, topping and you’re done!
A Butternut Squash Soup That’s Not Too Sweet
There is nothing more cozy for the darker, cooler months than roasted vegetables, and butternut squash is one of those veggies that benefits strongly from a long roast in the oven. It becomes soft and nutty when it cooks, and the natural sugars start to caramelize. Butternut squash soup can often be too sweet, however, so we like adding sage, crushed red pepper flakes, crème fraîche, and additional vegetables for balance. The result is a soup that’s a touch sweet, earthy, creamy, a little tangy, vegetal, and savory.
Ingredients in Butternut Squash Soup with Sage
- Butternut squash – this is the star of this soup. It’s sweet, mild, and nutty in flavor. It can be a challenge to cut, though, so please be careful!
- Onion – yellow or sweet onions add a sweet, mellow flavor.
- Carrots – for nutrients, color, and extra sweetness to the soup.
- Shallot – for delicate notes that pair well with other ingredients.
- Seasonings – crushed red pepper flakes add heat and balance, and salt and pepper season the soup.
- Sage – this gives even more fall vibes and earthy flavor to the soup.
- Vegetable broth – for volume and extra veggie notes.
- Half and half or cream – this helps tone down the sweet flavors of the squash and makes the soup creamy.
- Crème fraiche – this is our secret ingredient. It adds tang and makes this soup more savory. You can find this at many grocery stores or make your own. You can also use sour cream instead, but it will be less creamy and a little more sour.
- Maple syrup – this preserves some of the sweetness of the squash.
- Croutons – for a delightful crunchy texture to the creamy, smooth soup. These are made with fresh baguette or ciabatta, a little olive oil, shredded parm, and salt and pepper.
How to Make Butternut Squash Soup with Sage
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Brush the open sides of the squash with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Place squash face-down on the baking sheet and roast for 50 minutes.
- While the squash is roasting, add butter to a large soup pot with a lid, then add shallots, onion, carrots, sage, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the broth and bring it to a low boil, then cover the pot and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the veggies fully soften.
- To make the croutons, add the cubed bread to a second parchment lined baking sheet while the soup is cooking and the squash is roasting. Toss the bread with olive oil, parmesan, salt and pepper, and bake in the same 400°F oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and toasted. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
- Scoop out the roasted squash from the skin and add it to the soup pot. Blend the soup with an immersion blender or regular blender until smooth.
- Blend in 1 cup of half and half, ¼ cup crème fraîche, and 1 tbsp of maple syrup.
- Taste the soup for seasoning, then ladle into bowls and top with croutons and more crème fraîche, if desired.
Emily & Rachel’s Tips for Butternut Squash Soup with Sage
Serving and Storage Suggestions
We like to serve this soup with croutons or some crusty bread and a light side salad.
Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 5 days, and keep leftover croutons in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Reheat any leftover soup in a pot over medium heat or place it in a microwave safe bowl and heat it up in the microwave until warmed through. Top with croutons, if using.
FAQs: Butternut Squash Soup with Sage
Butternut Squash Soup with Sage and Croutons
Ingredients
Soup
- 1 butternut squash cut in half lengthwise and seeds and stem removed
- 1 yellow or sweet onion chopped
- 2 medium carrots diced
- 1 large shallot chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil or butter
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
- 10 fresh sage leaves
- Cracked black pepper
- ½ tsp salt plus more for squash
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup half and half or heavy cream
- ¼ cup crème fraîche
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- Olive oil for brushing squash
Parmesan Croutons
- 2 cups of cubed baguette or ciabatta baguette or ciabatta
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Brush the open sides of the squash with olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.1 butternut squash, Olive oil
- Place squash face-down on the baking sheet and roast for 50 minutes or until soft. Remove from oven when done.
- While the squash is roasting, add olive oil or butter to a large soup pot.2 tbsp olive oil or butter
- Add shallots, onion, carrots, sage, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes.1 yellow or sweet onion, 2 medium carrots, 1 large shallot, ¼ tsp crushed red pepper, ½ tsp salt, Cracked black pepper, 10 fresh sage leaves
- Add broth, cover pot, and cook for about 15-20 minutes or until veggies fully soften.6 cups vegetable broth
- To make the croutons, add the cubed bread to a second parchment lined baking sheet while the soup is cooking and the squash is roasting. Toss the bread with olive oil, parmesan, salt and pepper, and bake in the same 400°F oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and toasted. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.2 cups of cubed baguette or ciabatta, 2 tbsp of olive oil, ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, Salt and pepper to taste
- Scoop out the roasted squash from the skin and add it to the soup pot. Blend the soup with an immersion blender or regular blender until smooth.
- Blend in 1 cup of half and half, ¼ cup crème fraîche, and 1 tbsp of maple syrup.1 cup half and half, ¼ cup crème fraîche, 1 tbsp maple syrup
- Taste the soup for seasoning, then ladle into bowls and top with croutons and more crème fraîche, if desired.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a cozy soup that’s well-balanced, this butternut squash soup with sage is for you. It’s creamy and not too sweet and it’ll satisfy any craving for comfort food. If you love this soup and want to share your thoughts, we’d be happy to hear from you! Feel free to rate and comment below or tag us on Instagram!
Other Soups We Love
Whenever Fall rolls around, we have the urge to make all different kinds of soup, even if the weather doesn’t always cooperate here in Southern California. We love pulling out our big, teal Dutch oven, placing it on the stove, and filling it with all sorts of fragrant ingredients that we cook down until they’re full of flavor. Here are some of our other soup favorites:
Creamy Zucchini Soup with Parmesan Croutons
Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Chicken Noodle Soup with Lemon and Fresh Herbs
Easy Miso Soup with Veggies & Tofu
This soup looks amazing! I love butternut squash and sage together—it’s such a cozy combination. Definitely adding this to my fall recipe rotation!
This looks amazing! Using an immersion stick blender is a really great idea for a soup like this. I love a soup with a creamy smooth texture.
Beautiful presentation. Delicious soup. I love the crunchy, salty parmesan croutons!
Thank you! We love the croutons too. They add so much texture and flavor!