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Staying warm with this creamy Cheddar Apple Butternut Squash Soup. Autumn butternut squash pureed with sweet caramelized apples, fresh thyme, and a touch of milk to make the perfect savory soup with a touch of sweetness swirled throughout. Finish each bowl off with sautéed apples and a sprinkle of cinnamon flavored pecan crumble. It’s creamy, savory, sweet, and one of the coziest bowls of soup you’ll enjoy this fall. Promise.
I can’t believe I have yet to mention this, but the the temperatures here in the mountains have been freezing cold. I’m talking single digits in the morning COLD. It’s truly full on winter here. I wasn’t even close to being ready, but ready or not, it’s here. To make up for all the cold in the air, I’ve been making soup every single day for the last week.
Not even joking.
You guys have a new soup recipe coming your way for each of the next three weeks…really hoping you all enjoy warm soup!
Oddly, I am in LA today and tomorrow, where it’s set to be in the 80’s. Complete opposite weather. I packed sweaters, but all I really need are tees. It’s cool though, because I’m pretty much always cold, even when it’s warm out I’ll still carry a sweater.
Anyway, my point in all this rambling is that while the rest of you are experiencing fall, up here in the mountains, we’re moved on to winter. And because of that I have soup to share!
Hands down two of my favorites when it comes to autumn produce are honeycrisp apples and butternut squash. I am full on obsessed, and love incorporating both into my recipes as much as possible.
It’s hard for me to believe, but I think this is the first time I’ve paired the two together. Shocking, but glad I finally decided to work both into a recipe, because this soup is DELICIOUS.
I know it’s different, but don’t turn your head without trying it first. This soup is the perfect mix up of savory and sweet flavors. And if a soup could be addicting, this would be that soup.
One of the key steps to this soup is caramelizing the apples. This breaks them down, releases extra moisture, and intensifies their flavor before blending. Once you have the apples cooked down and caramelized, everything else gets thrown into the soup pot and simmered until the squash is tender. Then you’ll simply blend, add milk and cheddar, and your soup is done.
And yes, you do need to add the cheddar. It’s pairs with the apples like peanut butter and jelly, it’s truly the best. You need to trust me here.
While the soup is simmering away, make the crumble. Again, I know this might seem weird, but this is one of those recipes where you really just have to put aside your doubts and listen to me. OK? Cool.
The crumble is EVERYTHING. It’s extra heavy on the cinnamon, buttery, and just a little sweet. Nothing too over powering, but when sprinkled over this bowl of creamy, cheesy soup, it’s perfection beyond words. Meaning it’s so good.
And then, as if that wasn’t enough, I added some honeyed apples, because I mean, why not? I mostly did this because I wanted to make the soup extra pretty. But they ended up being incredibly delicious, and added a nice layer of texture. Highly recommending ALL the toppings. Toppings are kind of everything.
I love making this as a nice warm and cozy dinner. But it would be equally great as a starter course for Thanksgiving, which is very quickly approaching.
I’m both excited and wishing time would slow down so that I could enjoy the fall season a bit longer…
Also, is it weird that I am kind of excited to get home to the cold? I find the 80 degree temperatures in October totally off. I LOVE fall weather. Can’t wait to be home this weekend for a quick minute before heading off to NYC. Making soup is for sure on the agenda.
If you make this soup please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Cheddar Apple Butternut Squash Soup with Cinnamon Pecan Crumble
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 1672 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 honeycrisp apples
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 4 cups cubed butternut squash
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, more or less to taste
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1-2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, depending on your taste
- 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 tablespoon honey
Cinnamon Pecan Crumble
- 1 1/2 cups raw pecans, roughly chopped
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons real maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
Instructions
- 1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onion and 1 chopped apple. Cook until fragrant, about 10 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, about 2 minutes, then gradually whisk in the broth until smooth. Add the butternut squash, cayenne, and a large pinch each of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, until the squash is tender, about 20 minutes. 2. Remove the soup from the stove. Let cool slightly and then puree in a blender or use an immersion blender. 3. Return the soup to the stove and set over low heat. Stir in the milk and cheese until melted and creamy. Add the thyme and cook another 2-3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.4. To make the honey butter apples. Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 thinly sliced apple and cook until it just begins to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Add the honey and 2 teaspoons thyme. Cook another minute, then remove from the heat. 5. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and spoon the apples over top. Finish with a sprinkle of pecan crumble. Enjoy!
Cinnamon Pecan Crumble
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.2. On a rimmed baking sheet, combine the oats, pecans, flour, maple, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Add the butter and use your fingers to crumble it into the mix until everything is moist. 3. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking, until crisp and golden brown and smells amazing. I like to serve this warm, so I make it while the soup simmers.
This was FANTASTIC! I added it to my Thanksgiving menu last minute to go with salad before the turkey was ready. Every single family member loved it and we scraped the bowl clean! I used a granny Smith apple since that’s what I had and used cream instead of milk. I didn’t do the topping but served with Asiago bread sticks! This was extremely delicious.
Hey Maria,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for giving it a try! Have a great weekend:)
This soup sounds delicious! Can’t do milk but was wondering if coconut milk could be substituted instead?
Hey Marlo,
Yes, coconut milk will work well for you! I hope this recipe turns out amazing, please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Made this tonight. I thought the soup was okay, not amazing, and it was time-consuming and dirty a lot of dishes. My teenager didn’t like it, but husband did. So, I guess it would be a 3 star review. However, the granola and cooked apples were a delicious addition and took the soup to the next level. I will probably make the granola on repeat.
Hi Holly,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy the soup! Hope you’re off to a great Monday! xT
This soup was absolutely delicious. I made a very large batch since we had some big squashes that needed to be used before they froze. I always like to repurpose some leftovers and this soup was perfect for that. For the second meal I reheated the soup but mixed in a lot more shredded cheese. Then I tossed that in pasta along with chopped bacon, put it in a casserole dish, topped with bacon and breadcrumbs and baked till bubbly. Delicious squash mac and cheese!
Hey Elizabeth,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I just made this but doubled the apples. It is so delicious. The flavors are perfect together.
Hi Wendy,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Have a great week! xTieghan
Wondering if I can make this 2 days ahead and store in the fridge. Worried the cheese might do something weird if heated the cooked then reheated.
Hi there! Yes you definitely can! I would just reheat it on the stove 🙂 xTieghan
My new favorite butternut squash soup! I omitted the flour in the soup to make it GF and it turned out great!
Hey Rebecca,
I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks so much for giving it a try. Have a great week! xTieghan
This soup was incredible! I used two apples, cream instead of milk, and one teaspoon of dried thyme. I didn’t make the honey butter apples or crumble, but these toppings would make the soup extra special. I love your cookbooks and blog!
Hi Rachel! I am so happy this recipe turned out so well for you! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
This recipe is perfection. This soup delivers in every aspect – creamy, sweet, savory, with the perfect amount of kick from the cayenne and crunch from the crumble. We will definitely be adding this to our autumnal arsenal. So happy I stumbled upon this recipe.
I am happy you stumbled upon this one as well! Thank you for trying it, Caitlin! I hope you continue to love this and other recipes of mine! xTieghan
This was delicious, all the extra components made for good flavor combination and textures that are lacking in regular butternut squash soup. Thank you!
Thank you so much Alicia! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This sounded so odd to me, but I took a chance and I’m so glad I did! This soup is beyond amazing! It’s like fall in a bowl. The different flavors and textures go surprisingly well together. So glad I trusted you!
Thank you for trying this one, Brenda! I am really glad it turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This was so good! I normally don’t love butternut squash soup but this wasn’t too sweet. I used granny smith apples in the soup to cut down on sweetness, added a little dried sage and nutmeg, and used a splash of half and half instead of milk (that’s what I had on hand). Just delicious, we’re thinking of making it again next week.
Wow amazing! I am really glad you loved this one, Lea! Thank you! xTieghan