This creamy slow cooker butternut squash soup takes just 15 minutes to prep. Add the squash, onion, broth, and spices straight to the slow cooker. There's no need to sauté anything first, and once it's cooking, you don't have to keep an eye on it.
Cumin and ginger give the soup a warm, spiced flavor, while the heavy cream stirred in at the end makes it rich and creamy. When the squash is tender, simply blend the soup until smooth, stir in the cream, and heat it through. You'll definitely want another bowl.
Jump to:
Why Make Butternut Squash Soup in the Slow Cooker?
Squash is one of my favorite fall vegetables. After a wonderful summer, I really don't mind when squash season starts again. There are already five squash soup recipes on this blog, but one thing was missing: a version I can start on a Wednesday morning and then leave alone for the rest of the day.
Roasted squash is really good, but that means turning on the oven, getting out a baking sheet and keeping an eye on everything. You don't have to do any of that with this soup.
Of all my squash soup recipes, this one is my current favorite. It's so easy, and the spices and cream make it exactly the way I like my squash soup.
What Do You Need?
Butternut squash gives this soup a smooth, slightly sweet base. Cumin and ginger add a warm, spiced flavor. You'll find the full ingredient list with exact amounts in the recipe card.
- Butternut squash: Peel the squash and remove the seeds. Cut the flesh into roughly equal-sized cubes so they cook at the same rate.
- Tip: Precut butternut squash saves you some chopping.
- You can also use a sugar pumpkin, also called a pie pumpkin. It has a slightly different flavor and texture than butternut squash, but works well in this soup. Peel it, remove the seeds, and use the same amount of pumpkin flesh.
- Light brown sugar: Adds a little sweetness to the soup. Prefer it less sweet? Simply leave out the sugar. You don't need to change anything else in the recipe.
- Ground ginger and cumin: Ground ginger adds gentle heat, while ground cumin has a warm, earthy flavor.
- Chicken broth: Gives the soup a savory base. Homemade chicken broth works really well here. Taste the soup before adding extra salt, since some broths are much saltier than others.
- Vegetarian butternut squash soup: Replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth. The cooking method and times stay the same. Vegetable broth is usually a little less savory than chicken broth, so taste the soup at the end and add a little more salt and pepper if needed.
- Heavy cream: Use unwhipped heavy cream and stir it in after blending the soup. Light cream works too, but the soup will be a little less rich.
- For a lactose-free soup, use coconut whipping cream. Keep in mind that it will add a light coconut flavor, which works well with the cumin and ginger.
How Do You Make Butternut Squash Soup in the Slow Cooker?
- Step 1: Spread the onion and butter over the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the garlic, light brown sugar, ground ginger, cumin, turmeric, thyme and nutmeg.
- Step 2: Add the butternut squash and chicken broth. Give everything a quick stir and put on the lid.
- Step 3: Cook for 6 to 7 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on high, until you can easily pierce the squash with a fork.
- Step 4: Blend the soup until smooth with an immersion blender, then stir in the heavy cream. Is the soup too thick? Add a little warm chicken broth at a time until it has the consistency you like.
Why Don't You Need to Sauté Anything First?
When you make a stew, you brown the meat because that browned crust adds flavor. Butternut squash doesn't need that. Most of its flavor is already in the flesh and develops as it slowly cooks. Sautéing the ingredients first would mostly give you another pan to wash.
The spices do benefit from time. Cumin, ginger, and turmeric slowly release their flavor into the warm broth while the squash cooks. A soup that simmers on the stove for only 20 minutes doesn't get those extra hours.
That's one of the big advantages of using the slow cooker here.
The cream goes in only after you blend the soup, and there are two reasons for that. Cream doesn't do well when cooked at high temperatures for hours and may separate. Adding it after blending also helps keep the soup smooth.
This Soup Needs Bread
A thick, creamy soup like this calls for a piece of bread for dipping. These are the ones I serve with it most often.
Garlic & Herb Baguette is great when I want a classic side.
When I need something quick, I make Parmesan Garlic Bread. Everyone gets their own roll, which is handy when you have guests.
Or I make this Baguette with Goat Cheese, Herb Butter and Ham, which turns the soup into a complete lunch.
Storing and Freezing
This soup freezes well, so you can easily make a double batch. Let it cool quickly in small containers, cover, and refrigerate. It will keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.
One tip: If you're planning to freeze the soup, freeze it without the cream and stir the cream in when reheating. Cream can sometimes separate after freezing and thawing, which can make the soup look grainy.
Did you already add the cream? No problem. Blend the soup briefly with an immersion blender and it will become smooth again.
Did you make this recipe?
So, how did it turn out? Tell me all about it (and a star rating would make my day.)
📖 Recipe
VIDEO
RECIPE CARD
Recipe Help
Two easy tools to make cooking even easier. Cooking mode keeps the screen on. The easy-step recipe displays the recipe step by step, including the ingredients needed. And you can adjust servings easily
Ingredients
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1¾ pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- salt and pepper, to taste
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
- Spread the onion and butter over the bottom of the slow cooker.1 onion, 1 tablespoon butter
- Add the garlic, brown sugar, ginger, cumin, turmeric, thyme, and nutmeg.3 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon ground turmeric, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Add the cubed butternut squash and pour in the chicken broth. Stir briefly to combine.1¾ pounds butternut squash, 2 ½ cups chicken broth
- Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. The squash is ready when you can easily pierce it with a fork.
- Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until completely smooth.
- Stir in the heavy cream.½ cup heavy cream
- Taste and season with salt, black pepper.salt and pepper
- If the soup is too thick, stir in a little warm chicken broth at a time until it reaches your preferred consistency.
Notes
- Let the soup cool quickly in small containers. Cover and place it in the refrigerator or freezer within 2 hours. Store for up to 2 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.
- Making the soup ahead to freeze? Wait to add the heavy cream until you reheat it. Cream can separate after freezing, which may give the soup a grainy texture.
- To reheat: Thaw frozen soup, covered, in the refrigerator. Heat it in a saucepan, stirring regularly, until hot. Add the heavy cream and heat through.
- Tip: If you froze the soup with the cream already added and it looks less smooth after thawing, blend it briefly with an immersion blender.
Nutrition
Leave a Reply