This yellow squash soup recipe is creamy and thick, yet light and loaded with nutrients. It’s easy to make in one pot with wholesome, simple ingredients and is perfect for a quick and healthy lunch, or a light dinner, or you can serve it as a starter to any main meal!
Looking for more easy soup recipes? Another easy recipe is this creamy zucchini soup or this homemade vegetable soup and this shrimp corn chowder is an absolutely delicious soup you will definitely want to try to.
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Best Summer Squash Soup Recipe
Creamy summer squash soup is what I like to make when I’ve got tons of yellow summer squash to use up. It’s made with potatoes to thicken it up, celery, carrots, and fresh thyme and garlic for extra flavor. It’s then finished off with melted butter and heavy cream for incredible richness.
Summer soups are a perfect way to eat more veggies. I get it, it’s not exactly soup weather when it’s hot out, but when it’s this light, vibrant, and healthy you make an exception!
Plus, who said you need to eat it hot? You can even eat this soup cool.
Best yet, this flavorful creamy squash soup is cooked and ready to serve in under 1 hour!
Ingredients/shopping list
When summer is over, easily swap the yellow squash for butternut squash and enjoy it throughout the fall and winter too!
- Olive Oil: Just a bit of oil to help cook down the veggies and caramelize them. You can also use either canola oil or vegetable oil for this.
- Diced Mirepoix: Celery, onions, and carrots are the trio of veggies that go into making the base of the soup. Use white onion or yellow onion.
- Yukon Gold Potatoes: I use Yukon golds because I find they result in a creamier consistency in the soup rather than a high-starch potato like russets, but you can certainly use a different kind of potato.
- Yellow Squash: This is the squash that looks like a yellow zucchini! You’ll need to wash it, remove any large seeds and dice it, but don’t peel it. The skin is completely edible, thin, and contains plenty of fiber and nutrients.
- Minced Garlic & Fresh Thyme: Both of these add gorgeous flavor to the soup giving it layers of taste in every mouthful.
- Vegetable Broth: To keep this a vegetarian soup I use vegetable broth. Store bought vegetable stock is great, but if you have a homemade broth recipe you’d like to use, you should!
- Heavy Cream & Butter: Gives the thick and creamy yellow squash soup a smooth velvety finish.
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Variations/ Substitutions
1. Instead of butter and cream, use creme fraiche and a drizzle of olive oil. I like to do this when I am serving guests.
2. Swap the Yukon gold potatoes for white potatoes or red potatoes.
3. Use half and half or whole milk in place of the heavy cream. I have even used skim milk with It’ll be a little lighter in texture.
4. For a dairy-free vegan soup, use full-fat coconut milk from a can.
5. Like a little spice? Sprinkle in some red pepper flakes for a kick!
6. Just before serving, squirt a bit of lemon juice or lime juice on top for a little extra zip.
7. Swap the vegetable broth for chicken stock for richer flavor.
8. Use other fresh herbs like rosemary or basil or even curry powder.
9. Add ¼ cup of white wine if you’d like.
How to Make This Creamy Soup
This delicious recipe will come together in a few easy steps! You can easily double the recipe to make more if you’re serving a crowd.
Step 1: Cook the onion, carrot, celery, potato, and squash in a large pot or dutch oven in oil over medium heat until they begin to soften. Then, add the minced garlic and thyme and cook for another minute.
Step 2: Use a wooden spoon to stir in the vegetable broth, deglazing the bottom of the pot as you stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce it to medium-low heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender.
Step 3: Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth (or until you’ve reached your desired consistency). You can also use a blender or food processor to puree the soup in batches. Just be careful of splatter, it’s hot!
Step 4: Swirl in the heavy cream and melt in the butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with roasted yellow squash, fresh thyme, or fresh basil. You can even add a dollop of sour cream on top if you’d like !
Tips
- Pick the best squash. Although it gets diced anyway, the size and ripeness of the squash will affect the taste. Choose ones that aren’t too big, that are smooth, and firm to the touch. Usually, you’re safe with a 6-8 inch squash.
- Scrape the brown bits. Using a wooden spoon to do this protects the pot from scratches. It is known as deglazing and helps to add tons of flavor to the soup.
- This soup keeps fresh for days in the refrigerator and freezes well, so make a double batch.
FAQ’s
Once the soup has completely cooled, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh for up to 4 days.
Absolutely! You can keep it in freezer-safe containers or freezer bags. I prefer the freezer bags so I can lay them flat and then thaw them easier.
If you have extra time or are reheating a larger portion, use the stovetop. For just a bowl or two, I’d say the microwave is the way to go.
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Yellow Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup yellow onion diced
- ½ cup carrot diced
- ½ cup celery diced
- ½ cup Yukon gold potatoes peeled and diced
- 2 ½ cups yellow squash diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme minced
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- In a large pot, add the olive oil and allow it to heat over medium heat until warm.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Add the diced onion, carrot, celery, potato, and squash and cook the for 7-9 minutes until they are tender and just beginning to brown.½ cup yellow onion, ½ cup carrot, ½ cup celery, ½ cup Yukon gold potatoes, 2 ½ cups yellow squash
- Then add the minced garlic and thyme and cook for an additional minute until fragrant.3 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- Pour in the vegetable broth and, using a wooden spoon, stir gently scraping any bits from the bottom of the pan.4 cups vegetable broth
- Bring the soup to a boil and cook it for 12-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
- Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a blender or food processor to puree it in batches. Be careful as the soup will be hot.
- Then add in the heavy cream and butter and stir until the butter has melted.½ cup heavy cream, 2 tablespoons butter
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with roasted yellow squash, fresh thyme, or fresh basi
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclosure
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.
Sue
Looks so yummy! Thank you!