Butternut Squash Lentil Soup
This delicious, oil-free, vegan butternut squash lentil soup is rich in fiber and protein, whole food plant-based and easy to make with simple, everyday ingredients.
This hearty red lentil soup with butternut squash is vegan, packed with fibre, high in plant-based protein and low in fat. It’s also gluten-free, oil-free, sugar-free and whole food plant-based. It freezes well and is great for meal prep too.
Enjoy this filling soup for a healthy meal anytime but especially during the cooler months for a wonderful, nutritious way to warm up.
Squash Lentil Soup Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this creamy and delicious soup:
- Butternut squash. You’ll need 3 cups of peeled and cubed butternut squash. Butternut squash adds a hint of sweetness and makes the soup wonderfully creamy.
- Red lentils. Red lentils are high in fibre and protein and add wonderful heartiness to the recipe. You’ll need 1 cup of dry, uncooked red lentils.
- Onion, garlic and celery. Onion, garlic and celery are create the flavour base for the recipe. Onion and garlic are both great for supporting the immune system.
- Curry powder and cumin. Curry powder and cumin don’t just add a rich, curried flavour to the soup, they’re also both rich in antioxidants.
- Canned, diced tomatoes. You’ll need 1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes. I’d recommend using organic if you can find them.
- Vegetable broth. Any kind of vegetable broth works. I use bouillon cubes just because they’re so convenient.
- Coconut milk. You’ll need 1 cup of coconut milk. I used light coconut but full-fat works too.
How to Make this Soup
This hearty, healthy soup is very easy to make and can be ready in under 40 minutes. Let’s go through how to make it, step-by-step.
Step 1. Prepare the Squash and Veggies
Before you start cooking the soup, chop up all the veggies and prepare the butternut squash. You’ll need 3 cups of cubed and peeled squash which is roughly one small squash or 1/2 a larger one.
Step 2. Sauté the Veggies.
Once everything is chopped and ready to go, add the celery, onion and garlic to a large soup pot and sauté over medium-high heat for 5-8 minutes.
Oil-Free Tip: For an oil-free recipe, sauté the veggies in a few tablespoons of broth. If you prefer, you can use a bit of coconut oil or olive oil.
Once they’re softened and fragrant, stir in the curry powder and cumin and cook for a few more minutes.
Step 3. Add the rest of the ingredients.
Next, add the rest of the ingredients, bring it all to a light simmer then simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes until the squash and lentils are tender.
Light or full-fat coconut milk?
I’ve used both and find full-fat just a bit too rich for me but both are totally fine to use. I like using light coconut milk to reduce the fat in the recipe.
What kind of diced tomatoes to use?
I like the organic fire-roasted diced tomatoes from Muir Glen. If you can’t find those, no problem though, any kind works. Go with organic if you can. You’ll need 1 28-oz. can or 2 14-oz. cans.
What kind of broth to use?
I like GoBio or HarvestSun organic bouillon cubes. I like using bouillon cubes over carton broth just because it’s so easy to stock in your pantry without it going bad. That being said, any carton, fresh or homemade stock is wonderful too. If you are using carton broth, I really like the organic vegetable broth from Pacific Foods.
Step 4. Blend some of the soup.
Finally, for a thick and creamy soup, scoop about 2 cups of the soup out and into a bender. Carefully puree until smooth then pour back into the pot with the unblended portion of the soup. Alternatively, you can pulse an immersion blender in the pot a few times.
Do I have to blend the soup?
Nope! Totally up to you. I like to blend some of it for a creamier, thicker soup.
More Soup Recipes
Here are some more must-try soup recipes:
- Curried Red Lentil Soup
- Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup
- Coconut Ginger Carrot Soup
- Cauliflower Potato Soup with Peas
- Lemon Lentil Soup
Leftover squash? Try it in my quinoa power bowl, squash and apple quinoa salad, butternut squash smoothie bowl or butternut squash lentil soup.
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Click here to leave a review.
PrintButternut Squash Lentil Soup
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop, Blender
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This hearty red lentil and squash soup will be your new Fall favourite! Rich in fibre and low in fat, enjoy it anytime for a healthy plant-based meal.
Ingredients
- 1 medium white onion, about 2 cups diced (300 g)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 rib celery, chopped, about 1/2 cup (85 g)
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 cup uncooked red lentils
- 3 cups cubed butternut squash (350 g)
- 1 cup light or full-fat coconut milk
- 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 4 cups vegetable broth
Instructions
- Add the onion, garlic and celery to a large soup pot with 2-3 tbsp vegetable broth.
- Cook over medium-high heat for 7-8 minutes until softened and fragrant. If the pot dries out, add a few more splashes of broth.
- Add the curry powder and cumin, stir and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a light simmer.
- Lightly simmer, uncovered for about 20 minutes until the butternut squash and lentils are tender.
- Carefully scoop out 2 cups of the soup and add to a blender. Puree until smooth the pour back into the pot.
- Enjoy right away or store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. It can also be frozen for up to months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6th of recipe
- Calories: 214
- Sugar: 5.4 g
- Sodium: 482 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 36 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 10 g
Keywords: butternut squash lentil soup, squash and lentil soup recipe
Hi,
I have made this recipe numerous times but I can’t find red lentils, can I use regular? What do you think the difference in the flavor will be?
Thank you
★★★★★
The flavour will be similar. The texture will be a bit different since green/brown lentils are more firm and you’ll need a bit more cooking time for the lentils.
So good! I have made this soup several times & it’s a go to favorite. Thank you. Xoxo.
★★★★★
Thanks for letting me know! So glad it was enjoyed.
Made this today for dinner. Outstanding! Will be making this again.
★★★★★
Happy to hear it! Thank you for the review.
Delicious! I made this for dinner last night. Definitely will add it to the “keepers” list.
★★★★★
Perfect! So glad it was enjoyed.
Very good, flavorful, and easy to make once the squash is cut up. I used my immersion blender and didn’t leave much for chunks. I’m not a fan of celery or tomatoes so I omitted those and added a little tomato paste. Made my whole house smell good.
★★★★
Absolutely delicious for a really healthy meal.
★★★★★
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed it, Lorrie. Thanks for letting me know.
Delicious and filling!!
★★★★★
Thanks, John. Glad you liked it!
Great soup! Followed your recipe except for two things I changed due to our preferences – left out the coconut milk, and pureed all the soup. It’s so hearty and delicious. Topped with toasted pumpkin seeds.
Could you do this in the slow cooker??
I haven’t tried it but I think you could, sure. Let me know if you try it.
I am a huge butternut squash fan, and like to make a couple of meals over the weekend to freeze in portions to have for a variety of lunches/dinners during the week. I was disappointed with the slow cooker butternut squash soup recipe on this site, so went out for more squash and tried this one. I definitely liked it a lot better! I added a little more coconut milk than the recipe suggested, and would probably add more curry next time as well to give it a little more flavor. It is a very soothing mild soup/stew.
★★★
Amazing recipe! Thank you! My boss brought some leftovers into work and shared the recipe.
★★★★★
A really tasty, comforting, satisfying soup.
★★★★★
Made this in my InstaPot. Perfection! Simple. Delicious. Satisfying.
★★★★★
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed it. What settings/timing did you use? I’m sure others would find that helpful!
Delicious!
★★★★★
Hi ! I did this Soup last night. I really want to try new flavors with a Butternut Squash, a had for days on the fridge. DELICIOUS!!!! Great Recipe.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for giving it a try.
Just made this soup on a whim because I had all of the ingredients on hand. It is DELICIOUS!! Such good cozy comfort food for a snowy day! Will definitely make again.
★★★★★
Yay! So happy you loved it, Emily! Thanks so much for the review.
This was delicious and so easy to make! Thank you!
★★★★★
Can I substitute anything for the tomatoes? My husband can’t eat them but this recipe sounds delicious!
Hmm, they do make up the base of the soup so I’m not too sure what would work as a replacement. You could try leaving them out and adding a bit of extra broth or coconut milk but it would have a different taste and texture. I do have some yummy soups made without tomato though if you want to look through the soup section!
I have made this a few times and shared with friends. A big hit!
★★★★★
I’m so glad to hear it! Thanks for letting me know!