Whole30 + Paleo Butternut Squash Soup that is dairy free, gluten free, and packed with flavor and healthy ingredients. This easy soup recipe comes together so quickly and includes both instant pot and stove top directions. It’s the perfect comforting dish for chilly nights!
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Why you’ll love this recipe
- One pot recipe - Who doesn’t love a one pot recipe? A complete meal with no extra dishes!
- Delicious and cozy - This soup has so many comforting and cozy flavors that are perfect for the fall and winter months!
- Packed with nutrients - This butternut soup is packed with healthy and nutritious vegetables making it a great healthy comfort dish!
- Great for meal prep - This soup recipe is so easy to make and store in the fridge for meals ready to go throughout the week, or freeze it for busy weeknights!
Benefits of Butternut Squash
- Rich in many vitamins, specifically Vitamin A, Vitamin E, and Vitamin C
- High in beneficial minerals such as magnesium, potassium, and manganese
- Anti-Inflammatory; Butternut squash has high antioxidant content which helps to reduce inflammation
Source: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/butternut-squash
Ingredients Needed
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- Butternut Squash - I have made this recipe with both fresh and frozen butternut squash and they both work perfectly!
- Bacon - Make sure it’s Whole30 compatible! I have an entire post about Whole30 bacon, and always add a couple packs to add to my Whole30 Butcherbox!
- Onion - White or sweet work great for this recipe!
- Sweet Potato - I like to use japanese (my fav!) or white sweet potatoes for this recipe. It adds an extra level of flavor and creaminess to this soup that is delicious!
- Carrots - These add even more nutrients and flavor to this soup.
- Celery
- Garlic
- Chicken Bone Broth - I always prefer using bone broth for it’s added health benefits but feel free to use regular chicken broth.
- Canned Coconut Milk or Cream - This adds a great creaminess to the soup while keeping it dairy free!
- Apple Cider Vinegar - Not only does ACV have great health benefits, but a little bit of acid really helps brings out the flavors in this soup.
- All-spice - Such a cozy spice! This pairs perfectly with the sage, bacon, and butternut flavor.
- Sage - Bacon, butternut squash, and sage are a match made in heaven!
- Salt + Pepper
Instant Pot Instructions
- Cook bacon: Set instant pot to saute mode and cook bacon until cooked thoroughly and beginning to crisp. Remove from instant pot and set aside.
- Add veggies to bacon fat: Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and sauté in bacon fat until onions are translucent and mixture is very fragrant.
- Add butternut squash: Add frozen butternut squash, half of the bacon (reserving the remainder of the bacon for garnishing), and the spices. Mix well ensuring squash is well coated with bacon fat and spices.
- Add chicken bone broth.
- Pressure cook: Seal the valve on the lid of the pressure cooker and set to pressure cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Once done, using a towel or hot pad, release the pressure valve to “venting” to do a quick release. Open the lid when pressure is fully released.
- Blend the soup: Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth and creamy to your liking. You can also place the soup in a high powered blender and blend until smooth, this will likely need to be done in multiple batches.
- Add the coconut cream: Stir in the coconut cream and apple cider vinegar and allow to warm.
- Serve: Top the soup with reserved bacon and a drizzle of coconut cream.
Stove-top Instructions
- Cook bacon: Heat a soup or stock pot over medium high heat and cook the bacon until cooked thoroughly and beginning to crisp. Remove from soup pot and set aside.
- Add veggies to bacon fat: Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic to the soup pot and sauté in bacon fat until onions are translucent and mixture is very fragrant.
- Add butternut squash: Add frozen butternut squash, half of the bacon (reserving the remainder of the bacon for garnishing), and the spices. Mix well ensuring squash is well coated with bacon fat and spices.
- Add chicken bone broth.
- Let soup simmer: Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and place the lid on the pot. Allow the soup and veggies to simmer for 15-20 minutes until the squash and sweet potatoes are tender.
- Puree the soup: Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth and creamy to your liking. You can also place the soup in a high powered blender and blend until smooth, this will likely need to be done in multiple batches.
- Add the coconut cream: Stir in the coconut cream and apple cider vinegar and allow to warm.
- Serve: Top the soup with reserved bacon and a drizzle of coconut cream.
Time Savings Tips
As a busy wife and mom, time saving tips for healthy recipes are a must! Here are some tips for this recipe:
- Frozen or pre-cut butternut squash - This recipe was created using frozen butternut squash which is great to keep on hand and so easy to add to the soup! You can also use fresh pre-cut butternut squash or if you have more time, you can roast your squash with the directions below.
- Pre-cut mirepoix mix - Feel free to use a pre cut mirepoix mix to save time chopping the carrots, celery, and onion! You can typically find this mix in the refrigerator of the produce section.
- Roughly chop veggies - If you love chopping veggies like me, and have the time for it, there is no need to finely dice or mince the veggies! Since everything will be blended anyways, just roughly chop them!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
Can you freeze butternut squash soup?
Yes! Let the soup cool and then transfer to a freezer friendly container. This soup can be frozen for up to 3 months.
These Souper Cubes are great for freezing in pre-portioned sizes.
What is the best way to store this soup?
This soup is best stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days or in the freezer for up to three months.
How do you reheat this soup?
If reheating a small amount, the microwave works great. If reheating a large amount of soup, place the soup in a stock pot and reheat over medium heat stirring occasionally.
Can I use roasted butternut squash for this soup?
Absolutely! If you’d like to use roasted butternut squash for this soup simply place fresh cubed butternut squash on a baking sheet, drizzle with avocado oil and mix with your hands to ensure the squash is well coated. Season the squash with salt and pepper and then roast in an oven preheated to 425F for 25 to 30 minutes or until roasted to your liking.
Use the roasted butternut squash in the recipe as written!
What’s the best way to serve this soup?
This soup is great served alongside a green salad and if not following a Whole30 or Paleo diet, a warm piece of gluten free bread.
For a complete meal, I love adding shredded rotisserie chicken to this soup after blending.
More Healthy Soup Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Whole30 Butternut Squash Soup
Whole30 + Paleo Butternut Squash Soup that is dairy free, gluten free, and packed with flavor and healthy ingredients. This easy soup recipe comes together so quickly and includes both instant pot and stove top directions. It’s the perfect comforting dish for chilly nights!
Equipment
- Instant Pot or Soup Pot
- Immersion Blender or Blender
Ingredients
- 12 oz bacon cut into 1" pieces
- 1 sweet onion roughly chopped
- 1 small sweet potato peeled and cubed
- 1 cup carrots peeled and roughly chopped
- ½ cup celery roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 2 lb frozen butternut squash cubed
- 24 oz chicken bone broth
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 ½ tsp sage dried
- ½ tsp pepper
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup canned coconut cream
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- Set instant pot to saute mode and cook bacon until cooked thoroughly and beginning to crisp. Remove from instant pot and set aside.
- Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and sauté in bacon fat until onions are translucent and mixture is very fragrant.
- Add frozen butternut squash, half of the bacon (reserving the remainder of the bacon for garnishing), and the spices. Mix well ensuring squash is well coated with bacon fat and spices.
- Add the chicken bone broth to the pot.
- Seal the valve on the lid of the pressure cooker and set to pressure cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Once done, using a towel or hot pad, release the pressure valve to “venting” to do a quick release. Open the lid when pressure is fully released.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth and creamy to your liking. You can also place the soup in a high powered blender and blend until smooth, this will likely need to be done in multiple batches.
- Stir in the coconut cream and apple cider vinegar and allow to warm.
- Serve the soup topped with reserved bacon and a drizzle of coconut cream.
Stove-top Instructions
- Heat a soup or stock pot over medium high heat and cook the bacon until cooked thoroughly and beginning to crisp. Remove from soup pot and set aside.
- Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic to the soup pot and sauté in bacon fat until onions are translucent and mixture is very fragrant.
- Add frozen butternut squash, half of the bacon (reserving the remainder of the bacon for garnishing), and the spices. Mix well ensuring squash is well coated with bacon fat and spices.
- Add the chicken bone broth to the pot.
- Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and place the lid on the pot. Allow the soup and veggies to simmer for 15-20 minutes until the squash and sweet potatoes are tender.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth and creamy to your liking. You can also place the soup in a high powered blender and blend until smooth, this will likely need to be done in multiple batches.
- Stir in the coconut cream and apple cider vinegar and allow to warm.
- Serve the soup topped with reserved bacon and a drizzle of coconut cream.
Notes
- This soup is best stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days or in the freezer for up to three months.
- If reheating a small amount, the microwave works great. If reheating a large amount of soup, place the soup in a stock pot and reheat over medium heat stirring occasionally.
- For a complete meal packed with protein, I love adding shredded rotisserie chicken to this soup after blending.
- This recipe was created using frozen butternut squash which is great to keep on hand and so easy to add to the soup! You can also use fresh pre-cut butternut squash or if you have more time, you can roast your squash with the following directions:
-
- Place fresh cubed butternut squash on a baking sheet, drizzle with avocado oil and mix with your hands to ensure the squash is well coated. Season the squash with salt and pepper and then roast in an oven preheated to 425F for 25 to 30 minutes or until roasted to your liking. Use the roasted butternut squash in the recipe as written!
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Nutrition
Calories: 346kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 9gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 918mgPotassium: 812mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 17081IUVitamin C: 34mgCalcium: 92mgIron: 2mg
Did you try this recipe?Leave a comment below and let me know on instagram @theprimitivedish!
This is the most wonderful, delicious soup I have ever made.
I just wanted to note that the sweet potato is not mentioned when you are adding ingredients to the instant pot. I added it with the rest of the veggies. I used fresh butternut squash and roasted it ahead of time but did not put it in with the fresh veggies in the instant pot. I simply added it to my blender with the rest of the soup once it was cooked.
I also really liked the taste of the soup without the coconut cream and apple cider vinegar. I gave my husband a bowl without those ingredients and he loved it. I then added about half of each to the remaining soup and it was still excellent although it did change the flavor somewhat. I’m on the fence about which version I like best. Thank you again for this wonderful recipe.
Hi Tracy! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and catching that! I will get the directions updated now. I'm so happy you enjoyed the soup, it's definitely a family favorite and I love that you enjoyed it both ways! - Emilee