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Roasted Vegan Butternut Squash Soup with Apples & Pecans

4.95 from 18 reader reviews
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 6 -8
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Ingredients

  • ¾ cup pecan halves divided
  • 5 lbs (2.26 kg) butternut squash (about 2 large)
  • 1 lb (454 grams) apples (about 2 large)
  • 2 large yellow onions
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
  • ½ teaspoon chili flakes or ground chilies
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • 4 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Tamari

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F. Scatter the pecans on a small baking sheet and let them toast while the oven heats up, for about 6-7 minutes. Set a scant ¼ cup of the pecans aside for garnishing your soup and chop them up roughly. You'll be blending the remaining ½ cup with the soup.
  • Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (or 2 medium).
  • Peel the squash and remove the seeds before dicing into 2-inch chunks. Place the diced squash on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
  • Peel and core the apples and then dice them into chunks as well. Add them to the baking sheet. Peel the onions and chop them roughly. Add them to the baking sheet.
  • Add the peeled garlic, sliced ginger, chili flakes, and olive oil to the baking sheet. Season generously with salt and pepper. Toss to coat everything evenly and then spread out into an even layer. Slide the tray into the oven.
  • Roast the squash, apples, and onions until soft and browning a bit on the edges, about 40-45 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly.
  • Transfer half of the roasted squash mixture to an upright blender. Add half of the toasted pecans to the blender and 2 cups of the vegetable stock. Blend this mixture on high until smooth, about 1-2 full minutes. Pour the blended soup into a large pot. Repeat this process with the remaining roasted squash, pecans, and stock.
  • Once you have all the blended soup in the pot, stir in the apple cider vinegar and Tamari. Give it a stir and check the seasoning. Adjust if necessary (more salt, vinegar, chili etc). Bring the soup to a boil over medium heat. If the soup is too thick for your liking, add some water to thin it out. Serve the soup hot with toasted pecans on top.

Equipment

Recipe Notes

  • I used 2 medium butternut squashes and one small honey nut squash in these photos. Using purely one of either type or a mix like I did is great! As long as you have about 5 lbs total.
  • Once toasted, ½ cup of the pecans goes into the blended soup while the remaining ¼ cup is saved for garnish.
  • I love to also garnish this with a mixture of: chili crisp, drizzles of maple syrup, extra black pepper, and little sage leaves from the plant in my garden. Of course it’s delicious with just the pecans too!
  • My Vitamix blender pitcher holds 8 cups, so I can blend this soup in 2 batches. Adjust accordingly for your blender. Because of the pecans, I do not recommend a stick blender here.
  • I used Macintosh apples that were slightly tart. The level of sweetness and acidity worked perfectly here. Granny Smith or Paula Red are also good choices.
Roasted butternut squash soup with apples and pecans is super creamy and rich with no coconut milk! 45 minutes of inactive roasting time leads to tender squash, apples, and onions that blend up into a silky soup with toasty pecans and a bit of heat from ginger and chili.