Creamy Butternut Soup {vegan, paleo, dairy & gluten free}

I’m a huge fan of butternut squash and now you can even find it in most stores already pre-cut and frozen, which makes it so easy to use. This vibrant squash is packed with antioxidants, carotenoids like beta‑carotene, plus vitamins A and C. Pairing it with a healthy fat helps your body absorb those fat‑soluble carotenoids more effectively, which is why I love adding coconut milk and nuts. Its naturally buttery, slightly sweet flavor comes with real benefits too: the high fiber content supports digestion, while its impressive potassium levels help promote heart health and steady blood pressure. A delicious win all around.

I love dairy free creamy soups but I am usually starving 30 minutes after eating them; however, if the soup is so full of processed dairy and cheese I actually get a bloated belly and feel uncomfortably full all day.

What a conundrum of food woes; to be starving, full or bloated?! How about I solve this for you here and now? This soup is creamy like butter and filling like a balanced meal of good fats and flavor but yes, you guessed it is dairy free and only uses plant based proteins!

“Bor-ing” you might say or even “yuck, plant what proteins?” Just trust me on this one, this soup has tricked so many of my taste testers that I got accused of lying! My secret healthy ingredients include soaked cashews, coconut milk, kelp and hempseeds!

These ingredients bring my soup to a whole new level of nutrition. If you have been following my posts you know this is nothing new especially if you have tried my other (UN) CREAMY soups like my Creamy Tomato Soup, Corn Chowder, Sweet Potato Soup or my Souper Thai Cauliflower ! I love adding the dried kelp strips for extra nutrients like potassium and iodine too!

If you are wondering about those lovely little seed crackers in the pictures, here is the post from a few weeks ago! They are very simple to make, taste great and accompany soups to hummus! Don’t hesitate to add some of your favorite spices because these crispy seedlings boasts a wonderfully host of potential; adding ground rosemary is my favorite these days.

Creamy Butternut Soup {vegan, paleo, dairy & gluten free}

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

35 mins

Author: Dawn Rofrano

Serves: 8-12

Ingredients

1 cooked large butternut squash
or 2 frozen 16oz. bags
Optional 2 cans of pumpkin
8 cups water
6 garlic cloves
1½ cups soaked cashews
½ c. hempseeds
1 can coconut milk {full fat}
1 large onion
8-10 scallion stalks
½ tsp. ground cayenne (omit for FreeDiet™ phase 1)
2 tsp. ground curry (omit for FreeDiet™ phase 1)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. tumeric
2½ tsp pink Himalayan sea salt
pepper to taste (omit for FreeDiet™ phase 1)
optional:
1 strip kelp

Instructions

If you bought a whole butternut, poke holes in it and bake/steam 30 min. until soft enough to cut.
After it cools cut in half and scoop out add to water with garlic, onion, spices, salt and kelp.
If you used frozen squash add those into the pot with the above. If using pumpkin add that too.
Simmer for 20 min. and add scallions coconut milk, soaked nuts, hempseeds.
Turn off heat and in small batches puree in a strong blender until creamy.
Add everything back into the pot and stir adding more salt, pepper or spices to your taste.

Notes

If time is of the essence you can use frozen butternut squash. Having to bake or steam the squash will add extra time to this recipe. If you have the time I like using fresh better than frozen but it tasted the same. To peel the skin or not is up to you. I prefer letting it cool and cutting the squash in half and scooping out the inside. Also, you can soak the cashews overnight or at least an hour to use in this soup. Soaking the cashews lends to the creamy texture of this soup. If cashews and hempseeds are not for you the pumpkin helps to make it thicker but i love adding it for extra nutritional punch! Please use organic when you can.