Roasted until caramelized, then blended silky smooth, this carrot and butternut squash soup is warmly spiced, a little sweet, and perfect for winter and fall.
Carrot Butternut Squash Soup At A Glance
- ⏱ Ready In: 1 hour 25 minutes
- 🍽 Serves: 8
- 🌱 Diet: Vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free option
- 💪 Nutrition Highlights: High in beta-carotene and fiber, naturally low in fat
- 🥕 Main Ingredients: Carrots, butternut squash, onion, garlic, cumin, cinnamon
- 🔥 Flavor Profile: Sweet and caramelized from roasting, warmly spiced with cumin and cinnamon, silky texture
- 🧊 Meal-Prep Friendly: Keeps 5 days in the fridge, freezes beautifully for up to 3 months
- Best Served With: Crusty bread, a swirl of cream, or a simple green salad
This is one of those cozy soups I love making on a cold day — the oven does the work roasting carrots and butternut squash along with onion, garlic, and rosemary, so the kitchen gets warm and smells incredible while it cooks.
That roasting brings out a slight caramelization that deepens the flavor, and once everything’s blended together, it turns silky and deeply sweet, with cumin, cinnamon, and a whisper of nutmeg giving it warmth rather than heat. A spoonful of maple syrup rounds out whatever sweetness the vegetables didn’t bring themselves, and a knob of butter at the end makes it taste properly finished rather than just puréed vegetables in a pot.
It’s a big-batch recipe, which is exactly the point — this is one of those soups that’s better the next day, so I always make the full amount because it freezes beautifully.
👩🍳 You might also like these soup recipes:
→ Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup
→ Butternut Squash And Sweet Potato Soup
→ Chicken & White Bean Soup
→ Borscht
→ High-Protein Butternut Squash Soup
What You’ll Need
Here is what you’ll need for this roasted carrot and butternut squash recipe. Find the full measurements in the recipe card below.
Vegetables
- Carrots — the base sweetness of the soup; roasting concentrates it further
- Butternut squash — adds body and that classic silky texture once blended
- Onion — quartered and roasted whole, it caramelizes rather than burns
- Garlic — roasted in the skin so it goes soft and mellow, no risk of burning
- Olive oil — for roasting; helps everything caramelize instead of steam
- Salt and black pepper
Soup Base
- Vegetable stock — use a good one, since it’s a big part of the flavor base. Swap for chicken stock if you’re not keeping it vegetarian
- Fresh rosemary — goes in both at roasting and simmering for a woodsy background note
- Cumin and coriander seed — the warm, earthy backbone of the spicing
- Cinnamon and nutmeg — just enough to make it feel cozy, not sweet
- Maple syrup or honey — balances the vegetables’ sweetness; start light and taste as you go
- Butter — stirred in at the end for richness
- Heavy cream — completely optional, just for serving if you want it extra indulgent
How To Make Carrot & Butternut Squash Soup
Find the full recipe and nutritional information below. Here’s the rundown of how it comes together.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Spread the carrots, butternut squash, onion, and garlic on a large baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, pepper, and fresh rosemary, and toss to coat.
- Roast for 35–45 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until everything is tender and caramelized at the edges.
- Squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skin once it’s cool enough to handle.
- Transfer everything to a large pot with the stock, cumin, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Simmer gently for 10–15 minutes to let the spices bloom into the liquid.
- Blend until completely smooth, either with an immersion blender or in batches in a regular blender.
- Stir in the maple syrup or honey, then taste and adjust salt and pepper.
- Finish with the butter, and serve with a drizzle of cream or olive oil if you like.
Recipe Tips
- Stir the tray once halfway through roasting — it helps everything color evenly instead of just browning on the bottom.
- Don’t skip the simmer before blending. Those 10–15 minutes with the spices aren’t just for warming things through; they let the cumin, cinnamon, and coriander actually meld into the liquid.
- Taste before you commit to the maple syrup amount. Carrots and squash vary in sweetness depending on the season, so start with a tablespoon, taste, and add more only if it needs it.
- For a dairy-free version, skip the butter and cream and finish with a good olive oil instead.
- Leftover roasted garlic that’s extra soft is a good sign — squeeze it all in, it disappears completely once blended.
Serving Suggestions
This is genuinely a whole meal in a bowl, but a thick slice of crusty bread for dipping never hurts. If you want to make it more of an occasion, a swirl of cream and a few toasted pumpkin seeds on top go a long way. It also pairs well with a simple green salad if you want something fresh alongside all that warm spice.
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Carrots and butternut squash roasted until caramelized, then blended silky smooth with warm spices, maple syrup, and a knob of butter — a big-batch soup that’s better the next day. Find step-by-step photos below and more recipe tips above.
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Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
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Place carrots, butternut squash, onion, and garlic on a large baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, pepper, and fresh rosemary. Toss to coat evenly.
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Roast for 35–45 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the vegetables are tender and lightly caramelized at the edges.
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Remove the garlic cloves and squeeze them out of their skins.
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Transfer all the roasted vegetables to a large pot. Add the stock, cumin, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Bring to a gentle simmer for 10–15 minutes to meld the flavors.
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Blend with an immersion blender (or in batches in a regular blender) until completely smooth.
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Stir in the maple syrup or honey, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
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Finish with the butter and serve with a drizzle of cream or olive oil.
Key Recipe Tips: Stir the tray halfway through roasting for even caramelization; don’t skip the 10–15 minute simmer before blending, as it lets the spices properly meld; taste before adding all the maple syrup, since squash and carrot sweetness varies by season.
Storage Tips: Keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days — the flavor deepens overnight, making it one of the best things to have ready for the week. Reheat gently in a saucepan over medium-low heat, adding a splash of stock or water if it’s thickened too much.
Make-Ahead Tips: Freezes beautifully for up to 3 months. Freeze without the cream, in portion-sized containers. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently on the stovetop, adding cream or olive oil right before serving.
FAQs:
Can I make this soup vegan? Yes — use maple syrup instead of honey and skip the butter and cream, or swap in a plant-based butter and cream alternative.
Can I use pre-cut squash to save time? Yes, pre-cubed butternut squash works fine and cuts down on prep — just make sure the pieces are roughly the same size as your carrot chunks so they roast evenly.
Why simmer the roasted vegetables in stock before blending instead of just blending them straight away? The simmer lets the ground spices bloom and infuse into the liquid, which gives a rounder, more cohesive flavor than blending everything cold.
Calories: 173kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 529mg | Potassium: 518mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 19030IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 1mg
