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.
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This is a fabulous recipe! I have an abundance of yellow squash and was looking for a way to preserve it. Making the soup and freezing it is ideal. I've made it 4 times already
- Rhea
📖Why My Recipe Works
Just like with my chilled peach soup, I kept things simple to let the summer squash shine! My 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.
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. And if you are a fan of chilled soup check out my gazpacho recipe that is made without bread!
It only takes a few easy ingredients. And like my corn bisque and cream of celery soup, I use a potato to thicken the soup. By pureeing the potato, you are giving the soup body while still keeping it gluten and dairy-free.
🧾Ingredient Notes
- Summer Squash- Because you 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 are 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- I am not vegan but I 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. This 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!). Avoid larger squash as the texture will be mealy, and heavy with seeds. Additionally, the high water content will cause the soup to be too thin.
Because you puree 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.
⏲️How to Make Yellow Squash Soup
- A rough dice on the vegetables is all you need since the soup is blended.
- Simmer until the veggies are soft, but really go by the potato, it should be fall-apart tender. If you cut the dice small enough, it should be 15 minutes.
- Let the soup cool slightly then transfer it to a blender and puree until smooth. Be careful of the hot liquid! It should take about 60 seconds.
- 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 and 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 it 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.
👩🏻🍳Jen's Testing Notes
- 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.
- I don't recommend using low-sodium broth or mushroom-based vegetable broth in this soup.
💭 Summer Squash Soup Variations
- 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 tablespoons 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.
Did you enjoy making this recipe? Show it some love with ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a comment! Hungry for more? Get more flavorful recipes!
📖 Recipe Card
Creamy Summer Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 3 medium summer squash cut into half-moons
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 medium potato peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs leaves removed from stems
- 1 Tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- ½ cup coconut milk canned
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- kosher salt and pepper
Instructions
- Melt oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add all the vegetables and aromatics, until the onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil.3 medium summer squash, 1 medium onion, 1 medium potato, 2 cloves garlic, 4 fresh thyme sprigs, 1 Tablespoon coconut oil, 4 cups vegetable stock
- Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until all the vegetables are soft; 15-20 minutes.
- Let cool slightly. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Be careful of the hot liquid!
- Place pan over medium-low heat stir in coconut milk and lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste½ cup coconut milk, 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, kosher salt and pepper
- Serve with additional fresh thyme leaves and a drizzle of coconut milk
Video
Notes
- After pureeing, strain the puree through a fine-mesh sieve for a silky smooth soup.
- For a thicker soup use an immersion blender.
- This soup freezes very well. Pour into 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!
- See post for recipe variations.
Margaret Field says
My version: cooked diced onion in olive oil, added minced garlic and cooked it 30 seconds, added cut up squash and chicken broth. When that was becoming soft, I added 2 cut up corn tortillas, softened that briefly, then used the immersion blender. After that, I added some diced poblano pepper and red bell pepper. Seasoned with 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp Mexican oregano, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and just a sprinkle of smoked paprika. Cooked the mixture for several minutes, then turned off heat. Melted some cream cheese in the soup. Delicious! I made this before I found your recipe, and will try your version also. This is a versatile soup that can easily use different veggies and seasonings.
Cathy Songer says
Love it!! Very satisfying and easy to make. Plan to try the other options soon.
Tam says
Love ! Love ! Love!!
Wanted to find a soup recipe to use my summer squash from my garden. This is it! Look no more!
So yummy!
Rick says
Really good! Next time I will cut that coconut milk in half
Sarah says
Hello. Since "medium squash" is rather subjective, any chance you could change it to quantities in cups or weight? Thanks! I'm looking forward to trying it.
Deb says
Very tasty and super easy to make. It was ready very quickly. I tried the Thai variation and I think I would go back and try the original and other variations as well.
Nancy says
Made this tonight with pattypan squash and it turned out great, whole family liked it which is saying a lot. I am making a batch to freeze tomorrow, my garden is producing way too much squash. The only request they had for changes is for there to be something chunky so I might add some corn and/or an additional potato diced.
Jen Wooster says
sweet corn would a delicious addition
Bruce says
We had some squash from our garden and my wife asked me if I could make this. Always up to a challenge I said yes. This was very simple to make and raves from my wife. I’m probably not going to have squash in the garden next year but I will be buying it from the produce stand and making it again.
Jen Wooster says
Thanks so much for the review!
Robin says
Had lots of yellow crooked neck squash, this is so good, definitely strain the soup. Added cauliflower to second batch and no thyme both are delicious! The coconut milk is a game changer, love that it freezes well.
Bruce says
Should the coconut milk and lemon juice only be added when serving, or can you add it to the soup and then freeze it?
Melinda says
This recipe is simply a delicious meal! The flavor profile is so complex and savory, yet light.
Jen Wooster says
Thanks for the comment!
Sonya says
This soup is so forgiving. I had leeks instead of onion so I added 1/4 tsp sweetener to them and sauteed them first. I added 2 medium summer squash, 2 medium zucchini, red pepper, 3 small potatoes, fresh garlic, 1 1/2tsp dried thyme. I did reduce my vegetable broth to 2 cups so the soup would be thicker. After all veggies softened I emulsified and added the 1/2 coconut milk. I did leave out the lemon juice only because when I tasted it, it was so so very good. It tasted like a garden vegetable soup and looks like one too. The variations I made were based on what needed to be used up in the fridge, it is the best thing I've ever made with wilted veggies 🙂
Jen Wooster says
I agree that leeks are a great substitute in this soup. And you can use the squash and zucchini interchangeably. So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Mikayla says
Planning to make this! how essential is the coconut milk? I was thinking to use cashew cream, and basil instead of thyme, based on what I have available.
Jen Wooster says
That should work. I add yogurt a lot because that is what I have hand.
Debi Dorman says
Love this soup! I added curry, onion and garlic powder as well as shredded chicken. I used diced turnips instead of potatoes. I used an immersion blender as well. Thanks for sharing your delicious recipe base!
Deb MS says
When you have five yellow squash in your fridge, and you don’t really like the texture of them grilled, this is an excellent recipe to use up your harvest and have a nice summer soup. I also used a sweet potato as suggested by another person who rated this recipe and chicken broth. You could not ask for a quicker summer meal that lends itself to all sorts of modifications, add diced chicken or peppers, or other vegetables and use the soup as a base. Very good!
Beth says
Made a few tweaks to make this work with what I had available, but this soup was SO good. I’m looking forward to trying it, as written. For anyone wondering about substitutes that may work, I was able to use ground thyme instead of fresh, butter instead of olive oil, and chicken broth instead of veggie broth. We used peeled yellow crookneck squash. The kids preferred it, topped with nutritional yeast. I did use the entire can of coconut milk because I didn’t have anything else planned to use the rest of the coconut milk up and didn’t want to waste it (and a couple of the kids are on high-fat diets, so that worked good for us anyways). The lemon juice really was the perfect finishing ingredient. Looking forward to making this again!
Miranda says
Pretty good, I didn’t have canned coconut milk so I used plain coconut yogurt and it was so thick and creamy! Also added a bit of distilled white vinegar as well because I felt it needed it. I would make this again
Jen Wooster says
Thanks for the review. I use lemon juice but vinegar can work as well. sometimes it does need just a bit of extra tang!
Amy says
Your soup has help save my sanity with my kid! He decided he didn't like zucchini any of our usual ways this summer, and it's not like my garden slowed down. This recipe is delicious as written, and my 5 year old LOVES it! It also takes well to alterations and adjustments. I've been making it with a bay leaf and rosemary sprig in place of the thyme since that's what's happy in my garden right now. It's also a great use for those MONSTROUS squash! I actually prefer it with the big squash, as the seeds lend a nutty, full flavor and texture to the soup. I've been using zucchini and yellow crookneck, whatever needs to get used up, and both are equally delicious. Tonight's dinner is actually this soup made with one ridiculously huge zucchini, and it's amazing as usual! I'm freezing a ton for easy dinners through the winter, too. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Danielle says
I’m assuming you need to remove the seeds from the squash first?
Jen Wooster says
Nope! they get blended up.
Jen W. says
This is not only my favorite squash recipe, it's definitely one of my all-time favorite soup recipes. It proved to be a game-changer when my garden gave me allll the squash this year. My family does not love squash. They did like the soup, tho! This recipe saved the day (or season, rather)!
Rhea Angle says
This is a fabulous recipe! I have an abundance of yellow squash and was looking for a way to preserve it. Making the soup and freezing it is ideal. I've made it 4 times already and will be making more to freeze (we ate 2 of the 4 already).
Some notes on what I did:
- I was out of white/russet potatoes at the time, so I substituted sweet potato and it was wonderful. After later making it with regular potatoes, I prefer the sweet potatoes but it's still good either way (and it wasn't sweet).
- I had no fresh thyme so substituted a heaping 1/2 tsp. plus garlic powder and it was very flavorful.
- Lite coconut milk works just fine and cuts a few more calories.
- We like pea soup and this squash soup has a similar texture (which was perfect using a Ninja and I wouldn't bother with sieving). I think the added fiber makes for a fuller tummy. I was amazed that 2 bowls of soup left me plenty full and no late-night snacking as a result!
Jen Wooster says
Thanks for sharing your experience with the summer squash recipe. Nothing makes me happier in the dead of winter than pulling this out of the freezer. Like a bowl of summer sunshine.
Gail says
Boy, when i sautéed the veggies in the coconut oil i was soo excited! The smell was amazing. My excitement continued through every step. When it came time for a taste test at the end, i was very disappointed. there was very little flavor. I did not have fresh thyme on hand so i substituted with dried. I kept adding so much salt and pepper to get something out of it. Then i added paprika, cayenne, garlic and onion powder, & Italian seasoning blend. it still fell short to me. I ended up adding a bag of sharp cheddar cheese and fresh parmesan. it finally resembled something flavorful, after I doctored it for an hour to make it taste better. I was really hoping for something better after reading the reviews, it seemed very promising. My partner and I were not impressed, and I ended up making something else for dinner entirely.
Jen Wooster says
I am sorry the recipe wasn't to your liking. This yellow squash recipe is meant to be very light so the ripeness of the squash comes through. Adding those additional flavors would defini8tely make it taste off. Maybe this soup, which can be loaded with cheese would be more to you liking: https://www.peelwithzeal.com/zucchini-soup/