Creamy Summer Squash Soup (GF, Vegan)

The best summer squash soup recipe. Creamy, silky smooth, and loaded with the flavors of summer. This soup is a great way to use up an abundance of summer squash. This soup is a simple recipe, best made with in-season yellow squash. Just like with our chilled peach soup, we kept things simple to let the summer squash shine!

Our summer squash soup can be served warm or chilled plus it is naturally gluten-free and vegan. If eating vegan or dairy-free isn't your thing, you can up the creaminess factor by adding a splash of heavy cream or stirring in a full fat greek yogurt.

Please read the entire post for tips and tricks to ensure a perfect recipe every time. And don't forget to tag @peelwithzeal on Instagram so we can admire your creation!

This post may include affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

I love the flavor of summer squash. I am just not a huge fan of the texture. Which is why I love this soup. All the flavor but in a silky smooth soup form. And while you can serve it hot or chilled, my favorite is definitely chilled.

It only takes a few easy ingredients. And like our cream of celery soup, we use a potato to thicken the soup. By pureeing the potato, we are giving the soup body while still keeping it gluten and dairy-free.

Jump to:

• 🧾Ingredients and Substitutions
• 👩🏽‍🍳How to Select Summer Squash
• ⏲️Instructions
• 🥘Recipe Tips and Tricks
• 💭 Summer Squash Soup Variations
• 🥗More Gluten-Free Soup Recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• ⭐Reviews

🧾Ingredients and Substitutions

• Summer Squash- Because we are pureeing this soup you can use bruised or slightly underripe squash you may have picked too soon. I cut mine into half-moons but a dice works too. But you don't need to peel the squash.
• Onion- One medium white or yellow onion. You could try leeks if you like.
• Potato - No fancy potatoes needed. A basic russet potato works best. Be sure to peel your potato. You can use other varieties but the key is to use a high starch potato.
• Vegetable Broth- We are not vegan but we do eat a heavily plant-based diet. I do prefer vegetable stock over chicken stock in this recipe.
• Coconut Milk- This soup does not taste 'coconutty', so feel free to switch out for any plant-based milk or plain yogurt. I just find the richness of the coconut milk to really improve the overall texture of the soup. Be sure to use canned coconut, not coconut beverage from a carton.
• Lemon Juice- The tiniest bit of lemon juice brightens up this soup in a surprising way. Don't skip it!
• Aromatics- fresh garlic and thyme

👩🏽‍🍳How to Select Summer Squash

The success of this squash soup recipe is highly dependent on the ripeness of the yellow squash. Which is why I highly recommend only making this soup when it is in season.

If growing your own summer squash, pick them early. The ideal size is 6 to 8 inches in length (variety dependent, of course!). You want to avoid allowing the squash to get too big, the texture will be mealy and the squash heavy with seeds. Additionally, the high water content will cause the soup to be too thin.

When buying summer squash from your local grocery store or farmers market the same rules apply to size. Look for squash that feels firm with no soft spots. Because we are pureeing the squash, odd shapes and less than perfect skin is fine. You simply want to ensure the flesh isn't breaking down by giving it a light squeeze.

⏲️Instructions

This summer squash soup is very straightforward. Your vegetables just need a rough dice. Because this soup it pureed a perfect dice isn't required.

In a large stockpot and heat your oil before adding the squash, onion, and potato. Saute your veggies and aromatics until your onions begin to soften. This should take about 5 minutes.

Then add the vegetable broth and bring it to a boil.

Note: We don't recommend using low sodium broth or mushroom-based vegetable broths in this soup.

Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until all the vegetables are soft. But really go by the potato, it should be fall-apart tender. If you cut the dices small enough it should be 15 minutes.

Let the soup cool slightly then transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Be careful of the hot liquid! It should take about 60 seconds.

At this point, you can strain through a mesh sieve. This will make the soup thinner. I always do this, but it isn't required. Alternatively, you strain through a regular colander just to be sure there are no large chunks or seeds.

Place the soup in a pan over medium-low heat stir in coconut milk and lemon juice. At this point I salt and pepper to taste. With the vegetable stock I use, I rarely need to add either.

Serve warm with additional fresh thyme leaves and a drizzle of olive oil or coconut milk.

To serve cold chill in the fridge for at least three hours. When serving chilled you can use the basil oil from our peach soup as a garnish. Absolutely divine!

🥘Recipe Tips and Tricks

• You can strain the puree through a fine-mesh sieve for a silky smooth soup.
• For a thicker soup use an immersion blender.
• Want an even thicker soup? For a bisque-like texture add an additional potato.
• This soup freezes very well. Pour into a large mason jar, leaving plenty of headspace. Tightly seal. Chill in the fridge for 2 hours before moving to the freezer. The soup will keep for 3 months in the freezer.
• The soup can be stored in the fridge in a sealed container for 3 to 5 days. Making it perfect for meal prep!

💭 Summer Squash Soup Variations

This soup can be served warm or chilled making it extremely versatile. But it is also easy to change up the seasonings on the summer squash.

• Thai Inspired- Skip the thyme and lemon juice. Instead, add 1 tablespoon of green curry paste in with the veggies and substitute lime juice for the lemon.

• Spicy Indian- Add 2 tablespoon of madras curry powder plus ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper.

• Corn and Squash Soup- You will need 1 ½ cups of fresh summer corn kernels divided. Add a ½ cup to the blender for the puree. Strain the soup and then stir in the remaining cup of kernels.

🥗More Gluten-Free Soup Recipes

We have soups for all the seasons. Check out more of our favorite soup recipes. They are all gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan!

📖 Recipe