Roasted Acorn Squash and Sweet Potato Soup
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There are few things cozier than a bowl of homemade soup on a chilly day. Today’s Roasted Acorn Squash and Sweet Potato Soup is creamy, sweet, and bursting with flavor.
Roasted acorn squash and sweet potato are blended together with sautéed onions, garam masala, and coconut milk to create the most warming, nutritious soup.
Garam Masala is one of my favorite spice blends for soups as it is warm and fragrant, yet more delicate than curry powders. It doesn’t overpower other flavors and pairs extremely well with vegetables.
The addition of ginger adds a slight zing to every spoonful. This easy soup recipe is both vibrant and healthy, and is sure to brighten the darkest winter day!
Why You’ll Love This Soup:
- Comforting – roasted acorn squash and sweet potatoes make for a deliciously cozy, velvety soup ideal for the winter season. We love to pair it with crusty slices of sourdough bread or a big leafy salad.
- Flavorful – made with savory squash and root vegetables and layered with spices, including garam masala this soup comes together fairly quickly and is brimming with flavor.
- Dietary Friendly – this soup is naturally vegan and gluten free, making it great for those with dietary restrictions.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- ACORN SQUASH: mild, buttery, and even nutty flavor, it’s not overly sweet, making for a great pairing with sweet potato.
- SWEET POTATO: starchy and sweet, look for potatoes with tough skin and firm flesh, without wrinkles, cuts, or bruises.
- SAUTÉED ONION: for aromatics.
- GARAM MASALA: a North Indian spice mix typically made with black and white peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, cumin seeds, and cardamom pods. Warmly spiced, mild, and extremely versatile. Look for it in the spice aisle or try this recipe for homemade garam masala.
- GROUND GINGER: slightly peppery, ground ginger adds a pungent, warming bite.
- BROTH: low-sodium vegetable broth is my preferred choice for homemade soups and stews these days. Feel free to substitute it with a delicate chicken broth if you prefer.
- COCONUT MILK: rich and fragrant, canned unsweetened coconut milk is a fantastic way to add that unmistakable creamy texture and flavor without needing dairy-based cream. If you don’t enjoy coconut, substitute with 1/4 cup heavy cream or more to taste.
- LIME JUICE: a touch of freshly squeeze lime juice just before serving helps balance the natural sweetness of the squash and sweet potato.
- SALT + PEPPER: – season and taste as you cook.
How to Serve This Soup:
While this soup is excellent on its own, I love to serve it with slices of crusty sourdough and a bright and acidic leafy salad (this everyday lemon vinaigrette is a great choice).
More Cozy Soups You’ll Love:
Looking for more delicious soup recipes? If you like this Roasted Acorn Squash and Sweet Potato Soup, try these next:
Roasted Acorn Squash and Sweet Potato Soup
Acorn squash and sweet potato are roasted and blended together with sauteed onion, garam masala, ginger, and coconut milk to create a healthy and delicious fall soup. This easy flavorful soup is naturally vegan and gluten free, making it perfect for entertaining those with dietary restrictions.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2½-3 lb whole acorn squash sliced lengthwise in half and seeds scooped and discarded
- 2 medium sweet potatoes roughly 1 lb
- 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- kosher salt
- 1 medium yellow onion small dice
- 1½ teaspoons garam masala
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- 3½-4 cups (840-960 mL) low-sodium vegetable broth as needed
- ⅔ cup (160 mL) full-fat coconut milk plus more for garnishing
- ½ lime for juicing
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Carefully slice the acorn squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard the seeds and guts. Slice the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise. Set the vegetables on a half sheet pan. Drizzle the cut-sides of the sweet potato and squash with 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt. Turn the squash and sweet potatoes cut-side down on the pan.
- Roast for 45 to 60 minutes, or until both the potato and acorn squash flesh is very soft and meets no resistance when pierced with a knife (note: if the sweet potatoes finish, remove and set aside while you finish roasting the squash). Remove from the oven and when the pieces are cool enough to handle, scoop out the squash and sweet potato flesh – discarding the skins. Set aside.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in medium-sized soup pot. Add the diced onion and a generous pinch of kosher salt, and sauté over low heat until soft and completely translucent, roughly 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garam masala and ground ginger. Stir and cook for an additional minute or two, or until fragrant. Add the 3½ cups broth and roasted squash and sweet potato. Bring to boil, then reduce to low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Puree the soup in a high-powered, large capacity blender, such as a Vitamix, until very smooth. You may need to do this step in batches. Return the blended soup to the pot and bring to a very low simmer. Add the coconut milk and juice of ½ lime and stir until incorporated. If too thick, add an additional ½ cup broth or splash of water. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and another pinch of garam masala or ground ginger if desired.
- Serve and drizzle with leftover coconut milk and extra virgin olive oil.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 494kcal, Carbohydrates: 84g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 13mg, Sodium: 540mg, Fiber: 22g, Sugar: 6g
This recipe was originally published in 2013, but has been updated with new instructions and images.
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93 Comments on “Roasted Acorn Squash and Sweet Potato Soup”
I had most of the ingredients. It is still on simmer because I used chicken bullion and water. It is yummy though I live with a picky eating family. Got to intice the pallet and satisfy the nutritional content growing kids need you know.
I have made this soup a few times for Rosh Hashana. Can this soup be served as a cold soup or will it lose some taste?
It probably could, but I think it tastes best warm – texture while and also it would bring out the best flavor of the spices. If you do serve cold, I would definitely thin it a tad and you’ll most likely need to increase the spices/salt quantities as things are naturally a bit more bland when cold.
Works great with an InstantPot! Just roast the veggies in the oven following the directions above, sauté the onion in the InstantPot, then throw all the ingredients together and hit “porridge” without any peeling. Everything came out perfect.
I roasted an apple inside some foil while roasting the sweet potatoes and squash. Absolutely delicious recipe!
Made it tonight and it is delicious. I am so happy this soup is in my life.
Can’t wait to make this!
I loved this soup!
This was really delicious. I made the recipe as provided. Thank you – I needed a weigh to use acorn squash!
So glad you enjoyed it!
This sounds amazing! I have a two year old and am about to have another baby. Do you think this would work in a slow cooker or pressure cooker? Do you know if it freezes well? Planning ahead 🙂 can’t wait to try this delicious looking recipe!
Hi Michelle! Great question. I think you could definitely make it in the slow cooker – I would still sauté the onion (and the spices) in a separate skillet though before adding them to the slow cooker (or if you have a slow cooker that has a sauté function, use that!). I might reduce the broth slightly by a half cup or cup, and then you can always add more at the end if it is too thick.
I generally always have success freezing these types of soups! Just allow it to thaw completely before reheating, and reheat slowly since it contains coconut milk. Sometimes I tend to need to add some water or additional broth for frozen soups and I always taste and season again before serving. Hope this helps!! Congrats on your new addition!
Hi Laura! Thank you so much for your reply and great tips! Can’t wait to get this cooking!
nutrition information – how fattening is this recipe?
who cares! its delicious and nothing in it is bad for you.
It was amazing!! Even my non Indian food loving husband had 2 bowls! I didn’t have cloves so I substituted allspice, and I made my own garam masala by mixing equal amounts of each of its 5 ingredients, the substituted allspice, cinnamon, pepper, cardamom and cumin, plus a generous amount of ginger and the whole can of coconut milk cuz I wasn’t sure what I’d do with the leftover. It’s so good I can’t believe it! Thanks for the recipe
So happy to hear that!
You are using lite coconut milk in this recipe. Would whole coconut milk make it creamier or just make it too heavy?
Hi Babs! Whole fat coconut milk would definitely work and taste great. It will obviously be a bit creamier and richer, but probably in a good way! I’ll add a note to the recipe – but thanks for asking!
The only addition I’d make to this is to deglaze the pan that you bake the vegetables in. I’d bake the onions, too. I love how they caramelize.
I just bought squash and sweet potatoes last week, and am planning on cooking for the week this afternoon. I’m baking mushrooms for mushroom barley soup, too.
Garam masala is great in pancakes and baked goods, too. Yum. Pumpkin pie with this is amazing, too.
Oh, I forgot to mention that this is a great soup to make in the pressure cooker when you’re in a hurry. Chop the veg, steam them in the pressure cooker on the rack or steam basket, and just pull the skin off them with tongs. Puree in the pot with an immersion blender.
I also add diced crystallized ginger to my pumpkin pie. I’m pondering using coconut milk in my next batch. I’m using ginger snaps for the crust this year, too. I’m so sick of traditional pies. Tradition is the death of innovation.
This soup turned out awesome! The only change I made was that I added 2 cups of navy beans (plus extra vegetable stock) to the blender for extra protein and creaminess. I will definitely be making this again! Thanks!
Awesome! I’ve added white beans to another similar soup and loved it too. Thanks for the idea, suggestion, and feedback Courtni. I appreciate it!
I’ve been using this exact recipe for the last 10yrs without needing to make any adjustments. It’s always so comforting on a cold fall day.
My son can’t have coconut milk because it’s high in fructose. Could I substitute coconut milk with heavy cream or milk?
Yes! You can definitely substitute out the coconut milk for heavy cream or milk (I would recommend whole, definitely not 2% or skim). It won’t complement the flavors of the rest of the soup quite as well, but it will definitely work. Let me know how it turns out!