This cozy acorn squash soup recipe is rich and creamy, packed with curried vegetables and flavorful spices. It's an easy, freezer-friendly vegan soup that's perfect for cooler weather!
This acorn squash soup recipe with curried cauliflower and wholesome veggies is one of my all-time favorites. You might know acorn squash from stuffed acorn squash recipes, but I roast it and purée it into this soup every fall when squash is in season, and it always hits the spot! This creamy acorn squash soup is great for meal prep, entertaining, or just a chill night in. It takes about 45 minutes, and you'll need a blender (immersion or regular), a baking sheet, and a big pot.
Why You'll Love This Acorn Squash Soup Recipe
- Rich and creamy. This easy acorn squash soup is light, creamy, incredibly flavorful, and it has the most gorgeous curry-yellow color.
- Satisfying curry flavors. This soup is soul-warming and satisfying, with comforting flavors of curry spice and nutty winter squash bulked up with roasted cauliflower, tender carrots, and onions. Puréed together, it makes for a delicious, flavor-packed bowlful.
- Make-ahead. Acorn squash soup is easy to prepare in advance and store or freeze for cozy meals all week (or winter!) long.
What You’ll Need
Let's take a look at the simple ingredients needed to make a warming pot of creamy curried acorn squash soup. Scroll down to the recipe card below the post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Acorn squash – You’ll need to scoop out the seeds, but you can save them and roast them just like pumpkin seeds if you’d like!
- Cauliflower
- White onion – Yellow onion is fine, too.
- Carrot
- Parsnip – Parsnip adds another layer of flavor and sweetness to this cauliflower and acorn squash soup, but if you’re not a fan, just add another carrot instead.
- Garlic
- Vegetable broth – Use a low-sodium store-bought broth or make your own vegetable broth from scratch.
- Filtered water
- Full-fat coconut milk – This gives the soup its luxurious creamy texture. If you use light coconut milk instead, it won’t be as rich.
- Curry powder – Mild curry powder or hot, whichever you prefer. You'll find it with the other seasonings in the spice aisle.
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Does Acorn Squash Need to Be Peeled Before Cooking?
Nope, you don’t have to peel the acorn squash! Once the squash is roasted, it’s easy to scoop the flesh out with a spoon, then you can discard the skin.
How to Make Acorn Squash Soup
If you want to get a head start on this recipe, you can roast the veggies up to 3 days ahead of time. But don’t worry, it’s also easy enough that you can make it in one go!
- Roast the squash. First, slice the acorn squash in half and place it cut-side-down in a shallow baking dish with a bit of water. Bake the squash at 400ºF for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Roast the cauliflower. Next, toss the cauliflower with olive oil, curry powder, and season with salt and pepper. Roast the cauliflower on a lined baking sheet for 20 to 25 minutes, turning halfway through.
- Cook the other vegetables. While your veggies are roasting in the oven, sauté the onions, carrots, parsnips, and garlic in a large Dutch oven until softened. Afterward, stir in the roasted cauliflower and cook for a few minutes more.
- Add squash and simmer. Now, scoop the flesh from your roasted squash into the pot. Add vegetable broth, water, coconut milk, salt, pepper, and the remaining curry powder. Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Purée. Finally, take the soup off the heat and use an immersion blender (or a high powered blender) to puree the ingredients until they're smooth and creamy.
- Serve! Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with pepitas, fresh herbs, and a drizzle of cream. See below for more soup toppings and variations.
Tips for Success
Here are some simple hints and tips for perfect curried acorn squash soup:
- Can’t find acorn squash? You can use butternut squash, delicata squash, or really any variety of winter squash other than spaghetti squash. Spaghetti squash, while delicious, is stringy and doesn't blend well in soups.
- Knowing when the squash is done. Depending on the size and shape of your squash, it may need a little more time in the oven. You should be able to easily pierce the flesh with a fork when it’s done baking.
- Use a high-powered blender if you have one. I love using my high-powered blender to make the creamiest, silky-smooth soup, but if you don't have one, no worries! You can always use an immersion blender instead.
- Allow for airflow. Whatever you do, make sure that the blender you're using has an open top that allows for the air to escape. Hot soup in a sealed blender is a recipe for a soup explosion.
Soup Topping Ideas
Now for the important business: toppings for creamy acorn squash soup! Serve this soup topped with a giant dollop of coconut yogurt, along with some red pepper flakes, fresh cilantro, and a drizzle of olive oil. Pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, crispy chickpeas, fried garlic, parsley, or even cashew cream would be equally delicious!
If you like more crunch or protein, tempeh bacon, baked tofu, or toasted pecans or hazelnuts. For some authentic Indian flavor, swirl in a spoonful of mint chutney.
What To Serve With Acorn Squash Soup
Once your soup is garnished and on the table, pair bowlfuls with more seasonal favorites like this wholesome vegan pumpkin cornbread, soft gluten-free popovers, or Indian-style gluten-free naan bread. Creamy curried acorn squash soup makes the perfect starter or side dish to any fall meal. Serve it with a grilled cheese sandwich, flavorful baked falafel, or a side of leafy kale and quinoa salad for a bistro-style lunch. Or, lead into a plate of vegan shepherd's pie and roasted vegetables for a hearty cold-weather dinner.
How to Store and Reheat Leftover Soup
- Fridge. This curried acorn squash soup is great for vegan meal prep. Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat the soup on the stove or in the microwave for fast, comforting meals.
- Freezer. For longer storage, freeze this acorn squash soup for up to three months. Defrost the soup in the fridge overnight before reheating and serving.
More Easy Soup Recipes To Try
- Tomato Bisque
- Roasted Broccoli Chowder
- Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
- White Bean and Mushroom Soup
- Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Quinoa Soup
- Detox Turmeric Lentil Soup
Curried Acorn Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 acorn squash halved with the seeds removed
- 1 head of cauliflower chopped into florets (about 6 cups)
- 1 cup white onion diced
- 1 cup carrot diced
- 1 cup parsnip diced
- 1 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups filtered water
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.In a shallow baking dish, add 1/4 inch of water and place the two squash halved face down. Place in the center of the oven for 20 – 30 minutes.
- While the squash is cooking, toss the cauliflower with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon curry powder. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes, turning halfway through.
- On the stovetop, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan (or dutch oven) and sauté the onions, carrots, parsnips and garlic together until the onions are translucent and the carrots have begun to soften. Add the cauliflower when it is done roasting, and sauté for another few minutes.
- When the squash is done, scoop the flesh out of the skins and add it to the pot. Add the vegetable broth, water, coconut milk, salt, pepper and the remaining curry powder (add more of any if you'd like) and bring the soup to a boil. Turn it down to medium-low and let it simmer for another 10 – 15 minutes.
- Take the soup off the heat and with an immersion blender, or in a high powered blender, puree it until it's smooth and creamy.
- Serve hot and garnish with a touch of coconut milk (or yogurt) if you so choose. Enjoy and stay warm!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Wow! Really delicious. I had to tweak it a tiny bit for my husband’s low salt diet with unsalted broth and Mortons salt substitute, but it still came out great. Thank you for posting this wonderful recipe.
Can you use a butternut squash for this recipe with similar flavor profile? I actually haven’t had acorn squash before
Yes butternut squash should work in replacement of the acorn squash but only use half of the butternut squash, it is larger, and using the entire squash would be too much.
This soup was absolutely delicious! We used our blender and it made the texture extra light and decadent. It is definitely on our favorite list.
I’m so glad to hear that!!
This was absolutely delicious! I didn’t use any oil at all for any part of the recipe. Didn’t have parsnip so I added celery., and only used water, and very little salt.. made 10 2/3 cups. Calculated the calories per 1 cup to be 101 calories. Even my husband who is not plant based no added oil said it was very good. Highly recommend! Thanks!
Thanks so much for sharing!!
Delicious and easy to make!
I added maple syrup to give it a bit of a sweet taste!
Thank you for the recipe.
Yum! Sounds fabulous!
Hi! Everyone is writing about your flatbread, but I don’t see it on this recipe? Where can I find the flatbread everyone is talking about? Sounds amazing, would love to try it with this soup as well!!
This was a very old post that was updated and I don’t have the flatbread recipe updated yet – sorry! I’ll have it up hopefully within the next few weeks 🙂
What a nice soup. Great!!
Thank you so mcuh!!
With the cost of Quinoa flour being so high I was wondering if buying it in the whole seed form, then use a Vitamix to grind it into flour. I understand doing this doesn’t make as fine as flour. Would this work as a one to one substitute in your recipe? If not, how should I adjust your recipe? Making flour was a cost savings suggested by other websites. Thanks much
Yes! You absolutely can. Just grind it up (I recommend toasting the quinoa first in a dry skillet) and then you can sift it to get any of the larger pieces out that didn’t get ground as fine.
I wanted to write and thank you for the quinoa booklet.
I plan on making the curried cauliflower soup and the quinoa flatbread. I usually make my own curry powder which I’m sure will suit both of these recipes. However, I was wondering what brand or mix of curry you used as I think I would like to use the same.
Thank you for your wonderful tasty recipes.
Hi Yvonne, you know I can’t completely remember what brand I used as I usually get my spices in bulk. I have tried this brand before though, so I definitely recommend it!
Link to buy: http://bit.ly/curry-powder
Marking this as a MUST for this weekend…Question…here in France, Psyllium Husks can be found in almost too many forms..and I want to be sure of the “format” to be able to reproduce your exquisite recipe and do it justice in a flatbread/cracker texture!…In my local épicerie “bio” they sell it in a “bushy” almost pre-steamed format…in tiny black grains (loose…like chia or flax) format…or in a powdered form ..but more rarely (found in the pharmacie here and looking a bit like Metamucil!)….Do you recommend one of these types for gluten-free baking?…Recent, impressed discoverer of your fertile mind and culinary creativity! Thank you for your generous sharing of your myriad ideas!
Hi Donna – I was actually in France recently and so impressed with their understanding of the gluten-free diet. Happy to hear that you’re able to get the ingredients you need. So for the psyllium husks, I use the powder, so it sounds like that would be the best thing to try. I do know that other gluten-free bakers use whole psyllium husks, but I’m not experienced with that so I can’t recommend how to use it. I also like to use guar gum or xanthan gum as binding agent. Hope that helps 🙂 Enjoy the site!! xo
Hi! I don’t have psyllium husks right now, but I do have xanthum gum (which I didn’t know was corn based, thanks for that info!) and was wondering how much of the gum I would put in the recipe?
Honestly, I typically just sub them one for one and in this recipe it works out fine. If the recipe called for a larger amount of psyllium husk, the ratio might be different, but for this one it’s pretty simple. Let me know how it works out for you 🙂 xo!
Ok, thanks! 🙂 I have only used xanthum gum once or twice at this point anyway, so I wasn’t sure how to sub it! I’ll have to give the flat bread a try here in a day or so (when I have some time). 🙂 Have a great Christmas!
LOVE this!! I just found you through the CLEAN blog! Do you think you could sub quinoa flour with chickpea flour or almond flour?? Would is change the texture too much?
Hi Jess – welcome! So happy you found me!
As far as substitutions go, I think that you could easily sub another flour. Chickpea would be fine, but almond flour has different properties, so most likely wouldn’t be the same proportions of liquid. I think you can take it as it goes and if it’s too dry, just add a touch more water. I’m guessing you’ll only need to add with almond flour rather than using less. Hope that makes sense!
Let me know how you like them 🙂
I LOVED it!! I halved the recipe and used almond flour and no onion powder and it worked GREAT!! I paired it with my butternut squash soup! I just blogged about and added your blog to it to make sure they come to your blog to get the recipe! Thanks for an awesome one!
Awesome Jess! So happy the recipe worked out for you. I love the idea of using almond flour, I’m going to have to give that a try. And aren’t these just the perfect accompaniment to soup? Sheesh, I feel like I’m making them 5 times a week now that the weather is so cold 🙂
Thanks for stopping by Jasmine! I absolutely love psyllium husks – I use them in gluten-free baked goods instead of xanthan gum (which is corn based) and they're wonderful. Let me know how they turn out for you or if you use them in any other recipes!
xo Alyssa
Hi Sophie,
How is the cleanse going? You must be almost done by now! I hope you've found some great recipes and are enjoying the new way of life. It definitely changed the way I looked at eating by the time I was done.
Hopefully you made it work with the psyllium husks. I've been using them in baking instead of xanthan gum (which is corn based) in all my baked goods and I love them! Have you tried any other recipes using them?
Let me know how everything is going!
xo Alyssa
Wow!! Found your website through the Clean Community Blog! I've never tried Psyllium husk so I'm totally psyched to try this. Thanks for the awesome share! p.s. sweet blog 🙂
Hi Alyssa,
So I went to Whole Foods to buy Psyllium husk to try your fabulous recipe for quinoa flatbread. I looked in the baking section because I didn't know what psyllium husk was, exactly, and since it was in a baking recipe, I could find it. Anyway, I finally asked someone and the young woman who showed me where it was (in the supplement section under fiber supplements) asked "Are you looking for it for gluten-free baking?" I was like, "Yes!"
Anyway, I went home and today, as I was getting a piece of salmon ready to saute in coconut oil, I thought, as I sprinkled truffle salt on to its moist, pinky flesh, "Wouldn't it be great if I could put some bread crumbs on this?"
Anyway, I thought of the psyllium husk I had bought and that comment about gluten free baking.
So I started the salmon cooking, skin side on the bottom, pink flesh on the top, and then I opened up my jar of psyllium husk– it looked like super fine bread crumbs! So I sprinkled some on top and then, when the bottom started to turn white, I flipped it over and browned the other side (with the husk on it.)
It was delicious! It tasted like panko crumbs, except I knew it was healthy!
I was going to post on my blog about it, but then I thought about what they say in the directions– that taking the product without enough liquid could cause choking.
Do you think that if I posted about coating salmon with the husk and then cooking it it might be dangerous?
I know you're not a doctor or anything, so don't worry– I won't hold you to an answer or sue you or anything.
I more wanted to know if this was something that was a discussion in the gluten-free community? As people are using psyllium in baking and cooking, are there certain precautions one should take?
THANK YOU so much! Your food writing is changing my life!
Hi Sophie,
So happy I can help. It's funny, the cleanse seems so limiting when you think about it, but when you actually start cooking Clean recipes, it's amazing how many recipes you can make. And they're all so yummy too!
I will definitely check out your blog as you're going through the next 21 days! It's such a great way to document your journey. I'm excited for you 🙂
Thank you for all your kind words. I'm happy that my recipes inspire you. I feel so grateful!
Please continue to let me know how it goes!
xo Alyssa
Hi Alyssa,
I checked out the link: so excited! 🙂 My only issue is that I don't know which recipe to try first.
I am keeping a blog about my cleanse–
http://cleansingthenovelist.blogspot.com/
I mention you in my first blog post (raving about your soup, of course) and in the standing page– because reading your blog inspired me to go on the cleanse! So thank you so much for your wonderful writing and passion for life. AND your creativity!
I saw you even have some desserts on there– and I too love SNACKS! So I'm pumped to make my own crackers.
Thanks again!
Sophie
This is in fact Clean! This is by far my favorite soup that I made and the quinoa flatbreads are also clean, so perfect for a lunch (perhaps a pizza or wrap?)!
I recently just added a new category that tags all my Clean posts. I have some treats, snacks, lunch, soups and smoothie ideas on there.
Check them all out here: http://queenofquinoa.blogspot.com/search/label/Clean%20Program
Hope you find something you like! Let me know how it goes. I would love to hear your progress along you 21 day journey 🙂
xo Alyssa
Hi ALyssa,
Just checking– you're going to be my go-to-girl (Queen?) for the Clean program.
This meal is clean, yes? I skimmed the ingredients and I think it just might be!
You are SO TALENTED. I can't wait to try this as part of my 21 Day Cleanse!
Glad you found the recipe! It's just so great isn't it? I made it the other night as a pizza crust and it was awesome! I definitely recommend playing with the flavors – there's so much you can do!
Thanks for sharing the recipe – it looks great! xo Alyssa
Thanks so much for this awesome flatbread recipe! I made it the other day and just blogged about it!! http://gourmetmom.blogspot.com/2012/03/quinoa-flatbread-with-flax-and-chia-i.html
Love your blog! 🙂
Thank you Margarita! I'm glad you found my site! xo Alyssa
Found your website through Tasty Kitchen! It is very pretty… Your recipes are very interesting too. 🙂
So happy you found my recipe! Quinoa flour is amazing – it packs all the protein and flavor that the grain does, but you can use it in so many different wants! To sub the psyllium husk, I would try flaxseed meal. The psyllium is really just used to help bind the bread (so you could try a gum – but if cleansing I would avoid them). You could also try chia meal or straight chia seeds (maybe add a touch more water) and see if that works out. Let me know how it goes – the fresh basil you posted on the Clean site sound divine!
can't wait to try this flatbread. Do you have any suggestions on what I can use in place of the psyllium husk? I don;t have any on hand right now and I really want to try making this flatbread tomorrow.
really love your recipes.
The soup was seriously delicious, but the flatbreads were definitely my favorite part of the meal. I used them again with my last night's dinner as a sandwich bread for pesto chicken. They were perfect! Hope you enjoy 🙂
i dont know what i like more.. the soup or the flatbread! i think i love the creamy cauliflower with acorn!
Hi Junia – love your blog! I'm very intrigued about your flatbread – the whole grains look delicious! Last night I made this again, but made the dough plain, brushed the uncooked flatbreads with olive oil, sprinkled with chili powder and coarse sea salt…paired with black bean soup. Yummy!!! I'll be trying yours next time! 🙂
this quinoa flatbread looks fantastic! paired with curry? yummy! you have awesome recipes on here! i have one too: http://juniakk.blogspot.com/2011/09/quinoa-flatbread.html