Kabocha Squash Soup

At a glance

What stands out: Savor the sweet tang of apple cider along with just a hint of warm ginger and cinnamon in this creamy and rich kabocha squash soup.

How long it takes: 1 hour, 35 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large pot, sheet pan, immersion blender or countertop blender
Servings: 8 cups

Fall in A Bowl

Creamy squash bisques have to be one of a standby things about fall. (Hello, roasted butternut squash soup and crockpot pumpkin soup!) Not that you have to reserve enjoying squash soup for fall, but the two go hand-in-hand. Just when the leaves start to turn color and the air is refreshingly (almost startlingly!) cooler, pumpkins, squash, apples, and apple cider hit the markets. And our mind turns to soup—more specifically, this kabocha squash soup.

(Don’t worry if you have squash confusion and you discover you have a completely different variety. We've got you covered! With 17+ winter squash recipes AND the ultimate squash cooking guide, you’ll be able to cook any squash or pumpkin you happen to have!)

What makes it special:

• Creamy, cozy fall flavors: Sweet kabocha squash balanced with tangy apples and apple cider.
• Garnish options abound: One of the things we love about a creamy veggie soup like this kabocha squash soup or roasted cauliflower soup is adding garnishes to the top of each bowl for a pop of color, flavor, and texture. Serve this soup garnished with an extra sprinkle of cinnamon, a swirl of yogurt, or fancy it up with pumpkin pie candied pepitas or spicy candied bourbon pecans. Bacon is never a bad idea on squash soup, nor are crispy from-scratch croutons.
• Freezes beautifully: This is one of those soups where the flavor deepens after a day or two in the fridge, and it also can be frozen. Stash a batch in the freezer, then warm it up while you make air fryer grilled cheese sandwiches for the reliable low-effort, high-reward fall dinner.

Kabocha or Buttercup Squash

Kabocha squash (aka Japanese pumpkins) look much like buttercup squash: round and dark green with faint stripes. Buttercup squash usually have a lighter green cap on the blossom end that protrudes a bit. Both varieties are sweet and slightly dry in texture, and are pretty much interchangeable in recipes, so don’t worry if you aren’t sure which kind of squash you have.

How it comes together

Prepare. Preheat your oven to 425ºF and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Wash and cut the squash stem-to-end, then scoop the seeds out with a spoon. Coat the cut side with oil.

Roast the squash. Place the squash on the baking sheet, with the cut side down, and roast for about 45 minutes, or until a fork can easily pierce the flesh with no resistance. Flip the squash over so the cut side is up, and let it cool enough so you can handle it without burning your fingers.

Scoop out the squash flesh. Use a large spoon to scoop out the cooked squash, and then discard the peel. You should have roughly 4 cups of cooked squash.

Start the soup. Heat a large pan over medium heat; once it’s hot, stir in the oil, onion, celery, apple, salt, and pepper. Cook the mixture for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the apple and veggies are softened and the onion turns translucent. You don’t want them brown, just softened.

Simmer. Stir in the squash, broth, cider, and spices. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover partially and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the apples and celery are completely tender.

Puree. Use an immersion blender to purée the soup, or purée it in a countertop blender in batches. (Although the immersion blender is more convenient, a countertop blender will give you the smoothest soup. Just be sure to let the soup cool a bit first, and vent the lid to keep steam from building up.)

Finish. Stir in the half & half; if needed, add more broth to adjust the consistency. Ladle into bowls, add a garnish if you want, and serve immediately.

Make Ahead Tip

You can roast the squash ahead of time if you want, and refrigerate it until you’re ready to make the soup. It will keep for up to 5 days, or it can be frozen for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.

Straightforward Recipe Variations

• Make it dairy-free or vegan. For a dairy-free soup, either omit the half-and-half or make it with coconut milk instead. Another option is to simply add a bit more broth until the soup is the consistency you like. To make it vegan, be sure to use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
• Use a different type of squash. Buttercup, butternut, or even pumpkin are good choices. Keep reading for more squash soup recipes, if you like.
• Make it curried squash soup. Instead of ground ginger and cinnamon, try your favorite curry powder.
• Skip the roasting step. If you don’t want to turn your oven on, the squash can be cooked right in the soup although it will increase the cooking time. Peel the squash, cut it in half, remove the seeds, and chop it into 1 inch chunks. Add the uncooked squash to the soup when you add the broth, and cook until the squash is completely soft and starting to fall apart.

Ways to serve it

• Croutons. These pumpernickel croutons would be fabulous in kabocha squash soup, or go the speedy and straightforward route with our air fryer croutons.
• Bread. Parker House rolls are buttery perfection, reliable for soaking up this tasty soup! If you lean more toward crackers, try from-scratch cheddar Cheez-Its. They would complement the flavors of the soup evenly. We like to serve the soup with warm from-scratch cinnamon sugar pretzel bites for a special treat.
• Salad. This fall quinoa salad and kale salad with apples and golden raisins would both pair well with the fall vibes of this soup.
• Sandwiches. We love a chickpea salad sandwich or a curried chicken salad sandwich with a bowl of soup. It’s like getting a “You-Pick-Two” at Panera!

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerator: Transfer leftover kabocha squash soup into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Freezer: For best results, freeze the soup before you add the half & half. Freeze it in freezer bags with the air pressed out or in airtight containers. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the soup in the refrigerator before reheating. When you reheat the soup, stir in the half & half. The soup is rich without it, too, although you may want to add a little extra broth or even water for a better consistency.

Reheat: Warm leftovers in a pot on the stovetop set over medium heat or warm individual bowls in the microwave. For even heating, we cook it for 45 seconds, stir, and then continue to heat in 30 second intervals until it’s warmed through.

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• Yield: 8
• Prep: 15 minutes
• Cook: 1 hour 20 minutes
• Total: 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 medium (3 to 4 pounds) kabocha squash (about 4 cups cooked squash)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup diced yellow onion (about 1 medium onion)
• ¾ cup finely diced celery (about 2 stalks celery)
• 1 large apple, peeled and diced small (Honeycrisp or Gala)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• 3 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth, more as needed (see note)
• 2 cups apple cider or apple juice (NOT apple cider vinegar or hard apple cider which contains alcohol)
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup half & half

Method

1. Preheat oven to 425ºF. For easy clean-up, line a pan with parchment paper. Rinse any dirt off squash. Cut in half (stem-to-end) and scrape out seeds. Spray or brush with a light coating of olive oil. Place cut side down on prepared baking sheet.
2. Bake for 45 minutes or until fork tender. Carefully flip squash over and let cool enough to handle.
3. When squash is cool, scape out flesh and discard peel. You should have about 4 cups.
4. Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add oil, onion, celery, apple, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, 4 to 5 minutes.
5. Add cooked squash, broth, apple cider, ginger and cinnamon. Increase heat to high, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer the soup, partially covered, for 30 to 35 minutes or until apples and celery are tender. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
6. Purée with a handheld immersion blender, or carefully blend in a blender in batches until very smooth.
7. Slowly stir in half & half. If desired, add up to an additional 1 cup of broth to thin the soup. The thickness will depend on how long you simmered the soup and the texture of the squash you used.
8. Serve immediately.

Notes

Kabocha squash: This recipe begins with one cooked kabocha squash (between 3 and 4 pounds). We have instructions for roasting the squash in the recipe, but you can choose one of these three methods to cook a kabocha.

To make vegan/non-dairy: Omit half & half, or substitute coconut milk. You can also simply thin the soup with a bit more broth. Be sure to use vegetable broth if you’re making a vegan soup.

Use a different type of squash. Other varieties of squash including buttercup, butternut, or pumpkin would work well for this soup, too.

Make ahead tip: The squash can be roasted 3 to 5 days ahead of time. Remove the flesh after roasting, and refrigerate or freeze for up to 6 months, or until you’re ready to make the soup.

Storage: Transfer leftover kabocha squash soup into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

To freeze: For best results, freeze the soup before you add the half & half. Freeze it in freezer bags with the air pressed out or in airtight containers. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the soup in the refrigerator before reheating. When you reheat the soup, stir in the half & half. The soup is rich without it, too, although you may want to add a little extra broth or even water for a better consistency.

To reheat: Warm leftovers in a pot on the stovetop set over medium heat or warm individual bowls in the microwave. For even heating, we cook it for 45 seconds, stir, and then continue to heat in 30 second intervals until it’s warmed through.