Roasted Acorn Squash Soup
Creamy Roasted Acorn Squash Soup! Roasted acorn squash, carrots, garlic, and onion with silken tofu for higher protein and a more satisfying soup. Perfect for the holidays!
This creamy acorn squash soup recipe has so many wonderful things going for it. It’s made entirely on a sheet pan (and then quickly blended into a creamy soup!) and has silken tofu added to it for a little protein boost.
It’s so yummy as a simple dinner or lunch, and pretty enough to serve during the holidays. I’ve been on a major squash kick lately; this time of year, I make my sausage-stuffed acorn squash and my roasted honeynut and delicata squash salad as often as possible.
This creamy roasted acorn squash soup is exactly as it sounds; roasting squash alongside a few other aromatic vegetables and blending them into a creamy soup. It’s naturally sweet and perfectly flavored for a comforting fall or winter meal.
See below for more details on how to make this acorn squash soup or scroll down to the recipe below.
Why I love this soup
The best part about this acorn squash soup is that it’s made in one pan! You’ll add everything to the roasting pan: squash, onion, carrots, and a whole head of garlic to get the vegetables nice and caramelized before pureeing with broth and silken tofu.
You also don’t need to peel the squash before roasting, which is one of my favorite parts of this recipe, as Acorn squash is miserable to peel. I also like that this soup is creamy without any cream, since it uses silken tofu instead of dairy or coconut milk.
Ingredient and Substitution Notes
This acorn squash soup is pretty straightforward– you need acorn squash, carrots, onion, garlic, and a little silken tofu to help blend everything together.
You can use other squash if you can’t find acorn, but I really like the subtle sweetness of acorn squash in this soup recipe. I also have a slow cooker butternut squash soup recipe and a ginger apple squash soup recipe.
Yes, you read that I’m calling for an entire head of garlic here! The garlic flavor mellows a lot once it’s roasted, and it’s not pungent like raw garlic! For ease, chop off the top of the garlic head so that the cloves are exposed without the papery wrapper, and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Wrap in foil or parchment paper to prevent burning, and let soften and cook for 20 minutes while you roast the squash.
Then, you’ll remove the foil or parchment and squeeze out the cloves. They will be light brown and very soft, almost spreadable. (P.S. The technique is a must for homemade garlic bread! Spread the softened cloves with a little softened butter and salt, then spread on bread and toast.)
You cannot taste the tofu here, but a little silken tofu adds body and a bit more protein to this soup recipe. I recommend silken, but I tested this with firm, and it works in a pinch!
How to Make this Roasted Acorn Squash Soup
Prep Veggies
Prep your vegetables according to the directions, then drizzle with plenty of olive oil and the spices. Drizzle olive oil right onto the cut garlic head and sprinkle with salt. Cover the garlic head with foil or parchment paper. Place in the oven for 20 minutes.
Roast and Puree
Remove the garlic and set aside. Flip the squash over (cut side down) and add 2 cups of broth to the roasting dish. Roast another 20 minutes until the vegetables are very, very soft. Scoop out the flesh of the squash and add to a blender along with the cooked onion, carrots and any juices from the pan. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves into the blender and add remaining 2 cups vegetable broth and tofu. Blend until creamy and pureed.
Serve
Divide into bowls and enjoy. I like to drizzle with olive oil, black pepper and pepitas for crunch. As with most creamy soups, it’s great with bread or grilled cheese.
How to cut an acorn squash
Acorn squash is one of the most annoying squashes to cut because it’s round, it rolls, and the skin is hard and ridged! The trick is to soften it first before slicing.
See the below how-to video on how to easily cut the squash.
If your soup isn’t quite right– start here!
Soups can be finicky, since much of the flavor in this roasted squash soup comes from the vegetables themselves and the broth. Make tweaks as you need to:
- Two Sweet: The most common one, as acorn squash can be sweet if you are using a squash that is very ripe! To counteract this, add more lemon juice, a quarter teaspoon at a time. If that’s not enough, add a small splash of apple cider vinegar or a pinch more salt.
- Too thin: Let it simmer uncovered for ten minutes to evaporate some of the liquid.
- Too thick: Add more broth or water, a quarter at a time, then re-taste the broth and adjust the salt.
- Stringy or Fibrous: If you are using an older, more mature squash, then your soup may be a little stringy, so you need to blend longer than you think you need to (start with a full two minutes on high), and if it’s still too stringy, then pass it through a fine-mesh sieve.
Tips for Success
Your roasting pan does most of the work here, but make sure it’s large enough for your vegetables to be on it and for adding broth the second half of roasting.
I ended up using my large baking stone for this, which has a high enough side to hold the broth, but many baking sheets will not work. You can also divide your squash and vegetables into two baking sheets if that’s all you have. Adding the broth the second half of cooking prevents the vegetables from burning or the squash from drying out.
Make sure to add all the juice from the roasting pan as you can to your blender as this is where much of the flavor and moisture for the acorn squash soup come from.
You don’t have to garnish this, but for extra richness, I really like a drizzle of good olive oil (this brand is my current favorite and I’ve got a 15% off discount code using this link) along with freshly ground black pepper. Microgreens and pepitas are nice for added crunch!
Should You Roast Acorn Squash Cut-Side Up or Down?
Both! This is what makes this acorn squash soup so amazing. Start by roasting the squash cut-side up, which exposes the squash to the dry oven heat, which allows for browning and caramelization on the surface. Plus, doing it this way allows you to season the squash cavity directly.
Then, turn the squash cut-side down to allow it to trap steam against the pan, which cooks the squash faster and keeps it moist. However, cooking it cut-side up first allows the squash to get color.
After flipping the squash, I also add in broth, which helps to pick up all the caramelized bits stuck to the pan from roasting the squash cut-side up and also helps to make a pan sauce that you then blend into the soup.
Storage, Freezing and Reheating
In the fridge
You can store this acorn squash soup up to four days in the fridge in an airtight container. Like many soups, it almost tastes better the next day!
In the freezer
This soup is great for up to three months. You’ll want to cool it completely first, then portion it into containers or freezer bags; I like two-cup portions, which is enough for two people, but freezer bags are also great because they stack well.
Silken tofu will separate slightly after freezing and thawing, so the texture may look a little grainy as it thaws. However, it will blend right back together with an immersion blender or in the blender.
Reheating
Thaw overnight in the fridge, then warm gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring often. It’ll be thicker cold than it was hot, so just thin it with a splash of broth or water until the texture looks like. Note that pureed soup will also burst in as you microwave it, so I reheat it in 30-60 second intervals, stopping to stir each time, until it’s hot enough.
Serving Suggestions
I love a soup and a salad combo. My ultimate favorite meal is soup, salad, and bread! Maybe it’s because I spent so much of my college and grad school days at Panera, but it’s hard to imagine creamy soup like this one without crusty bread!
If you like the classic tomato soup and grilled cheese combo, try this acorn squash soup with a grilled cheese. A grilled cheese with sliced Granny Smith apple for tart sweetness is a very nice pairing!
For a soup-and-salad combo, try this with my kale harvest salad or my sweet potato and quinoa salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this in the Slow Cooker or Instant Pot?
The flavor from this soup really comes from roasting the squash, garlic, and carrots. Roasting is where the flavor comes from, and skipping it will leave you with a soup that tastes good, but not as great as roasting everything first. If you want to use a slow cooker, try my slow cooker squash soup instead.
Do you have to peel the acorn squash first?
No, just roast the halves in their skin and then scoop out the cooked flesh with a spoon.
Can you eat the acorn squash skin?
Acorn squash skin is technically edible, but it’s worth scooping out the flesh, as it won’t fully break down in a blender and you’ll end up with flecks in something that you want silky.
Can I make it without tofu?
Yes, you can make this without tofu, though you’ll want to use something else to help it stay creamy. Full-fat coconut milk (about 3/4 cup) is the closest substitute for texture, though it adds a coconut note. Cashew cream works and has a more neutral flavor, or you can leave the cream out altogether to have a thinner, more rustic soup that’s still good.
How do I cut an acorn squash without hurting myself?
Soften it first in the microwave, or in the oven, before slicing. See my full walkthrough above!
More Winter Soup Recipes
If you make this roasted acorn squash soup, make sure to come back to leave a comment and a rating! Your feedback helps other readers and seeing you make my recipes makes my day.
Video
Creamy Roasted Acorn Squash Soup Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 medium acorn squash, halved and seeded
- 1 small head garlic
- 1 onion, peeled and quartered
- 2 carrots, chopped into large 3-4″ chunks
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided
- 3/4 cup silken tofu*
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- Garnishes, as desired: olive oil, black pepper, pepitas, bread croutons, micro greens
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Prep the veggies: halve and remove any seeds from the squash. For the garlic, peel away any loose, papery outer layers, but leave the cloves intact. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut about 1/4 inch off the top of the garlic head to expose the tops of the cloves. Quarter the onion, and chop the carrots into large chunks.
- Place the veggies into a large roasting dish, cut side up. Drizzle the olive oil liberally over the veggies, then season with the thyme, nutmeg, cayenne, salt and pepper. Drizzle more olive oil onto the garlic, then cover the top of the garlic head with a little foil to prevent the garlic from burning.
- Place in the oven and let roast for 20 minutes. The tops of the squash and veggies should start to caramelize slightly and the garlic should be soft. Remove the garlic from the oven and set aside. Flip the squash over and add 2 cups of vegetable broth to the roasting dish. Place back in the oven and cook another 20-25 minutes until the vegetables are very soft.
- Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh of the squash and add to the base of a blender along with the softened onion, carrots and any liquid from the roasting pan. Squeeze out the garlic from the head (it should come out easily when you squeeze at the base) and add to the blender. Add the remaining 2 cups vegetable broth, silken tofu and lemon juice. Puree until very creamy and smooth.
- Taste, adding more salt if needed, or more lemon if the soup needs a little more brightness or if the squash is tasting too sweet. If the soup needs more sweetness, add in a little maple syrup.
- Divide into bowls and serve! I like to garnish with a drizzle of good olive oil, more black pepper and pepitas for crunch. Toasted bread croutons or microgreens for a garnish will also work!
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe first published in 2024 and updated in 2026.
This soup was fantastic! I loved that everything gets roasted first because it adds so much flavor without needing a long list of ingredients.
Easy, flavorful, and filling without feeling heavy. I especially liked that the vegetables are all roasted together before blending.
This was way better than I expected from such a simple ingredient list. blended the soup in batches and it came out super silky. Great recipe for meal prep because it reheats really well.
Very tasty and easy to make. I liked the sheet-pan approach a lot because it kept things simple. For my taste, it was a little sweet from the squash and carrots, so I added extra salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon at the end. That balanced it out perfectly.
I topped mine with toasted pumpkin seeds and a drizzle of olive oil, which was a great finishing touch.
The combination of acorn squash and roasted carrots is delicious, and the roasted onions give it just enough sweetness. I also loved how simple the cleanup was. Very cozy and satisfying.
I didn’t expect this to be as flavorful as it was! Roasting everything first makes such a difference. The silken tofu was a great addition because it made the soup thick and creamy without overpowering the vegetables. My husband went back for seconds.
Easy, healthy, and delicious. I added roasted garlic to mine and thought it paired especially well with the squash.
This was a huge hit in my house. Even my husband, who usually isn’t a fan of squash, went back for another bowl.