Butternut Squash Lentil Soup

Name: Butternut Squash Lentil Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
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

posted: 10/23/19 — updated: 10/04/23 by Deryn Macey Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.

Jump to Recipe·★★★★★4.9 from 31 reviews

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.

Bowl of butternut squash red lentil soup with a spoon.

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.

Table of Contents

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.

Peeled butternut squash chunks on a cutting board with a knife.

3 cups of peeled and cubed butternut squash on a cutting board with a knife.

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.

Onion, garlic and celery in a large soup pot with a wooden spoon.

Once they’re softened and fragrant, stir in the curry powder and cumin and cook for a few more minutes.

Cumin and curry powder being stirred into celery, onion and garlic in a soup pot.

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.

Uncooked butternut squash red lentil soup in a large soup pot.

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.

Blended butternut squash lentil soup in a Vitamix container.

Do I have to blend the soup?

Nope! Totally up to you. I like to blend some of it for a creamier, thicker soup.

Healthy Vegan Butternut Squash Lentil Soup Recipe

More Soup Recipes

Here are some more must-try soup and stew recipes:

Leftover squash? Try it in my quinoa power bowl, squash and apple quinoa salad, butternut squash smoothie bowl or butternut squash lentil soup.